Thanks to the advent of 3D printing and some great local machining talent, I’ve been able to satisfy the engineering vein within me. Here are some accessories that Nikon forgot to make.
The Nikon F3
The F3 is timeless. The MD-4 for the F3 is made to fit it like a tailored glove. Coming up with an Arca-swiss compatible bracket that stayed true to the form of the camera was quite hard. Inspired by the Leicavit, the key was always going to be less is more. With space for batteries and a 10c piece, I’m quite happy with the end result and have been able to get a small ‘pre-production’ run machined from 6061 aluminum and anodized black. They look great and I have 2 left ($195 AUD with free shipping), drop me an email if your F3 needs one. Eventually I would like to do a small productions run of 10-20 but will need some more interest.
The Nikonos V
The Nikonos V is a great little underwater camera that is built like a tank. Couple it with the 15mm f2.8 and it suddenly becomes a lot to hold. Whilst a double strobe bracket solves this nicely, the strobes take up a huge amount of space which is of little comfort to anyone wanting natural light only. My solution, make a grip just like the old motor drives. *Only compatible with the 15mm. If you want one they can be easily 3D printed from PLA.
The Nikon Df
The Df is Nikon’s answer to the retro camera market and aimed at the purist photographer. I absolutely love mine but Nikon did go light on producing accessories for it (very light). The true systems cameras of the past (F, F2, F3 and F4) all had options, lots of options. The Df doesn’t and I find it can be hard to hold, especially when you have a speed light on top. So, I designed a grip styled like the old MD-4/MD-15 motor drives. Call it the MG-Df. It weighs just over 100g and has space to store a battery internally. Unfortunately 3D printing doesn’t quiet make it cost effective to manufacture beyond a prototype and Nikon didn’t want to pursue it (yes I did send one to them). However, I can honestly say it makes a big difference to camera! If only Nikon made one for real, I would definitely buy it!