Nikon F3 - Earliest Recorded

[RonVol]

Nikon F3 with serial number 1200520 is the earliest actual body that I've seen and is part of my collection.
The earliest body that I've seen in a picture is 1200253, seen in an information brochure.
Bodies with serial numbers up to around 12012XX are quite unique as they have several features that later bodies do not have.

[Erik Lund]

Nice, what are these features?

Perfect product shots!

[RonVol]

Nice, what are these features?

Nothing major Erik.
The most obvious difference is the shape of the ends of the film-guide rails.
Look carefully at the images below showing the type I & type II rails.

Type I rails have been seen on bodies up to 1201512.
The earliest body with type II rails that I've seen is 1201662.

[Erik Lund]

It's all in the details Thanks

[null]

Congratulations on the Find! Part of the fun of camera collecting is knowing the differences within the run.

[Akira]

If I remember correctly, the rubber used on the grip was also different on the earliest bodies: the one with the cross-lined texture which was the same material as that used for the steering wheel of Mercedes Benz.

[richardHaw]

i always wanted the F3. i could never afford that when i was younger and i was very jealous of my friends who could. this is a fine camera
i have no intention of shooting film again but i always wanted to have a digital F3.

[null]

The Digital F3 required a big, luggable data acquisition system. The DCS200 was much more compact, I waited for it to come out.