Nikon F4 Focus confirmation

[mehguy]

Is it normal to have a Nikon F4 that is unable to focus confirm with manual glass 50 percent of the time? It seems to toggle between the red "X" and the red arrows a lot, depending on the scene.

Is there something wrong with my camera or is this normal behavior?

 

[Paul Howell]

Mine does the same, once I get the flicker between the two arrows I feel that I am close enough, unless shooting wide open with a 50 1.4 at 1.4 then I take the extra time to get the green LED to stay put.

 

[symbolica]

When I get the dreaded red X with my F4, it's usually because the light levels in the scene are too low for the electronic rangefinder to get a good fix, the particular lens I'm using is on the slower side, or whatever I'm trying to focus on doesn't have enough contrast for the rf to bite on to.

Paul's method of looking for the flicker between the arrows has worked for me too, and if the light is really low I'll sometimes use a flashlight or my phone to get some extra light to focus with.