Anybody here own a Nikon F6?

jphendren · Oct 30, 2009

Well since I now own a Nikon F5, and a Canon EOS-1V, I am really wanting to buy a Nikon F6. Anybody here own one? Feel free to share anything about this camera.

Is it in another league than the two previously mentioned camera's?

Anybody know why they are still selling for so much $$?

Talk me into buying one hehe.

Jared

Pinholemaster · Oct 30, 2009

I can only wish, but can't justify the cost from my F-100 bodies. The F6 is the best film camera Nikon has made just as no one is buying film cameras. A damn shame.

Eric Rose · Oct 30, 2009

some say it's better on batteries than the F5. so far I've not had any battery issues with my F5. from what I've seen there is probably little reason to dump a fully serviceable F5 for a F6. but hey I still love my Nikkormat FTn as well.

Tim Gray · Oct 30, 2009

I think the biggest thing the F6 has over the 1V is the ability to look at all the shot settings on the camera or download them on a compact flash card, instead of the goofy ES-E1 business on the 1V.

jphendren · Oct 30, 2009

Yeah, I also have an F5. I can't think of much that the F5 does not have that I would like. I would like the red lit focus points, and the ability to matrix meter with AIS glass, but then I usually use the spot meter anyway. As far as the F5 and batteries are concerned, I have been shooting mine since July on one set of AA's and it still reading full! But that is only around 5 36-exp rolls.

Jared

ymc226 · Oct 30, 2009

I have an F6. I use it with the extra battery grip when I shoot my son's games but like the option of using it without the heavier grip (it can run on 2 small lithium batteries) as the motor drive is built into a smaller body than the F5.

Ektagraphic · Oct 30, 2009

I really would like to get an F6 but by the time I save up for one they will probably be discontinued.

flatulent1 · Oct 30, 2009

If anybody here wants to send me an F6 for Christmas, PM me and I'll give you my address.

pentaxuser · Oct 30, 2009

Jared Have a look at Thom Hogan's site. He does a complete guide to the F100, F5 and F6. You can then compare all three and make an informative decision. I don't own any of them. I use Pentax but I did toy with the idea of switching and Thom's site was one of my pieces of research.

The F5 is a big strong beast but is probably unrivalled if action photography is your interest, even compared to the F6 and several 100's of dollars cheaper. In the U.K. a good F5 is probably half the price of a good secondhand F6.

Robert Teague who used to be a subscriber here is also a former Nikon F5 user but moved to a F6 and has also written an article on it. He can be found on TraditionalPhotographer.NET which is a site he set up. It is still going.

It might also be possible to check out the Nikonians website but I don't know if you get entry without a subscription.

Moving to a F6 is a decision that will cost quite a bit of extra money so I'd do a lot of research if it were me.

Best of luck

pentaxuser

Karl K · Oct 30, 2009

I think the F6 is slightly more refined than is the F5. But I think the F5 wins in the robustness "arena". I was at the Nikon Booth in Las Vegas a few years ago, several months after the F6 was announced. By the second day of the trade show, all three F6's were not operating properly. One had no metering, one had no shutter release, and the third one was jammed. The guys at the Nikon Booth shrugged their collective shoulders. They didn't seem to care because most attendees were foaming at their mouths over the latest digital cameras. Surely this wasn't representative of all F6's, but it gave me pause.

jphendren · Oct 30, 2009

I currently own a Nikon F5, I paid something like $499 for an EX+ example from KEH. The camera looks virtually like new. It is actually my second F5; I purchased a brand new one from Adorama back in 1999 for around $2,250, I believe that there was a rebate at the time though. I've noticed that new F6's are listed on B&H's website, but for $2,499. That is pretty steep for me, considering what a nice F5 goes for these days. I've noticed that the price has actually gone up for the F6, in some of my 2007 editions of KEH's catalog, F6's in EX+ condition were selling for $1,299, now in 2009 I see them selling for $1,600 on eBay!! KEH rarely has one for sale on its website.

I also recently bought a Canon EOS-1V, and I downloaded the F6 brochure from Nikon's website, and it looks like the 1V is pretty near equal to the F6 in every way. The only thing that I could find better about the F6 is the fact that the 1V has a plastic back, while the F6 has an aluminum-alloy back. But the Canon 1V has DEP mode which I find very useful for my style of photography. So in the end they seem pretty equal.

For the type of photography (landscapes) that I do, both the F5 and 1V are overkill. But I really enjoy using nice camera's, so that is why I own what I own.

Jared

Eric Rose · Oct 30, 2009

pentaxuser said:
J
Robert Teague who used to be a subscriber here is also a former Nikon F5 user but moved to a F6 and has also written an article on it. He can be found on TraditionalPhotographer.NET which is a site he set up. It is still going.
pentaxuser

Not to hijack the thread but when I bought my F5 and was quite happy about it I mentioned it on Roberts site. He roundly crapped all over it while whistling about his beloved F6. I never went back.

Christiaan Phleger · Oct 31, 2009

There's one down a the local shop, 1600 without the extra pack, in box like new. Disgustingly tempting. That one does it to me like the F5 never did. Not sure why, must be that smooth shutter and wind. Shot a roll of Kodachrome 200 in a friend's F6, with battery pack, just wailed on it with an old Nikkor 180mm P.C. Loaded, blasted the roll (oh the Luxury!) then rewound so fast his head spun. Especially at the prices K200 is going for, and the processing cost for only 36 frames, the total cost per shot (done at ludicrious speed) was pure indulgence. Made digital look so cheap.

Christiaan Phleger · Oct 31, 2009

The total cost was probably close to a dollar a frame, the friend was a bit stunned how fast you could burn money. I just laughed, thinking about the old days, shooting Pro-packs of Velvia...sigh. Them rich old days..

airgunr · Oct 31, 2009

I've got both the F5 & F6. The F6 is very similar to the F5 but smaller in size (unless you add the battery pack option and then they are virtually the same) and has the 51 point focusing screen. Also has a display in the back that allows you to see and change the configuration much easier than the F5. As someone also pointed out it is easier to download data to the card reader instead of using something like softtalk 2000 or the nikon version (if it can be found). I also believe the F6 will function with the newer CLR lighting systems and flashes where the F5 has some limitations there.

I picked mine up off of Nikonias. A gentelman was selling the camera with the battery pack and a few accessories for just over 1/2 the original cost of the F6 by it'self. Everything came with it's original boxes and packing materials. All in all I love both cameras and would not get rid of them. For the record, I also have a FM2n, FE2 & FA.

Sirius Glass · Oct 31, 2009

I got an F100 because of the cost and to keep the growing weight of my camera equipment.

Steve

PeteZ8 · Oct 31, 2009

airgunr said:
I've got both the F5 & F6. The F6 is very similar to the F5 but smaller in size (unless you add the battery pack option and then they are virtually the same) and has the 51 point focusing screen. Also has a display in the back that allows you to see and change the configuration much easier than the F5. As someone also pointed out it is easier to download data to the card reader instead of using something like softtalk 2000 or the nikon version (if it can be found). I also believe the F6 will function with the newer CLR lighting systems and flashes where the F5 has some limitations there.

I picked mine up off of Nikonias. A gentelman was selling the camera with the battery pack and a few accessories for just over 1/2 the original cost of the F6 by it'self. Everything came with it's original boxes and packing materials. All in all I love both cameras and would not get rid of them. For the record, I also have a FM2n, FE2 & FA.

I'm a little confused. 51 point AF screen? I did not think the CAM-3500 came out until around 2007 with the digial D3 and D300? The F6 should have the CAM-2000 11 point AF system, should it not?

Or do you mean just the focusing screen from one of the later bodies has been swapped in?

jphendren · Oct 31, 2009

"I'm a little confused. 51 point AF screen? I did not think the CAM-3500 came out until around 2007 with the digial D3 and D300? The F6 should have the CAM-2000 11 point AF system, should it not?"

You are correct. The F6 has the same AF system as the D2h that I use to own, it had 11 AF points. I believe that 9 of them are cross type.

Jared

Anybody here own a Nikon F6?

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