F6

Theo Sulphate said:

Yes, that's what it feels like.

The F5 and F6 were Nikon's first steps in abandoning dedicated control knobs and switches, instead choosing to use generic selector dials to control functions shown in a display.

That doesn't appeal to me (although I like my D700), so I consider the F4 and FM3a to be the last great film Nikons.

Click to expand...

That is where you are wrong. Anyone can tell you that the best 35mm camera with electronics that Nikon ever built is the Nikon F-100.

There I did it! Let the flame wars begin! :devil:

perkeleellinen said:

I wonder what an F7 would be like.

Click to expand...

it will have a built-in automatic subject finderwith HCB technology

n a

RalphLambrecht said:

it will have a built-in automatic subject finderwith HCB technology

Click to expand...

The Nikon F-7 will also have an automated optical system that will rearrange and improve the composition as the shutter is being fired.

mweintraub said:

Oh yes. This is my last AF 35mm body, and probably my last manual 35mm body purchase. I've got my kit set.

Click to expand...

Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd jump in here on the F6. I've had mine since 2008 and it is - without exception - the finest 35mm or any other format camera I've worked with. That said - it is expensive when compared to other excellent available options. The decision to purchase one or not obviously needs to be made based on individual circumstances. The comment that caught my eye most, however, was this one from MWEINTRAUB - which I think is the essence of the F6. For me the F6 marked my exit from the "buy a new camera every couple of years" merry go-round. Draining my bank account while searching for that "certain something" other cameras were incapable of providing ended on that day and I've not looked back once. I have liquidated most of my digital cameras, keeping the D3s and D300 as backup, but I rarely shoot them any more. I have also the F100, F4s, F5, the original F and a few N's and shoot them all. Each has their own personality, style, set of strengths and occasional weakness. But the F6 has represented the lion's share of work since 2008 when I bought it and it's the one I reach for first when i go out to shoot.

In 2013 I sold my (beautiful) RZ system I'd been assembling for years. While I miss the image quality, I finally realized that the nature of the way I shoot lends itself better to faster handling (but still slow and methodical compared to digital), smaller format cameras - but with the right film and technique - can still yield exceptionally high image quality if that's the goal. True - 35mm will never be as enlargeable as 120/220. True, even smaller reproductions of 35mm images have a different look to them than MF. But with excellent technique, the right system accessories for the shot and dedicated effort, I've found that gap has narrowed considerably - especially in today's hybrid workflow. Of course, I realize this is a very subjective statement.

I guess the main thought I had when it comes to cost is, comparing the total package of an F6 to any other film camera is, in all due respect, not a fair comparison. The F6 runs about the same as every other single-digit "F" through history, if period pricing is adjusted for inflation. When I consider how many thousands of dollars I've spent on digital cameras - and would continue to spend on digital cameras in the future - only to turn over after a few years for pennies on the dollar - compared to the 'one and done' investment in the last camera I'll need to buy - it becomes a different comparison. Amortized over the lifespan of the camera, cost is inconsequential (though I understand, not at the time of purchase ;-).

I've written extensively about the F6 journey at http://www.nikonf6.net. It's not for everyone. But if anyone has specific questions regarding capabilities, or how it compares to any of the other cameras mentioned, please let me know and I'll do my best to help. Happy shooting to all, no matter your tool of choice.

jbcrane said:

...

Click to expand...

Because of the F6, I've been shooting more 35mm than I have in a long time. I've been shooting the RZ67 a lot before then, but now my time gets split between the two formats. I'm swapping some 645 gear for other 645 gear, so I think my time will be with that kit for a little bit.

But I have to say, the F6 is great to take when the family (with 9 month old) go out. It's easy to carry and is a beast when it comes to metering and use.

Having no experience with other makers I've a question. Is the Nikon Matrix meter that much better than other makers? I have an F5 and while not infallible it sure does allow me to concentrate on other things while it just does the job. Places where it has issues is the same situations any meter short of incident has them. The F6's meter is supposed to be even better............

Its not Nikon's Matrix but I've used the matrix style evaluative metering patter on the Rollei 6008i and it compares favorably. I used it to shoot E-6 slides in fast changing light with models and it worked very well; well enough to trust the camera in Auto in that situation. I seldom used it when I got my first F4 and can you believe it; Ken Rockwell's article about the F4's matrix and how it was designed coming from the earlier AMP metering that got me shooting the F4 in Matrix and trusting it. I've not shot that many rolls thru my buddies F6 to get any sense of any specific improvement but I liked the F5 and my limited rolls left me the impression there would be confidence in the F6.
Keep in mind the original F4 matrix had the data from some 30,000 images to compare it with; the F5 went higher and I'm sure with the F6 and the even larger data capacity ( and shrinking size of the storage ) they probably reference more.

Theo Sulphate said:

The F5 and F6 were Nikon's first steps in abandoning dedicated control knobs and switches, instead choosing to use generic selector dials to control functions shown in a display.

Click to expand...

No, that started about a decade before the F5.

I don't mind some menu / custom settings to be hidden. There are some settings that I set once and forget. Those are find to be "hidden".

I got on the "matrix metering" bandwagon a few years ago. I just got back from vacation using an older camera with center weighted metering and I missed the convenience of not needing to think about exposure at all when using late model Nikons (B&W negative film exposure).

Different strokes for different folks. I like to be more involved, choose and select my own exposure and focus. If the shot is good, that's to my credit; if bad, need to learn to improve. Probably why I love manual transmission cars - just more involvement and control - I don't care if an automatic is faster or more efficient.

But, yeah, sometimes its nice to be at an event, enjoy your time without being totally immersed in technical details, and come back with good shots

I never use auto settings and rarely program. Mostly manual w/some aperture priority. Trusting the in camera meter is great and frees me up to get the shot. I do a lot of motorsports and they will hammer home the old maxim time is fleeting. The F5 allows me to lay waste to many rolls of film in a weekend. While many are not what I sought the exposure is on target 99.9%.

Theo Sulphate said:

Different strokes for different folks. I like to be more involved, choose and select my own exposure and focus. If the shot is good, that's to my credit; if bad, need to learn to improve. Probably why I love manual transmission cars - just more involvement and control - I don't care if an automatic is faster or more efficient.

But, yeah, sometimes its nice to be at an event, enjoy your time without being totally immersed in technical details, and come back with good shots

Click to expand...

Different bodies for different strokes. Want to slow down, grab the FM2n. Want to take amazing snapshots, grab the F6.

MartinCrabtree said:

...
I do a lot of motorsports and they will hammer home the old maxim time is fleeting. The F5 allows me to lay waste to many rolls of film in a weekend. While many are not what I sought the exposure is on target 99.9%.

Click to expand...

Mostly I shoot landscapes and scenic shots, but I shoot motorsports as well and specialize in a certain look. However, for that I use a D700 so that I can review the results after each track session to make sure I got what I absolutely needed to get. You're right, though, exposure is spot on.

John Crane has a wonderful F6 website. http://www.nikonf6.net/

moranjr said:

John Crane has a wonderful F6 website. http://www.nikonf6.net/

Click to expand...

Umm...

f8&bthere said:

Umm...

Click to expand...

So....it's not?

Yeah......uhm.......what? Don't leave us hangin'.

It's a good site. I mentioned it earlier, post #19, because he was good enough to preserve the interview with Tomohisa Ikeno.

As an aside, the interviewer seemed baffled by "the value of unique pictures", and I don't think it was explained too well, but at least two of us here on APUG place value on the uniqueness and significance that exists only with an immutable image.

If the F6 has resulted in more people being encouraged to use film for photography, that's a good thing.

I'm afraid if I try an F6 I won't love my F5 anymore.

MartinCrabtree said:

I'm afraid if I try an F6 I won't love my F5 anymore.

Click to expand...

Guess how us lowly F100 owners would feel?

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:

So....it's not?

Click to expand...

MartinCrabtree said:

Yeah......uhm.......what? Don't leave us hangin'.

Click to expand...

No, IMO it is a very interesting blog.

My point, humorous in nature, is that the very author of that blog had himself already posted a link to his blog [post #26] just one page back which moranjr [among others?] seems to have missed.

bobwysiwyg said:

Guess how us lowly F100 owners would feel?

Click to expand...

Every time I handle a F-5 or F-6, I enjoy my F-100 even more.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists) , you are correct. I did in fact miss post #26. My post was to express my admiration for his work as it inspired me to return to film after 10 years of shooting digital. I thought others might be interested.

Just to keep this thread around I offer the following F6 related thoughts for your reading and discussion.

Having used the F single digit cameras professional since the F3 era and then backing up to the F2 and F in my wedding business as well as with F4's, I got the F5 well into the F6 era. I wanted/needed the F5 ability to shoot with the G series of lenses that I was also using with Digital cameras at weddings. I ever so briefly considered and tested the F6 of that role, and I even had a buddy offer me his for the astoundingly low price of 1600 with battery pack.
I concluded that at the time the F6 wasn't worth it to me. The cost for even a used one was still quite high, and for what I needed it for (film camera that can use the same lenses at a wedding) the F5 worked very very well.
Fast forward to just this past year; a friend and occasional work collaborator was in somewhat of a similar dilemma; she was needing a film camera for black and white to be used alongside a digital workflow using G lenses. I suggested the F6, she got one in amazingly mint condition without the battery pack for perhaps nearly 1000 less than my friend offered me perhaps 5-6 years ago.
Assisting her these past few months on a few photo shoots with the F6 integrated into her workflow I noticed a couple of things.
She has much more experience with the operations of Digital cameras, and I think she finds the F6 intuitively faster to use because the F6 is set up more like a digital body; her reflexes for changing the F-stop is tuned towards her right index finger rather than the left fingers around the lens (as I with an earlier use of Nikon film cameras). Same with the shutter speed control. Because she is used to it and doesn't have to feel like she has to 'think' about that makes her work faster/more focused.

The AF for what she uses it for is certainly good enough for her to use, while she understands that the F6 is nowhere near what is in her D810 and D4s that she uses (and trust me, those AF systems set up well and used intelligently are amazing) I think she finds that the F6 is quite adequate and doesn't present an issue.

The size! With the smaller battery pack it makes a relatively small package, I coupled it with a 35mm f/1.4 for some night shooting and while it was not Leica M size it was vastly more compact than a D4s. Coming from the massive DSLR pro body realm, an F6 seems quite petite.

The TTL flash metering. While I've long found the TTL flash metering with Nikon to be quite solid and flexible, with the Profoto Air TTL it takes to another amazing level. My friend shoots with the B1 Air TTL and I have assisted her using soft boxes and beauty dishes and the Profoto simple and seamless integration with the Nikon TTL is really astounding. We can and do check the images with digital and then we shift to the F6, using the same settings just switching the TTL unit and lens. Very effective and very fast. If any pro is considering working with film alongside digital with flash lighting the F6 option must be considered.

So; where am I going with this? I think that as more professionals start to incorporate more film into their workflow (yes it is happening) the demand increases for a capable tool to be used alongside the Nikon digital work flow. The F6 while it is a wonderful camera it was based on the older D2 series chassis user interface and AF/TTL. Clearly Nikon has improved and refined their digital bodies; I've long wished that Nikon had used the D3 body as the starting point rather than the D2.
SO, this leads me to consider the possibility and potential that Nikon will release an F7 in the near future. I don't see to recall any official notice the the Nikon would definitely be the last Nikon film camera, so perhaps there is hope.