Is the Nikon F4 good for anything?

chip j · Jul 29, 2017

It seems so dated in most respects. It has a supposedly better viewfinder than the F3, which I would like, and focus-dot confirmation w/manual lenses, but I have the latter w/ my N90s (a F5 is too heavy & a F6 out of my reach).

Cholentpot · Jul 29, 2017

chip j said:
It seems so dated in most respects. It has a supposedly better viewfinder than the F3, which I would like, and focus-dot confirmation w/manual lenses, but I have the latter w/ my N90s (a F5 is too heavy & a F6 out of my reach).

Useless.

Send it to me and I'll use it as a paper weight.

Huss · Jul 29, 2017

I don't think it has a better VF than the F3, unless you want to use AF lenses. I had an F4 briefly but sent it back as I hated the extremely unergonomic body. It felt like holding a really heavy, slippery bar of soap to me.
I found the AF fine in it - lots of people complain about it. I thought the dials were cool. But I much prefer the F100 that I replaced it with. More compact, much more comfortable to hold. But not as good with MF lenses unless you just rely on the focus confirmation dot. The N90s is an excellent camera. Not sure what the F100 does better apart from being a more modern design.
Both the F3 and F4 need to be checked for bleeding LCDs in the VF.

chip j · Jul 29, 2017

I had a F100 but the back broke. I can do w/o the F4 matrix metering because it is the same lousy thing in a FA I once had.

ac12 · Jul 30, 2017

No, send it to me to take off your hands.

It is what it is.
If you don't like it, move on.

My F2 is more dated than the F4.

rrusso · Jul 30, 2017

Cholentpot said:
Useless.

Send it to me and I'll use it as a paper weight.

Agreed. I have a couple of them which are used on top of books to flatten curled film shot with Canons (they HATE that).

Tell you what...I'll go one better than Cholentpot...I'll meet ya half way on the shipping costs, so just send it to me.

chip j · Jul 30, 2017

I don't HAVE one, just thinking about getting one. I had 3 F2s--ditched them ALL. Huss--great comment on the "bar of soap"--realy registers w/me!

sepiareverb · Jul 30, 2017

Good for tripod work because all the controls and setting are visible without having to wake up the camera to read them off an LCD screen. Sure it's dated, but so is any Leica.

Tony Egan · Jul 30, 2017

Assault and battery. I swing mine at security guards and other busybodies if they approach me while photographing.
Seriously, I used an F4 shooting gigs and concerts for about 10 years. Love the analog controls. Since got an F100 as the autofocus control lights up in the viewfinder. As my eyes got older this was an advantage.

narsuitus · Jul 30, 2017

chip j said:
Is the Nikon F4 good for anything?

Yes, it is good for taking pictures just like any other functional camera.

I have used the Nikon F, F2, F3, and F4. I still use the F2 and F4.

I find the F4 especially useful for taking pictures with all my manual focus and auto focus Nikon F mount lenses.

Nikon F4 and Nikon F4s by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Montaggio · Jul 30, 2017

I love m F4S. I've used it almost exclusively with AI'd MF lenses, so I really don't know how AF performs with it. The 105/2.5 is perfect on it for me. And I can walk around with a 50/1.4 in my jacket pocket. The viewfinder is awesome.

I've never used a F3, so don't know how it compares.

My only concern with the F4S it is the size and weight. I know I can slim it down by removing the battery pack, but it just fits my hand with it on. Size and weight is not too bad, but I'm now doing more travel and just enjoy city wandering. My favourite digital is my xPro-1, and I'm moving to a Leica M body for film. The size and easy x mount adapting of the Leica lenses to Fuji seem to make more sense at this point in my life. It's more about how the two systems will work together and the size.

I've thought about selling the F4S and Nikon glass - it's all in beautiful condition - but at the price the bodies go for today, I know I'll end up regretting it. At times I just gravitate back to the F4. It makes me smile. You can buy a mint one for very little money today, which just makes it a fantastic choice if you want to try it.

Dan Fromm · Jul 30, 2017

Is chip j good for anything?

Chan Tran · Jul 30, 2017

I never like the F4. I prefer to use either the F3 or the F5 instead. I will soon find out for sure as I have an F4s coming.

Scott Micciche · Jul 30, 2017

I loved my F4 until recently when the exposure lock button circuitry broke. Up until then, it was and still is a great camera if you need the motorized features over the F3 but don't want to plop down the cash for the F6 (comparing 4 and 6 for the use of AI lenses with full metering and auto mode for aperture).

Alan9940 · Jul 30, 2017

Too dated? I guess my folders from the 50's and my Rolleiflex from the early 60's would definitely be out. I have both the N90s and the F4 that I bought new back in the day. I still shoot both! I love the N90s when shooting handheld, for when I want to move fast-n-light, and for flash work. I typically use my F4 mounted to a tripod and most with MF lenses. These old eyes just love that dot indicating proper focus. No idea how the viewfinder compares to an F3 because I never used one. I do like the viewfinder of the F4 better than the N90s, though.

Huss · Jul 30, 2017

sepiareverb said:
Sure it's dated, but so is any Leica.

But the Leicas do not feel dated. They feel like a perfect, timeless design. My M7 doesn't feel better than my M3. It's why the MP and MA - current production cameras - are pretty much just like M4s etc. My F6 and F100 feel much better than an F4. Then again an F3 feels better than an F4 to me.

fstop · Jul 30, 2017

Cholentpot said:
Useless.

Send it to me and I'll use it as a paper weight.

I need a hammer, supposedly you can hammer nails with a Nikon.

fstop · Jul 30, 2017

Dan Fromm said:
Is chip j good for anything?

If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, I'm sure we can find something useful to do with him.

Sirius Glass · Jul 30, 2017

Not useless, but I like the F100 much better. So send the F4 to me, postage paid.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 30, 2017

<sigh> reeled into another one of these... Ok.

One of the things that Rockwell got right is that the F4 is the Rosetta Stone of Nikon lens compatibility. The F4 can be used with more types of lenses (pre-AI onwards) than any other film Nikon:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm#e

Actually, the Nikon Df has even better compatibility. With its external and traditional controls, it is essentially a digital F4.

I have two Nikon F4s's and love them. Yes, they're big and somewhat heavy, but I like them because they are the last professional Nikon where all the controls are not only external knobs and switches, but each control has a single, simple, dedicated function. From the F5 onwards, it's all a computer application - and that's not how I want to interact with a camera.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/f4.htm

monkowa · Jul 30, 2017

Dan Fromm said:
Is chip j good for anything?

Being a whiny troll?

colin wells · Jul 30, 2017

Dose the Nikon F4 ping when it fires ?

Chan Tran · Jul 30, 2017

Scott Micciche said:
I loved my F4 until recently when the exposure lock button circuitry broke. Up until then, it was and still is a great camera if you need the motorized features over the F3 but don't want to plop down the cash for the F6 (comparing 4 and 6 for the use of AI lenses with full metering and auto mode for aperture).

The F3 has the motor too and the F4 and F3 motor have the same fps. (provided NiCd is used in the F3 MD-4). Back in the old days, I always use my F3 with the motor drive. Today I feel good that I can remove it when I don't want it.

Ai Print · Jul 30, 2017

I made thousands of good images with the two F4's I had. When I sold off the first one I had bought new, I sent it in for a CLA and was told the shutter had just under 200,000 cycles on it. I found the meter excellent and the fact it worked in matrix mode with AIS lenses was a big plus. The ergonomics were fantastic, shutter speed dial was so nice.

One of Nikon's best for sure, if I were a collector, I would find a mint one.

Cholentpot · Jul 30, 2017

colin wells said:
Dose the Nikon F4 ping when it fires ?

Full auto with a clip and a shoulder thing that goes up.

Is the Nikon F4 good for anything?

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