I think the F4 is about the best mix of manual and auto focus camera there is. It offers options no other camera I can think of offers. For instance, it:
- Mounts and gives matrix metering for all non-AI lenses. Or use AF lenses if you want.
- Has an electronic motor. Or, if you like to leave the leader out like me, you can manually rewind.
- It is a systems camera, something that pretty much all modern pro cameras have abandoned.
- It reads DX coding. Or you can set the ISO yourself.
- Allows you to set up your preferences with dials, not layers and layers of menus.
It is a jack of all trades, but master of none. For instance, it does not:
- Offer mechanical operation
- Offer the best metering
- Offer the best autofocus
I view it as the most capable manual focus cameras of all time, that happens to also offer some extra automation, should you want it.
- Mounts and gives matrix metering for all non-AI lenses. Or use AF lenses if you want.
- Has an electronic motor. Or, if you like to leave the leader out like me, you can manually rewind.
- It is a systems camera, something that pretty much all modern pro cameras have abandoned.
- It reads DX coding. Or you can set the ISO yourself.
- Allows you to set up your preferences with dials, not layers and layers of menus.
It is a jack of all trades, but master of none. For instance, it does not:
- Offer mechanical operation
- Offer the best metering
- Offer the best autofocus
I view it as the most capable manual focus cameras of all time, that happens to also offer some extra automation, should you want it.