Nikon F4 opinions?

[glockman99]

Since I made a ("face-to-face") trade for a Nikon F4/F4s yesterday (I traded my Nikon D70 DSLR & 18-70mm lens), I have read through all of the replies posted here. It's nice that your F5 is somewhat working again, but can you really trust it now? Do yourself a favor and invest in an F4/F4s...This is the BEST 35mm camera I've ever owned!...(And I've owned quite a bunch of GREAT cameras through the years.). I received both the MB20 and MB21 battery grips with my (late-model) F4s, but even with the added weight and bulk, I'm sticking with the MB21 (F4s) battery grip.

 

[PhotoJim]

I could use an MB-20 - if you decide to sell it, Dann, PM me

The F4 is a nice camera. I really enjoy mine.

 

[xtolsniffer]

I love my (recently purchased) F4s, especially since you can use a conventional cable release with it, a fact that the manual totally omits. The only reason I found the socket was through reading a post on APUG....

 

[GJA]

xtolsniffer - with the F4 and MB-20 out find out very fast that you must use a old plunger style release.

 

[DanielStone]

f100 all the way. 4.5fps, great metering, light, great reliability, and all around another winner IMO, that's why i'll be getting a 2nd one soon!

 

[xtolsniffer]

xtolsniffer - with the F4 and MB-20 out find out very fast that you must use a old plunger style release.

What other kind are there? Does it cause damage, I'm intrigued if not a little worried.....

 

[Markok765]

What other kind are there? Does it cause damage, I'm intrigued if not a little worried.....

Other kinds are electronic, instead of mechanical like the plunger style.

 

[stradibarrius]

When I went through the same process I decided on an F100. It has great features without have too much! I love the F100

 

[Screwdriver]

I own 6....well 5 working F4's.

When the F4 came out I was in awe. To me it is the most beautiful camera ever made. It's funny, I just joined this site about an hour ago...with one of my F4's sitting on the couch next to me.

I love the girth of the F4....I never feel like I will drop it...meter is spot on...AF..tack sharp. Oh, and if zombies attack I can use it as a weapon.

 

[Russ - SVP]

F100 with MB-15, rocks!

Kiron Kid

 

[roninghost]

I would recomend a F100, its as solid as it comes. Great camera love mine. Happy shooting.

Kris Navarro

 

[BetterSense]

I don't understand the point of these big 35mm cameras I think.

I just bought a F4s and sold it within a week because I realized how big and heavy it was. What's the point? 35mm is a miniature format; why is the camera the size of a cantaloupe? My friend has a F100 and it's the same thing. It's so big; I can't imagine taking it on vacation and walking around with it around my neck. Why, when a vastly smaller camera will work just as well and take the same film? Maybe I can see using them in the studio on a tripod, but then 35mm is a compromise in the studio anyway.

I think they were developed and marketed to action/sports/nature photographers who needed the lenses and the speed, and photojournalists who needed the film capacity. Now it seems like it would be folly to shoot action or sports with a film SLR and photojournalists have to use digital cameras for quick publishing.

Although the hype remains for the big honkin AF cameras like the F4/5/100, I think their niche has been stolen and I don't see any more of them in my future. The next AF camera I buy will probably be a Pentax MZ-5n or similar reasonably-sized camera.

 

[PhotoJim]

BetterSense, maybe an F80 or F70 would be a better fit for you.

I have a bunch of Nikons and I find myself reaching more and more for the F4S. The excellent compatibility with older Nikkor lenses and the simple controls, plus the fact that it uses cheap and easy-to-get AA batteries, make it a winner for me.

 

[Steve Smith]

I just bought a F4s and sold it within a week because I realized how big and heavy it was.

The first time I saw an F4 I couldn't believe how big it was. I have smaller medium format cameras.


Steve.

 

[BetterSense]

BetterSense, maybe an F80 or F70 would be a better fit for you.

I have a bunch of Nikons and I find myself reaching more and more for the F4S. The excellent compatibility with older Nikkor lenses and the simple controls, plus the fact that it uses cheap and easy-to-get AA batteries, make it a winner for me.

That's why I went with an F4; it's a lot like my normal-focus cameras. Heck it even has a rewind crank so I don't have to fish my film leaders out of the cassettes. But the main excuse for buying it (my wife is too blind to manual-focus) was nullified by its weight and bulk. She couldn't hold it up without bracing her elbows against herself. Sorry honey, I didn't realize they even made 35mm cameras this big. I have an N75 on the way now; at least it will be light enough for her to use.

I really want to like these "advanced" late-model cameras, what with their auto-focusing, matrix-metering, and motordrives, but I don't understand why they've gone so far backward it terms of size and weight, not to mention viewfinder size. What I really want is a camera the size of my OM2 but with all the gizmos. I guess now I realize that Pentax has some fully-featured AF cameras that are roughly the size of a normal-focus camera like the ME. To me, this is progress. I still have to find one though; I guess they never caught on.

I have smaller medium format cameras

This. Actually my Isolette is smaller than ANY of my 35mm cameras because it's so flat. I can carry it in by back jeans pocket.

 

[Nikanon]

Personally its not your look that is of any deal to me, i say get the camera that has all the features you need, for me its a 4x5, for you it sounds more like an F4, the F5 i think was made for that 8fps as people were getting more into speed which then stopped as digital came along. 8 fps? a 36 exp roll of film is gone in... 4.5 seconds.

 

[Pumal]

If we are going to get so carried away; I'll tell tou that many times I just take out my Yashica Lynx 14 e IC with it's 1.4 lens in my pocket (granted; a big pocket)

 

[glockman99]

The first time I saw an F4 I couldn't believe how big it was. I have smaller medium format cameras.


Steve.

I love my F4s...Big & heavy as it is, but then, I'm not a puny guy...For me, something like an Olympus OM-1n is just too small.