I'm sorry if this has been posted before, I couldn't find a similar thread with the search engine.
I want to get into auto focus film SLRs, and I have two cameras in mind. Both the F5 and the 1n seem to have quite a large fan base, but I've never used either, so I'm confused. Can anyone tell me something about each model's advantages over the other? Are there any killer features that I might benefit from?
Some info on my photography, if it helps: I like shooting Portraits and I want to do a lot of low light stuff. I want a camera that is very easy to use and has a very wide range of shutter speeds (give me that half minute exposure!), and an advanced metering chip would be nice as well.
As I hope you can see by now, the important thing is not which system you choose. The important thing is that once you've chosen a system, you need to go on the Internet defending it tooth and nail with all the lies, speculation and innuendo you can muster. Otherwise your purchase will be worthless and your life unvalidated.
The reality is of course that both systems are excellent and it probably comes down to ergonomics or corner-case features that will swing it for you. Personally, I'm a Canon man - my first SLR was a (gasp) digital Canon back when Nikon couldn't make a digital camera for toffee, so I stuck with Canon when I upgraded to film, that's the only reason. If I was going the same route now, I'd probably be using Nikon.
Anyway, to add a couple of bits of maybe useful information:
- The Canon 1V (but not 1N) has multi-point metering mode. This is a feature I love - it's a feature I discovered on the T90 and I love it. It's simply the ability to take multiple manual spot readings, and (a) display the readings on a chart in the viewfinder (giving you a guide to the exposure range) and (b) use the computed average for exposure. Such a simple feature, but absolutely brilliant - particularly if you shoot slide film. I don't think the F5 has this, but I could be wrong. This is enough of a reason for me to prefer the 1V over the 1N. (Any modern hand-held meter can obviously do the same thing, but you don't use a 35mm SLR to then use a handheld meter outside the studio - at least, I don't
.)
- Someone said Canon film bodies didn't support image stabilising lenses. This is absolutely false, I use an IS lens on my 1V. As far as I know all Canon IS lenses do all the hard work 'in lens' and are compatible with any body; Nikon VR lenses rely on feedback from the camera's focus sensors, and so require support in the body. That said, I believe the F5 is one such camera with the required support.
- Anyone who thinks Canon L lenses are all rubbish should try and pry my 85mm f/1.2L from my hands. One of is is going to end up dead. (This is an outstanding portrait lens, incidentally.)
- Nikon definitely has a better standard flash system; this of course depends on you using all-Nikon flash units. If you are going to hook up to studio strobes etc. there is going to be less advantage.
Whichever you go with, you'll end up with an outstanding camera and an outstanding selection of lenses that will empty your budget long before you've emptied the available choice...
Edit: I may be slandering Nikon when I say their VR uses the focus sensors as part of the system - someone definitely *does* use that system, but it may well not be Nikon - but it's a fact that only certain Nikon film bodies support VR lenses. AFAIK, the F5 and F6 are the only Fn (i.e. 1-digit) series cameras that VR works with. Nikon lens back compatibility is an excellent thing, as long as you can work out which ones actually are compatible with which cameras...