Nikon F6?

k.hendrik · Nov 29, 2017

Here a FM, F5 and Df what would I gain with a F6 ?
thread some years ago https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/f6.121635/

Chan Tran · Nov 29, 2017

k.hendrik said:
Here a FM, F5 and Df what would I gain with a F6 ?
thread some years ago https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/f6.121635/

You gain 0.5 fps using the battery grip but not need the rechargeable battery pack which is not only expensive, can't buy one new now and it doesn't last long.

CMoore · Nov 29, 2017

While a fine camera, to me the F6 always seemed the Five or Six string bass of the music world.
All the "classic" electric bass music circa 1950-1990 was recorded on Four Strings.
Switching from "Guitar Gods" to "Camera Gods".......

MattKing · Nov 29, 2017

OlyMan said:
I didn't think you could still buy one new...Googling the F6 seems to show they stopped making them in 2014 or thereabouts, so presumably any new ones are all residual old stock

There seems to be a fair number of reports to the effect that they are still in production, but that the production happens in response to orders.

Born2Late · Nov 29, 2017

MattKing said:
There seems to be a fair number of reports to the effect that they are still in production, but that the production happens in response to orders.

My dealer says he can get them, so I believe your theory is correct.

Sirius Glass · Nov 29, 2017

blockend said:
There are many 35mm SLRs with good meters, even Nikon ones that will fit your lenses. If you want an F6 bear in mind the technology is not consistent with the latest DSLR tech, and the latest lenses may not be compatible.

That is not a problem because it means that one does not have to pay top dollar for used lenses that will work for the F6. I prefer the F100 which is cheaper and lighter.

Craig · Nov 29, 2017

I have an F4 and F6. I purposely didn't get the F5 because it was one piece, whereas the F4 and F6 allow me to add or remove battery packs to reduce size and weight. I rarely use the F6 with the additional battery pack, it's plenty fast as is and comfortable to hold.

I find the F6's matrix metering to be very accurate for slide film, and I find the focus point selection easy and intuitive to use. I like that I can do matrix metering with just about any Nikkor lens, as the F4 also does. The AF is quite a bit better than the F4, and really not that much different in terms of performance from my dF. I shoot lots of moving trains and I've never lost a shot due to AF hunting on the F6.

One other trick the F6 does that I like is it can print the exposure and date information between the frames, so I always have a record of what I did and when. I certainly never regretting buying the F6, even if I don't shoot much 35mm any more.

If you can afford an F6, I would certainly recommend it as the pinnacle of 35mm film SLR's.

MartinCrabtree · Nov 29, 2017

BMbikerider said:
I am not talking about screens! I am talking about replacing the actual prism head which were interchangeable on all Pro Nikons the F, F2, F3, F4 and the last one was the F5. Yes even with my F6 you can change the screens but not the head.

Well then may I beg your forgiveness for my egregious misunderstanding.

cooltouch · Nov 29, 2017

CMoore said:
While a fine camera, to me the F6 always seemed the Five or Six string bass of the music world.
All the "classic" electric bass music circa 1950-1990 was recorded on Four Strings.
Switching from "Guitar Gods" to "Camera Gods".......

Heh, the "classic" electric bass music is still recorded on Four Strings.

Long live the F2.

CMoore · Nov 30, 2017

cooltouch said:
Heh, the "classic" electric bass music is still recorded on Four Strings.

Long live the F2.

Yeah...kind of a funny situation.
There certainly is no right or wrong view point, but i seem to see a "Point Of No Return".....with the 35mm film cameras.
As the digital age encroached, the film SLR almost became the thing that was replacing it.
I have looked at, and contemplated buying an F4, for the lest 2 years. Then i just, kind of, said "Fug it".
Now i am selling my F3's and Canon A Series. They are, like the F6, all fine cameras, but they do more, and in some odd ways less, than I need.
It all becomes the old adage......."That is why Baskin & Robbins made 31 flavors".
We all Like/Need different things.....including cameras.

narsuitus · Nov 30, 2017

CMoore said:
It all becomes the old adage......."That is why Baskin & Robbins made 31 flavors".

Please help me understand the analogies.

To me, the 4-string guitar is like the basic camera. Only 4 controls (shutter speed, f/stop, ISO, and focus) are needed for a basic camera. Additional camera controls put it into the five or six string guitar category.

To me, four ice cream flavors are basic (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Neapolitan). Additional flavors, such as the Baskin Robins 31 flavors, put it into the five or six string guitar category.

Is the old adage, "That is why Baskin & Robbins made 31 flavors" saying ...

Thirty-one flavors is needed because four ice cream flavors is not enough.

or

Thirty-one flavors is our limit because we want to keep it simple.

CMoore · Nov 30, 2017

The worlds greatest Blues/Rock/Country was recorded with a 4 string bass. They did not need more than that to be "The Best".
The Worlds greatest and most classic pictures were taken with giant 4x5 and 8 x10 Dinosaurs and 35mm manual focus cameras with match needle meters. Even older photographers with fading vision made them work.
If it was good enough for Jack Bruce and Ansel Adams, it is good enough for the rest of us.
No that is not what the 31 flavors quote means......it means not everybody likes the same thing, so they made 31 flavors to choose from.

blockend · Nov 30, 2017

Come on people, the reason anyone buys an F6 today is because they like the idea of owning one. Or they've discovered a professional niche that requires 35mm film and a manufacturer supported camera. Or they're shooting chromes exclusively and don't trust their metering judgment. While such people may exist, they must surely be outnumbered by those who simply want to own the last serious film Nikon. There's no harm in that, but the practical reasons for buying an F6 are shared by plenty of other cameras.

Minoltafan2904 · Nov 30, 2017

I'll probably buy an F5 next year and 2-3 AF-D or AF-S lenses to go with it.

benjiboy · Nov 30, 2017

The Nikon F6 will be the last of the line, you can bet your boots there will never be an F7.

Born2Late · Nov 30, 2017

benjiboy said:
The Nikon F6 will be the last of the line, you can bet your boots there will never be an F7.

Exactly!

drmoss_ca · Nov 30, 2017

I bought my first F6 (new) about four years ago. Without any intention on my part, it has gradually wormed its way into being the camera I reach for first of all. I always felt AF was cheating a bit, but it just works. I liked thinking about exposures, but the matrix metering just works. Want to bounce an off-camera flash off the ceiling? That CLS just works! I estimate I use an F6 for about ten films for every one I put through the M2, and all my other 35mm cameras are taken out just now and then so as not to feel completely unloved. I sold a pair of FM3as and a D810 and now I have a second F6, and keep one with colour film and one with B&W. When I use them I can be quick and confident that they will get the photo.

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2017

I have been given Nikon battery packs which I sold on APUG because I do not need to blast through rolls of film and do not need the extra weight. If I was going to shoot 35mm and had to carry a battery pack I would either remove the battery pack or shoot with the Hasselblad.

Theo Sulphate · Dec 1, 2017

cooltouch said:
... But does it really deserve the "not really a pro camera" moniker that Rockwell gives it?

Rockwell was elaborating on an interview of the head of the F6 design team, if I remember correctly. Rockwell provided a link to the interview, which died a while ago.

As I remember it, the design lead was asked essentially "why the F6 in the digital age?". His response was that it was not intended for professionals, but for those "who value unique images". That means, in my Nadvornickian interpretation, those people who realize a negative image is more special than a collection of bits that can be manipulated and reproduced effortlessly. But, perhaps more accurately, it was designed for those who love film and the whole process involved in making film images. That is contrasted with the pro who needs to get a shot of the scoring win or other critical moment and needs a D5 to ensure it.

Billy Axeman · Dec 1, 2017

Theo Sulphate said:
Rockwell was elaborating on an interview of the head of the F6 design team, if I remember correctly. Rockwell provided a link to the interview, which died a while ago.
......

This interview with Tomohisa Ikeno?
The Value of Unique Pictures
http://www.nikonf6.net/resources/the-value-of-unique-pictures/

Chan Tran · Dec 1, 2017

Theo Sulphate said:
Rockwell was elaborating on an interview of the head of the F6 design team, if I remember correctly. Rockwell provided a link to the interview, which died a while ago.

As I remember it, the design lead was asked essentially "why the F6 in the digital age?". His response was that it was not intended for professionals, but for those "who value unique images". That means, in my Nadvornickian interpretation, those people who realize a negative image is more special than a collection of bits that can be manipulated and reproduced effortlessly. But, perhaps more accurately, it was designed for those who love film and the whole process involved in making film images. That is contrasted with the pro who needs to get a shot of the scoring win or other critical moment and needs a D5 to ensure it.

Yeah! What I got out of that interview that the designer stride for Finest with the F6 rather than performance for a professional photojounalist which the F5 was designed for.

ic-racer · Dec 1, 2017

benjiboy said:
The Nikon F6 will be the last of the line, you can bet your boots there will never be an F7.

Why or how do you know?

Billy Axeman · Dec 1, 2017

ic-racer said:
Why or how do you know?

The F6 only exists because the development costs are already earned back (I guess). It is impossible to design a new camera for the price of the current F6, not even close. Moreover, why would you need an F7 when the F6 is already perfect.

The question should be: "Please Nikon can you continue to produce the F6 because we like it so much".

Edit - Paragraph added.

blockend · Dec 1, 2017

Billy Axeman said:
Moreover, why would you need an F7 when the F6 is already perfect.

I'm not sure if you're being ironic, but how can a 2004 camera be technologically perfect? That would mean 2004 digital cameras were also perfect except for sensor technology, and that clearly is not the case. If it were so Nikon would have simply updated the sensor in the D2x. It might also mean the Mazda RX-8, macOS X10.4, Windows XP were technologically perfect, too.

Truth is the Nikon F6 was a work in progress like all its predecessors, but other technologies resulted in it being the last in the line. DSLR cameras did a lot of the things film cameras had been aiming for better, including faster AF, virtually unlimited image storage capacity and superior metering. People for whom those capabilities defined their camera use went digital. For those whose photography is about other things, there are still many cameras to choose from. That's why the F6 is niche - it's a camera permanently stuck in its time, like the faster ever steam locomotive or most sophisticated mechanical typewriter.

cooltouch · Dec 1, 2017

I'm reading through the interview with Tomohisa Ikeno right now. I am particularly struck by this comment of his:

"Please try to listen carefully to the operating sounds of F6. They are subtle, so you have to concentrate, but the sounds you hear are different from the sounds of other cameras."

I am impressed by the degree that the Nikon designers went to to make the F6 sound as "good" as it does. So, I'm curious -- those of you who own F6s -- does the sounds the camera makes really set it apart from other Nikons? I don't own an F5, but I own the relative dinosaur now, the F4, and a much more recent design, the N80. Now, while it's true that the N80 is made mostly from plastic, one of its aspects that I am most impressed with is just how quiet it is. It is as quiet as a digital, even when set to Continuous film transport. So I gotta suspect that the F6's sound quality is akin to this, and most likely superior. Again, Ikeno repeatedly emphasized the great lengths they went to to make the F6 sound unique. Really makes me want to try one out now.

Nikon F6?

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