Should I buy an F5?

Horatio · Aug 21, 2021

Thought I'd flip the question this time, i.e. not ask to be talked out of buying.

Anyway, I've read good things about it, but it reminds me of a square brick. The command dials don't bother me, as I've gotten used to them on the N80 and F100.

So, what's best/worst about this beast?

Paul Howell · Aug 21, 2021

The F5 is a great camera, never owned one, last Nikon I had was the F3P, but by all accounts very solid performer with great metering, shoots at 8 FPS. Only down side is that the F5 will not work with E lens. I know that you don't want to talked out of an F5, but consider a EOS 1V, with the high speed battery grip shoots at 10FPS, more importantly almost all full frame EOS lens work. My understanding is that Canon will service the 1V if sent to Japan. And L glass is some of the glass ever made.

Horatio · Aug 21, 2021

Thanks, Paul. I have Canon DSLRs and several EOS lenses, but the aesthetics of the film cameras don't appeal to me. If I needed 10 fps it might be a different story. It's nice to know Canon will still service them.

Chan Tran · Aug 21, 2021

I say buy it. It's cheap. All the controls are logical (although kinda slow compared to the F3 in my opinion) but they are very logical. For a Nikon SLR that is newer than the F3 my choice would be the F5. I have one new since 2002.

Huss · Aug 21, 2021

I've seen a few with battery drain and dial issues.
Crazy solid feeling camera. Feels absolutely gigantic.
I would really try to get your hands on one before committing, just to make sure that it feels 'right' for you.

MartinCrabtree · Aug 21, 2021

Yeah use it for a day if at all possible. Takes awhile to learn the features. After time the heft and bulk disappeared for me.

Nicholas Lindan · Aug 21, 2021

Ye gads, how the mighty have fallen; introduced for $3,000+ now selling for $300+.

Though for $60 you can still get an N75 with pretty much all the same features except fast motor drive and the nail-hammering ability.

Modern cameras are all run with the same functional set of motors and solenoids. The features are all software. Once the software had been developed for the F5 & F6 it wasn't that big a job to strip it down a bit and shove it into a plastic-fantastic consumer camera.

Pieter12 · Aug 21, 2021

A note of caution. Although this is not my personal experience, a well-respected technician told me if it develops mirror issues (like not returning) it will be pretty much unrepairable due to lack of parts. And supposedly this is not an uncommon problem with the F5.

bdial · Aug 21, 2021

The F5 is a solid but heavy beast. It is the last F to have interchangeable viewfinders. Control-wise, I’d say the biggest difference between it and cameras like an F100 is that many of the controls have lock buttons. So, for example, you have to push a lock button to turn the camera on.

John Bragg · Aug 21, 2021

I bought mine in 2012 when prices were very low. £160 for a near perfect camera. It is designed for speed, but has other talents too. Mirror damping and vibration control are just superlative and that makes it really great for low light hand holding at slow shutter speeds. It is quiet too and fits the hand like a glove, despite its heft. If you go for one then I recommend Eneloop pro batteries as 8 is a lot of cells. I got a spare battery holder for mine, but they are made of unobtanium and rare as hens teeth and more costly than the complete camera. Lately I have used my FM2n more but I wouldnt sell my F5.

Dennis-B · Aug 21, 2021

Biggest mistake I ever made was getting rid of my first F-5. I bought another a couple of years ago, and it's among my favorites. Yes, it's heavy, but it works great.

On a different note, I'm leaning more and more to my F-100. I seldom, if ever, need the high frame rate, and the F-100 has just about everything I need in a film camera. It was a steal @$200 along with the power pack and a 28-105mm zoom.

Agreed, that the repair for the F-5 is getting more and more difficult, but until then...

Moose22 · Aug 21, 2021

Paul Howell said:
Only down side is that the F5 will not work with E lens. .

Just a note, I am pretty sure NO film cameras work with the E lens.

The Es came after the film cameras were done, and Nikon never updated the older camera bodies to handle the electronic aperture. Anything film or DSLR from before 2006 will only be usable wide open. Source: Have an F6 and a 200-500 E lens, so I asked Nikon if it would work.

Paul Howell · Aug 21, 2021

F6 will not work with an E lens, my understanding is that one of the reason Nikon finally dropped the the F6, the other being all bodies are now made in Thailand.

Moose22 · Aug 21, 2021

Paul Howell said:
F6 will not work with an E lens, my understanding is that one of the reason Nikon finally dropped the the F6, the other being all bodies are now made in Thailand.

I'm pretty sure dropping the F6 had nothing to do with the E lenses. Nikon has, literally, never made a film body that works with an E lens and made F6s for 16 years.

They dropped it because they were closing the production lines in Japan and realigning the Japan factory where they made them. No Nikons will be made entirely in Japan anymore. The factory in Japan will now only make parts and all assembly will be done elsewhere. The F6 just didn't have enough sales volume to justify setting up a new assembly line. The push into mirrorless and the rapid decline in sales of DSLR/Interchangable lens cameras forced their hand. They need space to make Z lenses, need to watch costs, they cannot afford to run a loss, and something had to go.

Back on topic, I chose the F6 over the F5, which was $500-600 cheaper at the time, based on maintenance. It was still being made so parts would be around and Nikon could repair it, but they announced the end of the F6 a week after I got mine.

That said, I'd probably be happy to get an F5 right now if I were looking for the same thing, a "modern" pro camera with lots of options. They're going to be harder to get parts for, but get a high serial number, well maintained example and gamble. Nikon made a LOT of them, and they are great cameras.

mshchem · Aug 21, 2021

I have 2 F5s, beautiful camera. Must be the right design, feels like a D3, D5, D6.

Kodachromeguy · Aug 21, 2021

Moose22 said:
I'm pretty sure dropping the F6 had nothing to do with the E lenses. Nikon has, literally, never made a film body that works with an E lens and made F6s for 16 years.

Moose, he may be referring to the older E series of lenses. They were manual focus and made for the lower-cost film cameras.

https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/eserieslenses/index.htm

juan · Aug 21, 2021

In answer to the original question, only if you already have an F2.

mshchem · Aug 21, 2021

juan said:
In answer to the original question, only if you already have an F2.

I bought my first F2S in 1973. I have a couple F2 bodies. I say buy a F2 only after you have a nice F5

Moose22 · Aug 21, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
Moose, he may be referring to the older E series of lenses. They were manual focus and made for the lower-cost film cameras.

https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/eserieslenses/index.htm

OK, that's possible, too. Thanks for pointing that out.

That said, why the heck would you want a bells and whistles everything camera like the F5 to use them? I'd still stick with my recommendation that a good, well maintained F5 is awesome. SOOOOO much great, compatible Nikkor glass out there, lots for a good price. An F5 with an AF50 1.8 ($120 new, half that used) would have been a DREAM camera when I was shooting film regularly in 1990. Like, everything i ever wanted in the early AF era.

DNH · Aug 22, 2021

I have had one for around 13 years now. Had part of the LCD display fail in my DP-30 around 5 years ago & wound up buying a replacement finder.

Perfectly capable camera, with nice AF & great metering but it feels too much like my DSLR in handling & I don't find it as rewarding to use as my older Nikon's or an OM1 or OM2.

Horatio · Aug 22, 2021

Huss said:
Crazy solid feeling camera. Feels absolutely gigantic.
I would really try to get your hands on one before committing, just to make sure that it feels 'right' for you.

MartinCrabtree said:
Yeah use it for a day if at all possible. Takes awhile to learn the features. After time the heft and bulk disappeared for me.

I'd love to try one for a day. Just not possible, unless I buy and return someplace like Roberts or KEH (or some kind Photrio patron loans me one. ) My spare F100 has the external motor drive, and it measures roughly 6"x6", so that should approximate the F5's bulk, if not heft. It's not too cumbersome (I have largish hands), but I'm not sure I'd want to lug it around all day. The vertical grip is nice, though.

Sirius Glass · Aug 22, 2021

The worst part when compared to the N80 or F100 is the weight. Remember it and the lens will be hanging from your neck all day.

pentaxuser · Aug 22, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
The worst part when compared to the N80 or F100 is the weight. Remember it and the lens will be hanging from your neck all day.

Horatio, yes, Sirius sums it up very well. Given that the time that it is in your hands and being held up to your eye, the extra weight probably matters only a little if at all. If fact its extra weight may be a help in terms of balance and steadiness. However if your style means that it will spend several hours around your neck without any other support then it depends on the strength of your neck muscles in terms of how much of a burden it becomes

With a P645N which may be just a shade heavier than a F5 , I have managed a "wander round" a wedding or "stately house" for an hour or so taking shots as a guest.visitor but that was with a wide Optech strap. On an all-day hike I'd want either a chest harness for the P645N or the ability to place it over one shoulder without it swinging about or interfering with my walking if I needed it at a few seconds notice. Alternatively I'd want to use a backpack

However that's me and not you. That's the perennial problem when listing reasons why or reasons why not, It is expressing what suits the respondent and not necessarily the person asking the for the list of good and bad points in the ownership of X camera.

pentaxuser

NB23 · Aug 22, 2021

Paul Howell said:
F6 will not work with an E lens, my understanding is that one of the reason Nikon finally dropped the the F6, the other being all bodies are now made in Thailand.

It will, but only wide open

Horatio · Aug 22, 2021

pentaxuser said:
Horatio, yes, Sirius sums it up very well. Given that the time that it is in your hands and being held up to your eye, the extra weight probably matters only a little if at all. If fact its extra weight may be a help in terms of balance and steadiness. However if your style means that it will spend several hours around your neck without any other support then it depends on the strength of your neck muscles in terms of how much of a burden it becomes

With a P645N which may be just a shade heavier than a F5 , I have managed a "wander round" a wedding or "stately house" for an hour or so taking shots as a guest.visitor but that was with a wide Optech strap. On an all-day hike I'd want either a chest harness for the P645N or the ability to place it over one shoulder without it swinging about or interfering with my walking if I needed it at a few seconds notice. Alternatively I'd want to use a backpack

However that's me and not you. That's the perennial problem when listing reasons why or reasons why not, It is expressing what suits the respondent and not necessarily the person asking the for the list of good and bad points in the ownership of X camera.

pentaxuser

Thanks. All good things to consider. I don't really have a "routine" at this point, so it's all a mental exercise. I did haul around my D300 one morning recently, photographing the grandkids. The shoulder-carry was a little awkward, as the camera tended to frequently swing away from my body, but that's nothing new. I'm really out of practice managing a real camera!

Should I buy an F5?

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