Should I buy an F5?

[Paul Howell]

'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.

What I read is that eventfully the E lens will replace the G lens, so at some point anyone who bought an F6 would need to buy used lens, not Nikon's business model.

 

[mshchem]

'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.

What I read is that eventfully the E lens will replace the G lens, so at some point anyone who bought an F6 would need to buy used lens, not Nikon's business model.

The E electronic aperture is required for insanely high frame rates. The D6 is something like 12 fps, 14 fps with mirror locked up. Sad that these lenses won't work properly with film bodies.
Nikon moving everything to Thailand is disappointing.

 

[RDW]

Perhaps it was Nikon's original plan to replace G lenses with electronic aperture E lenses, but with their main focus on mirrorless these days I suspect most of the current range will never be updated. Incidentally, there's no problem with the old 'E' lenses made for the EM and FG, which are just standard entry-level manual focus lenses without the meter coupling prong.

The F5 is also incompatible with AF-P, which doesn't work with any film camera. The F5 can't do iTTL/CLS either (the F6 can).

I bought an F5 when they were reasonably cheap, more or less as a backup for the F100. It's a step up in solidity, the removable prism is nice, and it doesn't have the F100's weak point, that plastic back with its plastic catch. But it's the F100 I would reach for first. The F5 is as large and heavy as some medium format cameras. It doesn't seem so bad until you load those 8 Eneloops, which is another 240g, not far off half the weight of an F80 in batteries alone. Disposable lithiums would make this a bit more manageable. Of course, all this weight and bulk lets you burn a roll of film in under 5 seconds and spin an old screwdriver AF lens with the torque of a small sports car, but if you don't need to do these things in 2021 you are carrying around a lot of dead weight. I prefer the F100's more visible red focus indicators to the black ones on the F5. The latter also seem a tiny bit laggier in responding to the gamepad than they do on the F100, and I could do without the extra locks Nikon deemed necessary on the F5, including the one for the 'on' switch. Setting it to rewind feels like you are arming a nuclear missile or something.

For all that, the F5 is a classic camera, the template for every Nikon that followed, a big evolutionary step up from the F4, and with significant features the F6 lacks. It's just that when I don't need these things and I have to carry a camera around all day, the F5 tends not to be my first choice.

 

[Huss]

For all that, the F5 is a classic camera, the template for every Nikon that followed, a big evolutionary step up from the F4, and with significant features the F6 lacks. It's just that when I don't need these things and I have to carry a camera around all day, the F5 tends not to be my first choice.

What are the significant features that the F6 lacks?
The only one I can think of is the removable heads. But no Nikon camera - film or digital (even the current D6!) - has them.
The F6 can matrix meter with all Nikon F mount lenses going back to 1977, the F5 cannot. The F6 can be 'made small' by not including the optional high speed battery pack. The F5 cannot.

 

[Paul Howell]

Between the F5 and 6 I would lean towards the 6. I had the WL finder for my F and never used it, maybe if I had more of generalist who did astro or macro in the field. The F5 with full battery is heavy, almost as heavy as a Minolta 9000 with drive and 12 AA batteries.

 

[RDW]

What are the significant features that the F6 lacks?
The only one I can think of is the removable heads. But no Nikon camera - film or digital (even the current D6!) - has them.
The F6 can matrix meter with all Nikon F mount lenses going back to 1977, the F5 cannot. The F6 can be 'made small' by not including the optional high speed battery pack. The F5 cannot.

You're preaching to the converted. I'd reach for an F6 rather than the F5 if I had one, for much the same reasons as I'd choose the F100 (size, weight), but as the F100 already does everything I realistically need, I've never paid the (substantial) premium for the F6. Now, if one came along at the right price...

For some people, being able to swap out the head (or just use the screen at waist level without a prism) is a really big deal, the feature that defines the F series, and the omission of this from the F6 was a real disappointment. Some people even miss the true mirror lock up that lets you do things like use those crazy ultrawides that extend into the mirror box. Others aren't mad about the F6's lower eyepoint, or think the F5 is better built to take a hammering (or be used as a hammer!). But I can't say these are things that would bother me, or I suspect most people using film this decade. If Nikon were mad enough to make an 'F7', it should basically be an F6 updated for AF-P and E lenses. And why not add one of those flip-up aperture followers as standard to allow use of pre-AI lenses?

 

[RDW]

Between the F5 and 6 I would lean towards the 6. I had the WL finder for my F and never used it, maybe if I had more of generalist who did astro or macro in the field. The F5 with full battery is heavy, almost as heavy as a Minolta 9000 with drive and 12 AA batteries.

12 AA? Ouch! And I suppose you should always carry a second set...

 

[Paul Howell]

Not counting the 2 AAs that power the body and up to another 12 when using the 3 flash set up. The winder is much lighter takes standard 4 AA. Mine has stopped working, have not had time to trouble shoot it.

 

[Arthurwg]

I do love my F6. But it would take years for me to master all its potential.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

Ok everyone, my take. I have an F5, but I mostly used for news and weddings the F3P+MD4 and F4s, and often used those two in the capacity of a high speed sports camera. By the time I got the F5 I had less use for the high speed aspects, so I then I appreciated the camera for more of the control aspects, which was something I sometimes found challenging with the F4 and F3. The 1/3 step shutter as well as the auto bracketing in 1/3 steps I found useful in dialing a black and white darkroom, but compared to the F4 and F3 the viewfinder of the F5 is much dimmer. I also found the F5 less usable in low light wedding coverage since the there is no way to reduce the in viewfinder light (anyone have a secret Custom Function?) which effectively makes it harder to manual focus. It also could not TTL flash with Manual MF Nikkor glass which the F4 did spectacularly well in a wedding context, and I was very (still am) fond of the Nikkor 35mm 1.4. I found the use of Energizer Lithium AA's to help shave weight, the MS-30 battery holder is more expensive than a whole camera and I still need to rebuild a pair of MN-30's. As I've slowly increased my acquisition of AF glass the F5 is nice to use in AF with G and D series lenses. The F5 remains a superlative sports camera and I include it in the bag to shoot surfing on the North Shore (its tough and weather resistant). As with all F series a screen change for specific lens can do wonders for viewing and focusing, those Nikon engineers designed it to swap out the screens easily. The already mentioned auto bracketing in 1/3 stops is insanely good for very quickly getting a useful range of exposures which is cost effective in shooting slides.

That all being said (sheesh!) I do think that if you can see a need at some point of what the F5 offers then for sure get one, and probably sooner. These were and are expensive yet durable pieces of kit, and the prices are still astonishingly low. But yes: heavy. Ha.

 

[Huss]

Ok everyone, my take. I have an F5, but I mostly used for news and weddings the F3P+MD4 and F4s, and often used those two in the capacity of a high speed sports camera. By the time I got the F5 I had less use for the high speed aspects, so I then I appreciated the camera for more of the control aspects, which was something I sometimes found challenging with the F4 and F3. The 1/3 step shutter as well as the auto bracketing in 1/3 steps I found useful in dialing a black and white darkroom, but compared to the F4 and F3 the viewfinder of the F5 is much dimmer. I also found the F5 less usable in low light wedding coverage since the there is no way to reduce the in viewfinder light (anyone have a secret Custom Function?) which effectively makes it harder to manual focus. It also could not TTL flash with Manual MF Nikkor glass which the F4 did spectacularly well in a wedding context, and I was very (still am) fond of the Nikkor 35mm 1.4. I found the use of Energizer Lithium AA's to help shave weight, the MS-30 battery holder is more expensive than a whole camera and I still need to rebuild a pair of MN-30's. As I've slowly increased my acquisition of AF glass the F5 is nice to use in AF with G and D series lenses. The F5 remains a superlative sports camera and I include it in the bag to shoot surfing on the North Shore (its tough and weather resistant). As with all F series a screen change for specific lens can do wonders for viewing and focusing, those Nikon engineers designed it to swap out the screens easily. The already mentioned auto bracketing in 1/3 stops is insanely good for very quickly getting a useful range of exposures which is cost effective in shooting slides.

That all being said (sheesh!) I do think that if you can see a need at some point of what the F5 offers then for sure get one, and probably sooner. These were and are expensive yet durable pieces of kit, and the prices are still astonishingly low. But yes: heavy. Ha.

Any chance you can post some surfing pics you took with the F5?

 

[ruilourosa]

For the size i would rather carry a MF...

Too much auto... Too much buttons... same negative size as my nikkormat or fm2 or f2as or f3hp...

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

Any chance you can post some surfing pics you took with the F5?
I will attempt, its a moody predawn shot which in the low light the F5 was crucial choosing an in-between shutter speed. Most of the time shooting surf photos any and all metering systems and styles get fooled, so the best most consistent way to meter for exposure is to do it manually and keep the camera in Manual so you don't get any surprise exposure deviations.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Honestly if you're half way convinced you'd be happy with it buy a nice one and try it out. Doubtful you'll lose money if it's not for you and selling it.

 

[Horatio]

Honestly if you're half way convinced you'd be happy with it buy a nice one and try it out. Doubtful you'll lose money if it's not for you and selling it.

Hard to argue with that. I'm thinking of it mainly to expand my collection. I have all the lower F models. I've already missed two good deals.

 

[Horatio]

Seems like the MS-30 battery holder has issues. Are they easy to repair? Used ones are selling for over $100 a pop.

 

[Two23]

If I was going to carry that much weight and bulk I'd just shoot medium format.


Kent in SD

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Here's a thought for you - what problem do you have that the F5 solves that your other camera(s) can't solve? If the answer is affirmative - the F5 solves a problem, then get it. If it doesn't address a long-term issue, then don't. Save the money and put it toward a lens or a whole bunch more film (better!). On the other hand, if you just have a bunch of cash sitting around and an itch to spend, go buy it if it floats your boat.

 

[Horatio]

Here's a thought for you - what problem do you have that the F5 solves that your other camera(s) can't solve? If the answer is affirmative - the F5 solves a problem, then get it. If it doesn't address a long-term issue, then don't. Save the money and put it toward a lens or a whole bunch more film (better!). On the other hand, if you just have a bunch of cash sitting around and an itch to spend, go buy it if it floats your boat.

I could certainly buy a lot of film for the price...

 

[NB23]

If I was going to carry that much weight and bulk I'd just shoot medium format.


Kent in SD

And if you were shooting for the Olympics, you’d revert back to the F5 and ditch the medium format garbage in ln a heartbeat

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

And if you were shooting for the Olympics, you’d revert back to the F5 and ditch the medium format garbage in ln a heartbeat

If you were shooting athletic events at the Olympics, you'd be shooting an EOS 1D Mark whatever or a top of the line Nikon digital. If you were doing slice-of-life or behind-the scenes, you could be using anything from an Olympus SP up to a Speed Graphic with an Aero-Ektar like David Burnett.

 

[faberryman]

I guess I would ask why you want to buy an F5 in the first place. Does it do something your current camera does not?

 

[Huss]

Any chance you can post some surfing pics you took with the F5?
I will attempt, its a moody predawn shot which in the low light the F5 was crucial choosing an in-between shutter speed. Most of the time shooting surf photos any and all metering systems and styles get fooled, so the best most consistent way to meter for exposure is to do it manually and keep the camera in Manual so you don't get any surprise exposure deviations. View attachment 283586

Love that pic! I'm used to seeing the bright/sunny surfing shots. That moodiness and grain is so good!

 

[Huss]

To the OP, as others have said, just get one. Don't like it, sell it on. Life's too short...

 

[NB23]

If you were shooting athletic events at the Olympics, you'd be shooting an EOS 1D Mark whatever or a top of the line Nikon digital. If you were doing slice-of-life or behind-the scenes, you could be using anything from an Olympus SP up to a Speed Graphic with an Aero-Ektar like David Burnett.

So the F5 is actually a useless POS, see?