Why Would One Bash the F5?...and How Does it Compare to the F100 and 1v?

[FilmOnly]

I am thinking I may like to have an AF 35mm camera again. I had a Nikon F100, and liked it very much. I used it with the MB-15, and it handled quite well. I just loved its soft shutter release, too.

I read Ken Rockwell's review of the F5, and was surprised that he mostly bashed the camera. To me, the F5 would have to be among Nikon's best in AF. Anyway, I am considering the F5, F100, and, to a lesser degree, the EOS 1v. The only things I did not like about the F100 were its plastic rewind fork (I know this was improved after serial 216xxxx or so), and the slight red "ghosting" that can be seen in the viewfinder on occasion. The ghosting appears to come from a small amount of bleeding of the focus area markings. To my knowledge, I am one of only a very small number of people who have actually discerned this.

Thus, does the F5 show this slight ghosting in the viewfinder? Also, how does it compare, overall, to the F100? The reason why the 1v is not higher on my list is mainly because of pricing, but also because of the EOS mount (I can use my AI lenses with an F5 or F100). Anyway, I welcome any advice, especially from those who have a fair amount of experience with these bodies. Before I forget: I would be shooting mostly portaits and candids with this camera.

 

[keithwms]

First of all why the hell are you reading Rockwell's reviews on anything, when so many more in-depth and impartial analyses are available... here...

Anyway...

I briefly had an F5, liked it, found it way too much camera for my purposes, and 'downgraded' to an F100. Bear in mind that for several years now I have been doing almost 100% manual focus and that's just the way my head is shaped, so carrying around a 10 hp coffee grinder attached to a manual focus camera didn't make sense to me. YMMV. I will say one thing about the F5, it has this quality that people see you with it and go ooh. If you need that kind of codpiece then go for it. As for me, when shooting 35mm, I am more of an FM3A kind of guy, the F100 (and a certain unmentionable object) are my tools for quicker 35mm.

In the end, your own experience is worth far more than anything you read online.

 

[FilmOnly]

I have been reading Rockwell off and on for the last three or four years. I tend to agree with your opinion of his views.

With regard to MF vs. AF, I could not agree more. Even if I buy an AF camera, I would say that 85% of my work will be with my much beloved 35mm MF bodies. The AF camera would be more for those fleeting moments and some indoor shots, too (using a flash).

 

[df cardwell]

Maybe the F100 is SLIGHTLY easier to focus manually -for me- than the F5.
The F5 is a glorious camera. Wonderful. Dazzling.

I make a living shooting faces. Rockwell shoots stuff. Context is everything.

I like the size when it comes time to shoot. It is a BRICK, and is easy to use at 1/8 and 1/15.
AF is great. A very easy camera to support a quiet sitting.

 

[flatulent1]

In the first place, Rockwell himself tells us not to take him seriously.

I have never used the Nikons you mention, I only have an F4, but I do have the 1V and EOS 3. My one complaint against the F5 is the built-in vertical grip makes it a BIG camera with no prospect of making it small. You can do this with the F100 and 1V and 3. I think also that the F5 is overkill for shooting portraits and candids, almost any camera would work for you. As I get older I am finding smaller to be better, for most things.

 

[nickandre]

Take him with a grain of salt. He writes for two groups of people: the masses--those who will take everything he says and worship it, and the more intelligent human beings who will take everything with a grain of salt. He does much on that site to say "film is superior to digital for anything not requiring speed of handling/iso" and "real pros shoot film."

This review states "35mm is outdated for everyone except 'rich amateurs.'" That was his opinion until he thought to shoot a Leica with velvia against a D3 and noticed that the Leica was much better. Ignore his old perspective.

He also says it's heavy. It's like incorporating the MB-15 into the F100 but not being able to remove it. He prefers Leicas and D40s because they're lighter. It's his perspective again. I personally think a camera that's really big makes you look like a professional, whether or not you are.

 

[FilmOnly]

I appreciate the opinions. At this point, I am probably down to either the F100/MB-15 or F5. Is anyone willing to push me in either direction?

 

[keithwms]

F100. Consider yourself pushed.

 

[nickandre]

The F100 gives you flexibility of removing the grip for lightweight shooting. It's a more modern camera too.

 

[Joe Grodis]

YES, Do take what Ken says with a grain of salt. I stopped taking his advice serious after he started bashing manual focus lenses. I have some of the best manual focus lenses on the planet and I'd never ditch them for a plastic "gilded" lens. Now, back to the F5. The F5 is a masterpiece plan and simple. I have an F4, F5, & FM3a. When I'm playing around taking casual shots I use vintage range finders and such. But, when I want my photos (important stuff) to absolutely positively come out correct I use the F5. It's an all business camera that hardly ever screws up exposure. It's metering is the best I've ever seen. The F5 is a handful to use and there is a big learning curve to get a handle on it. For you to really enjoy the F5 you'll have to READ the manual, it's a rich camera with amazing feature that many people don't know about because they didn't make the effort to read the rather THICK manual. To really understand this camera you'll have to use it for at least a month to really appreciate it. I LOVE MINE!

 

[FilmOnly]

Things could have not gone better! I considered the advice, and opted for my old friend, the F100. It is not just any F100, though. I was able to procure a LN condition F100 from KEH! For a cameraphile (such as myself), this is a dream come true. When I saw that KEH had an LN grade F100, it became a "no brainer." With box and all, it is perhaps more of a collectible than anything else. Perhaps I should just take it out once in a while, or not use it at all...?

I will now hunt for a nice MB-15...

PS: I think the speed and flexbility of the F100 will probably quell any desire in me for digital...especially once I use the F100 with better, slower film.

PPS: I have learned that it is foolish to part with a camera for which one has a sufficient liking, even if the alternatives seem better. It seems one just ends up buying the same camera again.

 

[Q.G.]

A thing giving reason to bash the F5 is its size.
Big (and heavy) enough to house a 6x7 negative, yet only taking 35 mm miniature format film.

And if it isn't bad enough, some people apparently want to further increase the bulk by adding a battery compartment holding a ton of batteries.

Ooo! That's another thing! It apparently requires more power than a microwave oven.



(But seriously too: the thing is bigger and heavier than many MF cameras, which undeniably produce better image quality than you can ever hope to get on 35 mm format).

 

[jphendren]

While I've never owned an F100, I've owned two F5's and a Canon EOS-1V. The F5 is an amazing machine, not much to dislike aside from not being able to remove the vertical grip, and the lack of red lit AF points.

As far as feature sets go, the F5 still delivers even in 2009. There are only two 35mm SLR cameras that may have more features, the EOS-1V and the Nikon F6. The F5's RGB meter is better than the 1V's 21 zone meter, no doubt in my mind. I've used both quite a bit, and the F5 nails it pretty much every time. The Canon is very good, but not as foolproof as the F5. The only other downside to the F5 is that the AF points only turn a darker shade of black when selected. Both the F100 and EOS-1V turn red when selected, much easier to see, especially in low light.

Between the F5 and the EOS-1V, I'd say that the 1V is a little more modern and has more features. I feel that the 1V is more tedious to use do to Canon's push the button and turn the dial to get to anything mentality. The F5 has more switches to activate/deactivate features more quickly. I believe, but am not sure, that the 1V has more robust weather sealing than the F5. To my ears, the F5 is much quieter than the 1V. I've also noticed that film loading/unloading is much easier on the 1V than the F5, or maybe I'm just inept LOL.

Canon's lens lineup is more modern for the most part, but there are a LOT more Nikkor's that can be used on the F5, albeit with some limitations. As far as AF speed goes, this is a toss up for the most part. I've read experts that said that the F5 was faster, while another will disagree. I have no idea, I shoot static subjects, so I don't really use AF.

You can't go wrong with either, they are both more awesome than any DSLR I've ever used.

Jared

 

[keithwms]

Canon's lens lineup is more modern for the most part

Jared, I don't agree with this. I suppose one could argue that it may have been true a decade or two ago, but I see Nikon's lineup as no less modern or comprehensive at this point. Perhaps the most impressive thing is what Nikon has done in recent years with their zoom lineup as a whole... and the ultrawide 14-24 zoom in particular. A decade or two ago, nobody who was very serious about minimal distortion and maximum detail would have picked a zoom, especially an ultrawide zoom. That has changed. Even as a fast prime lover, I will admit that even the lowly 24-120 VR has been very useful to me.

 

[dwdmguy]

I read Ken Rockwell's review of the F5,

That' should be your first clue.....

 

[dbonamo]

F5 and F100 Both great camera's, I own both and use them both. If you decide on and F100, do some research, apparently earlier versions had a poor rewind fork, the first F100 I bought new did not since it was a later version, however the 2nd one I purchase mused ust have been an earlier version since it has the older style. Just google "F100 Rewind Fork Issues"

Also not sure how the user here feel about Thom Hogan, but here is a good review/comparisons between the F5 and F100

Dead Link Removed

 

[drkhalsa]

I like my F5, even though it is big, it feels stable and solid, vertically and horizontally.

In September, I was in an auto accident. Hit broadside, rolled 3/4, and almost all of the glass was broken out. The F5 was tossed out the window and survived with a slightly bent hot shoe and scratches but still works great! I survived, too.

Sat Kartar Khalsa

 

[dwdmguy]

VERY good your ok. But your lucky the F5 didn't kill you! and yes, it could have.

 

[drkhalsa]

You're right about that, Tom. It was sitting on the passenger seat. Could have gone in another direction.

 

[Chan Tran]

I don't have a lot of the cameras mentioned in this thread (F100, F4, FM3a, EOS-1v) but I do have the FM, F3HP and the F5. I like manual focusing so the camera that I use a lot is the F3. About the F5, I think it's a fine camera. I never mind the fact that it's big and heavy. Shutter speeds are good. Meter in spot and CW is accurate. Meter in matrix I have to say it's very bad for my type of shooting (color negative film) although it does a decent job with slide film. Viewfinder is good and I can manual focus with it with no problem.
I don't have the F4, F100 or EOS-1v but I think I would still pick the F5 from among those.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The only things I did not like about the F100 were its plastic rewind fork (I know this was improved after serial 216xxxx or so), and the slight red "ghosting" that can be seen in the viewfinder on occasion. The ghosting appears to come from a small amount of bleeding of the focus area markings. To my knowledge, I am one of only a very small number of people who have actually discerned this.

Since you are one of the few people who can discern the red "ghosting", you have the try the camera before you buy it. You will be the only one who can tell you if it is there.

That said. I looked at the F100, F5 and F6. All good are cameras. I found the F5 too big and heavy, that was an especially big factor because I have enough camera weight with my MF equipment. Cost was another factor. I choose the F100.

Now since that is what you bought the F100 [post 11], you have shown that you not only have good tastes but also show that you are a man of great intelligence.

Enjoy your camera.

Steve

 

[FilmOnly]

I thank you for the compliment, Steve. I am glad I went with the F100, and that I am sticking with 35mm film gear. It really does seem to suit me.

Anyway, I just got some disappointing news. I found a new MB-15 at a very good price ($75, plus shipping). I had requested with the seller--twice--for he/she to send it via Priority Mail--and not via UPS. With all of the holiday days, it would take *10* days for it to get here via UPS. Guess how she shipped it?...UPS. She read my comments in the messages too late (I even put it in the PayPal comments section).

This is very disappointing, even though she offered to give me a full refund. It is disappointing because the F100 is just not the same without the MB-15. I had the F100/MB-15 duo for over a year, and would not go without the MB-15.

I will now lose the whole holiday weekend, as the F100 is set to arrive here on Wednesday. I do not know why people use UPS for coast-to-coast shipping. Their service does not compare with Priority Mail, and for small packages, the cost is virtually the same. Thus, for smaller items, it just does not make sense. Via the USPS, I would have had the package on Monday or Tuesday. I sometimes even receive things *next day* via Priority Mail or First Class. I am currently scrambling to find another MB-15, but the prices are high...

 

[Sirius Glass]

I thank you for the compliment, Steve. I am glad I went with the F100, and that I am sticking with 35mm film gear. It really does seem to suit me.

Anyway, I just got some disappointing news. I found a new MB-15 at a very good price ($75, plus shipping). I had requested with the seller--twice--for he/she to send it via Priority Mail--and not via UPS. With all of the holiday days, it would take *10* days for it to get here via UPS. Guess how she shipped it?...UPS. She read my comments in the messages too late (I even put it in the PayPal comments section).

This is very disappointing, even though she offered to give me a full refund. It is disappointing because the F100 is just not the same without the MB-15. I had the F100/MB-15 duo for over a year, and would not go without the MB-15.

I will now lose the whole holiday weekend, as the F100 is set to arrive here on Wednesday. I do not know why people use UPS for coast-to-coast shipping. Their service does not compare with Priority Mail, and for small packages, the cost is virtually the same. Thus, for smaller items, it just does not make sense. Via the USPS, I would have had the package on Monday or Tuesday. I sometimes even receive things *next day* via Priority Mail or First Class. I am currently scrambling to find another MB-15, but the prices are high...

Just stock up on a good supply of batteries for a while. The batteries can be used for other things.

Steve

 

[FilmOnly]

Batteries?...I do not understand.

 

[glockman99]

...PPS: I have learned that it is foolish to part with a camera for which one has a sufficient liking, even if the alternatives seem better. It seems one just ends up buying the same camera again.

Dang...How many times, through the years have I done the same?...Sold or traded a camera (or lens) off, only to end-up with another one of the same, not too long after...Too many to count, I'm afraid.