What Advantage does the F4e Have?

Information about the F4e seems scarce, but in debating about whether or not I wanted to buy one I seem to keep coming up empty on whether it has any advantage over the F4s.

I've never actually seen an F4e in person. Most of the ones on Ebay seem to come from Japan, and of course the F4s is the most common variant in the US. I've looked into buying one to "complete the set" so to speak(I have an F4 and F4s), and had for a long time been under the impression that it used 8 cells and ran at a higher frame rate. A little bit of digging seems to show that the F4s and F4e have the same 5.7fps frame rate(not that I care-if I want high frame rates and machine gun shooting I'm going to use my D3s or really any digital) and also both seemingly use 6 cells.

It looks to me like the only REAL difference is that the bottom hand grip/battery grip runs the entire length of the base rather than being "truncated" as on the F4s.

Can any owners of an F4e comment on if there's an operational difference between the "s" and "e" versions?

had for a long time been under the impression that it used 8 cells and ran at a higher frame rat

Like the MB-22, the MB-23 takes 6 AA cells, not 8; they all go into the bottom portion via the MS-23 adapter and none is in the grip. It can use the MN-20 battery pack and it can power the MF-24 250-exposure multi-control back.

Like the MB-22, the MB-23 takes 6 AA cells, not 8; they all go into the bottom portion via the MS-23 adapter and none is in the grip. It can use the MN-20 battery pack and it can power the MF-24 250-exposure multi-control back.

Thanks-looks like there's no real advantage if I'm not going to use those accessories.

It's halfway tempting to get one to "complete the set", but if two of them isn't enough for me, I think I'm better off with another F4(MB-20) than an F4e.

The MS-23 would be just another proprietary pack to deal with, and any out there are probably dead. If I want rechargeables, I'm better off with standard AAs.

The 250 exposure back would be interesting to have, but I see no practical use for it these days(there again, my D3s can shoot ~80 frames at 9 fps RAW+JPEG, and if I wait a few seconds I can do that again) and would probably be looking at movie film short ends+a cinema lab(if any would take a length that short) if I wanted to use it. The local minilabs have said that they can't handle anything longer than 135-36, and I dread to think about processing that length of film myself.

MS-23

MS-23 is the battery holder for AA cells; MN-20 is the NiCd power pack. And if you want a complete set, then you need to get the MB-22 as well - looks like the MB-21 but uses an external power source.

From a usability point of view, I wouldn't touch any battery pack manufactured some 25 or so years ago. However, if you are talking about collection, I would imagine you want a complete set. If I were to shoot film today, I wouldn't use an F4. I bought mine in 1990 and it served me well until I got an F5 and F100. In the early 2000's, the electronics inside my F4 gradually went bad. Initially it was the contacts between the viewfinder and the body. After 2, 3 years, my F4 wouldn't switch on any more.

In 40+ years using Nikon, so far that is my only Nikon body that goes dead on its own, i.e. no external, abnormal impact or water damage.

From a usability point of view, I wouldn't touch any battery pack manufactured some 25 or so years ago. However, if you are talking about collection, I would imagine you want a complete set. If I were to shoot film today, I wouldn't use an F4. I bought mine in 1990 and it served me well until I got an F5 and F100. In the early 2000's, the electronics inside my F4 gradually went bad. Initially it was the contacts between the viewfinder and the body. After 2, 3 years, my F4 wouldn't switch on any more.

 

In 40+ years using Nikon, so far that is my only Nikon body that goes dead on its own, i.e. no external, abnormal impact or water damage.

My F4s doesn't rewind. I think the clutch slipped.

I don't think I've ever seen a 250 exposure back being used 'in the wild'. I've seen one or two attached to copy cameras, and that's about it. They may not even have been Nikon cameras come to think of it.

Nikon must have sold only a few tens of the things annually, and I suspect they're as rare as hen's teeth - and just as useless these days.

Maybe NASA will have a garage-sale with a few of them in it?

and I suspect they're as rare as hen's teeth

Two on ebay right now, and five for the F3 (plus two with NASA credentials). For the F2, there's even a 750-exposure version (in addition to a 250-exposure one).

My F4s doesn't rewind. I think the clutch slipped.

Can you still rewind it manually?

Can you still rewind it manually?

Yes but on power rewind I feel something turning inside but the film doesn't rewind.