What to look for in a used F5?

Hello to everyone.

 

I found a second hand F5 in (apparently) almost mint conditions and at

a reasonable price and now I'm tempted to buy it. The camera has

practically no visible signs of wear and the shop clerk (whom I've

gotten to know fairly well) says it belonged to an old guy who had

simply too much money to spend.

 

Although I trust this shop and this specific clerk, I would still like

to verify their claims about the camera. What would you check in a

used F5 before buying it? Any specific weak point? Is there a not so

complicated way of finding out how many frames were taken with the camera?

 

Thanks,

Roberto

shoot a roll of film in the store at various shutter speeds. Check the flash sync speed in the store also.

 

Not much else you can do other than that.

An authorized Nikon repairman can tell you how many times the shutter has been fired. These cameras are well built. If the cosmetic condition of the camera is as you describe, then it is doubtful that the camera has been used much. There is a definitely a direct relationship between the camera's cosmetic condition and its usage. If the price is right... get the camera. The F5 is the best F of all... and I really liked the F3 and F4!

If the store will agree, offer them an "escrow" type of deposit, and ask them to send it an authorized Nikon service center at your expense.

 

If they do not agree, then shoot a roll of slide film and see how those come out.

Oh, and check the command and sub-command dial (front and back of camera) which are used to control the aperture and shutter.

 

I find that new/lightly used F5 (or D1 series) cameras have fairly stiff dials that take a noticeable effort to turn. After you have used it for a few years, it becomes much easier to turn (almost effortless).

 

This may give you a better idea as to the use.

Roberto,

The main thing to look at is the shutter in the F5. Yes, these are very durable

cameras, blah blah blah, but just because something is in mint shape doesn't

mean it was hardly used. (it could have been a studio camera that never saw

the light of day or rested upon anything but a Gitzo head). Look at the shutter

and see if there is any apparent wear. The wear will look like slight rub marks

from the shutter going through its cycles. It takes about 30,000 cycles for this

wear to start to start to wear off the coating on the shutter blades, and should

be visible if the camera was used heavily. Personally, I would't pay more than

$1100 for a used F5 in mint condition. There is a popular auction site where

the F5 sells from $800-$1200 in mint condition everyday. If you are patient

and buy from a good seller, you shouldn't have to pay camera store prices. I

lucked out on my F5. I got it as a package deal (sold the lenses it came with

instantly) and ended up only paying $600 for an Exc+ F5. Also, make sure

the rubber is not loose at any point of the body. Yes it's easy to fix, but it's still

a big pain. Also, send the camera to nikon if you have the time, just to have

them check it out. I sent mine in and they said it had been fired about 50,000

times. I have since added another 20,000 exposures in the past year. Don't

rush into this decision... Just think of how long you've already waited... a few

more weeks isn't going to hurt.