F6

<p>Well they have stopped making it (Quote Grays of Westminster today)<br>

Of course we sort of thought that anyway.<br>

Odd ones available locally depending on stocks but very few left.<br>

Bit sad really. End of an era. The F has seen service for what 40 years.<br>

Just had to buy the last one they had to make a pair!<br>

Yes memories for a lot of us I guess. No more Nikon film SLR.<br>

Lets hear your memories.</p>

<p>I guess I'll just have to comfort myself with the $1,700 I'll have instead!<br /><br />If I had nothing else to spend it on right now, it would be nice to have such a beast handy, no question... but it in real life, that much money is now buying most of a D700... and with pizza/beer money, you can get a nice used F100 on the side, for dessert.</p>

<p>Felt sick reading that. What a shame.</p>

<p>I saved hard for my F6, and using it any time is a real pleasure. To hear that it has been discontinued is a sad feeling for me and I will take extra care of the one I have.</p>

<p>Ian</p>

<p>Many of us saw that coming already. I am just happy that they continue to produce film for a long time more to come. If not, I will need to buy a huge fridge to bulk buy and store film.</p>

<p>The end of the era of the F series Nikon's is the end of an art form. I know that time marches on but I will never forget the simple fact that the F3 was the most important tool in my development as a photographer and it has served me for well over twenty years. I will not retire her, when she expires she will be placed in a case to be in a position of honor in my den.<br>

Thank you Nikon for giving me inspiration to fulfill my dreams as a photographer. Thank you F3 for being my teacher.<br>

-Owen</p>

<p>I would imagine that Nikon stopped manufacturing the F6 well over a year ago when the entire D2 series was discontinued. The F6 shares a bunch of components with the D2 such as the Multi-CAM 2000 AF module, etc. It would have made very little sense to make those solely for the F6.<br>

I am sure whoever really wants an F6 have bought one a while ago. Whatever remaining stock Nikon has will certainly last them for a few years.<br>

Personally, I have several film SLRs sitting at home doing absolutely nothing: FE, F4, F5 and F100. To me, those are merely tools to help me achieve great images. What I value are the images, not the tools.</p>

<p>Shun, you are 100% right - it is the images that count. That is what is important after all.<br>

However, I feel that the F6 is an exception in some ways. It was built to make taking photos as silent, smooth, easy and accurately as technology allows. The shutter is so quiet that I can take photos in churches without spoiling the ambience or alerting others. The metering is so good I do not even have to bracket on many occasions. The camera has so little vibration whan taking a photo that it is almost like a rangefinder. When using the F6 you can feel the care taken in design and the passion of those who worked on the camera.<br>

I am sure that a seasoned pro can coax great images out of even a basic SLR, but I often need a hand when in some tricky lighting situations and my F6 has never failed to bail me out yet.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>You don't have to look very hard to find a good deal on a like-new used F6.</p>

<p>Where is this coming from? Anyone got a link to prove this?</p>

<p>The OP has made it very clear where the source is. Whether that is reliable or not is completely up to you to decide. Typically Nikon does not announce when they stop producing a product. As long as they still have a bunch of them in a warehouse somewhere, it is "in production" on their web site and in the catalogs. There is no link to prove this until it is officially discontinued. But as I pointed out earlier, it would make absolutely no sense to make certain parts only for a low-volume product such as the F6. Most likely, they made a bunch of them back in 2006/2007 to last a few more years with some spare parts around for another decade or so.<br>

If you choose not to believe this, that is completely up to you.<br>

If you would like to buy a brand new F6, you should have a few more years before supply runs out.</p>

<p>Not surprising, but end of an era for sure. If I still had a need to shoot 35mm film I'd be tempted to pick one up, but I really can't imagine needing more camera for film than the F100. To me the F100 is the best value in a film camera Nikon ever made, period. The F3HP is my personal favorite when I don't need speed or autofocus.</p>

<p>Sad news....but not surprising. I bought my F6 new almost two years ago. It is a great camera, as we all know. But now there is the D700 for not too much more than what the F6 cost. As long as I can use film and my scanner, I will continue to use my F6 until it no longer functions. I like to think about all the money I "saved" and will save in the future by not having to upgrade my digital camera every two years. :)</p>

<p>I've never shot with an F6, though I did handle one in a camera shop in 2004 when it was new. I didn't ask the dealer to set it up for me to fire it since I had no intent to purchase it that day, so I have no idea how quiet it is. It did feel a lot like an F100 but....better, somehow.</p>

<p>I suspect that the F6 fits the phrase "To know it is to love it", since it's difficult to convince those that have never used it (or film for that matter) that it is worth considering. Also, given the depreciation of all other 35mm film gear in the last couple of years it's hard to justify even $1,000 for a used F6.</p>

<p>I also suspect that I will own an F6 someday. I remember looking at an F5 in 1997 when it cost US $2,795 and thinking, "It's more than I'll ever need, but I'll probably buy one someday." Got one in 2004 (used)..</p>

<p>The F6 is a great camera. I picked one up nearly new a few years ago. As mentioned it shared a lot of parts with the D2 body, so switching between the D2X and the F6 is easy. I like the separate battery grip too, but when I want a much smaller camera off it comes and I have a rather compact SLR. I own all the Nikon Pro bodies (F -> F6) and find shooting with the F6 a real joy; (not to say I don't love the F2 or F3, just different strokes). It fits in the digital world nicely too, by recording all my shooting data and then dumping it via a MV-1 to a CF and into a spreadsheet. I can do about the same thing with the F5 and MF28 back but much more compact and provides more data. </p>

 

<p>This is a logical progression but it's sad to witness the end of an era. </p>

<p>For me the F100s were the ones I was very happy with in the developmental phase of my skills. Then came the F6, which is supposed to be the "best". Naturally I liked it, but frankly I had not felt it made a whole lot of difference photographically speaking. I guess the time has come to review and decide what to keep and what to go to eBay (sigh).</p>

<p>Mary</p>

<p>Sad but hardly surprising. I do like to shoot B&W film, and there are times when these aging eyes are just finding it somewhat challening to continue using manual focus SLR's or RF's.<br>

I may yet get an F6 from keh or ebay; along with my 17-35mm and a 50mm/1.4 AFS (in the next couple of months) would make a very nice kit.</p>

 

<p>Even though I am not a Nikon shooter, I am feeling it too. It's like it was for me when Minolta closed its camera business doors forever...the Maxxum 9 was right there with the F6 in many ways...and the 7 much like the F100. Beautifully designed, well thought-out cameras that crowned an era of excellence not generally surpassed with our new digital wonders.<br>

Long live the F6 as the highest achievement of 35mm camera design. A testament to strong engineering and listening to your pro photographers about handling in the field! Nikon would do well no to forget this heritage.<br>

<br /> Jed</p>

<p>I hate hearing that too. I thought it was sad when Nikon stopped making film cameras like the N80 and F100. I understand that cameras are only tools, but I still think there is something to be said about owning and using a camera for 15-20 years or more, that takes pictures as good as the latest models. I still shoot with my F2AS from 1979 - it's been everywhere with me. But you can't blame camera makers for this. Why would they want to sell you a $2000 camera every 20 years, when they can now do it every three? </p>

<p>A half-century of film history coming to an end....I remember people expressing regret and a sense of sadness when the F and F2 were discontinued too. Wow, never no more "F series." Icons of their eras, like 911s, or Colt Peacemakers. We have wonderful photographic tools now that are in many ways better than the old film warhorses, but no one mourned when the D1 or D2 reached the end. Should we burn some incense? A moment of silence? It seems like a mere funeral isn't enough for them. More like piling a mountain of firewood on a old wooden ship, setting the whole thing on fire and pushing it out to sea :)?</p>

<p>Will there be an F7?</p>

<p>I too bought my F6 a couple of years back noting that it would be the last of the great film bodies, it is truly sad to hear of its demise. I use my F6 for family vacations and when the images are more important to me than just bites stored on a hard drive. The sound the shutter is music to my ears... and the time I spend waiting for the films return from A&I is the anticipation of something wonderful, special... somewhat like sex, a love affair I cherish. I too have been beguiled by the digital age... rapid fire, frame after frame... check the LCD... delete and fire again, my D300 is unrelenting in it's thirst for more pixels. But for the moments where your thoughts are your own, time is less important and the image beckons for you to take just one more look... recompose slightly, adjust the f-stop, increase the EV... think for just a moment....... then depress the shutter.... your reward will follow. Thank you Nikon it was a great ride!!! </p>

<p>Yes, Jordan. Let's be optimistic! But I'm afraid that that sentiment is as realistic as our recent political slogan...."Yes, we can!".</p>

<p>Shun, do you not value the process in making the images? To me it is half of the enjoyment of photography.</p>

<p><em>do you not value the process in making the images?</em><br /><br />I know I do. Thinking about light, choosing a focal length, a point of view, the interplay between shutter speed and aperture. Timing. The reason for the shot in the first place. Evaluating the shot afterwards, thinking through cropping and perhaps some dodging and burning. Showing the image to the subject, and seeing what they think. Learning from the process and the results, and applying that next time. <em>All</em> of those process issues.<br /><br />Of course, none of that has anything to do with film vs. digital. <br /></p>

<p>So, it looks like Nikon has kicked itself in the nuts again. I still really can't figure out why the F3(HP) was discontinued, and then the F4(s), and NOW the F6.<br>

Damn...</p>