Second hand Nikon F4 or F5 ?

I am a relative newcomer to the world of Nikon and have recently purchased a Nikon D80 which I am absolutely

delighted with.

 

Historically I used the Olympus OM system - but have sold nearly all my OM equipment and my Bronica medium format

kit.

 

The lenses I intend to purchase for my Nikon system will be of the full frame type, not the digital only design

ones - I am hiring a 80 - 200 mm F2.8 in December and have been warned that I am likely to full in love with it

and end up buying one of them.

 

Having seen the prices of secondhand F4 and F5 bodies on eBay and with dealers I am very tempted to buy one, for

the occasions where I still would like to use film. I am tempted to pay slightly more perhaps for one from a

dealer where it should come with some form of warranty period.

 

However I have no working knowledge of either Camera body and would very much appreciate some guidance as to the

differences between the two at a practical day to day level along with any other things which I need to test or

be aware off when evaluating potential examples to purchase.

 

Also what dealers (UK) should I approach ?

 

Many thanks

 

 

Roy

The difference between the two bodies is alot. Your best bet for an indepth look at between the bodies is mir site or Google Photography in Malaysia. HTye really are two different machines.

 

As for dealers?

 

If you want the best then Greys Of Westminister, they are exclusivley Nikon

ffordes in Scotland are also very good have used them for many things over the years

mxv again big choice of gear to be had.

 

stick www.*****.co.uk round the names and you should get there.

 

I have an F4s and I love it.

 

Still thinking about getting an F5 but think I may go for an F6 instead.

The difference between the two bodies is alot. Your best bet for an indepth look at between the bodies is mir site or

Google Photography in Malaysia. HTye really are two different machines.

 

As for dealers?

 

If you want the best then Greys Of Westminister, they are exclusivley Nikon

 

ffordes in Scotland are also very good have used them for many things over the years

 

mxv again big choice of gear to be had.

 

stick www.*****.co.uk round the names and you should get there.

 

I have an F4s and I love it.

 

Still thinking about getting an F5 but think I may go for an F6 instead.

I've also used ffordes and been very happy with them. Perhaps a little expensive, but then I've always found

their descriptions accurate.

I have both of those cameras, but the one I would recommend is the F100: smaller and compatible with most recent features, still very well made.

 

The F5 is the larger version of the F100 and is big and heavy. To me, the F4 is just too old now with ancient AF and incompatible with the VR feature. My F4 has died due to some electronic problem.

The F5 is a beautiful tool... but big, heavy and complex. If you're coming from a D80, follow Shun's advice. The F100

(which I also have) is like a junior F5 with better ergonomics, smaller, lighter and incredibly intuitive. You don't need to go

to a dealer for one, as many can be found in very good shape in this forum. However, if you're interested in buying from a

dealer, keep exploring... or ask around. I'm sure others will chime in with their suggestions, but, again, widen your choices.

The F100 will do better than an F4 for you.

Many thanks one and all.

 

MVX is just down the road from me and is where the Bronica came from - I shall check out Greys of Westminster - again very accessible and use these forums as well.

 

I shall add the F100 to the candidate list and given the comments about the older F4, make it a F5 or F100 choice.

I've owned and loved the F100, I echo the comments here to look for one. However it does have one flaw that I did not like, and that is a dusty film chamber. The F100 has a rather cheap plastic film door, and it is not well sealed to dust. I never had this problem with my F3HP, which has a rigid film door. I've always been fascinated with the F5, and am still considering looking for one. But overall, the F100 is a better overall camera if you don't need the bullet-proof construction of the F5.

Oh and the other flaw worth mentioning about the F100 is the film cartridge rewind fork was redesigned to be stronger in later bodies. I can't remember the exact serial number when they made the change, but it may be worth looking into. The newer fork is squared off, the older one is curved.

Stating that the F100 is just a junior version of the F5 is a bit of an oversimplification. I would suggest you read some of the more in depth reviews at say: Thom Hogan's site or Ken Rockwell's site.

 

If memory serves me correctly, the F5 has quite a bit more sophisticated RGB matrix meter, and while in most cases the meter in the F100 is fine, there are times when it can be fooled and the F5's meter will be spot on.

 

Additionally, the F5 has mirror lock-up if you're interested in that, while I don't think the F100 does.

The F5 has manual rewind, whereas the F100 doesn't. As mentioned already, the F5 has a lot better sealing/weatherproofing than the F100. If the vertical grip is important to you, then adding the grip to the F100 does not provide as solid an interface as the F5 either.

 

I think the F100 does have a slightly more advanced AF, at least my F100 seems to focus a little faster than my F5. The focus point inside the F100 are illuminated much better than the F5 viewfinder.

 

Just some additional things to consider.

If your choices are only F4 or F5, forget the F4. I have and use both of these cameras, but have generally relegated the F4 as a copy (macro) camera or as emergency back-up.

Jeff, I had the F5 for 2+ years before getting my F100. I still own both today, as well as a non-functioning F4.

 

The F5 has an RGB matrix meter while the F100 is just matrix. When I first bought the F100, I tested them side by

side under a number of difficult lighting conditions, and both cameras gave me the same metering reading. Therefore,

I concluded that the F100's meter is certainly good enough, but even the F5 still gave me plenty of wrong readings

when I went to Antarctica in 1998 where there are a lot of snow scenes.

In everyday use, my experience with the F100 confirmed that its meter is just fine.

 

The F100 has no mirror lock up. Initially I thought that was a big deal, but I tested some 1:1 macros with both using

my 200mm/f4 AF-D macro lens at supposedly the worst 1/15 sec. After I got my slides back, under a 10x loupe, I

could not see any difference in terms of sharpness between those shot with the F5 w/ mirror lock up and those with

the F100 w/out.

 

Both the F5 and F100, along with the entire D1 family, use the Multi-CAM 1300 AF module. The F5 is supposed to

have a more powerful AF motor inside so that it can AF faster with non-AF-S lenses. With AF-S lenses, the F100 is

supposed to have newer firmware and therefore can drive AF-S lenses faster. (Remember those cameras were from

the days that the user could not update the firmware at home.)

 

The bottomline is that when I was shooting film, I used my F5 and F100 pretty much interchagably, typically with

different types of film in each. Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like the OP wants a film SLR for more casual

use. In that case the smaller (and cheaper, although not by much any more) F100 should be a better choice. The F5

does have a few higher-end features such as MLU, interchangable viewfinders and 8 frames/sec for those who need

them.

I still have two F4s cameras and I think they are one of the best cameras ever made. The only issue I think that limits their capability is the slower autofocus as compared to newer models. That said I also have an F6, which really is the best camera ever. I still threaten to shoot film again, so I'm keeping them at least for now. :)

 

 

Lou

I picked up a very nice F5 about 2 months ago for $300 locally. ( I was telling this story at a party, when one woman went "$300! Our company paid $5000 when it first came out!) I also own an F100 which I bought new about 5 years ago. Both are very nice to work with. I'll switch back and forth depending on what I'm shooting. I don't think you could go wrong with either one, and prices are pretty darn good. Sorry, but I've never even seen an F4, so I can't comment.

I also have both and while they are both more than enough for my 35mm needs I would say the F4 is simpler. Thats not to say the 5 is better but the F4 does have big old fashioned knobs and buttons so you can see exactly whats going on just by looking at the body. The F5 has more functions if you really want to use them but you may need to carry an instruction book around with you if you intend to change things while you are out.

I shot an F4 for years as a newspaper photographer. As far as I'm concerned, it's still the best camera that Nikon made. I now own an F100 with the MB-15. I really don't like the metering system on the F100. To me, it is not as acurate as the F4. So I usually use the center weight meter in that camera, as it seems to provide better results that the matirx metering does. I have been tempted to purchase an F5, because the prices are just rediculous these days. With all of that said, any of these three cameras will yield great photos if you understand the ins and outs of the system. Good luck in your search and let us know what you get!

 

Joel

You might add these guys to your list of dealers:

 

http://apertureuk.com/used-NAF.htm

 

Though Ffordes, as mentioned above, have some good deals on F100s right now, starting at 169 GBP:

 

https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm

I prefer the F100.

I looked at this situation and to me it comes down to this logic.

 

If you want to use older MF lenses with matrix metering, you like traditional nobs instead of push buttons for your interface and not programing features with menus, then the Nikon F4 is for you. It can even be used with pre ai lenses. The F4 without the bottom bottom battery pack is the best looking Nikon ever made. You still have all the interchangeable finders and MLU.

 

The F5 is the sports camera, fast tracking, fast FPS with non detachable battery grip so the size is fixed as always big. Its got buttons, and its programmable, but it can work with G and VR lenses and the CLS flashes like the SB800. Only lacking as much compatibility with the oldest Nikon lenses using matrix metering. Some like the F100 VF better since the focus points light up red instead of black lines. Its got interchangeable finders and MLU.

 

F100, not a truly pro camera, I have one, but when I am out shooting it everyone asks me who I work for because it looks like a pro camera, and if your a pro it is, because your results will be as good as the F5 as Shun says. If you need a grip you can get one, its still not an F5 but you can ditch it to save weight. The VF with the red focus points is nice, you give up the 100% VF but like the other cameras its still high eyepoint like the F4 and F5. No mirror lockup but Shun again is right you won't likely miss it.

 

For me if its a backup film camera that will never see ultra heavy use, with modern or at least AI or AI'ed , AIS lenses F100. If not shooting high FPS or extreme focus tracking with screw type lenses also F100 is just as good as F5 in AF especially with 70-200mm F2.8 VR lens. One thing is that there are a lot of F100 with less hard use on them than F5 cameras, this since advanced amatuers not pros who shoot tens of thousands of pictures used them. Get a mint F100 with late serial # to avoid the wind fork issue. Its a beautiful camera and just the right size and weight. I think an OM user will find the F4 and F5 way too big and eventually leave them home.

 

A personal note, I like using a mix of manual and AF lenses with my F100. Here is a list of my favorites plus one that came out after I had already bought my lenses.

 

28mm F2.0 AIS manual focus

 

50mm F1.2 Ais manual focus

 

85mm F1.4 AFD

 

24-85 F2.8-4 AFD with macro mode

 

70-200mm F2.8 VR AFS

 

 

I like the 45mm f2.8 P lens as my street lens, its got a special look and its so tiny it makes the F100 feel smaller.

 

One lens I don't have that I wish I did is the 17-35mm F2.8, but I already had the fine enough for me 20-35mm F2.8.

 

Good luck.

This is likely redundant as I've not taken the time to read all of the above. I think you'd need a compelling reason (e.g. 8 fps) to lug an F5 or F4 around. (Though not sure why you'd consider an F4.) Both are very large and very heavy. Spend a few minutes with an F100 in your hands and check for size/weight.

Roy, if you were a fan of the Olympus OM system (so was I, finally sold mine a year or so ago and still miss it), you appreciate compact, rugged cameras. You'll probably enjoy the F100. The F5 is bulky and heavy and offers only a few specific advantages over the F100.

<del>Roy,

 

I have F6 and love it a lot. But for IQ, 35mm is no match for digital. My F6 film images are transfered to digital by Epson V750 and IQ is far away from my D3 images. So I just got a set of Bronica SQ-Ai and found it has better IQ.</del><p>

 

(Moderator's note: The OP didn't ask about scanning or film/digital comparisons. Please stick to topic.)

Roy, please do not disregard the F5 due to its larger size. I assume you are a fully grown adult, so it should not be an issue. Also, the lenses that you use, particularly the 80-200, will balance perfectly with he F5. If you are used to the D80, with the dials for adjusting aperture and shutter, then I would suggest the F5 over the 4. The 5 feels like a modern camera, where the 4 has the older style manual dials. I am not suggesting that the 4 is a bad choice for this reason, however changing between the D80 and the F5 will take alot less adjusting. Also, you will be limited to lens choice, with the more modern G lenses lacking an aperture ring. These are unusable (for practical shooting) on the 4.

 

One thing that the 5 misses out on is the ability to matrix meter with AI-s lenses.

 

The F5 is better built than the F100 of course and the price difference between the two cameras at the moment make this an easy choice.

The same for the F4. It is the bulkiest "short body" film Nikon ever. It is beautiful, very well made, it`s a pleasure to

handle, but in everyday use I prefer by far a F100. I liked but never loved so much my F4. I still keep older and newer

cameras, but the F4 was in my first bunch of gear for sale.

I prefer to keep manual focus lenses on manual focus cameras, and AF lenses on modern AF cameras. The F4 is a

transition model, with the best (and the worst) of this two worlds.

<del>"My F6 film images are transfered to digital by Epson V750 and IQ is far away from my D3 images."

 

Of course! In my experience, V750 scans cannot be compared even to a Coolpix image. Try another scanner.</del><p>

 

(Moderator's note: The OP didn't ask about scanning or film/digital comparisons. Please stick to topic.)