F4 vs F100 vs F5

[johnmarkpainter]

I already have a Nikon F2, N90S and a D100

 

Right now, you can get an F4S and an F100 in similiar condition for about the same price

(around $500). You can get an F5 for about $600 in "Bargain" cond.

 

I am tempted by the F100 because it would handle like my D100. Is the F100 screen

better than the D100? It BETTER be. I am tempted by the F4s because I imagine that it is

a better camera.

 

A bargain F5 is slightly interesting but I don't know what is better on an F5 than on an F4s.

 

Which one is quietest? (shutter and winder) I want a Bright Screen (I have a Beattie in my

F2).

 

jmp

[aaron_ng]

The D100 has based on the F80. The F100 has a brighter screen than the D100.

 

I use an F4s, my shooting buddy uses the F5.

 

The F5 has more features than the F4s. Do you need those features? The only advantage of the F4s is that it Matrix meters with AI and AIS lenses. The F5 has 5 cross-type focus points, while the F4s has 1 vertical-type focus point. This is a major difference. The F5 has a VERY quiet, higher pitched AF motor sound compared to F4s which sounds like blender. The film advance sound is similar. In the AF department, F5 wins.

 

The metering on the F5 is that of the 1005-pixel RGB meter type and if you use AF lenses, you get matrix meter flash metering as well. The F4s uses 5 segment metering and flash is measured by a combination of matrix meter for ambient light and centerweighted meter for flash light. So in the metering department, F5 wins.

 

The F100 is a lightweight F5, with a 5 segment meter. The AF system is the same as in the F5. If you don't mind the weight, F5 in good condition. Otherwise, I'll go for F100.

[ivan_verschoote1]

I'll vote for the F100 too. Great camera.

[johnmarkpainter]

This is the kind of info I am looking for....thanks.

 

The F4 has a "Quiet Mode" that runs at 1fps. Is it not quiet? I kept searching for "Quiet

Mode" and "F100" and finally figured out that they call it "Silent Mode" and it runs @ 3fps.

Impressive.

 

Is it REALLY "Silent"? How does the shutter noise on the F100 compare to a D100?

 

jmp

[tristanlaing]

I doubht the F100's silent mode is that quiet, because the F5's silent mode runs at 1fps, and so does the F6's. I'm very curious about how quiet these silent modes really are. Seems like a great feature for quiet event photography. My F90 is so loud!

[nang]

I can't offer you much in the way of comparison but I'll just say I love my F4s. It's the first AF camera I've ever used so as far as noisiness and speed goes I can't really tell you much. It is loud and slow, but how much louder and how much slower than an F100 or F5... I don't know.

 

It's an absolute dream to use. I only had to flip through the manual for five minutes to know what I was doing with it. A very intuitive camera, and not a single LCD screen, which I enjoy. I enjoy the features it has (like spot metering and mirror lockup) but I don't bemoan the features it doesn't have.

 

The viewfinder is really big and bright, I love that.

 

It is quite bulky, and I understand the F100 is much more compact. I actually like the bulkiness. The weight is perfect for me and provides excellent stabilization.

 

All other things aside, I think the psychological effect of having an F4 is a plus too. I just feel like a better photographer when I have it in my hands. Whether or not this feeling has an actual effect on my photographer I do not know -- but it is a nice feeling. :)

[david_h._hartman]

<em>"A bargain F5 is slightly interesting but I don't

know what is better on an F5 than on an F4s." --John Painter<br>

</em><br>

Almost everything is better on the F5 over the F4. You might want

to read this link...<br>

<br>

<a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009jaL"

target="_new"><u>http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009jaL</u></a>

<br>

<br>

I personally recommend either the F5 or the F3. I owned an F4s

and the MB-20 battery pack but once I got the F5 I didnt

use the F4 much anymore. I bought an F100 as a backup to the F5.<br>

<br>

The F4 has only one AF sensor, its not that good and its

permanently associated to the shutter release. The AF lock is

difficult to use. If you want to chose when and where the camera

focuses the F5 using custom setting 4:1 give you this capability.

The F100 does also but only with Continuous Servo. The F5 also

has focus priority with Single Servo using custom setting 2:1. If

you try to use 4:1 with the F100 and Single Servo focus the

camera plays dead when you try to fire. The F4 single AF sensor

leads to bulls eye composition with action. A very nice

advantage of the F5 over the F100 is the F5 has two sets of

custom settings. This means in the field I only change from set A

to set B to go from conventional AF that is used for action to

set B that I use for people. <br>

<br>

There is a lot more in the archives if you can find it. When I

owed all three at once I use the F5 most, the F100 when I wanted

a lighter camera and the F4 not at all.<br>

<br>

The F5 fix almost all my grips about the F4s the way the F2 fix

all my grips about the F.<br>

<br>

Regards,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[aaron_ng]

With regards to the silent mode, all it does is advance the film in steps. So instead of the *Click* *WHING!* sound which lasts a short time, it goes *Click* *Whhhhhhhhhhrrrrr*. THe sound lasts longer and is not exactly soft, but of a much lower pitch.

 

With the prices of film SLRs dropping, and the recent announcement of the F6, it's a bargain galore. Take your time in shopping around. There will be many F5 and F100 bodies on sale.

[cham_saranasuriya]

Hi,

 

You should consider F6 as well, apparently it is quieter!!!

[nikos peri]

I have all four: F4, F5, F100, D100. <p>

Is the F100 screen/viewfinder better? Like comparing a Porsche to a Lada.<p>

Is the F4 a better camera than the F100? IMHO no. AF was improved by leaps and bounds in the F5 and F100 over the F4, both in terms of speed and noise.<p>

I would venture that the F100 is marginally, really marginally quieter. But if you want "Did you take the picture yet?" quiet, get a Leica. None of the Nikons are library friendly. The AF noise on a non-AFS lens on the F4 will make your kitchen blender seem positively mute.<p>

In short, I think the F4 is getting a little outdated on the metering, AF front, but for the rest a valid camera. I would vote for the F100.

[rick_helmke]

I have to agree that the technology on the F4s is getting dated but for a pure picture taking machine I don't think Nikon has ever surpassed it. I've read for years all of the 'this vs. that' comparisons for the different models and I suppose they are valid. The first time I picked up an F4s though I knew it would be able to replace the F2. It just works, gets the job done. It helps the photographer do his job while not getting in the way of it. It is well designed, the controls are where a Nikon shooter expects them to be and it works. I suppose AF and metering have improved but I don't recall having any exposure or AF problems with the F4s. Maybe I am just old-school and know when to work around odd lighting situations instead of counting on the camera to do it. Just my way of saying the F4s is way better than many of the tech oriented people here want to admit.

 

Rick H.

[ShunCheung]

I too have all four: F4s, F5, F100, and D100. Please keep in mind that this is all personal preference.

 

Yes, the D100 is based on the F80/N80 and is not like the F100 at all. In the early 1990's, the F4 was my favorite camera. But shortly after I had bought the F5 in 1997, I realized that I couldn't use the F4 any more because I no longer like the convertional knobs. I found it difficult to change shutter speeds on the F4, for example. So when the F100 came out, I bought one as the backup to the F5. Moreover, AF on the F4 is pretty useless.

 

The D100 and D70 are similar to the N80 and has more knobs too. I would much rather use a D2h/D2x with dials.

 

You asked about silent mode. Are you going to shoot in churches so that being quiet is important? I have shot weddings in churches with the F4, F5, and F100 and there are no problems. The silent mode is too slow and you may miss shots.

 

If you ask me, I would say none of the above. Is there something insufficient on your N90s that you need to buy another film body? If I had extra money today, I'd spend towards another DSLR or lenses. It is just like the F6 discussion: is there something wrong with your existing F5 such that you need to spend $2600 on a F6 with a grip?

[jim_zwig]

Why not wait for a few years until a used F6 drop under 1k level. Since you can still use your F2 or F90S until. The beauty of film SLR is that they last forever since you won't shot a lot like DSLR. By the time when a full frame 24MP plastic digital box drop under 1K, how much a mint F6 will worth?

[patricks]

seriously, how much longer do you expect to shoot film. I'd say the F100 is about as close to the ultimate 35mm SLR as you can get (value/price included) and it can be had for around $500 if you look around a bit. But having said that, I'd save my money for an updated D100 next year.

[User_276104]

The AF on the F4s has taken some knocks on forums over time, but I took advantage of the falling prices in the used market last year and bought one. I was pleasantly surprised by the AF. Sure, you have to help it by not pointing at a bare wall, but... On the rare occasion that I use my 80-400 VR with it, it can lock on faster than my F5 body.

 

You want to see bad AF? Try an N4004s (my first SLR)!

[olivier_reichenbach]

F5, no contest.

[harvey_edelstein1]

F5, no contest!

[paul_sauer]

F4 is a nice older body, but if you want fast AF forget it. It's also very large.

 

F5 is too big in my opinion for that little 35mm postage stamp sized image.

 

I have the F100 which is very similar in operation to the D100, but so well made that

it will make your D100 feel shoddy, which it isn't. (I also own a D100).

 

The F100 is light, egonomic, and has much faster AF than the D100. The only thing I

miss is a real metal back (F100 back is plastic) and an actual rewind crank.

Otherwise, it's the best 35mm film camera I've ever used.

[steve_muntz]

The F100 "silent" mode doesn't really sound any quieter than the other modes to my ear. The F5 sounds different, maybe not as noticable. One thing about the F5 is that it has a manual rewind so you can do that silently too rather than 8-10 seconds of hum when the F100 is rewinding.

[goemon]

The F100's silent mode mostly shows up, for me, on rewind, where it is much less disturbing.

 

As to the original question, an F100 has a much nicer VF than a D100 and the AF is a big step up. It is not particularly quiet because of the motor drive (probably somewhat similar to the N90S), although sometimes I think the mirror is better damped than the one on my FM3a.

 

I haven't used an F4 or an F5.

[Guest]

John, the F4's a bit long in the tooth now, <I>if</i> you were wanting all the latest metering and AF wizardry. It's actually behind your N90s.<P>

But it handles nicely - proper shutter-speed dial and all that - and you can change the battery back on an F4s for one that is just a grip and that doesn't add any bulk underneath the baseplate. It's not quiet, and I often had it on 'continuous silent' mode simply because it amused me.<P>

Do you know <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/htmls/knowledge_main.htm">the 'Malaysian' site</a>, which has loads on the F2 and F4?<P>

The F4 also has a bright screen and manual rewind.<P>

I now shoot with an M4, simply because I don't need an SLR (or a meter, it seems!). I'd buy an F4 (or an F2) again if I did. It kinda broke my heart letting it go, but I didn't <I>need </I>it, and it's not a camera to sling in a coat pocket. I agree with Nick: it definitely has that feel about it. And it's a looker, too.<P>

[david_stoerman]

A 'bargain' F5 must certainly have been used VERY heavliy or abused to be a bargain-rated camera. The F5 is built like a tank.

 

If you use a D100, the F100 will simply astound you in build-quality, 'solidness', and ease of use.

 

The F5 simply blows my mind. More speed, accuracy, features, METAL than I will ever need, although I do indeed shoot with one.

 

The F100 is the perfect little brother to the F5. It is lighter, smaller and easier to use. I take my F100 along on trips, outings, etc. and I adore it. My subjective opnion is that the F100 is also quieter than the F5 in standard advace modes.

 

My F5 gets called into action when I absolutely, positively have to get the shot...or I don't get paid. It never misses, ever. This camera will amaze you, and then give you sore arms and a sore neck.

 

My D100 belongs to someone else now because it was a complete and total waste of my time...total junk. By the way, the F100's screen is about 30% brighter, and a full 16% larger than the toy viewfinder on the D100...no comparison here.

 

Forget the F4s- the F100 is in my opinion the camera for you. take it for what it is worth.

 

-Dave

[alistair o]

I use an F2 and F5.

 

The big advantage of the F4 is that it can use all your old lenses. Since you also have an F2 this is not a big factor for you. In respect of metering and AF, the F4 is a generation behind the F100 and the F5 and is inferior in these important areas.

 

The decision then comes down to F100 vs F5. Everything about the F5 is better than the F100 except the red AF indicators and the size/weight. For me personally I preferred the integral vertical grip of the F5 and I find it ergonomically very nice to hold and use. I do not consider a few hundred grams in weight an issue. You need to decide whether red AF indicators and size outweigh all the other F5 advantages (speed, build, weather resistance, interchangeable viewfinders, AF speed - esp with non-AS lenses, etc. etc.)

[leon paul]

F4s the cream of cameras,the best built,the best overall for backward compatibility.100% reliable.Traditional layout,no LCD screens that fade in time.No contest.

[._._z]

Cash in bank. no contest.