Nikon F5

[mark45831]

I see these going in ex condition for around $300, Always wanted a quality Film camera, Im still using a N90s which is a decent camera but I find myself back to shooting more and more film, whats your thoughts on this?

[Dieter Schaefer]

Just make sure you are comfortable with the size and weight - the F5 is a brick! Unless you really need the ruggedness, speed or interchangeable viewfinders, the F100 can probably do most of what the F5 can do without the excessive bulk and weight.

[ben_hutcherson]

To add on to what Dieter said:

 

The F5 is indeed a great camera. Its autofocus system is a significant upgrade from what you're use to in the N90s-it gives you 5 points total, a center "cross type" point, works in lower light/with less contrast, and is noticeably faster. This is especially noticeable with heavy screwdriver focusing lenses, which the F5 seems to be able to crank in and out better than any camera made before or since(the D1 series is probably about the same)-although it also makes quite a racket doing that(but no more than my N90). Nikon's AF went from "sort of useable" on the F4/N8008 to "somewhat useable" on the N90 to finally ending up at "practical for most situations" on the F5.

 

The F5 introduced the now familiar "two dial" control along with a few other now common elements like the "game pad" AF point selector and a dial to set the drive mode on the top left. If you have used better Nikon DSLRs, the control layout will feel very natural to you. The D5 still retains a lot of the control philosophy of the F5, including the small LCD on the rear(used to set ISO and custom functions on the F5). It was also, AFAIK, the last Nikon introduced that offered a true, full time, mechanical mirror lock-up.

 

As Dieter said, though, it's a beast. Mine sits on the shelf most of the time in preference for the F100 and F6.

[Mary Doo]

I see these going in ex condition for around $300, Always wanted a quality Film camera, Im still using a N90s which is a decent camera but I find myself back to shooting more and more film, whats your thoughts on this?

If you still shoot film there's nothing wrong with buying one at such a great price. It is heavy and squarish. For me I mostly used the F100, and later F6, during those film days. But then you may want to own an F5, just for the heck of it.

[Richard Williams]

You Nikon upgrade options are really just the F6, F100 or F5. Can't argue with the F6, except for the price, maybe 3x a decent F5. The F100 is for me the sweet spot - cheaper than the F5 (though the gap has narrowed) and does everything I need in s substantially lighter package than the F5, with much of its performance. But it's not perfect - like other Nikons of its era, the synthetic rubber covering on the F100 has a tendency to become 'sticky', and the otherwise high build quality has one significant weakness - if the plastic catch on the film door breaks then (unless you have a skilled technician who can fabricate and attach a new catch) you need a new back, which can be hard to find.

 

The F5 has a lot going for it - you're not likely to have problems with its build quality, which is even higher than the F100, including a metal door catch. And although the rubber can become detached and 'bulge' in patches, it is perhaps less prone to the 'stickiness' problem (or at least, there seem to be fewer reports of it happening). The AF is quick and reliable. You get a very fast motordrive and AF motor for 'screwdriver' lenses, and you can remove the prism and replace it with a waist-level, magnifying or action finder. It has a more sophisticated meter than the F100 (though I've always found the F100 meter very reliable). There are (to me) a couple of minor disadvantages compared to the F100 - AF points are less visibly highlighted in black rather than red, and there seem to be more control locks than necessary (even to turn the camera on). But the really big difference is size and weight. The F5 is very noticeably heavier, especially when you insert its 8 AA batteries (that's about 240g in batteries alone if you use something like Eneloop Pro, though you can halve that with lithiums). If you don't need the vertical grip, or the ability to burn a roll of film in 5 seconds, you're lugging around quite a lot of extra weight and bulk that may not help you get better pictures. The F5 was designed at a time when (e.g.) sports shooters needed maximum speed from a film camera. Now that this sort of photography has gone almost entirely digital, and film tends to be used in a more considered away, the large and heavy F5 is perhaps a less attractive option than some of the other high quality alternatives, and prices are relatively low.

 

Lens compatibility of any of these three cameras is better than your N90s - you can use VR, and G lenses work in all modes. Electonic aperture 'E' lenses aren't compatible with any of them. Only the F6 can use iTTL/CLS flash.

[ShunCheung]

Just make sure you are comfortable with the size and weight - the F5 is a brick! Unless you really need the ruggedness, speed or interchangeable viewfinders, the F100 can probably do most of what the F5 can do without the excessive bulk and weight.

I bought an F5 in December 1997 and then an F100 in January 2000, shortly before a trip to Tanzania. For the 3, 4 years before I switched to mostly digital, I used those bodies interchangeably, usually with different film types in each.

 

Their controls are similar. The F100 can do most the F5 can without the bulk. I totally agree that get the F5 only if the size and weight don’t bother you.

[SCL]

Like others said the F5 is no lightweight...but having owned 2 of them as well as a F100, when you get one in good shape at a good price RUN, don't walk, to get it. You won't regret it. Its features and flexibility are almost incomparable to anything else in the film world, except maybe the overpriced F6. As I aged, though, I switched back to an F4, a little lighter, not quite as versatile, but a top-notch camera for me. Likewise an F3HP would have worked almost as well. Go for the F5! Just do it!

[BeBu Lamar]

In my opinion if you want a Nikon AF film camera get the F5. Although I never tried the F6 I don't think I like it better than the F5. I definitely don't like the F100. I do however like the F3 better than the F5.

I don't really see the size and weight issue. Unless I have a camera that can fit in my pocket reducing the size or weight and still too big for the pocket doesn't help me in that respect.

[ShunCheung]

In my opinion if you want a Nikon AF film camera get the F5. Although I never tried the F6 I don't think I like it better than the F5. I definitely don't like the F100. I do however like the F3 better than the F5.

You are certainly entitled to your opinions, but it would be helpful to explain what you don't like about the F100. I think that would greatly assist the OP.

 

Back around 2002/2003, I talked to a Nikon rep, and he told me that the F100 was Nikon all-time best selling camera. Of course DSLRs soon took over a few years after that, and Nikon discontinued the F100 in 2016 without a replacement. The all-time best-selling crown may belong to the D70 or D300 by now, although both of those have subsequent S variations such that the sales figures are split.

[ben_hutcherson]

The only real weakness I can think of with the F100 is the door catches, but at least backs are easy to swap on it(vs. something like the N80, where you basically have to take the camera apart to change backs).

 

Early ones did have the film rewind fork issue, but I suspect that all used ones out there either have the redesigned ones installed from the factory, have been replaced with them, or aren't GOING to break. It's certainly not a problem you hear about now, although it did light up the internet around the turn of the century. The only ones I might be suspicious of are new in box, low serial number examples.

[dennisbrown]

Until I went "full on" digital around seven years ago, I owned the F5 as well as the N90s. The N90s complemented the F5 nicely, but despite its bulk, the F5 was my go-to film camera. After about four years, I decided I missed film too much, so decided to re-equip myself. The first AF film camera was an F4s, never having owned one. I added some of the "smaller" models (FM2n, FE, FE2, FA), because they're fun to use. However, an opportunity came to buy an F6. It was a real leap from the F4s. However, I just never warmed to it, the way I did with my other F's. About a year later, I sold it, got some cash and bought a Hasselblad 500 C/M (that's another story). However I still missed the solidness of the F5. One came my way, and I love it all over again. It's a great advance over my F4s, although the F4s still goes out with me a lot. A few weeks ago, a gentleman advertised a F100 on Craig's List. It came with a 28-105 AF-D zoom, and @ $200 it was a steal. The camera is an amazing piece of hardware, and I really like it as an adjunct to my F5. Although not as advanced as the F6, it serves my purposes perfectly.

[mark45831]

Thanks for all the info, The weight doesn't bother me, I still lug around a RB67, I have big hands and im a bit more comfortable with a larger body.

[Dieter Schaefer]

The F5 is very noticeably heavier, especially when you insert its 8 AA batteries (that's about 240g in batteries alone if you use something like Eneloop Pro, though you can halve that with lithiums).

IIRC, then I purchased the MN-30 battery pack for the F5 because using AA batteries wasn't satisfactory - I don't think I ever tried lithiums in the F5 (maybe they weren't available back then or too expensive).

 

The weight doesn't bother me

Well, then enjoy your soon to be acquired F5:cool:

[ShunCheung]

If the weight doesn't bother you, the F5 is your camera. Usually I don't mind the weight either and use a D5 a lot in these days.

 

Back in 1998 I took the F5 to Antarctica. Under the cold climate, lithium AA worked very well. Other than cost, the main issue with lithium AA is that once they are exhausted, your camera will stop working immediately with no warning. The F5 could appear to be working perfectly in one frame and immediately stops completely for the next frame.

[Vincent Peri]

I stopped buying new Nikons with the F3HP. I remember thinking about an F4, but it had auto focus lenses, and there were just too many steps to consider in order to use it properly. Also, the manual was over 100 pages of mostly fine print, too much for my brain to worry about. The camera just had too many different controls to consider.

 

Also, my style of photography - slow and deliberate - didn't require so many features.

 

I never even considered an F5.

 

Hmm... I love all my F4's...

http://bayouline.com/o2.gif

Edited August 4, 2019 by Vincent Peri

[mark45831]

I found one from a japan seller on ebay for $260 it has no wear marks any where on the body, looks as if it was not used much, so should be a good deal, I will know when I get it,, thanks for all the input.

[Andrew Garrard]

For reassurance... I got an F5 (beaten up but working) as a backup when I switched to Nikon with the D700. It does indeed handle like a dSLR, with the proviso that the 5-point AF system is archaic. It does, however, have an AF motor that could double as a power drill, if you have any screwdriver lenses that you want to shred (the 28-80 is funny). It has a few interesting tricks - the removable prism, the ability to spot meter when using a WLF (or just with the finder removed), the prism meter is the same 1005-element RGB unit as the F6 and D700. 8fps mode scares small children, although it'll also run through a film before you realise you've put it down on its shutter release. The grip - especially vertical - is nothing like as refined as the latest digitals, but the DNA is there.

 

I checked, and it's about the size and weight of my friend's 5x4 field camera. Lithium batteries definitely help. Mind out for removable bits - I've had the finder eyepiece and the 10-pin connector cover fall off, and had to replace them. The interlocks on everything are amusing - it's somewhere between crossing your fingers every time you change a setting, and the kind of incantation in The Magicians. Bear in mind that if it swings about on its strap, there's a good chance you'll crack your sternum - but it's handy if you have any nails to hammer in. My biggest issue was that I first used it without a manual, and with my only previous film body experience being Canons - so it took me a while to work out how to open the back.

 

Mine is barely used these days, except to check details of Nikon's mount in a body that won't need a sensor clean after I've messed with it. I'm more put off by the film medium than the body itself, though - at modern film prices I wouldn't fancy doing too much 8fps shooting. I'm a little sad I never got the fold-up aperture ring mod - I don't know if you still can. I've got to admit that it wouldn't always be my first choice of film body, though - if my eyes weren't weird, I actually enjoyed my Bessa R rangefinder more. I got better quality from the bigger exposures on my Pentax 645 (also scares small children, especially the film wind) - but with the advent of 36MP and up bodies, digital got too good to make film worth the experience. Until I get around to shooting large format, anyway.

 

I hope you enjoy it. The F5 is a beast.

[erichsande]

I owned an F5 for a number of years; paid $1,000 for a used one in early 2004. Sold it awhile back and could only get $250 for it. I never really warmed up to it, having used an F100 since 2000.. I understand the curiosity of trying it out - that's how I came to own so many Nikon bodies, some of which I can barely give away right now!

 

 

Eric Sande