Just got a Nikon F4...

[hjoseph7]

Back in December 2022, I was thinking about getting myself a Nikon F4 for my Birthday. Unfortunately due to circumances beyond my control, I had to scratch those plans. I still had my eyes on an F4, but it was not high-priority anymore. A few days ago while surfing eBay, I spotted an F4 in pristine/mint condition selling for less than $200 along with FREE shipping !

I could not resist, so I hit the [BUY NOW] button. A couple of days later, and here my beautiful Nikon F4 in mint condition ! There are no scratches, no brassing, no dents as advertised, the camera is super-clean and hard to believe it was ever used ! The only flaw I found so far is through the viewfinder.  It looks like the two little boxes that display the over/under compensation are scratched, but I can still see the values, so no bigg issue there.

The BIG test was to see how noisy this camera is. The reason why I sold my Canon EOS-3 semi-pro film camera a few months ago was due to the noise.  That camera could wake up an entire noeighborhood by hitting the shutter button !  The F4 passed with flying colors !! It makes noise but it is very reasonable. I'm not going to say its silky-smooth, but the shutter sound is very reasonasable.

This camera is a Tank. It is larger and heavier than my EOS-3 which was a large heavy camera itself. Since this was a Professional camera back in the days, it feels more solid and better built than my semi-pro EOS-3. In any case this is definitely a two-hand camera. You can use one hand to hold it and even fire off a few shots, but not for long. There is even a little grip on the left side of the camera for the other hand.

One thing I didn't think about is the lenses this camera uses. I wanted a camera that i could use with my old Nikkor lenses and also wanted to use some of my Nikon AF lenses(the few that I have) which this camera definitely allows. However when it comes to AF lenses my guess is that you can only use the 'D' lenses since they have an Aperture Scale. The 'G' lenses do not have an aperture scale, so you have to set the aperture in-camera. Everything on the F4 is dials and buttons. No menus, joy sticks, or spinning wheels(just what I wanted) so how are you supposed to set the aperture if there is nothing on the camera to set it with ?  Right now I only have 2 Nikon AF Lenses with the Aperture Scale. The 50mm and the 85mm. Which makes me wonder If I'm going to have to go through another lens-buying spree ?   

[orsetto]

Congratulations on your minty F4!

You can use AFS and G lenses (without the aperture ring) on the F4 in Shutter Priority AE or Program AE, which is pretty cool considering how far the camera predates the G lenses. Exposure modification over a wide range is possible using the AE Lock button and/or exposure compensation feature. But with no aperture ring and no camera-based aperture control, you can't shoot the G type lenses in manual mode (G lens will default to minimum aperture on F4 in manual mode).

You can make the F4 into a smaller lighter version if you can find the smaller MB20 battery grip (which gets rid of the bottom compartment). 

For discreet shooting, the F4 mode dial has a setting for "Silent Drive".  IIRC correctly this is very quiet.

[ShunCheung]

Right, you can use shutter priority and use the shutter selection to indirectly influence the aperture on G lenses.

I bought my F4 in 1990 but its electronics failed in 2000. I never bothered to repair it.

[hjoseph7]

8 minutes ago, orsetto said:

Congratulations on your minty F4!

You can use AFS and G lenses (without the aperture ring) on the F4 in Shutter Priority AE or Program AE, which is pretty cool considering how far the camera predates the G lenses. Exposure modification over a wide range is possible using the AE Lock button and/or exposure compensation feature. But with no aperture ring and no camera-based aperture control, you can't shoot the G type lenses in manual mode (G lens will default to minimum aperture on F4 in manual mode).

You can make the F4 into a smaller lighter version if you can find the smaller MB20 battery grip (which gets rid of the bottom compartment). 

For discreet shooting, the F4 mode dial has a setting for "Silent Drive".  IIRC correctly this is very quiet.

Thanks, that's right it does have the P and Ph functions and shutter priority.  I always like the type 'D' lenses better anyway. The AF works OK to me. From the reviews I read I thought it was much worse than it actually is. So far it does the job that is help my old eyes focus.

Edited March 24, 2023 by hjoseph7

[Rick Helmke]

Good move! The F4s is the only camera that could replace the F2 for me and I still have a couple loaded and ready. The controls on the F4 are how I prefer them to be laid out, no command dials, menus and so on. I’ve gotten more accustomed to those setups but still would love to see a digital F2 or F4.

Rick H.

[hjoseph7]

5 hours ago, Rick Helmke said:

Good move! The F4s is the only camera that could replace the F2 for me and I still have a couple loaded and ready. The controls on the F4 are how I prefer them to be laid out, no command dials, menus and so on. I’ve gotten more accustomed to those setups but still would love to see a digital F2 or F4.

Rick H.

I took me a while to get used to using dials an wheels to manipulate the aperture/shutter speed on the AF and DSLR cameras. You really wasn't sure if you had to turn the wheel to the right or to the left  ?  I mostly shoot aperture priority on my DSLRs, so it wasn't that much of an adjustment, but recently I have been shooting Manual more often and it does not feel as 'natural' as with the old Manual cameras . If the F4 came with a manual film-advance I would probably be happy with that. Less noise.     

[SCL]

After owning and eventually selling a F100, F5, and F3, when I decided I "needed" a Nikon film camera to keep in the stable, I opted for the F4 and have never regretted my decision. It doesn't get used often these days, but when it does, it always delivers.

[Gary Naka]

On 3/23/2023 at 5:00 PM, orsetto said:

You can make the F4 into a smaller lighter version if you can find the smaller MB20 battery grip (which gets rid of the bottom compartment). 

 

If you feel the F4 is heavy/big, do this.
I did, and the MB20 lives on the F4.

[hjoseph7]

14 minutes ago, Gary Naka said:

If you feel the F4 is heavy/big, do this.
I did, and the MB20 lives on the F4.

Mine came with the MB20. Not sure how long those 4 AA's will last, but then again I dont shoot as much film as I used to... I saw a couple of MB21's, but the added weight plus with the price of film these days, I passed. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by hjoseph7

[gwhitegeog]

I recently bought a mint F4 and shipped it from Japan to the EU where I live. It was an iconic camera. It's still an object of beauty too. But though not quite as versatile as the F5, it's a truly lovely camera to use. Luckily I can get all my 35mm Nikon bodies and lenses serviced in Lisbon at a 3rd generation 'old school' camera repair shop in the backstreets of Lisbon. I recently got my 1976 F2A c/w DP-11 serviced for €200 and it's as good as new.