Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]E Nitka wrote: > > I think I have sucumb to the charms of a lone used F4 in my local camera > emporium. I just like the way it feels. I have not given up my R8 but > am interested in peoples likes/dislikes with the F4. Hi Ernie, I've been using Nikon's since '73 and used almost everything but the F5. Here are my opinions of the F4s I had for a couple years and then sold. Good points: 1. Built like a tank and makes a good weapon. 2. It never failed me. 3. It's controls are user friendly and in the right places, if you're used to older cameras and don't like the thumbwheel controls of newer cameras. 4. 1/250 second flash synchronization, the first Nikon pro camera to have it. 5. You can still rewind the film by hand if you want to. Bad points: 1. It's too dang heavy for a 35mm SLR. I learned to loath carrying it. 2. It's AF system is rather slow and the AF sensing area in the finder is way too small, causing AF lenses to "hunt" for focus if the tiny rectangle isn't on the subject. Later AF Nikons have selectable size AF sensing areas. 3. It's too dang heavy. The mirror lockup feature is almost unnecessary because of the weight. 4. The metering system is good, but obsolete when compared to the N90 and later cameras. It cannot make full use of the "D" series AF Nikkor lenses which provide focused distance information to the metering system. This capability is of particular advantage with a Nikon SB25 or later flash when performing daylight balanced fill-flash. 5. Did I mention that it's too dang heavy? Trying to lighten it by using the smaller battery holder (4-AA) just makes you have to carry more extra batteries (excuse me, "cells") in your bag and change them more often. 6. Changing batteries (6-AA cells) in the normal F4s configuration is akin to fiddling with a "Rubik's Cube". 7. It actually makes a better manual focus camera than AF, but it's still too big and heavy. (I much prefer the F3HP for manual focus.) > Any insider tips about what to > watch out for and more importantly what would those Nikon folks think are > the sentinel lens that are a must either AI or AF. any thoughts appreciated. What to watch out for: If the used F4 body you are considering does not have "US" preceding the serial number, Nikon USA will not work on it at all. Favorite lenses: 1. AF Nikkor 20/f2.8D (or non-D) 2. Nikkor 24/f2.8 AIS 3. Nikkor 35/f2 AIS 4. Micro Nikkor 55/f2.8 AIS 5. AF Micro Nikkor 60/f2.8D 6. AF Zoom Nikkor 35~70/f2.8D 7. Nikkor 105/f1.8 AIS 8. Nikkor 300/f4.5 EDIF AIS or AF Nikkor 300/f4D. Randy Holst Boise, Idaho