Ok, I have finally narrowed down my list of film bodies on my list - and they are the F4 and F5. I have one lens right now, and it is the Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC that is AMAZING! It is in Nikon mount, so the logical thing to do would be to get a Nikon body.
From what I have read, The F4 is better for manual focus stuff, but of course is a bit older, AF is not as good (may get some AF lenses at some point) and dunno if it is weather sealed (is a MUST!).
The F5 loses matrix metering with MF glass, but is weather sealed, better AF and newer. I shot with a 1Ds for a few years, and while that was a bit of a gamble with it being only 10 years old, the F4 is much older than this and just don't wanna have to do repairs on it right away - which is swaying me twords an F5. Also an EOS-3 isn't totally ruled out if I can get one a steal..
Are you comparing film Nikons with a digital Canon?
The biggest difference between the F4 and F5 I think is the operation. The F4 is old school, traditional knobs, buttons and levers for everything. The F5 has the modern Nikon layout with only minor differences to the D4, apart from the digital controls.
I have an F4s, Great camera except Nikon "G" lenses are basically useless on it. You have no aperture control. In retrospect, considering how many G lenses I have, an F5 may have been more practical.
carstenw wrote:
Are you comparing film Nikons with a digital Canon?
The biggest difference between the F4 and F5 I think is the operation. The F4 is old school, traditional knobs, buttons and levers for everything. The F5 has the modern Nikon layout with only minor differences to the D4, apart from the digital controls.
The F100 and F6 are also worth considering.
The crazy thing is the F100 is, on average, more expensive than the F5 on eBay. Oh and I am not comparing to my 1Ds. I just need something built as well as the 1 series and weather sealed is needed. I dunno if the F4 or F100 are weather sealed as well as the F5, EOS-3 or 1 series.
Also, the F100 doesn't have mirror lock up for some reason
Splurge and get the F 6. It matrix meters off AI and AIS lenses, does CLS speed light, and is a lot lighter than the F5, albeit much more expensive. It will also print your shooting info between the frames.
Dustin Gent wrote:
The crazy thing is the F100 is, on average, more expensive than the F5 on eBay. Oh and I am not comparing to my 1Ds. I just need something built as well as the 1 series and weather sealed is needed. I dunno if the F4 or F100 are weather sealed as well as the F5, EOS-3 or 1 series.
Also, the F100 doesn't have mirror lock up for some reason
Thanks for all the replies!
F100 and EOS 3 have similar levels of sealing, F5, F6 are better sealed (comparable to 1n/1v), F4 has only dust & moisture seals. The F100 is built better than an EOS 3, but the grip for the F100 is seriously chintzy.
MLU has been a single-digit feature only since the Nikkormats were discontinued in the mid-70's, Nikon's semi-pro bodies all lack it.
DaveOls wrote:
Splurge and get the F 6. It matrix meters off AI and AIS lenses, does CLS speed light, and is a lot lighter than the F5, albeit much more expensive. It will also print your shooting info between the frames.
If I could afford an F6, I would get a 1Ds3.
Thanks for the info everyone! I don't shoot in downpours all the time, but it has known to happen. If I can get an F5 for a few bucks more the the EOS 3, I would do that I suppose.
My dad has the F4 for a while, or F4s, I dunno, it had a fat grip. Truly hated it. Awful ergonomics, weighed like a mf camera, just not worth it. All IMO of course.
