Nikon F4 35mm Film Camera Overview / Review - Celebrating 25 Years! (Part 1)

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Nikon F4 35mm Film Camera Overview / Review - Celebrating 25 Years! (Part 1)

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Күн бұрын

This is a overview of the Nikon F4 35mm film camera which was produced from 1988 to 1997.
The video shows and explains the controls and features.
On this 3rd take I forgot to mention the viewfinder illuminator switch which is in front of the shutter speed dial. I'll cover this as well as the viewfinder and the operation of the camera with various lenses in another video. I also have a MF-23 multi-control back to show!
Please let me know your views on this video and if you want to see or hear anything else about this camera.

Пікірлер: 90

@wingblack1967 2 жыл бұрын

For what it's worth I am whatching this video for the second time. Saw it first a few years ago. Managed to get back into my old KZfaq account last night after years, so was able to access my old faved vids. I bought two of these cameras based on your review. The version in this vid as well as the high speed version. Thanks for the recommendation. :-)

@IkkeNiet22 4 жыл бұрын

Just bought a F4E in its original box for close to nothing... An absolute beast of a camera, I used to own 4 of them when I worked for O'neill, shot thousands of Fuji color slide rolls!

@JonnyEnglish-gu1cs 3 жыл бұрын

I just bought one myself after wanting one nearly 30 years ago all my lens fit so happy days it’s in my bag for me to go back to my roots and shoot some film

@garyrielly1955 3 жыл бұрын

i have just watched this video for the second time because I am very impressed with the Nikon F4 and it's dials. It is good to look at the camera to see what it is set at whereas a DSLR one has to go through the countless menus.

@fernandoguerrero5333 4 жыл бұрын

Your Nikon F4 looks brand new!

@tolga1cool 7 жыл бұрын

I bought one today. Got mine for 150 dollars with a 25-78 2.8. Pretty good deal I think I am loving it so far

@thomasmacdonough288 4 жыл бұрын

I was lucky enough to find one in a bin up in the attic. This once 1.5k camera I found for free beat out my d610 as my primary simply for ease of use. This is an absolutely excellent camera.

@gman922 4 жыл бұрын

I miss hearing that "Northern Accent" since moving to Bloody Florida!!

@charlesdavis6371 4 жыл бұрын

excellent. Well done: clear, easy to understand. (amazing how well everything stayed in focus as you did this.

@Samsung9alaxy 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@MatteoPrezioso 11 жыл бұрын

I am and have been an Olympus fan for many, many years. However, I got myself a Nikon F4s a few weekas ago and goddamnit, I am in heaven.

@BradMaestas 11 жыл бұрын

The F4s was my first pro body. I quickly acquired an MB-23 grip, turning it into an F4e and shot that every day for over 10 years before it was stolen. What a camera! I absolutely love the control layout. I replaced it with a Contax RTS III but I still have a soft spot in my heart for the F4. Now I am shooting its ancestors, a 1962 F, 1970 FTn and 1972 F2. I do prefer all-manual cameras these days but I might re-acquire an F4 down the road. Nice overview!

@benzo430 10 жыл бұрын

I bought a F4s with a 70 300mmm lens and took it to the zoo for about 10 hours with no strap of any kind, I was cursing that heavy brick, but it's still my favorite. I have a strap for it now.

@mamiyapress 9 жыл бұрын

Best camera I ever had and I have had quite a lot!

@thepallasbull 11 жыл бұрын

Finally got my hands on one. 1 owner from new and just used to go on hollidays, in mint condition .Happy days .Great video thank you for sharing.

@gecko8u2 8 жыл бұрын

Just want to give you a BIG thank you from an amateur in Chalfont PA, USA. Just picked up an F4 with the MB21 and the MF23 back from a neighbor and collector I know and this really helped me to understand the body controls. Seems in great condition except for a little white battery corrosion which I will clean up. I found a nice 50mm F/1.4D AF on eBay and hoping to learn the film angle of photography a bit. Cheers!

@Samsung9alaxy 8 жыл бұрын

Enjoy!

@bosscat4379 5 жыл бұрын

I have just purchased this very camera SN: 2212850 on a well known auction site for a song! Can confirm the bleed on the exposure compensation is the only fault on an otherwise spotless example.

@TechnikMeister2 4 жыл бұрын

Ken Rockwell summed up the F4: "The Rosetta Stone of Nikon compatibility". Any Nikon lens will work except the Z series.

@BenM 8 жыл бұрын

The rubbing and clicks are hypnotizing me haha

@bhop0073 8 жыл бұрын

Wow! That thing looks mint! I have one, but mine looks like it was used by a war journalist in comparison.

@justcallmesando 9 жыл бұрын

Man I LOVED that camera. Still thinking in getting one again

@IKACBRE19981 9 жыл бұрын

fotografisem od 1983godine imao sam razne polovne aparate .a moja neostvarena zelja je bila nikon f4.

@harshdx26 9 жыл бұрын

Can't believe that technology was that advanced in 80s

@laszu7137 7 жыл бұрын

Look up Canon EOS 650. Introduced March 1987. Is older but even more advanced than F4.

@davidsparling3505 6 жыл бұрын

laszu Really...no Canon was EVER more advanced than the Nikon F4 or the F5. Lost all respect for Canon when they abandoned their mf lens mount. I still use 37 y/o Nikkor lenses on my digital bodies. Nikon is...and will always be the standard. Canon makes a good copy machine though.

@laszu7137 6 жыл бұрын

Lol. Greedy Nikon requires you to buy high-end body to allow you to use TTL metering for lens without chip. And pre-1974 lenses just break your modern camera after mounting them. It get's so ridiculous it's easier to use old Nikon lenses on current Canon digital bodies. :D But saying the F4 was more advanced than EOS 650 or 620 is just ridiculous. Just look at the autofocus, the very first EF mount cameras autofocus works perfectly even by today's standards. Nikon on the other hand. Of 3 F4s that I've encountered in my life. In every single one autofocus would just hunt around and be confused and maybe after some time focus. F4s is completely useless as a commercial production camera due to constant AF problems. It gets even more sad for Nikon, considering there were already few Canon lenses with USM motor. While it kept Nikon many more years to even start putting motors to lenses. Another thing are the controls. Canon EOS 620 already had the quick control dial. While F4 kept old-style knobs, that look good, btu are much slower to use. Only nice thing about F4 was it'S power switch. It is actually good, compared to the non-locking power switch they put on modern Nikons.

@shamicentertainment1262 5 жыл бұрын

@@laszu7137 Guys, you're both wrong. The iPhone 3GS is the most advanced camera ever invented.

@robertdrinkall8947 6 жыл бұрын

Really good review, nice job.

@jackylimaiksiang 9 жыл бұрын

I still keep it . Both Nikon F-4 and Canon A-1. These are Camera of Yesteryears.

@Leatherbro 3 жыл бұрын

I have a Nikon F4 and I simply love it. They are cameras of yester years and the yester then, but still a very reliable and sturdy camera.

@jbliborio 2 жыл бұрын

I own one F4S and its an awesome camera ! I can use all my lenses, even the more modern ones.Sharp focus, a little heavy with the MB21 battery pack but I love heavy cameras. This is one of the cameras I recommend for thos who wants to photograph on film.

@Leptospirosi 4 жыл бұрын

You forgot the two R levers on the top and the switch ahead of the speed dial....

@GSchmitable 3 жыл бұрын

There is a port for manual cable release on back left corner.

@Samsung9alaxy 11 жыл бұрын

Check the film speed setting. It's around the base of the rewind crank.

@rascalhusky8129 7 жыл бұрын

That's my number one film camera and it weighs a ton, but it's a great camera.

@rorygibbons3310 11 жыл бұрын

I own one, I'd never sell it. It's the "top." none better, before or since.

@filmniyom 4 жыл бұрын

Good camera👍

@dickieboy007 7 жыл бұрын

great vid... the mb21 grip has 6 batteries not 7.. i love the f4.. thnx for this one..

@Samsung9alaxy 7 жыл бұрын

dickieboy007 Thanks!

@ptrlstn51 11 жыл бұрын

Great video. Just picked one up on ebay.

@Samsung9alaxy 11 жыл бұрын

I know! It's covered in Part 2 of this overview.

@trondsi 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the information! You seem to like this one. Do you have a favorite Nikon camera?

@Samsung9alaxy 7 жыл бұрын

trondsi I like using manual focus bodies, so the F3 & FM3a are my favourite film cameras. The Df is the one I love most though!

@TheAgeOfAnalog 7 жыл бұрын

I picked one up recently for $60 US. Looks like it's been to war, more than once, but everything seems to work just fine.

@matthewblessssss 8 жыл бұрын

Hello mate!! Your detailed review really helped pick up my first film camera, a Nikon F4. I love its full manual controls! However i need some advice. I own 2 Nikon mount lenses: Samyang 85mm T1.5 which i use with an adaptor to my Canon 550d and a 35-80 f4-5.6. I love the feel and the ergonomics of the camera,however the focus assist with arrows and green light, doesn't seem very convenient and many times i see sharp focus before the green light. I forgot to mention that i mainly shoot wide open so the critical focus is very difficult with the samyang. Could you give me a tip for easier manual focus? Focusing screen Type K seems nice but nowhere to be found (Ebay i mean). any experience with the Nikon DW-20 Waist Level Finder? Does the magnification at the centre help?? Thanks in advance!!

@Samsung9alaxy 8 жыл бұрын

Have you tried adjusting the diopter control on the side of the DP-20? I've never tried the DW-20 so can't comment on the usefulness of the flip-up magnifier for focusing. Type J & P focusing screens also incorporate a microprism area in the centre to aid manual focusing, but these may be just as scarce to find as the K one!

@matthewblessssss 8 жыл бұрын

+Samsung9alaxy Thank you for your quick reply!! The diopter is fine however i rechecked my green focus confirmation light with fixed distances like 2meters and my eye is more accurate than the light which was 5-10 cm inaccurate. I read some posts about buying a F3 type K screen, removing the screws and reframe it to the frame of a Nikon F4. Is it such a thing possible?

@Samsung9alaxy 8 жыл бұрын

+matthewblessssss Yes, you can put a F3 focusing screen into a F4 frame!

@matthewblessssss 8 жыл бұрын

+Samsung9alaxy You really helped a lot!! Thank you very much!!

@PhardonMedia 8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing...

@Samsung9alaxy 10 жыл бұрын

@ impcat4 I was lucky to get one in excellent condition, probably hardly used. Unfortunately it does have a fault with the LCD display, but I can easily live with that!

@Mr650414 9 жыл бұрын

Great video! Does a nikon MF 22 data back work on this?

@cocotoni1977 11 жыл бұрын

You didn't mention the viewfinder light - the lever under the shutter speed dial. Otherwise great review!

@KeithCanisius 4 жыл бұрын

This is part 1

@talgenn100 8 жыл бұрын

Hi there just wondering if you know of any sites that have a data base for the seriel numbers of F4s, i have found them for F, f2 and F3 but cant seem to find them for the F4. I know mine is an early model but just want to know the year. David

@siscopiso 11 жыл бұрын

I bought one 2 weeks ago, everything works fine but I think the light meter underexposes a bit (maybe more than a bit actually). could it be the lens? 35-70 f3.3-4.5 AF (the newer model I think). can anyone help?

@joemeredith3143 9 жыл бұрын

I've got an F4S, which I don't use as much as I should; I don't know if its normal, but when I take a picture, theres an echoey springy noise from within. CH mode seems to work ok, so am assuming its ok

@harrylew 8 жыл бұрын

+Joe Meredith, just got one myself, and mine does the "echoey springy" noise, as well. I was frankly surprised by this, since I thought Nikons have always had incredibly smooth, refined shutters.

@MyKonaRC 3 жыл бұрын

What is that little window on the side of the prism? Looks like a compensation gauge or something.

@Ryan-lc4bl 3 жыл бұрын

It's indeed the exposure compensation for different focusing screens (only some screens need compensation, and some F3 screens will too).

@DSUNMoneyALLGONE 3 жыл бұрын

50GBP in 2013?! I paid 250 GBP includes a 50mm 1.4 AF lens.

@siscopiso 11 жыл бұрын

it was set to 400 which was the film I was using, I havent developed the film in it but Im certain its underexposing, I checked it with my 5d mk2 and the F4 is about 1- 1 1/2 under.

@alex1movies 3 жыл бұрын

What would happen if I prevented the rewind crank from turning whilst it was advancing to the next frame

@Samsung9alaxy 3 жыл бұрын

The 1st frame (maybe 2) it would just tighten the film inside the cartridge. After that I'm not sure, never tried it.

@alex1movies 3 жыл бұрын

@@Samsung9alaxy I was shooting today and it happened, I was holding the camera with my hand over the rewind crank and the red light came on so hopefully it’s not done damage

@RS-uj1rz 4 жыл бұрын

...how to turn it on ? :)

@user-ec8he8jn5f 4 жыл бұрын

How to turn it on?xd

@RS-uj1rz 4 жыл бұрын

id like to know too

@user-ec8he8jn5f 4 жыл бұрын

@@RS-uj1rz i found it out, u can instantly shoot photos, just need batteries

@yogakertanegara5264 6 жыл бұрын

Hi,, may i know why my f4 green light wont on?

@Samsung9alaxy 6 жыл бұрын

Yoga kertanegara Make sure the illuminator switch is on! It is at the front of the shutter speed dial. When it's set to ON you should see a red dot.

@yogakertanegara5264 6 жыл бұрын

Thats work,, thank you so much :)

@Samsung9alaxy 11 жыл бұрын

Your digital camera will most likely default to a ISO speed of 100 or 200. So if you compare it with that, then it will seem that the F4 is underexposing. You will only know for sure when you have your film developed!

@SalandFindles 7 жыл бұрын

Nickon? You mean Nyekon. :)

@Samsung9alaxy 7 жыл бұрын

SalandFindles :)

@rascalhusky8129 7 жыл бұрын

SalandFindles I'm british but I don't pronounce it the same as the host, I use the US pronunciation.

@SalandFindles 7 жыл бұрын

+Richard Stead Nice.

@naduncan08 5 жыл бұрын

Nikon pronounce it Nikon and its their camera only ponce americans say nyekon!

@Ruylopez778 5 жыл бұрын

Since it was founded Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha, we can be certain that it is "Ni", in Japan, and pretty much everywhere else, in spite of North America stubbornly and intentionally using long vowel sounds on Japanese words to pronounce them incorrectly :)

@jonathanchrist706 6 жыл бұрын

There's this idea that in portraiture it's the photographer's job to set the subject at ease I I I I I just don't believe that.

@blackeesh463 6 жыл бұрын

Well it is,its a key skill you must master before even attempting to call yourself a professional portrait photographer.

@Ruylopez778 5 жыл бұрын

@@blackeesh463 It's a Leibovitz quote. And IMO any artist can call themselves a "professional" regardless of their method, since there is no quantifiable test like in other professions.

@Garubolas 10 жыл бұрын

nikon used to make great manual cameras that last decades. Too bad their overpriced digital range is crap and doesnt last as long

@garyrielly1955 3 жыл бұрын

I have to agree with you in that Nikon’s new digital cameras are nowhere as good as the good old film SLR’s. I do own a D300 that I have had since new in 2009 and that will be the only digital I will ever own. I do have a F80 and a F60D Panorama. I am holding off until the New Year before I get myself another film camera that probably will be a F4S that will have to be in mint condition. I was thinking of a F5 but if I got a F4S and then picked up a MB-20 I could remove the MB-21 battery grip when I didn’t need the extra weight and fit the MB-20 battery pack. The F4 is a nicer looking and more practical camera over the F5.