I can't wait to get my hands on a F5. I almost gave up on film photograghy after several dodgy old meters in old slr's but then in a local camera shop there was a cheep F90x with a grip and it was the best camera I've used. Auto focus was on par with my Sony a7. Never had a bad exposure and a real joy to use. Since then I've had my eye on a F5 for the ultimate 35mm nikon experience!

Loaded a roll of Portra 800 in my F5 this morning. Love this camera.

great video. I adore my F5. The 28-70 AFS and 80-200 AFS live on mine. Never miss a shot and that matrix metering is just magic. Nothing gives me goosebumps like my F3 film advance but the F5 is King when the shot matters.

Excellent review, Alex! Interesting note on F6 not being aimed squarely at professional photographers anymore, I did not realize that.

Shooting in snow can be a bit tricky - Looks like you and the F5 nailed it!

Nikon F for street and F5 for works, amazing body ever made!

Hi Alex, I have F5 for some time now, and a lot of other previous Nikon film SLRs, and more film cameras other than Nikon. I have been shooting film since 1980s. For many actual film shooters today the main problem is how to extract data from film to actual image, including scanning etc. I have photos made on film from 1990s, at the dusk of film era that were developed at pro laboratories, and that photos are much better than most of you can see today online. And I have to say, if catching the moment is a priority, a modern smartphone is better for me than SLR of any kind.

Unless you want a fully manual camera or you shoot a larger format....its doesn't get better than the F5 to this day. Period IMO

Love the F5 as my favorite Nikon SLR film camera. It has everything that I need and is close to my digital D3 and D800 in controls. If I want to near guarantee my exposures, this is the camera that never has let me down. I also have the F2 and F3 but they are in a different class.

This camera is nearly identical to my d850 not only in appearance but also in weight since I have the vertical grip. After 60 years of using a neck or shoulder strap, I tried a black rapid. With my r forearm lightly pressing it against my hip, the camera is nearly weightless on the shoulder. I will use it with my mamiya 645 pro tl. I chuckle when this camera is called a beast... I carried an RB67 in a back pack and can only hold it for a minute or so with a huge strap. I love being able to use my gelded 8mm fisheye and 24-70 2.8 I have had since 2008. I love my 135 2.0 DC and this camera nails auto focus with it. The portra headshot I just got with it was downright painterly. For walk abouts I use and auto focus 85 1.8 D but for shorter jaunts or where not needing auto focus, the zeiss 85 1.4 planar is spectacular as is the 100 makro planar I also used for scanning my film. The auto film rewind and auto focus on a 50, 85, 135 and 180 2.8 d make this a dream film camera for street. A 35 zeiss 2.0 distagon can be zone focused and if set to 10 feet only needs twisting a quarter inch either way to nail focus.

Great review. I won't give up my two F5's either. Fantastic camera.

I had looked at the F5 but could never find one I liked. I did find a nice F4 with all the battery packs and a 24-120mm lens in decent shape. There is some small black spots in the LCD screens but it isn't to the point you can't figure it out. Also the meter is pretty darn good and so far shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority hasn't let me down. I have added the 80-200mm lens and am looking into a 300mm prime. You do have to make sure you get the correct lens for it if you want the auto focus to work due to the odd use of the focusing motor in the body instead of the lens. Overall though I love it and the F3 I have not to mention the F and F2.

Nice review. Especially appreciated the lens information. I was lucky enough to score my F5 for under $200 because the battery sled had corroded and was missing a spring contact, whilst the body was mint. I cleaned it and fixed with tinfoil and it works perfectly.

great video Alex, the F5 is an amazing tool. My favourite Nikon film camera is the F3HP with the MD4 drive. I do own an F5 and I have to admit it is the go to Nikon Film body. The auto focus is simply stellar. The F5 even focuses in extreme low light. if you are using a fast prime, it won't disappoint you. in fact, it's auto focus is better than some of the new Nikon DSLRS ! Thanks aghain Alex for a wonderful video :)

I love this camera and use mine all the time. I have another one brand new boxed...

What a lovely camera! :) Reminds me of my canon 1v! Keep up the good work!

I used the humble but competent FM for many years as my only camera. It wasn't aimed at the pros, granted, but it was solid and reliable. At that time I always wanted the F2, which was the top of the line at the time. Since those days I have come to value light weight and portability more than the pro features that the F6 offers. I simply couldn't manage the weight!

I always wanted an F5 and finally found a good used 1 and a 50mm lens for $350 bucks. I love it. I have fallen asleep with it beside me because I have been getting familiar with it.

i was gifted the Nikon F5 from a retired photographer that has been sitting in his drybox for years and due to his decreasing in health, invited to his house and handed the F5. The condition is not mint thought, but all the operations seems solid. Its just the yellow LCD inside the viewfinder can no longer display anything at all. I just want to confirm with you, if I manage to get a replacement of the DP-30 finder, that should fix the problem right?

If any one is wondering why you might choose to rewind manually when the camera could do it for you in a few seconds the answer is noise. The whirring in a quiet room could be quite distracting.

Canon A-1 was released in 1978 and the AE-1 in 1976.

There are only two truly great 35mm film cameras. This is one - the final great development of the f series. The other - obviously the greatest camera ever - M3 Leica.

I thought that this video was about the F5 ! not a history about Nikon and Canon.

The f5 all the way for film an d3 for dslr😊

The Nikons worth owning: The F, F2, FM2, and the F5. The rest are good but not great.