When it is filled with batteries, it is a formidable beast in the hands. I think holding it with that bulk steadies the shot a bit. And yeah, that Nikon compatibility is simply great. I have manual focus, AF, and the newer lenses and all work perfectly.

Thanks. And at the low price for a good one, even low for a mint one (some of them coming from Japan and Singapore are absolutely mint) it is a great value for a workhorse film camera.

I'm pleased there are still a lot of film shooters around creating buzz and making great photographs. Like you, I've never even touched an F5, probably because its little brother, the F100, does pretty much all the same things in a smaller, lighter package. Those are also bargains on eBay or the film photo groups on Facebook. Thinking of shooting film alongside digital for our next P52 assignment, not to submit but just to practice shooting with strobes and not having the crutch or safety net of digital post-production.

Yep. Load that bad boy up with 8 Double A's and the 'stabilzation' works really well... Heh.

While my first camera was an F2, I did pick up an F along the way. Used even in the early 80's. I got to play with an F5 the other day and now.... aw dang it... I want one of those too. But my all time favorite is still the F3. Thanks for watching.

WOW. Excited for you. This is an amazing camera. Share when you get some shots!

Thanks for the kind words. Very happy you enjoyed them. As always, there is more to come.

I wish I had kept one of my FM's. I really do. It was such a nice camera. I had an early model Nikkormat as well and ended up giving it to my dad. He used it for years.

Yep. I usually go for the "buy now"... heh. I never do well on the bidding stuff. I had a Nikkormat as well. Workhorse camera and really cool. I sold it to get the FM... and for one reason only. The FM's had 1/250 flash sync, and oh man was that awesome. The F3 has 1/80 and the Nikkormat had 1/125. Having one more stop of flash sync goodness was a real creative boost.

I think the cost of the film has made many of us better photographers. We are so not used to spending a single cent on the image we make, and a roll of 35mm at a price point of $20 per 36 images (film and processing) makes us slow down and place a value on each frame. I may shoot a couple hundred images on a day in Glacier Park, but maybe only a roll of film. Taking the time to make each exposure perfect is great practice for all of us. I would like to shoot less and have more hits. And you are right about that viewfinder... wow. Just really a great camera. It's on my want list.

Oh yeah, great lens. As for your D300 functioning in 20 years... bwahahahahahahaha... yeah, I won't take that bet. But the F4 or F5 will.

I took mine on a small motorcycle ride back in January. I love the way it handles. Just a delightful camera.

I love that sound. Such fun. Mine is pretty clean, but it would be great to have a pristine one. My Fuji 680 is absolutely mint... oooh so nice. Have fun.

Thanks for watching. Yes, it is really well designed... and heavy. Heh. But I love that heft.

That's great. I have such a delightful time when I am shooting the F4 and F3. (I like my Canon EOS 3N too... heh)

I have my 4 roll developing tank and now that I only shoot a few rolls a month, I wait until I have four rolls and process them. And it is eezy-peezt to do (except for four months in the summer when the water temp is a real pain to control). For those times I use FIND Labs in Oregon. They do a great job and the scans are excellent.

@@DonGiannatti - I want to develop my own film, too, if there are just a few at a time, but the idea of dumping my spent dev fluids down the drain kinda bothers me.

@@DonGiannatti - I couldn't understand why your name sounded so familiar (I kept thinking of an actor with a similar sounding last name)...until I was going through my Udemy courses library last night and clicked on your light metering course...and there you were. Thing is, I had seen the course previously sometime last year, but you looked so different in those Udemy videos (clean cut, no knitted cap, button up Oxford shirt) and you seemed so much more lively and fun in this KZfaq video (no offense intended) that I didn't make the connection until I saw the instructor name. Thanks for providing your free training videos, Don. Many find them invaluable, myself included.

@@usadarylwilson Glad you enjoyed them. I was not really well during the period I made that metering video. Had a lot of trouble getting round on a bad leg. Much better now. Thanks for watching.

Thanks!

Welcome to Arizona. I go through Camp Verde many times a year. Sometimes it is for my annual round trip shot through Payson, Camp Verde, Jerome, Prescott, Wickenburg... a lovely motorcycle ride that takes all day when you stop and have some fun along the way. I have thought about going on and getting an F5 or maybe springing for an F6... but my favorite camera is still the F3, so bells and whistles don't interest me much. Thanks for watching.

Oh dear, motorcycles too😆? I rode for 27 years and wrote for Motorcyclist, inter alia. Mostly Beemers, but a slew of others.

The primary advantage of these newer cameras is very accurate flash metering for fill, to me. The F5 is harder to use because I'm not much of a menu guy, prefer round knobs than small serrated wheels so I understand why you like the F3. The F4S I bought the day before a trip to visit Montreal, sans any manual, and it performed brilliantly in Matrix and programmed AE. I want another one but without the additional batteries.

@@peoplehavetherights Yeah, those batteries add a bit to the weight of that beast. Heh.

@@peoplehavetherights I like big cruisers. Getting ready to leave this Thursday for 12 days up to Glacier and down through Wyoming and Colorado.

Pierre. I just may have to get one just to have that classic gem of a camera. Perhaps sell one of my F2's and pick up an F5. My F2 in great condition with the motor drive should sell for just about the same as the F5 so that would make my system F2, F3, F4, F5... yeah - I like the sound of that.

Don Giannatti Sorry for the late reply Don. I’d definitely like to see what you think of it if you get one! BTW I’m sure I speak for a lot of people in saying your work in education and sharing is much appreciated, thanks a lot!

I will let you all know. It is on my list.

Maybe not in storage, but those F4's make a very nice additional tool in your arsenal.

Way to go Will. I will be adding a Nikon F4 to my other Nikon’s that are a D300, F80, and a F60D Panorama. I am old school film and have gone back to film although I would not part with my D300 that I got new back in 2009. I am still under 1700 shutter count on that because I use film more.

It is such a sweet camera. And to be able to throw it in with the existing kit is just too irresistable. Ya know.

@@DonGiannatti definitely that’s one of the reasons I am looking at it all my current lens will fit and are useable

@@JonnyEnglish-gu1cs Yep. Filters, lenses, flashes... the whole thing. When I go out on the motorcycle, I take my Df and either the F4 or F5 and the 24-120 and 35 on the bodies. Light, fast, and best of both worlds.

@@DonGiannatti awesome sounds like a good plan just makes perfect sense I find shooting film makes me take my time it’s a different feeling and way than shooting digital

I am shooting with it tomorrow. Looking forward to working with it again. Sometimes it is exciting to work with something different.

Indeed. Next week I will be shooting on a 4x5 in studio for the first time, should be fun. I still shoot 6x6 Hasselblad when I can but have never shot large format before. Looking forward to it!

It can become addicting. Of course you need a second job for film and processing - but it is probably worth it.

My thoughts on the digital/analog are fairly simple. For those who love digital and only prefer to shoot it, wonderful. Make awesome images. For those who love analog and only prefer to shoot it, wonderful. Make awesome images. In the end, it is the image that I look at, that I engage with, and that either appeals to me or doesn't. And that is the way it should be. I love both. I think they are similar in many ways, and worlds apart in others - but they are still just the medium. In music, I have a wide variety of genres that I play in my list. Coltrane can be followed by Garth Brooks, followed by Stravinsky, followed by Sinatra, followed by Snow Patrol. I am the same way with photography. I have AAdams next to Dan Winters next to "Best Advertising Photography, 2004 Annual", next to Annie. The images I make with analog are a bit different than with digital too. I think they are more personal, more from the inside of my thoughts. I am very judicious with film... only making the exposure when I feel I have it right, then moving on to the next shot. And I have nearly every format I realized recently: 8x10, 5x7, 4x5, 6x8, 6x7, 6x6, 6x4.5, and 35. I love the ability to choose the right format for the photo I am contemplating - and I think of format first when developing an idea even though most of my work ends up being digital. Glad you like the channel.

The Nikkor 35MM f2 is an amazing lens, as is the 50MM f1.4 and the 60MM Macro f4. In particular I absolutely love the 180MM f2.8 Nikkor. All my Nikon lenses are primes. (Well, I do have a 24-120MM that I use for my motorcycle trips for convenience.) My kit is a 28MM, 35MM, 50MM, 85MM, 180MM... and I am totally happy with that small selection. I have 8 more on my 'legacy" shelf that I do not use much, but they are there.

I agree. It is a nice camera for sure, but if I want no buttons or dials, I will stick with my EOS cameras since I have so damn many of them... heh.

Get one. Absolutely. I love mine.

Yep. I hold it now and wonder what I didn't like about it. But of course I have had 30 years of bigger and heavier between that time and now. At the time I was shooting my absolutely beloved Nikon F3. The best camera ever made. Ever. And the F4 was such a dramatically larger camera.

Hi, and thanks for watching. Yes, Tempe Camera is one of the best camera shops in the region. They will bend over backwards for their clients. As for groups, no, I am sorry. I do not know of any. I am not a 'group' kinda person. However, there is the group that hangs at Parkwood Studios. I believe they have a pretty robust camera club there as well. parkwoodstudio.com/

Hey Inta. I am thinking about doing an alll analog month (April?) and doing two roadtrips and a bunch of portraits using all of my film gear (8x10, 4x5, Hassy, Mamiya, F4, EOS 3N, and Diana. Woohoo. that could be a blast! Thanks for watching.

Just get the best one you can. I have not experienced any problem with mine. An "excellent" on Ebay with a 5star seller. I would get the grip for sure. You can take it off if you want, but if there is a time you want it, you have it. You will enjoy it, I am sure.

@@DonGiannatti thanks for your reply, just ordered a minty one w/grip for 175USD plus shipping out of Japan. I think that I plan on getting the the small battery grip as well and use it w/o the MB-21 grip. Black and white is what I am after and do have a small collection of great contrasty lenses. All the best.

That is a great camera. I have an EOS 1 and an EOS 3N with the retinal focus and man that thing is super incredible.

Isn't the "eye control" focus something else? My friend got an EOS a few years ago and we trained it to focus accurately for each of us, and could switch back and forth between users like the different driver setups for seat and mirror position in today's cars. Why hasn't that been incorporated into today's digital cameras I really don't know. If I didn't have a fortune invested in Nikon glass I'd definitely be messing around with one of those brilliant cameras.

"Why hasn't that been incorporated into today's digital cameras I really don't know." I can only imagine they are saving it for some next 'upgrade' event so they can charge a ton of money for archived technology. But then I can be somewhat jaded with all the gear hoopla.. heh

I would definitely get the F4. It is a wonderful camera and as much as I LOVE my F3, I must say that the heft and size of the F4 is something I appreciate now more than I did when it first came out. Putting it into my arsenal was such a perfect fit. And the autofocus is pretty nice to have. Both the F3 and the F4 have absolutely amazing metering systems so you will be rocking a pair of the best cameras ever made!

Oops, I read that as an F3 when you said F5. Hmmm... I think you should get the F4 ONLY if you need and want a second body for backup. The F5 is one of the greatest cameras ever so you are in good hands. Sorry for the mixup.

I wish I could help, Raymond. I have no experience with that change out. Hopefully someone here can help. -- don

That screw in the centre of the MB-21 at the back should remove the complete MB-21at which time all you have to do is add the shorter MB-20. I will be doing likewise.

sam taylor Sam, Nikon is known for its ability to use legacy lenses. Any Nikon Autofocus lens will work. I am even using non-af lenses on mine. Find a good 1.4 50 autofocus and mount it up. My brand new 50 1.8 mounts and works just fine as well.

@@DonGiannatti Hi Don thanks for such a swift and helpful response very much appreciated . Best wishes and happy Christmas from Ireland. Sam

Thanks for noticing and commenting.

My F4 is currently sitting here with a new roll of film in it. Same with my F3. I honestly cannot remember if it moves or not. Never shot it empty to see. However in a few days I will have this roll shot and we can try it then for you. But honestly, not to worry. Put a roll in it and after you shut the back and it takes up the roll, you will see it move to '1'. Then watch as you take the second shot. Not ever had problems with that part of the Nikons before so I am assuming you are fine.

Thank you so so much you are very good considering this is Christmas eve I did not expect a reply for at least 3 or 4 days . yeah I will stick a roll in and so what if I waste a frame or two. Happy Christmas to you and your family. Best wishes from Ireland. Sam

@@samtaylor2597 And a Happy Christmas to you and yours. I doubt you will lose a frame at all.

Yeah, My F3 is still my favorite. But the F4 has a wee bit of magic all its own.