Nikon F4 owners..have I wasted my money

Mr Badger said:
I think the F4 looks like someone covered it in glue and dropped it in the parts bin, there's knobs and switches stuck all over it! To see who was ahead of the game all you need to do is ask yourself which of the two designs do today's DSLRs most closely resemble?
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Well one of my favourite cameras is the Canon T70, so I don't care about looks, but what I care about is annoying little things about cameras I own e.g. not seeing shutter speed or aperture in the view finder in low light, cameras that you have to wind on before you can take an exposure reading, the Nikon FM with stand by lever open that got up my nose in the vertical position etc etc etc.
 
Mr Badger said:
It's OK Brian, it's tradition for me to tease Fraser about Nikon, so don't take it to heart. ;) You're right about the lenses though; however, once Canon switched to their EOS system in 1987 it was pretty much future-proof, and I believe every Canon EOS SLR (be it film or the latest digital) will work fully (including metering and auto focus) with every Canon EF lens made (not counting the separate crop sensor EF-S lens range of course), including the latest image stabilised nano-motor ones, so in hindsight, perhaps it wasn't a bad decision to switch to a new lens mount system when they did, rather than being hamstrung by a compromise and having to make changes later?
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Well I have a couple of EF-s lenses that I can't use on my Canon 300s so Canon weren't very good at backward compatibility like Nikon. But Canon are a successful company and must of relied on newbies buying their products but a raspberry for older folks using their cameras.
 
Mr Badger said:
And looks wise I think the F4 has aged about as well as a Countach 5000 QV! Whereas the EOS 1 has aged more gracefully, like a late 80s Porsche 911 Turbo. Look at the lines and functionality of the EOS 1, achieved using half a dozen sleek buttons, two dials and an LCD panel. In comparison, I think the F4 looks like someone covered it in glue and dropped it in the parts bin, there's knobs and switches stuck all over it! To see who was ahead of the game all you need to do is ask yourself which of the two designs do today's DSLRs most closely resemble? :whistle: ;)
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The F4 is pretty unique in some respects. It's a true half way house between manual focus SLRs and the auto-focus SLRs that came after it and which informed the build of DSLRs.

Funny the Fuji's keep getting heaped with praise for their aperture rings, shutted speed, iso and comp dials which they ripped off the F4 :whistle:
 
excalibur2 said:
Well I have a couple of EF-s lenses that I can't use on my Canon 300s so Canon weren't very good at backward compatibility like Nikon. But Canon are a successful company and must of relied on newbies buying their products but a raspberry for older folks using their cameras.
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EFS lenses were designed specifically for crop sensor digi-SLRs, so I don't think you can blame them for that. I don't think it's a bad record that the EF lens mount still works with full functionality on every EOS SLR made over a 31 year period, including crop sensor bodies. Do all the lenses Nikon made over the last 31 years still work with full functionality on all of their film and digital SLRs made since 1987?
 
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Mr Badger said:
Do all the lenses Nikon made over the last 31 years still work with full functionality on all of their film and digital SLRs made since 1987?
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Yup;)
 
Mr Badger said:
Do all the lenses Nikon made over a 31 year period still work with full functionality on all of their film and digital SLRs made since 1987?
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No but you can use them and as said the Nikon F4 would make a my F90x and FM redundant in being able to use every Nikon lens made (well I think there are a few exceptions)....but I'll still use my FM as I like it.
Like him or hate him... Rockwell has some nice things to say about the F4

https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/f4.htm
 
StephenM said:
o_O
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Well what do you reckon:-
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Fraser Euan White said:
The Nikon pro shooters waited patiently for the F4 but the autofocus on the Canon EOS 1 was far superior. They went in their droves over to Canon who had designed their new lens mount to give great AF performance
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Do you happen to know if the lesser Canon models are just as fast on AF focusing e.g. EOS 300v?
 
excalibur2 said:
Do you happen to know if the lesser Canon models are just as fast on AF focusing e.g. EOS 300v?
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The EOS 30 seems nice and quick, with 7 point eye controlled focus so you can just look where you want it to focus too, which makes it even quicker to lock on to the point you want. Thanks for posting the chart, it looks a bit complicated if you don't know the Nikon system!

RaglanSurf said:
Yup;)
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Is that burning pants I can smell there? ;)
 
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If you're not doing anything like sports and need continuous auto-focus tracking I've generally found Nikon's older AF cameras to be fine.

For example this grab shot was done on a F801 with me travelling down the escalator and the subject travelling up in low light, no problems at all with the camera nailing focus.
Generally impressed all round with with Nikon's early AF cameras. The matrix metering is excellent and I'm quite happy to shoot them in 'P' mode with auto-focus like oversized point and shoots.

000037610018.jpg
 
Mr Badger said:
The EOS 30 seems nice and quick, with 7 point eye controlled focus so you can just look where you want it to focus too, which makes it even quicker to lock on to the point you want
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cos I'll get one if I see it at the bootie for about £12 ;) I'm pushing the boat out on this F4 for £70 as it's the most I've paid for a 35mm camera since getting my Pentax S3 new.
 
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excalibur2 said:
cos I'll get one if I see it at the bootie for about £35 ;) I'm pushing the boat out on this F4 for £70 as it's the most I've paid for a 35mm camera since getting my Pentax S3 new.
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At the moment you can probably pick one up from ebay for around the £30 to £40 mark if you're patient enough, and have some come-back if it doesn't work properly. Prices are a bit up and down at the moment, I got a virtually mint one with strap last month for £32! Mind you, that was a bit of a find.
 
Mr Badger said:
At the moment you can probably pick one up from ebay for around the £30 to £40 mark if you're patient enough, and have some come-back if it doesn't work properly. Prices are a bit up and down at the moment, I got a virtually mint one with strap last month for £32! Mind you, that was a bit of a find.
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The EOS30 that cheap....I'm confusing it with the EOS3 and edited my bootie price to £12 ;)
 
If it's like the parcels I get - lots of bubblewrap :exit:
 
StephenM said:
If it's like the parcels I get - lots of bubblewrap :exit:
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It's the genuine box with polystyrene cutouts for the camera with the manual at the bottom and the camera look brand new....now to try the suggestions here as it doesn't seem to be winding on with the film that's in it, although who ever used it last must have taken about 10 shots and it did work for those...which is a disappointing in a way as if it hadn't worked because of the wrong film that would be hopeful....now it looks like it worked so far then stopped with a fault :(
 
RaglanSurf said:
Yes it could Brian, I've just done a little Doogling and when the F4 tests the batteries it doesn't test them under load so it is possible there is enough power to show on the test but in actual use it will fail after the first shot.

When it does it arrive take out the film, manually set the film speed, take off the lens (if fitted), set the camera to manual, set the shutter to 250 or more and the drive to Ch and fire off the shutter, it should rattle through with no problem.
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Didn't work fired one shot and the red diode was flashing :( I've checked the batteries with a volt meter and are fine, but will change them anyway.
 
excalibur2 said:
Didn't work fired one shot and the red diode was flashing :( I've checked the batteries with a volt meter and are fine, but will change them anyway.
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Well I didn't put the film in properly and tried again and it is winding on, so far the camera is usable if I switch off and on for each shot.
 
Well the problem might be solved as the diode was flashing because it didn't have the lens on..now the camera seems to be working properly i.e. no switching off and on.
Correction: - it was the cheap batteries as I changed the batteries and attached the lens at the same time..I put the old batteries back in and the diode started flashing.
 
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I believe the overwhelming advise was to use good branded batteries and after you did this it seems to work. Great news and looks like you may have a great bargain. (y)
 
medwaygreen said:
I believe the overwhelming advise was to use good branded batteries and after you did this it seems to work. Great news and looks like you may have a great bargain. (y)
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Indeed but I didn't have any good batteries, and am not sure where my Eneloop batteries are...but keen to solve the problem, I changed the unknown batteries for el cheapo Kodak ones and bingo..h'mm but in checking the continuous speed it doesn't work and I get a few flashes from the diode..so as you said I need good batteries.
 
Peter B said:
Brian, your original eBay link was for an F4, but this seems to be an F4S box? Have you scored a 4S rather than a 4, since Asha said earlier that he had a lot of battery issues with an F4S?
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Yes it is strange but it only has the MB-20 battery holder and says F4 on the front.
 
Peter B said:
Brian, your original eBay link was for an F4, but this seems to be an F4S box? Have you scored a 4S rather than a 4, since Asha said earlier that he had a lot of battery issues with an F4S?
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Yep if it's the F4s you're gunna av to put your hand in your pocket for VERY GOOD batteries if you don't want to constantly have the issues Bri…….Perhaps it's a design fault ( given that I had probs with same camera model) which is a shame really as it's quite a nice outfit, but there is a solution so long as you're willing to pay;)
 
The article at the link talks about using alkaline batteries rather than lithium, but not sure if that is a real issue. http://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf4/powersource/index.htm
 
Peter B said:
The article at the link talks about using alkaline batteries rather than lithium, but not sure if that is a real issue. http://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf4/powersource/index.htm
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I think I mentioned about that earler ….I nenever had probs with lithiums but there does appear to be a debate over using them.

Personally I reckon the car battery suggestion has to be the most practical answer….Bung it in a rucksac and off ya go Bri :D
 
excalibur2 said:
Yes it is strange but it only has the MB-20 battery holder and says F4 on the front.
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With the MB-20 it is a Standard F4,having said that all the bodies are marked F4 . The Mb-21/22 creates the F4s and then the MB-23 the F4e.
 
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Glad you seem to have got it sorted and it works OK. I don't know if you have a B&M Bargains shop round your neck of the woods, but the ones round here seem quite reasonably priced for Duracell Plus Power AA batteries, so perhaps give them a try and see how you go.https://www.bmstores.co.uk/search?q=duracell+batteries

Don't store them in the camera if you're going to leave it for several months without use though, as I've had Duracell batteries start to leak on me in recent years (often in clocks where they've not been changed for a year or so). Hope this is useful.
 
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excalibur2 said:
What's amusing was the film in the camera was Kodak Ultra gold 400 iso... but the iso setting on the camera was 6400. :eek:
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I think you will find on the settings you can select DX or set your own Asa From 6 through to 6400.
 
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medwaygreen said:
I think you will find on the settings you can select DX or set your own Asa From 0 through to 6400.
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Ah! so it was on auto iso and ignored the iso setting on the dial... as it wasn't chosen manually.
 
excalibur2 said:
Ah! so it was on auto ISO and ignored the ISO setting on the dial... as it wasn't chosen manually.
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No, there is no auto Asa/ISO it is either the DX mark,but, if the film is not DX or is faulty and cannot be identified the red light will flash in this case you would move the dial to whatever film speed you want from 6 through to 6400.

Should you wish to shoot a film at a speed other than box speed say a 200 film at 100 then just move the dial to 100 and the DX 200 speed will be ignored.
 
Mr Badger said:
Glad you seem to have got it sorted and it works OK. I don't know if you have a B&M Bargains shop round your neck of the woods, but the ones round here seem quite reasonably priced for Duracell Plus Power AA batteries, so perhaps give them a try and see how you go.https://www.bmstores.co.uk/search?q=duracell+batteries

Don't store them in the camera if you're going to leave it for several months without use though, as I've had Duracell batteries start to leak on me in recent years (often in clocks where they've not been changed for a year or so). Hope this is useful.
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Well found my eneloop and they are charging up, but in the mean time was looking at this site comparing batteries and energizer industrial were near the top so thought I'd try them and ordered some @ 10 for £3.29 freepost

http://www.batteryshowdown.com/results-hi.html
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-...r=8-3&keywords=energizer+industrial+batteries
 
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