Well, the F5 works

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Bought a Nikon F5 from @Woodsy a couple of weeks ago and, I must say, it's a proper beast. Fast AF, flawless metering. Just a really, really nice camera to use. Of course, it doesn't have the charm of using the Leica with it's full mechanical inputs and lack of battery (although I think I need a new shutter curtain - light leaks) but for just getting the job done, it's really good.

I only have the one lens, the 35mm F2.0 AF-D and again, I am really happy with the results from it.

A few test snapshots, Kodak Portra 400, dev & scan by FilmDev.

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That cat would marry well with my eldest Yelle who also has a look like she has a serious attitude..... actually she does! Lol

Nice set of snaps .... for a subminiature camera pmsl
 
Asha said:
That cat would marry well with my eldest Yelle who also has a look like she has a serious attitude..... actually she does! Lol

Nice set of snaps .... for a subminiature camera pmsl
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Haha, thanks. It just does the job. But soulless but a tool for a job, I guess.
 
Woodsy said:
Great results chap! So glad it’s serving you well, despite the hicup! Love the cat photo, you caught the expression perfectly :)
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Thanks. Just hope I can do something proper with it soon instead of random snaps.
 
Great cam, the F5. To me, it's the pinnacle really, of film SLR design. Solid, reliable, performs brilliantly. So nice. A hefty lump, for sure, but reassuringly heavy. Balances nicely with big lenses.

Bu for all that, I still prefer the F4. It's a personal thing.
 
You can't use pre-AI on a standard F5, but Nikon could (can?) swap the AI follower tab for the foldable version.
 
excalibur2 said:
At least the F4 can take pre AI lenses (which I use) but the F5 might have a problem?
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Yes, the F5 lacks the flip-up tab that the F4 has, to accomodate pre-AI lenses*. But then, the F5 can use AF-S lenses with full function; the F4 can only use them in P and S modes (and without VR). So to me, the F5 has the edge in terms of compatibility (how many people are realistically going to want to use pre-AI lenses on a regular basis; I've used Nikon for 28 years now and never owned a pre-AI lens).

*You could have the F5 modified to use pre-AI lenses, but I don't think many people did. There never seem to be any F5s with this mod on EBay etc.

I prefer the ergonomics of the F5, if I'm honest. They are simply better, with the deeper handgrip, rubbery finish and dual control dials. But to me, the F4 is just a bit sexier. It's totally irrational.
 
It's really G lenses rather than AF-S lenses that aren't fully compatible with the F4. AF-S and G mostly go together, but some early high quality AF-S lenses had aperture rings, and some cheap later screwdriver AF lenses didn't. The foldable tab modification was apparently a bit more complicated than it sounds, and I suppose the rarity of modified F5 bodies today tells its own story. Most people who were still using older lenses in the late 90s had probably already had them AI-converted.
 
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AZ6 said:
Yes, the F5 lacks the flip-up tab that the F4 has, to accomodate pre-AI lenses*. But then, the F5 can use AF-S lenses with full function; the F4 can only use them in P and S modes (and without VR). So to me, the F5 has the edge in terms of compatibility (how many people are realistically going to want to use pre-AI lenses on a regular basis; I've used Nikon for 28 years now and never owned a pre-AI lens).

*You could have the F5 modified to use pre-AI lenses, but I don't think many people did. There never seem to be any F5s with this mod on EBay etc.

I prefer the ergonomics of the F5, if I'm honest. They are simply better, with the deeper handgrip, rubbery finish and dual control dials. But to me, the F4 is just a bit sexier. It's totally irrational.
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Well the recent craze for buying manual focus lenses, found Pre AI were cheaper and can use them on my FM as well, whether they are inferior to AI lenses is open to debate.
 
Retune said:
It's really G lenses rather than AF-S lenses that aren't fully compatible with the F4
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Yeah that's more correct actually. Trying to remember what Nikon lens is fully compatible with which particular cam, etc, is a nightmare. :LOL:
 
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