| Why
is the F5 interesting for amateur use
I
used a fairly simple Nikon F-401 (N-4004) for some 10 years
before I bought the F5. That is, I know what slow and jumpy
autofocus means. I actually was capable of getting some decent
shots with the F-401, but that was seldom. There are
some shots done with the F-401 on this site, pictures
which I think turned out fairly decent. I dreamt of getting
an F4 for several years, but somehow the price tag always
kept me away from it, so it stayed at piling brochures. I
am now glad that I never bought the F4, since even if I've
never used it, I believe that the F5 is so much better in
every aspect.
| |
An
interesting lamp post. The light conditions were poor
and I didn't have any flash with me though one can
see how well the RGB metering system worked on this
shot under these light conditions.
The
picture was taken late afternoon, somewhere around
17:00. Schwarzwald, Germany. November 1999. Nikon
F5, Nikkor AF 80-200/2.8D handheld at some 130mm on
Fujichrome Velvia.
|
The
major top-ten reasons why an F5 might be of interest for the
serious amateur
1.
You get a point and shot SLR producing marvelous results.
2.
You instantly achieve results often beating your earlier pictures
- technical wise that is.
3.
You get a body that you can use with nearly all of your old
Nikkors.
4.
You can buy it used in a mint condition for less than 1,500
USD - say thank you to F100 :-) That is, it's tough to get
used F100's, but you can get a used F5 with more stuff for
roughly the same price as an F100.
5.
You might start looking for perfection in your "work",
having a tool that you know is close to flawless. This has
for example led me to use more expensive, high resolution
film, such as the Fujichrome ISO 50 Velvia slide material.
OK, if we're talking running costs, this can also be seen
as a negative aspect of using an F5 :-(
6.
You can slowly upgrade to expensive and fast AF and AF-S Nikkor's
to shoot-and-forget about focusing issues.
7.
Your friends will start asking you if you want to take shots
of them (OK, maybe another negative aspect of having an F5).
8.
If you're quality minded, the handling and the feel is a thrill.
9.
You sense a pure photographic lust while using it.
10.
You start locking your old car again.
The major top-ten reasons why NOT an
F5 might be of interest for the serious amateur
1.
You don't like cameras weighting more than 1 Lbs. (The F5
body alone is 1240g = 2.2 Lbs.)
2.
You're concerned that your friends might think you're a bragging
brat.
3.
You don't care about AF since you're "way much faster"
with manual and the "modern cameras are full of useless
gadgets" anyway.
4.
You need a small camera since you're doing street photography
and would be ashamed of dragging around with a 80-200 AF attached
to the F5 down town.
5.
You rather spend money alone on classy Nikkors and the budget
doesn't allow you to spend it on a classy body and
on the Nikkors.
6.
You think that the F100 is the body you need, since it is
smaller and comes with 80% of the F5 features.
7.
You think you need the eye control focus of the Canon EOS-3.
8.
You think you need redeye reduction coming with a built-in
flash which can sync with a remote flash.
9.
You have ten Minolta lenses in the wardrobe.
10.
You have five Canon lenses in your unlocked car.
OK,
so much for being silly. Now, let's see what's really in and
about the F5. |
