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	Introduction
»	Why all the excitement
	Not really that heavy
	The true meaning of ergonomics
	The controls
	The command dials
	The small nuances
	The incredible shutter
	The auto focus and focus tracking
	The exposure metering system
	The power packs
	The lenses
	Why it remains an interesting alternative

In the Nikon purist engineering tradition it took a decade to perfect a flagship, but it was finally here, exactly 30 years after the first, the Nikon F (1959-1988).
 

Nikon F4s with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4, showing the 6 AA batteries MB-21 speed winder that makes the F4 the F4s, with a vertical grip shutter trigger. .

THE FEELING ....
Never mind the specs for the time being. As soon as I took the camera in my hands there was this immediate feeling of power, the promise of total delivery. And a so round body. The precise size and contour of the rubberized grip; it seemed made for my hand. The correct placement of the shutter and all of the controls. And so easy to understand and use.

I am one of those persons who opens the box, throws the manual into a corner  -unless it has great pictures-  and goes back for it only if in deep serious trouble. Never got into a jam so I don't even remember where the manual could be. It is a natural, logical system, a redefinition of the term "user-friendly". Much, much better than anything before.

THE ELECTRONICS ....
Also, never before 1988 a camera had been so loaded with electronics. The F4 has 1,750 parts, 4 coreless motors and batteries. Talk about Nikon engineering. Somehow, just to think that it all fits into this body makes you realize it is not so big after all.

Of course this amazement is easier for me to feel and comprehend since I had the opportunity to meet face to face with ENIAC, the first computer, at the University of Pennsylvania, where it's 19,000 vacuum tubes, 1,500 relays, and hundreds of thousands of resistors, capacitors, inductors and mechanical switches occupied all of the basement of the Moore School of Engineering.

Wiring a program on the Eniac

This computer was replicated on a single chip less than 3" X 2" in size, on its 50th anniversary in 1996. But the miniaturization and fitting on the F4 took place 8 years before!

Without knowing then, this excitement was shared by many enthusiasts and pros.