Camera Reviews

Nikon F6: First Look

Jeremy Bourassa (Balls007)

Keywords: nikon, f6, camera, bodies, film

= 4.8 (4) \0

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FIRST LOOK

Well, just got back from a show in Ottawa where Nikon representatives let me play with an F6!

The Nikon F6 with motor drive

I've heard some mumbling about people thinking this is a digital based body and people wondering if it was worth it. Answer yes its digital based and yes it is worth it.

The body is virtually identical to that of a D2H or D2x, but with a built-in data back instead of an LCD and digital menu controls. Basically, Nikon has taken an amazing camera and given it a boost in some key areas that to a pro -unlike myself- would be pure unadulterated haven.

I'll list a couple of really cool things it does that make me drool -bearing in mind I know very little about cameras and have only owned a Nikon for 6 months.

First, it is very silent; like it doesn't make a sound at all. Continuous Silent mode, up to 1 fps is barely audible to the human ear. Mate it with any silent wave lens and you could be a foot away from the priest in a church and get the shot the second they say I do. Not to mention the impact it could have on nature photography.
Accuracy. They have added a shutter monitoring system so that if it ever gets cold, hot, humid, damp or you find yourself in the ninth pit of hell, it automatically does an exposure compensation if it detects any deviation in the speed of the Kevlar shutter screen.
Unbelievable balance. The motors and internal setup fell like half the weight of the power of the F5. How major balancing was done on all moving parts so that things could work together instead of against each other, is amazing.