Nikon F5 Lust

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Spleenrippa

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About a year and a half ago, both my brother and I sold off our Canon gear and switched to Nikon.
While my (digi) D300s is decently solid, my F80, F90 and FG leave me longing for the absurdly heavy Canon pro (1DIIN, EOS 3) gear I used to have. The desire to cart around a brick only intensifies when I see the D2X my brother is using.
Despite my wallets wishes, the hunt has begun for a F5. My question is, what should a clean, fully-functional example be worth nowadays? Prices on Ebay seem to have jumped up quite a bit since the last time I took a look- or maybe I just wasn't paying attention before. Should I be ready to fork over $400+ for one in good shape?
Advice from F5 owners and market-watchers greatly appreciated.

Also, post some pictures of your F5s 😀
 
You can find really excellent F5s for 400.00 or less.
If you want the superb Nikon film experience--why not go for the F6?
Or--for a really decent Nikon film adventure--the N80 is very, very capable and very underrated--goes for well under 100.00 in perfect condition.
Have fun!
Paul
 
I still have mine. Such a joy to hold in the hand. Tank build quality, titanium viewfinder, vertical shutter release, .75 viewfinder, AF torque😎 (3 AF motors from what I've read) etc.. For four hundred or less it's the BEST bargain out there PERIOD...
 
Personally, the only reason I could see myself going for the F4 over the F5 is being able to use matrix metering with manual lenses. I love my AI-converted 105/2.5 more than kittens.
 
Go with an F4 or F100 instead. F5 is just too big and heavy regardless of how good it is. You are not going to use it professionally so it's obsolete. Or for the ultimate, get the F6. Wouldn't recommend the F5 though, unless you just want to add a camera to your collection. You will not be walking around with that thing like you would with a F100, F4, F6 etc. it's just too big and heavy. The F5 is what you would take to war.
 
I have an F4s and an F5. You will not notice a difference in the images they produce. I am biased, though. The F4 as my primary camera for 10 years and it is the one that just feels "right" to me. The main advantage to an F5, in my view, is simply that it is a younger camera. After 20 years, I had to have some shutter-related circuitry in the F4s replaced. Still works great though. The F4s works with a huge variety of Nikon lenses and is solid as a rock.
 
Moriturii said:
Go with an F4 or F100 instead. F5 is just too big and heavy regardless of how good it is. You are not going to use it professionally so it's obsolete. Or for the ultimate, get the F6. Wouldn't recommend the F5 though, unless you just want to add a camera to your collection. You will not be walking around with that thing like you would with a F100, F4, F6 etc. it's just too big and heavy. The F5 is what you would take to war.
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I like big and heavy... Well, in my cameras anyway 😉 That's the point of the thread
 
I have a F100 and my friend is using a F5. The F5 is much larger and heavier but it feels surprisingly balanced in my hands.
 
I still have an F and a couple of F2's. I had F3's and sold them and an F4s in favour of an F100 and F5. Although the F5 is a large camera it actually feels smaller than an F4 due to the shape. It's much more comfortable in my hands with less bits sticking out! The F100 is basically a minature F5 however I always go for the F5. It just feels nice to use and I like the viewfinder info. The F100 just sits unused, however at today's prices it's a cheap backup AF camera.
An F6 would be great but at 800 quid average s/h price it's definately not 3x an F5. I'd expect F6 prices to fall through the floor eventually anyway so can't see any point in an F6 right now.
The meter on the F5 with an AFd lens is truly a wonder and it's the best 35mm SLR I've owned.
 
I have an F4 & F5 and while the F4 is probably the best user experience if you're shooting with AI/AIS glass, the F5 is hands down the winner (at least for me). The AF is light years ahead, the metering is simply unbelievable, and the ergonomics top-notch. There's a reason why Nikon used the F5 as the template for all the pro bodies to come.
I agree with nobbylon that while the F5 is technically a bigger camera, the F4 feels heavier and more substantial. But I love them both, in fact based on this thread I may load up some Tri-X today.
 
Buy an F4s w/ battery pack, and put an 80 200 2.8 ED zoom on it. Your lust for carrying a brick and shooting a bulletproof Nikon will be sated. For now.
 
Specs, anyone? I posted this info in July, but used Rockwell as a source. He had the F4 weighing slightly more than the Mir site does. I looked for an F4, but didn’t see a lot of MB-20 battery packs. The ones I did see raised the price. So the F5 is slightly lighter than an F4s, according to the specs I could find.

F5: 1210g (42.7 ounces)
Source: Thom Hogan

F4:
MB-23: approx. 1,400g (49.4 oz.)
MB-21: approx. 1,280g (45.1 oz.)
MB-20: approx. 1,090g (38.4 oz.)
Source: Mir.com
 
Moriturii said:
Go with an F4 or F100 instead. F5 is just too big and heavy regardless of how good it is. You are not going to use it professionally so it's obsolete. Or for the ultimate, get the F6. Wouldn't recommend the F5 though, unless you just want to add a camera to your collection. You will not be walking around with that thing like you would with a F100, F4, F6 etc. it's just too big and heavy. The F5 is what you would take to war.
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't one be able to use it 'professionally'? I am currently shooting eyelevel F2's professional like. My friend next to me just shot a big commission for a very popular mag, reportage work, on a Mamiya 6 and the 50mm. No other lens.

The F5 is as obsolete as all the rules I read about what you need to use to be a profesunal.
 
My F2 was $200 and works perfectly and looks as new. In fact I had no idea these were this nice because all the used ones I found were rough as a cob.
 
At one point I was going to trade an f4 for an F5. I looked at the F5 and was not impressed with any of the modifications. I read some evaluations at the time by professional photographers and they were in agreement on the F5. Therefore you might look into a excellent plus F4 from a reputable dealer and save all that time on ebay. If you do not need the autofocus an F3 might do. The motor drive addition is only about $70. It is much lighter and ergonomically very comfortable. That's my 2 cents worth of opinion.
 
Ronald M said:
My F2 was $200 and works perfectly and looks as new. In fact I had no idea these were this nice because all the used ones I found were rough as a cob.
Click to expand...

These particular f2's are rough as cob sadly. One has an older F eyelevel prism with some lovingly placed dents to add to the cob appeal.
 
F5, brand new, warranty papers, box, manual, strap, 6 brand new batteries, and a roll of film for $500 shipped. That's what I paid from a gentleman on another board. It balances my 135/2 DC much better than my D700. I luv it. Hell, if I ever decide to sell it, seeing what they are going for on eBay, I'd make quite a profit 😀
 
I don't get the big and heavy thing, but to each his own. I remember when my studio partner got an F4, around 1990. I hefted the thing, said hmmmm, and put it on our UPS scale. With a normal lens, it weighed within an ounce of my Pentax 6x7 with the metering prism and 105mm normal lens.

I said then, and I say now: it will be a very cold day in a very hot place before I carry that kind of weight to shoot a 35mm-size frame.

Looking back on a 40-year career, I can say I did much of my best work with the Olympus OM system.
 
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