Ouch don't hit me - Nikon F4

I found a "P" focus screen for my F4 to use with non AF lenses and now, aside from the weight, I find the camera a little easier to deal with. (I have one AF lens and find it focuses where I don't want it to focus. )

Those little focus LEDs didn't do it for me.
 
I did own an F4 but sold it when I bought my first F5 and don't miss it much. They're very solid cameras with a good light meter but I found the shape a bit unwieldy and, in comparison with modern cameras, the autofocus is slow and somewhat hit and miss. I bought my F4 new circa 1992 and my recollection is that it was about £200 cheaper than the F4S at that time: the extra 2 fps on the motordrive weren't worth that much to me!
 
Ade-oh said:
I did own an F4 but sold it when I bought my first F5 and don't miss it much. They're very solid cameras with a good light meter but I found the shape a bit unwieldy and, in comparison with modern cameras, the autofocus is slow and somewhat hit and miss.
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Going by my experience, it is dead accurate, but like ever spot meter system it is not at all error tolerant. If you have not made the "exposure lock, focus lock, recompose, shoot" chordal sequence a muscle memory automatism, you'll screw up whenever things get stressful.
 
shadowfox said:
Okay.

How about: F4 feels bulky to me :D

The F3 feels slim even with the MD-4 tacked at the bottom, which is how I prefer using it.
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I do have small hands and find the MB-20 (4 x AA) a little on the large side but I find the MB21 (3 x AA in the grip part) is a little narrower and easer to handle (although heavier).

Ronnie
 
sevo said:
Pretty much any 1.2-1.5V AA (plus the rechargeable block for the MB-23 and anything you can wire up to the MB-22 or MB-23 external inputs).

The MB-21 has a battery gauge with alkaline and NiCd marks, and the latter has proved to be accurate for NiMH as well (Nikon originally advised against NiMH as they were too low current, but current ones are a match for the best late eighties NiCd AA's). The MB-20 way of checking batteries (by way of the self timer control light) does only work with alkalines - while it works fine with current NiMH (at least with Eneloops), you cannot determine in advance how soon the batteries will fail.
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How about Lithium AA Batteries?
 
Got my F4 yesterday. Popped on a CV 40/2 lens and went out to sea here in Southern Florida. Tomorrow I develop but today I had a ball shooting 5 rolls.
 
I bought my F4 specifically to use with MF lenses, my collection going back to my Nikkormat days.

Also have an F5 used for AF lenses.

Both cameras feel good in hand. I have never figured out why anyone would want a light camera, which waves around requiring faster hand held speeds.

Texsport
 
L. M. Tu said:
Lithium batteries can safely be used in the F4, if they output 1.5 volt. From what I understand, early lithium's were 1.7 volt and so were not recommended.
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BTW does anyone know how many rolls one gets using alkaline. I have the MB20 with only 4 batteries. But any answer will help.
 
kshapero said:
BTW does anyone know how many rolls one gets using alkaline. I have the MB20 with only 4 batteries. But any answer will help.
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That is highly dependent on usage patterns, as focusing, metering and display lights may eat more into the batteries than the transport. I've both pulled something like twenty rolls through a MB20 F4 in one session, and had it die on me half-way into the second roll, after days of more composing than releasing.
 
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