Dead on acturate color exposure meter Fast autofocus Fast frame rate Egnormic design Custom Settings Extremly reliable

none that i've found

Extremly durable construction and exceptional performance.

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N90s,N80,F100

Robust, Positive, Responsive

I feel that the rubber covering may come away from the body, good thing it has a three year guarantee!

A camera with ultimate build quality, rigid, extremely robust, whilst heavy has beautiful balance, in particulay the vertical shooting mode, metering is exceptional, as is the AF. It is a camera that to me feels like a camera should, Indulging in nostalgia, when most 35mm cameras were metal based with top and bottom covers made of brass, not PLASTIC or RESIN. I have been using Nikon for years [apart from a brief period when I used an EOS 1v] all the F series except the F6, the FM & FM2. I still have the F3 and the F4, until I bought the F5, the F3 was the most tactile and useable of them all. Now the F3 comes second to the F5 [IMHO] I have put several rolls through the F5 in the short time that I have owned it, and I am more than satisfied. Well done Nikon [again]

Customer Service

not needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 1v

- solid construction - light meetering - autofocus ...

Do you call this really heavy?

Simply genial!

Customer Service

Not needed

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Which product, at this quality?

Everything. Build, functions, options, possiblity of PC hook-up, custom funtions, metering, I mean what ever is not good on that camera has still to be invented. Very well made.

If you yourself only weigh 100 LB then this camera may make you feeling like you are in a gym workout session. Yes, with a (good) lens, this camera is not light. But, do you really care? You already know why you are interested in the F5. And besides, the body is not made of plastic, so it may even find it's use as a hammer in case you can't find your toolbox.

The holy grail, the god of all cameras. The one camera that every other camera (film) in the world is compared to now. Yes, this is expensive. But if you already ended up going to this review then you also know what you want and I guess the only question you have is whether you can afford this camera or not. My advise is that if you have the money (1200 US on ebay will get you a good used one) then do not hesitate. If you don't then save until you can buy one. Do not get a "cheaper" one, it will only make you wishing you would have save a bit longer.

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Similar to the F5? There is nothing similar.

The Autofocus. I have it set to Focus Priority in Continuous mode. It's works well. The 1,005 Pixel RGB meter. For all but most the difficult light situations you can use this with confidence. If not, you've got the 5 spot meters and variable center-weighted. Film advance rate. Ergonomics. For me, it feels better than the F100 with the MB-15. The shutter and mirror balancer system.

None to speak of. For what this camera is intended to be -- a durable shooting machine for any environment and any type of photography -- it will help you do it with flying colors. Tweaks reflected in the F100 naturally came about as technology continually develops.

I finally broke down and got myself an F5, a used one. It's everything I thought it would be: great handling, super accurate meter, fast AF, extremely rugged, so on and so on. Most likely, it's Nikon's last truly (F) Pro film camera. I don't find it that heavy. It pairs well with heavier lenses such as the 80 to 200 (2-ring) and 80 to 400. In fact, it's only about half-a-pound heavier than the F100 w/MB-15. I have been using lithiums, which have worked well for me. Have recently shot a lot of Fuji Reala and the results are outstanding. Prices seem to be edging down with many photogs leaning to digital. Nikon got it right with this one.

Customer Service

Have never had to have anything repaired. Always helpful, though, with technical questions in general.

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F100, N90s, 8008

*Super Body Strength and weathersealing. *Very fast autofocus and tracking. *Very fast film advance... who needs 10fps vs. 8fps anyway??? *a meter that just does not quit *a solid feel that is worth its weight in gold.

A bit heavy... but at least the feel is worth it!

Been using two F5s now for years... and they just constantly remind me why I got them! They have been dropped, through boat trips on the Pacific, MANY plane trips, out in the subarctic Adirondack winter and the strongest heat of the Arizona summer. These are simply the best built bodies ever... PERIOD! Which leads me to my begging question.. will anybody ever either develop a digital back for the F5 or perhaps a digital insert that can go into any film body??? It has got to happen some day! Please, please invent one!

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N90s Nikon FM2n

Familiar Controls: I like the ability to go from one Nikon to another and most of the controls seemed familiar. Weather Sealing: I have taken the F5 while on a sailboat in Kauai in 15 foot swells hanging on to the boat with one hand and just pointing the camera with the other (program mode) and guess what I got some good shots. I don’t hesitate using this camera in adverse weather conditions and just wipe and clean it.

None

I purchased the F5 a year ago and this is what I think. I take better pictures with the F5, let me clarify, at an air show, while whale watching and of course all the people shots I would have missed if it were not for the speed of the auto focus and the wonderful metering system. If it sounds like I use the camera as point and shoot camera sometimes I do exactly that. I think it is one of the attributes of this camera the ability to get the shot, quickly and accurately. Battery Consumption: Battery consumption has not been a problem for me. My purchase is a late model production camera and I am aware that the earlier models did have a battery consumption issue. Weigh: The F5 is a heavy camera but I like the weight and feel of the camera. I think because of the weight the camera balances nicely in your hands and the F5 is a dream to hold. I am able to hand held this camera at a lower shutter speed than I could with other cameras. The craftsmanship is superb and I enjoy how well the F5 is made. Some comments lead to believe that some people have walked in from the street and purchased a two thousand dollar camera. That the person never picked the camera up and realized how heavy the camera is. Not that the F5 is that heavy look at some medium format cameras. If you are looking at this camera I’m sure you already are aware of peoples comments good and bad. It would hard for me to believe that someone will purchase the F5 as a first Nikon camera. I would assume that the person who made this purchase has an assortment of Nikon products and knows what they are doing. The F5 was introduced in 1996 and was a top of the line 35mm camera and in 2004 it still is the top of the line. I know other manufactures make great cameras but eight years later this camera is still at the top of the list. This camera will be that last film camera that I own. It is not because I’m going digital, because I’m not at the moment. It is because this is simply the best film camera you can purchase from Nikon and it just might be the best film camera you can own.

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N4004 N80

Uses my Nikkors from a MF24mmF2.8 series N, MF180F2.8ED to my AF70-180F4.5-5.6 Micro Zoom and all ten of my various other lenses.Three year warranty. Accuracy of exposures (even my clients notice!).Uses my SB25 and SB80DX flash units with equal aplomb.

None worth noting (I want another one!)

This updates my original F5 Anniversary review. I've used this machine for three to four photo jobs a week using Kodak Portra and Fuji professional films for family reunions, retirement banquets, weddings and street photography. It has been as reliable as my F3T and F3HP were (they never failed me in twenty years of service)and with the dynamic autofocus I'm not missing focus or exposure accuacy.I still use an F2A, FM2N and an FM2T as back-ups and for those times when manual seat-of-the-pants photography is called for. After three years of daily service in all kinds of weather the machine meets my needs and my customers' expectations.I've been considering going digital in a way that will be a "seamless" change to my many repeat clients. The D2H seems to come close. We'll see........

Customer Service

Used for CLA for years and always get good fast service. I usually get 10 day turn-arounds!

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N90,F3T,F3HP,F2A,FM2N,FM2T

Super fast operation Super reliable light metering system Built tough Comfortable handle

Wallet killing price Aging viewfinder indicator

Super fine camera! It's RGB 1005 pixels sensor is super reliable. It also got the Nikon's second fast 1300 Multi Cam auto focusing system. You can just TRUST the light metering system! It will never be fooled.

Customer Service

Never used

Similar Products Used:

F601,F80

RGB meter. Simply the best (and only) on earth. PERIOD. Fastest AF on earth. PERIOD. MLU. Build construction. 100% view coverage. built in view finder shutter. Worlds only self diagnostic shutter! WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!... MEANS LESS INTERNAL VIBRATION!

Needs red AF target indicators like the F100.

Finally made the decision to sell my F100 and Buy the F5. Needless to say I havn't looked back. This camera is amazing. It's hard to believe that even though released in 1996, no other manufacurer has matched the specifications of this fine instrument. The 1005 pixel RGB matrix meter is deadly accurate. In fact why would you need exposure compensation?? Even 7 years later this is the worlds only color light meter, worlds only self diagnostic shutter, and STILL holds the record for fastest AF speed (when using Nikkor AF-S lenses. Sorry but even the EOS 1v will not track a 200mph moving object at 60 feet with a 300mm F2.8. Canon also touts a faster FPS. This is true, but the fine print will tell you that the AF system will not keep up with it. Yes Canon has upped the bar, and they do make beautiful equipment, but they have yet to make an F5. Also I believe die cast aluminum and titanium are stronger than polycarbonate.

Customer Service

None needed, thanks Nikon.

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F2 photomic, FE, FM2n, FM2/T, N6006, N70, N90s, N80, F100.