Customer Reviews

NIKON F5 SLR Body Only

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have one of every model Nikon F made from the FTn to the F5. I used to think that the F2 was God's gift to photography. Rock solid and mine is 30 years old and it still works fine. However, as good as it was, I would not want to go out on a magazine assignment with an old F2. The capabilities of modern AutoFocus cameras make my old F2 and even the F3 too limited - especially with regard to invaluable tools like automatic fill flash, auto exposure, simple exposure bracketing and simple and fast film loading. I have an F4 too and in its day, it was a gem. But I shoot a lot of motorsports and the F4 was too slow for fast action. The F5 is everything the F4 was plus it focuses better and faster. The camera is a joy to hold (at least for my two hands) and is possibly the best handling camera I have ever used in my over 30 years of picture taking. As mentioned above, it focuses very well and very fast - especially with the newer "S" lenses with the motors in the lens. The camera takes lithium batteries and they seem to last through many dozens of rolls of film - not as cheap as alkaline but very convenient and much lighter to carry. The high eyepoint finder works great for me and my thick eye glasses. The controls are where Nikon has put them over the years so long-time users should have no trouble working fast with the F5. Mine has seen rugged use here and in Europe and it has never failed me. The only gripe I have is that the removable prism does let in dust but every Nikon I have has the same issue. It's simple to eliminate the dust with a soft brush or some canned air so it's a pretty small gripe. I think the Canon EOS 1V cameras and lenses focus a tad faster (I tend to use them more for my motor racing assignments) but the F5 is such a joy to use and the Nikon glass is so sharp that I look for assignments where I can use this camera. The F5 remains for now in the product line, despite the introduction of the new and more expensive F6. The F6 looks like a winner and handles well too. But its $2400 price tag and the fact that the majority of the market for a high powered pro camera has already turned to digital, makes me wonder who but a serious amateur with deep pockets will pony up the bucks for one. My final warning to you camera junkies out there is that once you handle the F5, you will not want to put it down. And that's not a bad thing.

The F5 is very likely the best 35mm film camera that will ever be, and in most ways takes the 35mm film SLR concept to its ultimate. This camera, operated with even minimal skill, simply will not take pictures that are not superb, at least from an exposure and focus standpoint. The F5 has a lightning fast autofocus system that will work fine even under very dark conditions. The F5 exposure system is probably about as good as any auto-exposure system will ever be, and certainly it is as good as anyone needs one to be. I have constantly been impressed and often startled by how good my F5 pictures turn out, even under tricky lighting conditions that a lesser camera (without a better photographer) would have screwed up. The F5 is a great camera.

Things about the F5 I don't like? A few. First of all, the F5 is built like a tank--very durable and heavy duty. Unfortunately, after you carry it around for awhile, it feels as heavy as a tank. The F5 is large, heavy, and not especially easy to stow away for trips or toss in that backpack. This is about the only thing about the F5 I found to criticize. Incidentally, a smaller Nikon that is technically very similar to the F5 in features and performance in most respects is the Nikon F100. Amateur photographers who want the best film camera available should consider the F100 which has almost the same exposure and autofocus systems in a lighter, sleeker body.

Why do I say the F5 is (probably) the best 35mm camera that will ever be? Very simple--the world is going digital. Camera companies, Nikon included, are not likely to put much in the way of R&D towards improving 35mm cameras. Their money is going towards improving the digital cameras, which are presently undergoing rapid evolution, and which are beginning to approach (but have not yet equalled) the F5. Fortunately for film enthusiasts/die-hards, the F5 and its smaller brother, the F100, are so good that little more improvement is called for.

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. 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.

Weight: 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.

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.

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.

Negatives: I wish the focus area brackets in the viewfinder illuminated in red similar to the N80 and F100

Without question, the Nikon F5 is one of the best conceived, well built professional quality autofocus 35mm SLR cameras I have come across. True to the tradition of ruggedness expected from a Nikon F series camera, the F5 is truly built like a tank. In a sense, it is the autofocus equivalent of the old Nikon F and F2 cameras, which made Nikon's reputation for building a first-rate professional quality SLR system. Indeed it is the only professional grade autofocus 35mm SLR which comes with interchangeable finders and screens, harkening back to its F and F2 predecessors. I've handled the F5 in camera stores and also at trade fairs such as Photo Plus East; it may be the best handling autofocus SLR I've come across. However, it is about to be replaced by the newly introduced - and much lighter - Nikon F6, so potential purchasers should look carefully at this camera and the F6, before making their purchase.

I use the F5. I am a Mamiya RB67 Pro SD photographer. I love Med. Form.. I also love my F5.

I have a Nikon D70s and a Nikon D300. My lenses are pro lenses and that is the real crux. The lens, not the camera, for the most part. However, the F5 is a great body to attach a Nikon lens, of any quality, to. The real difference is the F5's meter. For the past 40 years of photography that I have loved every minute of, the F5, as a 35mm machine, has been the best 35mm camera I have ever used.

I love the larger 6 x 7 neg of the RB's and the 6 x 6's of the Rollies. But, if I had to choose a 35, it would be the F5 for its performance and its meter. The meter is superb and I don't feel that Nikon has beaten its meter game in a meaningful way since the F5. Superb.

Of course, I love film and make my living in a "negative" way. Mostly 120 and 220 Fuji. I shoot a lot of Nikon for personal photos and the need of a lighter camera and no tripod for PhotoJournalism and some landscape. I have used many formats over almost half a century and the Nikon F5 is the best of the 35mm's I have used and beaten up. I have never beaten up this tank of F5 mechanics and electronics.

You have to know what you are doing with this camera to get the best. Nothing in life is free of learning. The custom settings are your way of setting it up for your needs. However, it will give you great results out of the box if you let it do the work for you.

Should you make this choice and learn the camera, intensely, you will have a friend for life. This is a machine and nearly weather proof. Be careful though. You can ruin anything if abused. Don't drop it from the rim to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

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.

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.

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.

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.

This great camera makes photography easier. If you want to improve your skill level, this camera won't hold you back. However, you can't blame the camera anymore for your bad photos. The only bad mark I can give it is it is rather heavy, and not made for backpacking. I carry my FM2n then. Otherwise, I am very happy with it.

I have been a photographer for 50 years and have shot with the best-Hasselblad, Contax, Canon, Mamiya, etc. The one film camera I have kept in my possesion is the F5. I feel totally comfortable and confident with this camera. It is part of my body and the results are always the same-wonderful. I just hope I can continue to buy film and find decent processing. Long live the F5!!!! Charlie

The Nikon F90X was a very good intermediate-type camera during the mid 1990's. I sold it and purchased a used heavy-weight (features and mass) Nikon F5 from a Toronto photo flea market 5 years ago.

With over 250 rolls of 24 exposure film, this camera has not failed me yet. It is well balanced with every AF and AFS Nikkor lens that I have been able to mate it with. The camera also works extremely well with the Nikon SB-28 Speedlight.

The 3 gripes I have about this camera are:

a) Lack of illuminated focusing points in the viewfinder,
b) Lack of a focus lock to prevent accidental focus shift, and
c) Having to visit Nikon to default the film rewind leader out.

Overall, a solid performing film camera body.

I've been shooting and F5 for about 2 years and if you have a chance to get a clean one - do yourself a favor and go for it. The metering, autofocus and handling are superb and unlike digital imaging products, while this is among the more complex film cameras out there, operation remains simple so you can focus on what's important - image construction. The inconvenience of film is worth it for certain results that can not be replicated with digital capture - the quantitative metrics are highly misleading.

My camera is an early one from 1996 and was used by a working pro, but still functions exactly like the precision instrument that it started life as out of the box. It's hard to appreciate the tactile pleasure of using something like this, and the sheer speed really is breathtaking. And it works with all of the modern Nikkor lenses.

All those qualities aside, though, the F5 is a camera that gets out of your way so you can focus on taking a picture - and if speed is your thing, you can take that picture RIGHT NOW. It can be heavy, and it eats batteries, but in a pinch it could also probably be used as a weapon.

The only problem with owning equipment like this is that it spoils you for the consumer-grade stuff. Seriously. Don't think about buying one of these as a "bargain" - because it'll psychologically prevent you from owning very high-performing, mid-range stuff in the future. Nikon's best stuff is really, really nice and it's not easy to go "back" to the consumer-grade stuff, which is kind of nasty in comparison.

I love my F5 and you will too.