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Nikon F4s Film Camera

Nikon F4s Film Camera
Overall Rating: Product Rating: 4.5
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Battery Life:
Photo Quality:

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Perfect blend of manual and auto

Written: Dec 13 '04

Product Rating: Product Rating: 5.0
Ease of Use:  
Durability:  
Battery Life:  
Photo Quality:  
Pros: Fast, VERY robust, uncluttered ease of use, very BIG and bright viewfinder

Cons: That annoying flash thing

The Bottom Line: A solid, tank of a camera with all of the features anyone needs
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superevilbrian's Full Review: Nikon F4s Film Camera
I bought my first nikon F4s a few years ago and recently bought another one for an obsurdly cheap price from KEH.com.
I'll save the specs and technical info - that stuff is on the other 6 reviews and on a zillion Websites.
I was never a fan of auto focus and I never used it (even on the N90s/MB10s I own or the D1h's I used) so that isn't a factor for me.
What I like about this beast of a camera is its robustness and simplicity. It has the simple layout of a manual SLR or RF camera but with a few extra controls for the fancy stuff like light meter settings and shooting modes.
Normally I shoot on Aperture Priority in manual focus ( I do this as often as I can - even on my wife's FM3a) in the multi-pattern metering mode. I found that this works flawlessly most of the time. When I need something I feel is beyond the capabilities of these settings, I use the spot meter or just forgo the meter all together.
With a flip of a finger I can switch from Aperture Priority to Manual without putting the camera down to fumble through LCD screens and menus. This is helpful in the rare occasion I use a flash.
Which brings me to a sore spot. When using a dedicated flash ( I don't have one anymore - I use a Vivitar 285) in Aperture Priority the camera sets the shutter to 1/60 when there is less than bright light. I like how 1/15 or 1/30 look (I can hand hold these settings and they yield more background instead of getting dark shadows) so I flip to manual.
Using a non-dedicated flash, there is no problem. I can keep it on AP mode.
The exposure compensation dial is just as easy to set while shooting without lowering the camera.
This camera was obviously designed by journalists and other fast-paced photographers. I think the Auto Focus was added in to sell the camera to Wedding Photogrpahers and housewives who blindly rely on automation.
I shoot sports with these cameras, as well as stage productions, NYC street shots night and day and a host of other work.
Another strong point of this camera is it's durability and weather resistance. I was shooting over Thanxgiving in Maryland on the southern tip of Tilghman Island near a Navy radar station. A gale had blown in over the Chesapeake Bay and the wind made the waves crash off of the bulkhead and rocks lining the sea. I was repeatedly pounded by sea water from over my head and firce wind (I'll do a review of the gear I was wearing later - EMS gear is fantastic!). My cameras were drenched with sea water to the point where I was losing my grip on the lenses.
No problems. No worries.
There have been many occasions where these F4s were subject to severe weather and wretched conditions but just kept going. Also they have taken their shares of bumps - including one drop that bent the mount on the lens (80-200 f2.8 ED-IF, the lens hood saved the day) and destroyed the shutter mechanism.
The prism has two small mercury switches in it to tell the camera if it's being held vertically or horizontally. This changes the multi-metering pattern to be more accurate. In theory.


Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400 + 1200
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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Epinions.com ID:
superevilbrian
Member: Brian McGloin
Location: USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I'm a photographer and all around nerdy, adventurous type

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