Nikon F5 35mm Film Camera

I shoot film regularly. As like most, I shoot digital as well as film. When I shoot with my D80 and my F5, I can seldom tell the difference in the final print. Using my Nikon scanner, I wonder which takes the better image.

It is my opinion that there is no film camera that the Nikon F5 could be compared with; instead of listing those from other manufacturers, I will start with the features that the F5 offers.

Usable Lenses: All AF-D, AF-G, AF-I, AF-S and AF VR Nikkor lenses provide full AF and metering operation. AI-P lenses provide manual focus w/electronic rangefinder and full metering operation. AI lenses provide manual focus w/electronic rangefinder, aperture priority and manual exposure mode, Center-Weighted and Spot Metering operation.

Metering System: 1005-pixel 3D Color Matrix metering provides information about scene brightness and contrast conditions. RGB sensors gather information about the colors within the scene, enhancing scene identification. In addition, this metering system incorporates a database of over 30,000 scenes of actual shooting data to evaluate color, brightness, and overall composition.

Auto focus: 5-Area Cross Array Auto focus system for fluid composition, includes 3 Cross Type AF sensors. Focus Tracking with Lock On to 8 fps regardless of subject direction or movement.

Shooting Modes: Program, Flexible Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual.

The F6 replaced the F5 in 2005. With a sticker price of around $2000 new and $1500 used, the F6 may not be what many die-hard film photographers are willing to purchase in this digital age. However, the F5 with a used price of $450 to $600 is well in the range of many.

Looking at Nikon’s N80 and the F100 with prices of $100 to $300 used (respectively), the F5 may very well be worth the extra expense.

If you shoot Digital and are looking at the F5 as a back up, you are a very smart individual. There are dozens of reasons why the “digital” photographer needs a film camera.

Digital sensors heat up when in use. For a short exposure, you will never have a problem. However, for long exposures of more than 30 seconds, you may get a discoloration in the edges of your image or a vignette. This is a flaw with many digital cameras. It almost seems senseless to have a digital camera with a B or Bulb Mode.

Some respectable reviewers have mentioned in their reviews that, “The F5 is for sports and wildlife. Only misguided rich people buy it for landscapes and portraits.” In fact, it is my opinion that the F5 is one of the BEST landscape cameras available. This is due in part to the MLU or the Mirror Lock Up feature. If you would like more information on the MLU feature, please read my guide, “MLU or Mirror Lock Up Feature Is Essential For Sharp Landscape Images.”

All-in-all, the Nikon F5 was made to endure. This feature gives it longevity. When purchasing the F5, look for one that does not have much external signs of use. Little signs of use usually means it has not seen too much use or abuse. Combine this with the durability of the F5 and you are sure to get a camera that will last for years and be peace of mind in your camera bag.

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Sulae

I already owned a Nikon F5 and believe it is one of the greatest cameras ever made. The camera is built to last which will give me many years of shooting enjoyment. I like to have the images I shoot scanned because I know that film will be around for a long time. The camera is truly a workhorse.

There should be a separate rating for the F5, something like "awesome", I've never used an F6, so I can't debate the merits of it vs. the F5. All I can say is that inall the 35 years I've been involved with photography, I've never held a more impressive camera in my hands. Forget all the technical jargon; the self-diagnostic shutter, etc. What counts is, the Nikon F5 will deliver fantastic photos time and time again. It's a pro camera, but put it on progarm and any amateur with a sense of composition can deliver pro quality. Heavy? Yes, because it's packed with features and built to withstand any punishment. It is indeed a brute with the soul of an artist. I love this camera, just as I love my F4's. The advantage of the F5 is an improved 3d matrix metering system. The F5's focusing motor is quick, almost brutally so. I would think it might rip some of the lower priced af lenses to shreds. It's fast and efficient. Combined with the af Nikon lenses (my favorite is the 105MM, micro)the F5 is an awesome tool, indeed. I shoot weddings with the F5 and my two F4's, using today's fine-grain films, I think I get results equal to medium format and even digital.
With the increasing popularity of digital cameras, it's possible to get some real bargains of Nikon F5's, on Ebay or in some camera shops. I don't know that this is the greatest camera ever made, but I do know that it is the greatest camera that I have ever used and is capable of far greater things than I have demanded of it. It's a beauty.

This camera is and will always be the BEST 35mm camera ever made!!! even the NIKON F6 doesn't hold a flame to this fine camera... I know... I know... 35mm is DEAD!!! OR IS IT??? I am loving this camera, and I can wait a while for DIGITAL... try it out and you will see!!! What's crazy is this used to be a $3000 camera!!! now you can scoop one up for $500 or so... just be sure to check the condition, and know the cameras history... this is one beast of a camera, and will serve you well...

Shooting the F5 is a pleasure. Knowing that a bad shot is difficult to make with the Matrix Metering capacities of the camera. This is the last of the great SLRs, the F6 doesn't come close to it. At 8 fps, and the rapid lens adjusting, you know you are truly holding something great. Get the rechargeable batteries, your fps goes from 5 to 8 with the rechargeables. It is built like a tank and is a workhorse. You will enjoy it for years to come.

Not much to be said other than the fact that the Nikon F5 is the Nikon F5.
As a professional 35mm Film Camera this is the one...THEE ONE.

There is no finer 35mm SLR camera.

I'm telling you this as a professional photographer. http://www.dcolegrovephotography.com

This camera offers great photo control combined with incredible speed.
Perfect for sports, fashion, and wildlife photography.
I've wanted one of these cameras since they were first released.
Now that so many professional photographers are moving to digital because of the quick turn around (no developing wait) they are selling their film cameras and great deals are becoming available for those of us who still shoot film.
Film has continued to improve in response to the digital age and fast films now have the tight grain and color saturation that you used to have to sacrifice speed to get. The fine grain and saturation of 100 speed film of old is rivaled by todays 400 and 800 speed films.
It's a whole new world for photographers,whether we shoot digital or film.

Nikon created the finest most versatile camera ever made when they released the F5 to the public. It has so many parts after market to configure the camera for every type of use. Four different view finders for ease of use include a waist level finder for low level work, 6x close-up finder for macro work, 6x wide area finder for underwater work or flying aircraft and the standard view finder for general photography. Thirteen focus screens to cover all of the manual focus and auto focus lenses made up to the introduction of the DX lens for digital cameras. Five different eyepieces are available so eyeglass wearing people can remove their glasses. No other camera made has this many features not even the new Nikon F6 or D3, they are both a serious step backward in design compared to the F5. I guess Nikon sees $5000.00 and $10,000.00 digital cameras as the future and has discontinued to support film advancement by discontinuing to offer this versatility. I hope that someone at Nikon will read this review and again offer more items for both film and digital cameras instead of more mega-pixels, so I can get excited about the future like I was about the F5.

The Nikon F5 35mm film camera is, by far, one of the best film cameras that Nikon has ever produced. The camera is rugged, accurate, and excellent in craftsmanship and manufacture. It takes excellent photographs in all types of film, including prints, slides, b&w, and infrared. The camera is a classic. In a digital world, it is still the choice of professionals using film as a medium.

What a great camera. It feels good, sounds awesome, shoots and focuses very, very fast. Sturdy, strong and heavy. Built like a tank - accepts many Nikon accessories. I never had the F6, but I would venture a guess that the F5 is better. And much, much cheaper. If you're still shooting 35mm film, this is the camera to get these days. You can get a great value on a used one, and you'll feel like a pro even if your photos suck!

Got it for my boyfriend who wanted one for the last 8 years. He loves it. It arrived quickly and in great shape. The pics that he has been taking are so beautiful, I love them. I am very happy with my purchase.

Before the F6, the F5 was THE film camera for sports and news photography. Now that nearly everyone has gone digital, the F5 (and equally impressive F100) have become very affordable. For those of us who still shoot 35mm, and like shooting things in motion, the F5 is one of the holy grails and lives up to its legendary reputation.

This is a big, heavy camera (maybe not as heavy as it looks). You don't want to put this in the hands of a child or someone who depends on light weight or VR to make the shot. Everything is sealed, the grips work like they should, and even very large lenses seem well balanced on this camera.

I have never owned such a feature-laden, fast, and competent camera. The 3D matrix metering is spot-on, but where this camera really performs is auto focusing. It drives my Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 at blazing speeds, allowing me to capture people and things in motion - something that sounds easy but is really quite a challenge. The F5 is engineered for motion and at 8fps can capture with perfect exposure and focus just about anything.

The easily interchangeable focusing screens make this the most versatile camera in my line up. I have already purchased a focusing screen suited to astro-photography. You can actually change screens (and viewfinders) in the field; it's that easy.

The F5 is a bargain these days and you can find one on eBay for less than half of what a dealer will charge you for one in similar condition. The F5 is meant to last. If I had to sum the F5 up in three words, they would be: Fast; Dependable; Versatile. If you have been thinking of shooting film again, this is probably the best used deal out there. The only thing I regret is that it makes me want to get an F6, but for 1/8th the price, I'm happy right now with my F5.

I bougth the used camera about 3 weeks ago. The shipping was okay and the delivered day in my country (Chile) was the day that the seller told me. On monday of this week I got the camera. The camera is excellent. It's like a new one. The bussines and the seller are very good.

I have been looking for a good used Nikon Professional Film camera for several years now. I still shoot film for black and white portraits and long (3 hours and longer) time exposures. I have several very nice Nikon lenses that I use with my Nikon digital cameras but have been unable to use them on my older film camera (which is not Nikon).

I had been looking for an F-5, but on most of the camera equipment sites, mint condition F-5 bodies were still running about $1000.00+, so I was actually starting to consider an F-4. However, I then came across an F-5 on eBay that was listed with a buy it now price of $500.00. I read the description and it sounded like it was being sold by someone that knew about cameras. The photograph showed the camera with the original box, which told me this person took care of it. The camera was described as in mint condition with less than 1000 shutter clicks, as determined by a Nikon service center. In the photograph I did not see any dents, dings, scratches or worn off finish on the camera body. The camera did appear to be in mint condition. Rather than bid and risk losing the camera I had been looking for, I went for the buy it now price.

I bought this camera to replace my F3 (still working) as my primary film camera, with the F3 as a backup. Everything thing I read about the camera is true. The camera is in excellent condition when I received it. It's very solidly built and comfortable to hold even with it weight. I'm very satisfied in the time I had to shoot with the camera. Highly recommended for those who still shoot film.

This camera seems very solid- I am happy about this because I have children... Condition I give an A-especially for it's age... The speedlight was given to me for free with buy-now service... Everything was as expected and was packed securely... I took 24 pictures and had developed over night to vfy and they came out great and this was without me making any adjustments to the settings that were already in place... I am very very happy that I chose to buy-now otherwise I might not have it!!!

Possibly one of the "best" film cameras that will ever be made for durability, versatility and useful features - the later F6 is for show-offs and rich amateurs. If you want to keep buying add-ons there isn't much you can't do with the F5, but like any other cam it's only as good as its lenses, so buy good lenses, not doodads. Also, it's an ox! Haul this sucker all week and you don't need to go to the gym - as everyday shooters the "amateur" F100 and D200/300 are more fun.

Bought it to commemorate the phasing out of film-based photography, because I can finally afford stuff like this and getting a mint example for about 20% of the "new" price makes it easier to rationalize.

I decided to buy a Nikon F5 on ebay. I found one with the selling text " In sound condition" "In good working condition". After I received the F5 it turned out it didn´t work. I send it to Nikon in Denmark who said that this camera was beyond repair. I informed the seller about it and said that to my opinion the item had been wrongly described and therefore I should have my money back. However, the seller stated that he had said on his adv. that there was "no return". I told him that that was for a correctly described item where the buyer just regret the purchase, not for a faulty item which has been declared in good working condition. The seller only returned 100 USD out of 340 as "a good will gesture" as he discribed it!
I call it criminal!

This camera is very sturdy in hand, people complain about its weight but that is what draws me to this camera. You feel as though you are working with a real piece of photography equipment. The matrix metering system is incomparable to any other and is spot on in its representation of colors. I am stunned by the speed of its AF system and functionality. Many safety features to ensure that film is not rewound unintentionally. Great system compatabliity with all up to date lenses(a list can be located on-line with a little searching). It takes 8 double AA batteries which last a long time if you use lithium which I highly recommend. This is also good if you travel to Europe where outlets may be hard to find and no converter on hand. It has interchangeable focusing screens and prism heads. I love this camera and I am extremely happy with its functionality. It is a neccesity for artists who enjoy working with 35mm though for those doing on spot journalism and the like digital is still the main stream because of its fast turn around. Other than that the combinations of different film, lenses, and experimental techniques makes this crucial to a photographer's Nikon arsenal. For the price these babies are going for now it is unbeatable and if you get the chance to get one for under $400 you would be crazy to pass it up. Make sure to check it for dust, functionality, and mold. If you can pick one up do it asap, I promise you will not be disappointed.

The Nikon F5 is a professional quality 35mm film camera that is surpassed only by the F6. The best features are the wide selection of Nikon lenses and the built in motor drive. The most glaring feature that is lacking is that I would prefer to have is a set of manual shutter speeds (between 1/30s to 1/1000s) that would be available when the batteries go dead (and I have no replacements immediately available - inexcusable but still happens).

In day to day use, this camera is always dependable and easy to operate. Most of my film work is done in manual mode with an autofocus lens. There is a bulit in diopter for those who wear glasses, but I am at the last setting available to me. I switch to manual focus when I need to delibrately set up a hyperfocal shot where I need extreme depth of field. This is still possible as Nikon lenses and most 3rd party lenses still have depth of field scales engraved. True for all old fixed focal length lenses and most older zoom lenses.

The interchangeable focus screens and pentaprisms is also handy for those that need unusual set ups. My preferences is for the 'grid' focus screen (easy for architechural shots) combined with the sports pentaprism with the high eyepoint relief (allows me to see the entire field of view with glasses on).

I bought this camera to use for parts in the future. The price was right and I can justify the cost of just holding on to the incomplete camera for the value of the parts.

the camera is really nice, and to my surprise, the price is comparative low. i collect camera over many years and this nikon f5 is built with high technology. nice to hold and good for real use.

I have a DSLR camera currently and wanted to learn a bit more on the film side so I purchased the F5 from Nikon. Not only through research did I determine this was the camera for me, in using the camera I've discovered that even in this day of digital I can't put it down. One of the best cameras every made.