Other modifications are less critical: nice to have, but usually not dealbreakers. Granted, most people are unlikely to change finders or screens from shoulder height in the field, but it was enough of an issue that Nikon felt compelled to modify the latch system. Unless sent in for a retrofit by their original owners, serial numbers below 23xxxxx can have issues with the meter prism coming off more abruptly than expected when changing finders or screens, causing the camera body to drop to the floor etc. Approx 600,000 bodies were sold during the F4 market lifespan of 1988-1996.Īs a very rough rule of thumb, F4 bodies with serial numbers above 23xxxxx are preferable to lower numbers because they definitely include the most critical design update: more secure prism latches. A compromise approach to shopping the F4 is recommended: you probably don't want to get a beater professional discard F4 just because it has a late serial number, OTOH you don't want to overpay for a first-batch F4 just because its pristine. There are people, though, who hate the F4, and people who I trust report stories of it completely dying.Īs with many vintage cameras, overall condition should be your first priority, then you can look for subtle variations between batches. Just don't try to use a data back, as it's like your worst memory of trying to program an 80s VCR but with fewer buttons and less room to display information(the first roll I shot with one, I ended up with dates in the frame despite triple checking that I had that turned off but exposure between frames on). To me, the F4 is a great crossing point of having a lot of modern conveniences(AE with lenses AI to G, matrix with "real" AI lenses, AF with everything but AF-P) but also a dedicated dial, switch, or button for every function. I'm also an F2 and F4 guy who never really fell in love with the F3 and considers the F5 too big, power hungry, and unwieldy(I love the F to collect and fondle, but not shoot). One of mine has a couple of bleeds-nothing to make it unusable, but they're there.Īs for your liking of them-this seems to be a more polarizing camera than any other pro body Nikon had made. Unfortunately, I can't answer your questions directly other than to say that one of the common issues seems to be the viewfinder LCD.
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