Over the years, I’ve uttered these exact words, multiple times: “I’m just not a Nikon guy.” But these days, I find myself walking those words back a bit. I wouldn’t necessarily define myself as a “Nikon guy” even now, but I have definitely carved-out a spot in my photographic heart for the beloved Japanese camera and optical brand, having now, with the Nikon F4, discovered for myself what others have apparently long known.
The Back Story
Part of the reason I hadn’t warmed-up to Nikon cameras before now has to do with the Nikon that I inherited when my mother died a few years ago. Many years prior, she’d received her Nikon N2000 (known outside North America as a the Nikon F-301) as a gift, and used it some. My recollection was that it was simply too complicated; just too much camera for her. After being back into film photography for awhile, I decided to load some batteries and film into the N2000, and give it a spin. I walked away from the experience pretty underwhelmed. The Series E 50mm f/1.8 lens that was on the camera’s front was in one form or another Nikon’s standard entry level SLR lens for decades. But my favorite shot with the camera from that one and only roll I shot with it was marked by vignetting in the corners. (My inadequate focusing didn’t help the image qualitatively, either.) Attempting to get decent bokeh in a shot of a wooden fencepost, I exposed the image at f/5.6, and at 1/1000th of a second. I would not expect such a popular lens to vignette at f/5.6, but it did — noticeably. Aesthetically, I actually really like this image despite its flaws.
But this one image aside, nothing really impressed me that much about the N2000 or the images I produced with it, and as a result, it’s sat idle since.
I frankly don’t recall what got me looking at Nikons again, apart from a keen interest in SLRs suddenly hitting me in 2022. By the time 2023 rolled around, and my SLR fascination was waning a bit, it became a little too clear that Nikon was too important a name in modern cameras to be so underrepresented in my collection. A little homework and study got me quite interested in the Nikon FE after I saw one for sale. After buying the very nice example I was looking at, which came with the same lens as on my mom’s camera, I walked away both impressed, and still believing that I’d not really witnessed anything particularly close to Nikon’s best work in terms of lenses.
One of the things that got me most interested in the Nikon FE is its exceptionally wide lens compatibility, accepting a variety of full-frame F-mount lenses, including early non-AI examples — a selling point when the camera was new, as well as a selling point today. Along with the FE, the Nikon FM, EL2, F3, and Nikkormat FT3 all have similar lens compatibility as well.
It’s that wide lens compatibility that drew me to the Nikon F4, the subject of this review, but as an autofocus camera, as well as an electronically-controlled one, compatibility has a slightly broader definition on the F4 than the cameras I just mentioned. Of all the Nikon SLRs, in fact, only the F4 can accept pretty much any full-frame F-mount lens ever made, and take full (or nearly full) advantage of them all. Yes, non-AI lenses work (albeit with stop-down metering). Yes, both body-motor-AF lenses (AF, AF-D) and lens-motor-AF lenses (AF-S, AF-I) work. Yes, G lenses will work (but these lenses were produced after the F4 was, have no aperture rings, and can only be operated in program and shutter priority modes with no direct control of the resulting aperture — but they do work). Yes, it works with so-called “F3AF” lenses, which are a strange offshoot from the usual autofocus Nikon lenses, and that can work only on the F3AF, F4, and F-501 cameras. And finally, yes, VR lenses will work (but without the VR functionality enabled, since that arrived after the F4 was produced).
The other part of the appeal is that the Nikon F4 is a true, professional-grade camera. It was designed for people who made a living taking photographs, and while I’ve had a few “prosumer” or semi-pro-grade 35mm SLR cameras — including the Nikon FE — I’ve never had the privilege of using a truly professional SLR at any point, back in the day, or now. With my Linhof Master Technika filling the “pro” role for large format, and my Hasselblad 503CW filling it for medium format, I wanted a rough equivalent for small format, and the Nikon F4 has now officially filled that void.
My particular example is technically an F4S — as it’s paired with a six-cell MB-21 battery pack and grip. Had it been paired with the four-cell MB-20 battery pack, it would have been the plain F4. Both are powered by standard AA batteries, and were introduced in 1988, while a third version — the F4E — came later (in 1991). It uses the MB-23 battery pack and grip, which supports either standard AA batteries using an included MS-23 battery holder, or a single MN-20 NiCd battery pack. The base camera body is the same with all three versions. (Note that at least one source online says the F4E uses eight cells/batteries; it does not. The MS-23 battery holder uses six standard AA batteries, while the MN-20 NiCd battery pack has six 1.2 volt NiCd cells sealed inside of it, for a total of 7.2 volts.
The Camera
The story of the F4 has been told numerous times, so I don’t intend to duplicate its full history here; that’s easily found with an internet search. I will cover the basics, however.
As might be obvious, the F4 was slated as the fourth iteration of the F-series professional SLRs. Nikon put everything it had into its design and production, aiming to improve upon its predecessor, the F3, with three key capabilities according to Nikon’s own historical account: a high-speed shutter, multi-pattern (or “matrix”) metering, and autofocus. As development began, a fourth target capability was added: faster flash sync. According to Nikon, the team also wanted to improve water-tightness, reduce the sound of the shutter, and provide a brighter viewfinder screen.
The result was a camera that was absolutely state-of-the-art by the time production began in 1987. While it doesn’t sound so impressive by today’s standards, the camera is said have some 1,850 parts, many of which were electronic components. These include multiple integrated circuits in the body (nine total, which includes a pair of 8-bit microprocessors and one 4-bit microprocessor), and more in the viewfinder (four total, including one 8-bit microprocessor).
In the process of delivering on their design goals, Nikon incorporated a number of other innovations including a shutter balancer to minimize the slight camera shake from pressing the shutter release button; shutter blades with a composite construction for greater speed and durability; a dual shutter curtain design to better guard against light leakage in bright conditions or when the mirror lock-up is used; and an infrared filter to help improve accuracy of the autofocus circuitry — among many others.
The F4 was said to be priced at about US$2,500 when it was new back in 1988. That was quite a chunk of change, and to put it into perspective, based on US government inflation data, that’s the equivalent today (as of April 2023) of US$6,330. The ability to purchase and experience one of these amazing cameras now for somewhere around 5% of that amount of money seems like a bargain in many respects.
It has, in any case, been about 35 years since the camera was new, and perhaps looking at the technical specs (8-bit and 4-bit CPUs? Seriously?), it might seem primitive. But you don’t see any of that when you hold the camera in your hands, point it at something, and press the shutter release. In fact, when I use my F4, it feels brand new, and quite modern; the performance and accuracy of the F4 can, after all this time, still impress.
The Nikon F4 is without question one of the most (if not the most) aesthetically beautiful cameras that I own. The industrial design was undertaken by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian designer best known for his automotive design work. The story goes that Giugiaro had done previous camera designs for Nikon, and given the importance of the F4 and its innovations, the company engaged him to make the new model look as beautifully as it worked.
But the beauty is more than skin-deep. Under the lovely exterior skin is a machined aluminum chassis that was chosen to reflect the use cases that this camera was intended to support: professionals, shooting under myriad conditions, and doing so in heavy volumes.
The F4 is a robust camera, to put it nicely. What I really mean is that it’s relatively heavy by any objective measure, and the F4S or F4E versions only make it more so. My F4S, fully loaded with six AA batteries, and the very lightweight AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D prime lens attached, weighs-in at about 1,610 grams (a bit over 3.5 lbs.). With a heavy lens like the Nikon AF Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 D zoom, it bumps-up to 1,985 grams (about 4.4 lbs.). And put a nice all-metal-barreled Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 D on it? It tips the scales at 2,210 grams — just shy of a full 5 lbs. (4.9 lbs. to be more precise).
If other online camera reviews and internet forum commentary is any indication, many people seem to complain (loudly) about heavy cameras generally, and the F4’s weight specifically. Heavy cameras simply have never really bothered me, and it doesn’t bother me with the F4, either. To me, it “reads” as a durable, well-built camera that’s made for using. It’s comfortable in the hand, and delightful to use; I don’t even notice its weight, except to savor the feeling that it’s a professional bit of kit hanging from my neck.
The camera is also flexible. As a “system camera” designed for professionals, and as a successor to previous modular F series cameras, Nikon spared no effort in building-out system options, including various viewfinders (which can be swapped-out at will), a range of replaceable focusing screens, various types of data and control backs, and of course, myriad accessories and lenses as well. The basic F4S, like mine, included the camera body itself, the DP-20 metering prism finder, and the previously mentioned MB-21 battery pack, and sported the Type B focusing screen. Many of the options and accessories for the F4 are admittedly a bit scarce and quite often are expensive today, so long after they were introduced.
There’s no question that lenses make the camera, and Nikon’s very highly regarded optics are part of what makes the F4 so appealing. With the broad lens compatibility already mentioned, as an F4 owner, you have myriad options in lenses, spanning almost 65 years of production as I write this review. There have been hundreds of different lens models produced in that period, and the F4 can take advantage of all of them. Primes and zooms. Macro, prime, long, wide, super-wide. Speciality, such as the PC (perspective control) tilt/shift lenses. You name it, if you want a lens to photograph it, the F4 almost certainly has you covered from Nikon’s massive array of options.
Autofocusing technologies have improved considerably in many ways since the F4 was introduced, but in truth, my experience with quite modern digital cameras (including my current-model iPhone) suggests that the technology improvements in autofocus haven’t really delivered a dramatically better user experience than the F4 provides; in both cases, under certain conditions, the autofocus seems to do more annoying hunting and seeking than it feels like it should. Everything else, however? In most respects, the F4 seems as modern and capable as any camera a fraction of its age.
Autofocus technology aside, as noted earlier, the F4 has two systems for the autofocus lens interface: electronic (yellow arrows) and mechanical (green arrows):
For conventional AF and AF-D lenses, the body’s own autofocusing motor drives a mechanical interface, while AF-S “silent wave” lenses, with the autofocusing motor in the lens, use a purely electronic interface, while a slot in the mount appears to lock the mechanical linkage in a fixed position. The two lower images above show how it looks on the lens side of things.
But as previously mentioned, the camera supports more than autofocus lenses. A folding meter coupling tab, or simply the AI tab (since that’s the lens technology it links to) is just outside the lens mount.
The tab (green arrow) in its AI position is shown. Pressing the tiny button (yellow arrow) allows you to lift the tab and lock it in the non-AI position.
The F4 has proven itself to be an exceptionally well-made and durable camera, a testament to Nikon’s exceptional, years-long design process for it, and it’s still highly regarded by many photographers. But as many vintage cameras do in one form or another, the F4 does have an Achilles heel, in this case its the camera’s LCD displays.
To be clear, the camera has no LCD displays externally for its user interface; one of the camera’s benefits, in fact, is an array of actual knobs and switches for each of its key functions:
But within the view of the standard DP-20 metering viewfinder, two banks of LCD panel displays are visible. At the top left is an LCD panel integrated into the camera’s body, and at the bottom is a panel integrated into the viewfinder, supporting its metering system.
These tiny LCD panels have a tendency to develop what the community has come to refer to as “LCD bleed.” It appears in the display as if dark fluid has “bled” into the viewable portions of the display, in many cases obliterating part or all of the display, and making it impossible to see some or all of the digits and other display elements.
This “display bleed” in LCD panels of all types is generally caused by physical stress (e.g., sheer, torsion, simple bending). I’m no expert, but one would naturally assume that this is the root cause of the issues with the LCD panels in the Nikon F4, but it’s not entirely clear how these LCD panels could possibly have been put under physical stress unless the camera was seriously mishandled or abused. (I suppose if they were not installed properly during assembly, or when or if the camera was serviced during its lifetime, they might be subject to unintended stress.) Based on forum posts and the like, some users have reported this issue developing or worsening in hot, humid environments as well. Regardless, most parts for the Nikon F4 have long ago been depleted, and no replacement LCD panels are known to be available at this juncture (in 2023). This is unfortunate, as the LCD display bleed problem seems to affect a good percentage of them, and most, it seems, are otherwise perfectly usable cameras.
While we’re on the topic of the viewfinder display, I find it rather surprising that the F4 offers only an optical “peep window” system to show the aperture value in the viewfinder. This is a camera that was made in 1988, and fully eleven years prior, Yashica (as one example) managed to implement a scale with a needle in the viewfinder of its FR I (35mm SLR) to show aperture value directly, rather than through a low-tech optical view. Additionally, the successor to the F4, the Nikon F5 (of course), does in fact offer a digital readout of the aperture value in its viewfinder (in addition to offering a peep window); the digital display of the value depends on the lens and exposure mode in use, but nevertheless, it proves it would have been possible in the F4 as well.
And as long as we’re talking about disappointments in an otherwise very high-tech and pleasing camera, let’s talk about support for non-AF (autofocus) lenses. While the F4 does in fact allow them to work, because they have no electronic interface with the camera body, earlier manual focus lenses, whether non-AI or AI, will only function in aperture-priority and manual exposure modes. Shutter-priority and full program modes are reserved for the later AF lenses only. My question is simple: Why? It’s probably all more complicated than I understand.
I question it, however, because two years prior to the introduction of the F4, in 1986, Chinon — not exactly one of the market leaders among Japanese camera makers at the time — introduced a camera with a K-mount that supported full program mode, even for standard K-mount lenses that were never intended for automatic exposure. These are lenses which offer no means of direct communication about the aperture between the lens and the camera body. This camera, the Chinon CP-7m, apparently leveraged the stop-down mechanism to control the aperture aspect of auto-exposure simply by limiting the stop-down lever travel dynamically, besting Pentax itself, which required Pentax-A lenses to support full program mode through an electronic link between the lens and the camera body. One would imagine that Nikon could have done something similar to Chinon with the sophisticated F4, but they didn’t.
It’s worth noting too that older, non-AI manual focus lenses require stop-down metering by way of pressing the stop-down button on the front, and leaving it held down while pressing the shutter release button.
These are minor, nit-picking complaints and not entirely unexpected, given that it’s hardly uncommon for cameras to use only aperture-priority or manual exposures for older lenses, and even stop-down metering for the really old ones. It’s just that the F4 boasts so much sophistication, and a rumored decade-long process of development that was designed to deliver the very best, most capable, most modern, and most powerful camera ever made. But, even the best of the best can’t do everything.
The flip side is that if that if sophistication was the goal, they did otherwise achieve it rather nicely. Minor, nit-picky, “wouldn’t it be great if…” limitations aside, the F4 is a stellar performer, and an utter joy to shoot.
As I already mentioned, one of the reasons it’s a joy to shoot has to do with the fact that the camera provides dedicated and direct access to its settings. No LCD display with layers of menus. No rotary wheels and buttons to be forced into clumsily and unintuitively making choices within those layers of menus. Instead, dials and levers and buttons — old-school analog controls that let you:
- Set the metering method, which — depending on the lens in use — allows you to choose between spot metering, conventional center-weighted metering, and an excellent matrix metering mode.
- Set the focusing mode between continuous (autofocus works continually), single (half-press of the shutter performs one-off autofocus), or manual.
- Set the exposure mode between manual, high-speed program, program, shutter-priority auto, or aperture-priority auto.
- Set the motorized film advance mode between lock (off), single, continuous high speed, continuous low speed, and continuous silent (very low speed).
- Set the shutter speed when using manual modes from 4 seconds to 1/8000th of a second, plus special B, T, and X modes.
- Set the film speed.
- Set exposure compensation up or down in 1/3-stop increments from +2 to –2.
- Lock auto-exposure, autofocus, or both at the same time.
- Lock the mirror up.
- Preview the depth-of-field.
- Manually adjust the diopter setting for the viewfinder, eliminating the need for add-on lenses for the viewfinder window for most glasses wearers.
- Set a self-timer.
- Close a shade for the viewfinder window for self-timed exposures so that the meter is not thrown-off.
Those are pretty much the key settings and controls. There are some others, like a choice of manual or automatic rewind, and a battery test. But you get the idea… It might be a very electronic camera, but the old-school approach is a pretty welcome one.
It probably goes without saying that the F4 has a motorized film advance, not a manual advance lever. Additionally, the camera offers easy, automatic film loading. Just insert the 135 cassette, draw the leader over to the red mark on the inside photographer’s right side by the take-up spool, close the back, power-on, and press the shutter release button. The film is drawn forward to the correct starting point, and you’re ready to go. When the film is exhausted, as referenced a moment ago, you can move one lever (R1) then flip-up the usual crank on the top left to manually rewind — or, move both R1 and the R2 lever, and the drive motors will take care of the task for you. Know that on the F4, the motorized rewind will draw the leader fully into the cassette. If you want to reuse your 135 cassettes (as I do, since I bulk load film), you’ll have to fish it out with a leader extractor, or just manually rewind so you can stop winding when you hear or feel the leader come-off the take-up spool.
I think I’d be remiss not to wrap-up the camera coverage with a mention of flash photography. I scored a very inexpensive Nikon SB-24 Speedlight, the top of the pack among F4-compatible flashes. (Nikon SB-23, SB-22, SB-20, SB-18, SB-16B, and SB-15 Speedlights also work with the F4 and support TTL flash metering.) Getting correct exposure with flash photography is, in principle, not that difficult. In practice, however, it’s another story, and I end-up not even bothering much of the time, despite enjoying the utility that flash photography can offer. Flash attachments from the 70s and 80s with their on-board light sensors rarely seem to provide good results in auto modes, and in many cameras that do support through-the-lens (TTL) flash metering with specific flash units, pretty marginal results are common. Even using my modern digital exposure meter with its flash metering rarely seems to enable me to create a pleasing, and properly exposed end result.
The key, of course, is not just through-the-lens (TTL) flash metering, but building enough speed and intelligence into the system that it actually works well, and I have to say, the F4 plus the SB-24 works extremely well.
In my testing so far, the combination of the F4 and the SB-24 Speedlight goes much farther than any other camera/flash pairing I have in my collection, in large part due to the Nikon’s more intelligent matrix metering capabilities. With the SB-24, you get not just TTL flash metering, but automatic fill-flash with the camera’s matrix or center-balanced metering, along with rear-curtain sync for special effects. The SB-24 also automatically adjusts to the lens focal length (with AF lenses) from 24 to 85mm. You can even do very close-up flash work; just detach the SB-24 from the hot shoe, connect it instead to the shoe end of a Nikon SC-17 TTL cord, while the mount end goes on the hot shoe of the camera. (If you’re using the DW-20 waist level finder, the Nikon SC-24 TTL cord is used instead.) This way, and with the flash pointed at the subject (a small tripod helps), you can use flash photography less than two feet away from the subject being photographed. (It’s also helpful in enabling the use of a flash bracket to position the flash farther from the camera to help reduce red eye.)
In testing the regular flash, fill-flash, and bounce flash capabilities of the SB-24 with the F4, I was suitably impressed. The bounce flash tests were correctly exposed and provided pleasing illumination with a white ceiling bounce, while the fill-flash did precisely what it was supposed to do. Direct flash in a typical configuration of course delivers a typical flash “look” to the finished images, but that’s a creative choice that’s sometimes desirable. The bottom line is that while the single source of very powerful light that a flash provides still has a certain telltale appearance no matter how you diffuse or direct it, this combination provides some of the best results I’ve personally been able to produce with single-source flash photography.
If you’re really into flash photography, the F4 has you covered, by supporting the chaining of multiple speedlights together, subject to some minor limitations. The Nikon SC-18 and/or SC-19 multi-flash sync cords allow you to make the physical connections flash-to-flash, and are 1.5m (about 4 feet, 11 inches) and 3m (about 9 feet, 10 inches) in length, respectively. Not all the Nikon speedlights that otherwise work with the F4 have the requisite TTL multiple flash terminal; in my case, I made it easy by purchasing a second SB-24 (which does). There’s a maximum number of units you can chain, and the owner’s manual has a table of coefficients for compatible speedlights, the total of which can’t exceed a value of 20. But that means (for example) that you could theoretically chain together 20 individual SB-24 units (with a coefficient of 1 in the table), a set-up I have trouble even wrapping my head around.
With a single unit atop the camera (or otherwise aimed at your subject), the Speedlight has a trick up its sleeve: Helping the F4’s autofocus circuity work its magic. Mention of it in the F4 owner’s manual is easy to miss; I learned of it only by reading a copy of the original F4 brochure. But the so-called autofocus assist LED of the SB-24 illuminates when the flash is attached and powered-on when scene lighting is not adequate for the autofocus circuit to perform well. The autofocus works natively down to EV –1, but according to the SB-24 manual, using the Speedlight’s AF illuminator allows the autofocus to operate in total darkness. It’s a nice little bonus feature when using the F4 with its Speedlight.
The Experience
I bought my first Nikon F4S from a local brick-and-mortar camera shop in May 2023. The camera appeared to be in good condition, although it did have some marks from wear. It was also missing the cover plugs that would have been present when new, leaving the remote terminal connector on the MB-21, and the sync terminal on the camera body, both unprotected. Also missing were the original split ring strap connection points on the camera’s strap lugs. I didn’t realize until later it was also missing the rubber bumper from the eyepiece of the DP-20 metering viewfinder. But these were not the reasons my time with the first example was short-lived.
When I got the camera home, it was only then that I noticed the LCD bleed, mentioned previously, affecting the frame counter in the body’s LCD panels. Unfortunately, that was a deal killer, and I returned the camera with some regret. Although given its other shortcomings, I was pleased, in retrospect, that it didn’t work out, although initially I wasn’t certain I’d even be trying a second one.
During my time with the camera in-hand, however, I ran a quick, short roll of bulk-loaded Kentmere 100 film through it, snapping-off several exposures in the course of an afternoon. Using the camera and seeing the results of that test roll sealed the deal; I loved how it worked, and the results were impressive. I ordered the second example before the first was even back in the hands of the seller.
That second Nikon F4S was ordered from KEH in Atlanta, Georgia, in part because they had several of them available, and in part because they clearly indicate whether the cameras have LCD bleed. I chose one marked as being in “Excellent” condition using KEH’s grading scale, and it arrived just two days after ordering, and in-time to be used for a brief vacation. I shot another short Kentmere 100 test roll with the camera to verify it was working and had no light leaks, and with success in-hand, took it on my short vacation.
While the cost was slightly higher than the locally-sourced example, the one I received from KEH was in a condition I’d personally consider to be mint (or very close to it). In my personal experience across numerous KEH purchases, they’re usually fairly conservative in their condition ratings, which honestly makes (more often than not) for very pleasant surprises when items arrive. It also makes-up, somewhat, for the fact that KEH uses stock photos of the items it sells, rather than images of the actual item you’re buying, which always makes a purchase feel like a bit of a gamble. In any case, all the various port covers were intact, the rubber eyepiece bumper was intact, there was not a scratch on it anywhere. In fact, my F4 shows hardly signs of use whatsoever — rare for a professional-grade camera from 35 years ago. Someone took very good care of this one, and I feel lucky to be the beneficiary of that.
Condition ratings at KEH, as with any used gear seller, are sometimes disappointingly subjective. In July 2023, I decided to purchase a second F4S as a backup unit, and to load with a second film selection when out with the first one. I chose one in “Excellent Plus” condition — one grade higher than the first. When it arrived, I was disappointed to discover that it was actually in poorer condition, missing its PC sync terminal cap, and not only with the matte finish chipped away in a couple of spots, but some scratching damage to the top of the DP-20 viewfinder. There’s no question it’s in acceptable shape overall, but I’d not even call it “Excellent” if I were grading it. I kept it, but I could just as easily have chosen to return it.
In any case, after receiving the first camera, taking it on a road trip for a few days was a great opportunity to get a better feel for it, and quickly. With the first attempt at buying an F4 (from the local shop), I also bought separately a Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D lens as my standard prime. When I returned the first camera, the second was already on-order, so I kept that lens, and picked-up from the same local shop a Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 D lens, since I knew I’d want focal lengths in that range for the trip, which included a visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
During the trip, I found and ordered a Nikon AF Nikkor 35-80mm f/4-5.6 D lens as my third lens for the unit, knowing I’d want a basic semi-wide-to-portrait-length lens for versatility. While I’m not generally one for zoom lenses, the Nikon AF Type D lenses (often referred to simply as AF-D lenses), zoom or otherwise, are generally pretty highly regarded, and given the autofocus capabilities and metering modes of the camera, it seemed wise to have some options for quick, don’t-think-too-much shooting.
When I returned home, having thoroughly enjoyed using the camera, I ordered yet another zoom lens for it: The Nikon AF Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 D, a nice expansion over the 35-80mm. (Longer term, it may well make the latter lens redundant, in fact.) This particular lens is not very highly regarded by some reviewers on the internet, as its design and wide zoom range mean there are some design compromises, which one of Nikon’s own lens designers detailed in a comprehensive article, along with sample images. I tend to look at photography with a different perspective than most, it would appear, as the images taken on film with this lens as seen on Flickr have greatly impressed me, and my own shots (some of which are in the examples below) have done so as well. In fact, since getting this lens, it’s rarely left the front of the camera, and its versatility is a key reason for that.
To add even more flexibility to my shooting with the F4, a few weeks later, I acquired a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 D, giving me super-wide to wide support that expands the lower end of the focal length spectrum for me. I’m not sure how much I might use this lens, but it is a joy when I do; as the first AF-S lens I have — which uses a motor in the lens for autofocus, rather than the one in the camera body — I can report that it’s smoother, nicer, and much quieter to use.
Initially, my longer-term plan for lenses with this camera was to choose two or three suitable fixed-focal-length (prime) lenses at some point, under the fundamental belief that zoom lenses are always a compromise, and to get the best out of the camera, I’d need primes. The zooms, too, tend to be “darker” (i.e., have smaller maximum apertures).
But as I finish-up this review, my plans have changed. For lens designers like Nikon’s Kouichi Ohshita who wrote the article I mentioned above, and for a lot of very picky, very technical photographers who relish in examining images in great detail, picking them apart and documenting every flaw, zoom lenses might very well be a compromise. But at the same time, it seems to me that Nikon’s zooms (at least the ones I’ve tried) are excellent, provide outstanding results for me, with this camera, and with my set of needs, wants, and expectations. As a result, while I could change my mind in the future, at the moment I see no reason to spend money needlessly, buying prime lenses with wide maximum apertures, when the difference they’ll make to my images is incremental at best.
Conclusions
After spending weeks with this camera and already running a dozen rolls through it in the space of a few weeks, I’ve come to love this camera like no other 35mm camera I own. There are three fundamental reasons for that:
- It’s an absolute joy to use.
- It’s one of the most versatile cameras I own.
- It takes better images than any 35mm camera I’ve ever used.
Of course, there’s a little more to say about each of those.
First, it is massively enjoyable to operate the Nikon F4, and for me, it’s because the camera sits right on the cusp between old-school 35mm SLR design, and the new era of SLRs (more plastic, lighter weight, heavy use of electronics and software interfaces) that started to emerge in the early 1990s, and that’s still reflected in the design of DSLRs to this day. The F4 has technology where it can be of benefit, such as its matrix metering. But like older SLRs, there’s no LCD screen on the top housing with a bunch of wheels and buttons to navigate an electronic interface to change settings, or even to simply view them. As I mentioned earlier, the F4 has a dial for shutter speed, a selector for meter mode, a selector for exposure mode, a selector for shooting mode, a selector for auto-focus mode, and so on. You can tell at a glance how it’s set-up, and you can make changes in an instant. I’ll take that any day over the F4’s successor, the Nikon F5, or in fact over any of Nikon’s DSLRs with their endless hierarchical menus and cumbersome UI design.
Second, the versatility is unparalleled. Sure, the movements of a large format view camera are not on-tap here (although there are of course Nikon lenses that approximate some of the benefits), but nevertheless, the F4 can show its strength across a broad range of photographic needs and styles. Part of that can be attributed to the lenses, and the massive array of F-mount glass you can use, produced over a roughly 65-year period. But in addition, its multiple metering modes, multiple exposure modes, sensible levels of automation, and flash photography finesse make it suitable for photographing just about anything.
Third, it does indeed produce images that are consistently and objectively better than any other 35mm camera I own, based on my results so far. I can’t quite explain why. Is it the lenses? (Perhaps in part.) Is it the accuracy of the exposure metering? (Likely plays a role.) Is it the precision of the build that ensures more precise alignment of the film plane and the lens? (Seems a long shot.) Or is it just the film stocks that I’ve chosen and random chance working in my favor? (Maybe.) I don’t honestly know, but I have a theory.
The lenses so play a role, and Nikon’s optics are generally regarded as quite good. But so are lenses from Pentax, Minolta, and other cameras I own, so that alone doesn’t explain it.
At the moment, my working theory on the image quality point is that the matrix metering in the F4 does a better job of metering a scene than I tend to do manually, by hand, with my Gossen Sixtomat F2 digital exposure meter, and the sloppy technique I often use when shooting in a hurry. And, generally if I’m shooting 35mm instead of something else, I am in a hurry, because those are the situations in which I reach for a 35mm camera. I understand the fundamentals of exposure, and metering, and neutral gray, and I grasp the fundamentals of the zone system as well. And when I shoot large format, I apply them to good effect. Then again, large format demands care, attention, and time. Medium format does as well, but to a lesser degree, it seems. But by the time I get to shooting small format, like a 35mm SLR? Well, care, attention, and time all seem to go by the wayside. I point my meter in the general direction of the subject, press the button, read the results, dial it into the camera, and move on. Considering that camera-based meters did essentially the same thing for decades makes it seem like that should have been good enough, and quite often, it is. Just as often however, it isn’t, and I seem to have a habit of underexposing images. I’m now convinced that the matrix metering system in the F4 with its five zones and underlying tech are out-performing me, not just when I’m sloppy and careless, but often even when I put a little more effort into it.
I intend to put that to the test by the end of Summer 2023, and when I do, I’ll revise this review and let you know if my hunch is correct. Whatever the case, the fact remains that — at least so far — the Nikon F4 is indeed producing the best quality 35mm images I’ve ever shot.
My only concern with the Nikon F4 is that it’s a ticking time bomb. It’s loaded with late 80s electronics technology — tech that simply won’t last forever. There are no parts available, and there is no one I’ve been able to identify who willingly works on these cameras. Eventually, it’s going to stop working, and when it does, it’ll become an expensive door stop. I grudgingly accept that, but at the same time, I hope that it happens long after I stop using it myself.
In closing, while it’s early in my relationship with the Nikon F4, I can already say that this camera is exactly what I’d hoped: That in my heart and mind it is for small format that the Hasselblad is for medium format, and the Linhof is for large format — it’s the best camera I own in the respective category. I love using it. I love how it feels. I love how it works. I love how it sounds. I love how it looks. I love how well it works with the SB-24 Speedlight. I love its versatility to shoot just about anything, in just about any situation. And every time I finish-off a roll, it gets another one loaded so the camera’s ready for use once again.
In the end, who can ask for more from a film camera?
The Accessories
As a system camera, Nikon produced a wide range of accessories for the Nikon F4. I’m not going to try and detail everything here, but to give you a sense of the options, they include:
- Viewfinders
- The standard multi-meter finder
- AE action finder
- 6x magnification finder
- Waist-level finder
- Right-angle viewing attachment
- Eyepiece magnifier
- Eyepiece correction lenses
- Rubber eyecup
- Focusing screens — 10 different types (B, U, F, C, M, E, J, K, P and G)
- Speedlights — multiple models, with the SB-24 being the premier option, plus various TTL sync cords and multi-flash cords mentioned previously
- Optional backs
- Multi-control back
- Data back
- 250-exposure multi-control back
- The various battery packs mentioned at the start
- Various cable releases, connecting cords, AC converters, and more
Of course, there is a wide range of lenses that can be mounted to the F4, and as mentioned earlier, that includes, for all intents and purposes, every full-frame F-mount lens ever made. That’s quite a wide range of options, although Nikon lenses of the types that work on the F4 seem to carry at 25–50% premium in the used market compared to similar lenses from other major Japanese camera makers — for reasons that escape me. Primes for the F4, in particular, are fairly expensive with the possible exception of a standard 50mm AF D-type at f/1.8, perhaps because they’re so readily available.
The Results
Much to my surprise, as mentioned previously, the vast majority of the shooting I’ve done with the F4 to-date has been with the camera in full program mode, using matrix metering. I have used aperture priority a bit when I have a specific vision for the depth-of-field of the shot, but haven’t yet bothered with manual exposure, which surprises me somewhat. I’ve also primarily used autofocus in its so-called single mode; manual focus has been used only a couple of times. Such a full embrace of automation isn’t really my usual approach to film photography, but here we are.
It seems clear, based on these results, that the camera does an amazing job of both metering and setting the exposure, as well as focusing the lens. To be honest, unless I happen to carry around a neutral gray card and my Gossen digital exposure meter or Pentax spot meter, I have my share of difficulties in nailing exposure (as I already mentioned above), especially when shooting color films which are pickier about proper exposure than black-and-white films generally are. While I do exactly that for large format photography, I rarely do for anything else, and the result is a bit hit-or-miss. I understand the principles of exposure meters and neutral grays and all the rest of it, but that doesn’t mean I’m assured of great results every time.
I suppose there’s no guarantee of great results every time with the Nikon F4 with all its automation enabled, but based on the results I’ve gotten so far, I’d say it gets damned close. Only one shot has not delivered exactly what I wanted, and that was a difficult lighting situation where I’m quite certain that using the camera’s spot metering mode would have allowed me to get exactly what I wanted. (I’ll know for next time.)
On balance, however, the Nikon F4 gives shockingly good results, and the Nikon lenses I’ve used so far have seriously impressed me. I’m not generally one for zoom lenses, but here I am with three of them for this camera, and I’m not really convinced any longer that a zoom lens has to, by definition, be a compromise.
See what you think.
Update: June 26, 2023
Corrected a minor factual error, and revised my narrative about the lens compatibility to make my points a bit clearer. Also clarified the differences between the F4, F4S, and F4E, as well as adding additional technical detail and images for the autofocus interface, and AI tab.
Update: July 5, 2023
Updated the end of the Experience section with rewritten and clearer commentary around my conclusions about the camera.
Update: August 5, 2023
Updated the coverage of speedlights with more information, and included a reference to purchasing a second F4S body.
