Nikon F4 SLR
Nikon Introduce a Film-based Camera
For those photographers who resist digital photography, one of their top choices is the Nikon F4 autofocus manual SLR which is the company’s flagship during 1988, the time when it was introduced to the market and became an instant hit among professional users. However, with its bulky chassis and limited electronic features, this Nikon model is considered as low-tech by today’s standard.
The Nikon F4 is a film camera which has been the flagship of the company from 1988 to 1996. While this SLR is considered low-tech by today’s standard, the intuitive manual control of this camera is relatively impressive that some photographers still prefer to use this compared to digital versions.
The F4 is the first Nikon SLR that utilized a metal-blade shutter designed with a balancer to reduce noise and camera bounce. The shutter also has a speed of up to 5.7 frames per second that is relatively impressive during the time it was first introduced.
And because the camera was seemingly introduced to pave way for digital models, it has autofocus, auto-exposure, LCD viewfinder display, and evaluative light meter. However, the manual camera still retains some classic features of a traditional SLR such as metering pattern, exposure compensation, lens aperture, and dedicated analogue dials for controlling the shutter speed.
The SLR also has manual film and motorized rewind, but lacks a manual film lever. Despite this downside, this Nikon model boasts durable outer chassis, tough electronic and mechanical parts, and special weather sealing to prevent dust and moisture buildup.
In terms of compatibility, F4 can support all autofocus and manual focus lenses designed for F mount. In addition, the camera has a Matrix metering equipped with AI manual focus lenses, thus making this Nikon model ideal for professional photographers who prefer films over digital copies.
However, users should have a strong grip when operating F4 with its weight that is heavier compared to most digital cameras which are becoming lighter and lighter every year.
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