INTRODUCTION

The Nikon F4s is a 35mm SLR camera made in Japan by Nikon between 1988 and 1997.

BEST SUITED FOR:

Events

Weddings

Art

PERSONAL NOTES

I remember looking at some Nikon F4 advertisements in the 80s. This wasthe most technologically advanced camera in the World, it was "the" dream machine everyone was looking at. It made autofocus systems a must for all photojournalists. A few years ago, during my vast exploration of photographgy, I bought a used one and had a lot of fun with it. When using this camera, I understood what a good design is.

This camera feels solid as a rock. I remember, I was walking with some photographer friends and I happen to drop my F4s. We all stopped, looked down, and one of us said : "With this camera, you have to be careful not to damage... the ground!" We all laughted, I picked it up and all was fine. This camera is as solid as a tank, I did used it once as a hammer, no joke.

At that time, I had Nikon D200 as work horses, these were quite capable in 2008. I remember the first time I focussed my 50mm f1.8 with the F4s. My God! It's so fast! The autofocus system of the F4s from the 80s is faster than most of the newer digital bodies. Of course, in 2016, with AFs lenses, the F4s is left behind, but compairing with AF lenses, the F4s is still amazingly fast.

The Nikon F4s is extremely well designed. Every button on it cannot be changed by mistake, all button have some sort of locking mechanism. I really like that. The 2 buttons on the front are easily discernable by touch, one is concave, the other is convex. Pretty useful to feel what you are doing without leaving your eye from the finder.

A ton of accessories is available: finders, adapters, backs, remotes, etc... It uses 6 AA batteries, available everywhere.

The only drawback about this camera is its weight. It's solid as a brick, and heavy as a brick.

CONCLUSION

The Nikon F4s is a mythical camera from the 80s, a dream machine. The design in itself is a good reason to try the camera, a very nice experience. The Nikon F4s is one of my favourite cameras.

PHOTO SAMPLES

VERDICT:

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