Railroad Forums 

  • Nikon Film Shooters

  • Discussion of photography and videography techniques, equipment and technology, and links to personal railroad-related photo galleries.
Discussion of photography and videography techniques, equipment and technology, and links to personal railroad-related photo galleries.

Moderators: nomis, keeper1616

 #524558  by railohio
 
Anybody out there still shooting film with a Nikon body? I'm shooting with an N80 now and would like to make a step up, either to an F100 or F5. (Digital isn't even on my radar.) I'd like to to solicit advice from users of these cameras, if there are any on the forums.

~BS

 #525663  by MEC407
 
I primarily shoot digital now, but I still own film cameras and still shoot film on occasion.

Is there something your N80 can't do that you need it to do? Specific features? Having that information would help us to make a recommendation.

 #525719  by railohio
 
Eh. I suppose it's all academic at this point anyway. I already ordered an F5 from KEH scheduled for delivery on Friday. But thanks for looking anyway!

~BS

 #525877  by railohio
 
And I got a deal today from a friend on an F100 as well, so I guess I'm getting both and dumping the N80.

 #525884  by MEC407
 
Nice. The F100 and F5 are both excellent, professional-grade cameras. Can't go wrong with either of them.

The N80 is a great camera, too. Unfortunately you probably won't get much for it if you try to sell it... I've seen them going for $100 or less lately. I find this hilarious, considering that the Nikon EM -- the most basic, economy-minded SLR they ever made -- is still going for $125 and up at some shops.

 #526023  by railohio
 
I suppose, to put in on the record, my gripes with the N80 are:

1) Inability to meter with manual lenses
2) Lack of rechargeable batteries
3) More susceptible to bad weather
4) Much slower motor drive.

The F100 and F5 both improved in these areas. At the same time, they both offered faster autofocus and in the case of the F5 a vastly superior light meter. I've used both in the past but until recently they both cost more than I could justify spending. Ironically both bodies together will cost about as much as I paid for the N80 kit six years ago. I think, however, if I keep both for six years I'll get more use out them than I did the N80 over the same length of time. That is to me the best deal out of this.

~BS

 #526030  by MEC407
 
It's been a while since I've used or handled an N80... does that use AA batteries or something else? And did they ever make an add-on battery grip for the N80?

I'd completely forgotten about the inability to meter with manual lenses. Somehow I thought that the N80 could do that. I thought it could at least meter with AI and AI-S lenses, but I'm probably wrong.

One feature of the N80 that I found to be downright charming, in addition to being very useful, was its ability to use a traditional, run-of-the-mill, off-the-shelf shutter release cable. Beats having to shell out $20-$40 for an electronic one.

 #526059  by railohio
 
The N80 uses two CR123 lithium cells. The MB-16 battery holder, which lacks a second shutter release (!), still sells for used $37 on KEH which is almost half the price of an N80 body now.

It doesn't meter with AI or AIS glass. I used to be pretty good at eyeballing the exposure, even on slides, but over the years I've lost that. I've got a couple sweet telephotos that aren't available in auto focus that I'd like to keep using.

The mechanical cable release is nice. That was one of the main selling points of the N80 for me years ago when I still did a lot of night shots. Anymore, however, that's not such a big part of my photography.

~BS

 #526060  by MEC407
 
I see your point. Those CR123s can get expensive when you're burning through rolls of film. Well, film is expensive too, but if you're trying to economize, having rechargeable batteries is nice.

My Pentax DSLR uses AAs, which is one of the reasons I chose it rather than a comparable Nikon. Normally I use NIMH AA rechargeables but I can always pop in some cheap alkalines if I'm in a pinch and have no other options.

 #527071  by RailBus63
 
The Nikon N90s uses AA batteries.

 #527969  by railohio
 
The F5 came on Friday evening via UPS and I've already put three rolls through it. I'm definitely impressed with the way it handles and performs. I've spent a lot of time messing with it without any film and have yet to dent the batter indicator. I think the Internet naysayers were a little pessimistic when it comes to battery life.

I got word today that the F100 has shipped and I'll have it in hand on Thursday for weekend foamage. Most excellent!

~BS

 #528122  by MEC407
 
Nice! Enjoy them... and post some pictures sometime. :wink: