I recently swapped a lens for a Nikon F5 film camera and I took it for a test run. I really wanted to be able to use one of my fave lenses, the Nikkor 24-70/2.8 AFS, with a film camera. Because it is a ‘G’ lens, sadly the Nikon F4 is ruled out.
To say I am pleasantly surprised would be litotic. This F5 has had one careful owner since 2001 and as far as I can tell has had relatively little use. It needs a little repair work done on it. The camera back lock release needs to be tensioned. But apart from that… fingers crossed.
It is a big camera, particularly coupled with the 24-70 and weighs a couple of kilos. After lugging MF gear around this isn’t really an issue though. The design must have been a shock when it was released (a radical shift from the analogue F4) but after the (over) complications of digital, the controls seem pretty straightforward. Even simple, gasp.
Soooo, I can use the lovely Nikkor 24-70/2.8 AFS full frame without shelling out for a FF digi – at a fraction of the cost (and it went for nearly £2k back in the day, the same as the FF D700 now). Being Nikon, it also has lens compatibility going back to the late 1950s with the ‘F’ mount, as well as being able to manage the ‘G’ lenses without aperture rings.
Result
* I’m the lover btw…
by skinnyvoice
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