Nikon F6
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| Pro | 1) Solidly built although not too bulky
2) Focusing speed and exposure even in adverse lighting 3) Great versatility and ease of use through the simple menu and commands 4) bright and true-colours rendition viewfinder 5) possibility to swap rolls when necessary and then using them again 6) Possibility to use first quality MF lenses while maintaining correct exposure | ||
| Contra | 1) Price; for a 20% less - if ever possible - would be perfect.
2) it would have been good a nice feature the on-demand grid lines as on the smaller F80 and/or a standard RF-like viewfinder for a faster and more accurate manual focusing 3) why not a built-in powerful flash for some snapshots? | ||
| Thoughts | All in all, an awesome camera and you have to be really nitpicking to look for "defects" or "misses"; its best combo has been, for me, with the Nikkor 17-35 and a roll of Velvia. A really dreamy kit.
What I really appreciate most (and even more than the newer D200 I actually have) is its compactness while maintaining a great handling and built quality. I'm now waiting to pair it with some new Zeiss ZF lenses.. | ||
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| Pro | Others have already said most of it. Intuitive, easy to use,fast, quiet, etc. | ||
| Contra | 1. CR123 batteries.(But they are cheap enough if bought in quantity on line.)
2.It would be marvelous if you could execute the following metering sequence, but you can't. a.configure function button to spot meter.b.matrix meter a scene, lock the exposure.c.Using function button to activate spot meter and using exposure "thermometer"indicator in viewfinder, examine scene to determine values RELATIVE to locked matrix exposure before shooting. I mentioned this to Nikon and they said they might come out with a firmware update.(Why don't they just make the camera programmable and let you write your own software?) 3.The autofocus died on my F6 after only about 20 rolls. The focus indicators in the viewfinder work OK, but the camera will not drive either an AF-S lens or an old-style mechanical autofocus lens. Nikon has had the camera for about a month now. I am somewhat aggravated. Good example of why not to buy graymarket on a complicated piece like this. Good thing I did not get rid of my F100! | ||
| Thoughts | F6 appears very solidly built, but I go out of my way not to physically abuse it.
Makes you appear to be a pro photographer, probably would be a great aid to picking up women if I were young enough to do something with them once picked up. | ||
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| Pro | This is simply the best camera ever made. It is fast, well build and it is pure joy to use it. And autofocus works amazingly fast too! :P And it makes me fell good when i realize that it will probably live longer than i will. :) | ||
| Contra | Why CR123?
I miss some good 50mm lens which would be the same build quality as this cam. | ||
| Thoughts | I was worried about price when i was thinking about going back to film. Forget all about that! Film here cost 2e per roll and if i shoot 10 rolls per month this is still ...mhm....nothing! Almost all time i shoot art photography so 360 photos per month is enough for me. :) But the main reason for shoting film is that photos on film look better! Much better! | ||
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| Pro | I surely agree with the other guys about this camera being the best 35mm SLR ever made. Autofocus system works fast and its tenacious, especially with an AF-S lens, the metering is as precise as it can be, the camera is solidly built and has a user-friendly controls design. Having also a Canon 1v, i find myself using the F6 quite more often! | ||
| Contra | Well.. the price bites, off course, and if you start messing with the custom settings, dont forget to check them before shooting! | ||
| Thoughts | My most used camera! Dont wanna even to remember about digital.. | ||
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| Pro | Fits into the hands perfectly. Wonderful auto focus. So many features to choose from but you can just set it and forget it. Superb viewfinder. Quality all around. | ||
| Contra | Stupid batteries makes you buy the the cheap feeling motordrive to use AA cells.
It is possible to open up the camera back before the film is fully rewound, so just be patient and concentrate as it rewinds. | ||
| Thoughts | The best camera I have ever used. Can make you forget all about digital because you will want to use the F6 instead. My camera of choice. | ||
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| Pro | 1. Outstanding, organic (!) ergonomics, feature layout, and size. This camera is made to be held in human hands. A right-handed extension of human perception.
2. A viewfinder that should be standard issue in every SLR camera, past/present/future. It's what makes the whole "TTL" concept worthwhile in the first place. Distributing data readout between the viewfinder/top lcd and the back lcd screen makes a lot of sense in terms of keeping the VF uncluttered, despite the concerns of some that the back screen represents a physical weakness, the latter an opinion I personally don't find to be altogether meaningful or important. There many other pros, most of which are quite known to everyone: outstanding metering (in the right hands, as always), outstanding AF, customability, etc. My above two points here stand out for me most though. Oh, and I love that you can imprint shooting data between frames, that you can use most manual focus Nikkors (and now Zeiss) with full metering, and that you can manually rewind the film should you want to. | ||
| Contra | I'm a beginning amateur, which makes anything I have to say here to be taken with eleven grains of salt. It's hard to find fault with this camera, in a way that might be meaningful to anyone but me...
The side switch between manual focus, single focus, and continuous focus modes can be somewhat easily, accidently moved from one mode to another. Best to form the habit of checking it periodically (like checking the rear and side mirrors while driving). I would like very much if the camera accepted rechargeable batteries without needing the optional battery grip. I would also like very much if Nikon were to support at least one fast, high performance wide angle AFD lens for this magnificient beast. Canon has two, the 35mm 1.4 and the 24mm 1.4, and because of this I am considering rolling with two different systems, when possible. It's ridiculous, and part of my rational mind says dropping Nikon altogether for what I percieve to be the more complete system, which isn't going to happen BECAUSE I truly feel that the Nikon F6 is the best 35mm SLR camera ever made. | ||
| Thoughts | The best 35mm SLR camera ever made. One camera, one lens, in the field, on the street. No rangefinder thanks, this is The One. | ||
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| Pro | Very fast, reliable, customizable AF with superior tracking capability
Wonderfully intuitive and convenient controls Well executed, customizable Auto-bracketing Well arranged viewfinder display Flash photography (with SB-800) is almost miraculous :-) | ||
| Contra | No socket for cable release, have to use 'electronic' remote release
Mirror lockup and self-timer cannot be combined | ||
| Thoughts | This thing is simply a dream. I've never had so much fun taking pictures. This is a camera that allows you to do whatever you want in the blink of an eye, without it ever getting in your way. Operation is very quiet, motor noise is almost inaudible, vibrations are kept to a minimum (as opposed to certain rumors, the F6 is not *silent*, however). | ||