Picked Up This Beauty
- Thread starter Nero
- Start date
Nero that sounds like a great purchase and I hope everything is in full working order.
The F4 / F4s were the last Nikon analogue cameras I used when working as a photojournalist in Berlin.
Great cameras that never let me down and took a real bashing in all weathers / inside helicopters / military vehicles and ditches etc.
Enjoy it.
The F4 / F4s were the last Nikon analogue cameras I used when working as a photojournalist in Berlin.
Great cameras that never let me down and took a real bashing in all weathers / inside helicopters / military vehicles and ditches etc.
Enjoy it.
Nero
Senior Member
Well, based on a visual inspection there's no damage to the camera at all, a bit of wear on certain parts but that's to be expected. I see no reason why it shouldn't work as it should but we'll see. Haha
Also, I got this through a private sale and the guy who had it probably didn't know what it was worth and he told me he was selling it and other stuff to pay for equipment he was actually going to use so that's why I got it so cheap.
Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk
Also, I got this through a private sale and the guy who had it probably didn't know what it was worth and he told me he was selling it and other stuff to pay for equipment he was actually going to use so that's why I got it so cheap.
Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk
I bought one a couple of months ago, and paid $240 for the F4s, and I thought I got a great deal.
You should be looking over your shoulder! The Mounties could be looking for you as I write this!
It's really engineered well. The only issue I've seen (not on mine, thankfully), is the LCD in the finder becoming distorted over time.
You should be looking over your shoulder! The Mounties could be looking for you as I write this!
It's really engineered well. The only issue I've seen (not on mine, thankfully), is the LCD in the finder becoming distorted over time.
Blade Canyon
Senior Member
Any kind of 35mm film you can find! Just remember you can't go Auto-ISO! Ilford is great if you just want B&W.
Bikerbrent_RIP
Senior Member
My first recommendation, would be whatever you can find and have processed locally.
There aren't a whole lot of options to choose from compared to when 35mm film was in its heyday. Since you don't know much about film, be aware there are different characteristics between them.
I don't know what is still available for B&W, but T-Max and Tri-X were 2 biggies. T-Max was more contrasty. Tri-X showed a lot of detail within the shadows. Am not familiar with Ilford types so can't help you out there.
Color film also varies. Some were geared more towards portraits so the colors are more muted. Flesh-tones are more accurate. Others might have a lot of vibrant color.
Some film will yield more grain than others. Read reviews to see what they say.
Currently I have a roll of Ektar 100 in my refrigerator (some films do better when stored in a refrigerator), but I haven't yet tried it. Make sure to remove the box from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature before opening the plastic canister. Those canisters help prevent condensation from forming on the film. I wanted something with vibrant color for landscapes. What I used to use is no longer made. Take a look at the reviews and see if it is one you want to consider. It is ISO 100 so a tripod might be necessary.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/585497-USA/Kodak_6031330_35mm_Ektar_100_Color.html
I also have a roll of 400 film but am not able to read what it is through the canister. The Ektar's canister is in a box. This roll of ISO 400 isn't so can't help you there.
And consider getting a film retriever. Once in a while you might accidentally think your film is loaded properly only to find out it isn't advancing. If you rewind an unshot roll of film it all the way with the leader going back into the canister, you will need a retriever to get the end pulled out (but it's fine to rewind it all the way after shooting the roll). My local camera store has been fantastic with helping me, and when the employee found out his film retriever was missing, I bought one of these for him and one for me. He immediately opened up the package and tried it out. He was able to pull the film out on the first try. Not all retrievers work easily.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN1080U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be sure to set your ISO/ASA and don't change it mid-roll. That is one big difference between film and digital. You need to shoot an entire roll at one consistent speed. There is something called push processing that will allow a film of one ISO/ASA be shot at a different ISO/ASA, but I've never done that myself. Sometimes people needed a faster ISO than the film was made for. Read up on it, and if you try it out, BE SURE to let the lab know the film was shot at a different ISO. If they don't know, they will process it normally, and you might lose your photos.
I don't know what is still available for B&W, but T-Max and Tri-X were 2 biggies. T-Max was more contrasty. Tri-X showed a lot of detail within the shadows. Am not familiar with Ilford types so can't help you out there.
Color film also varies. Some were geared more towards portraits so the colors are more muted. Flesh-tones are more accurate. Others might have a lot of vibrant color.
Some film will yield more grain than others. Read reviews to see what they say.
Currently I have a roll of Ektar 100 in my refrigerator (some films do better when stored in a refrigerator), but I haven't yet tried it. Make sure to remove the box from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature before opening the plastic canister. Those canisters help prevent condensation from forming on the film. I wanted something with vibrant color for landscapes. What I used to use is no longer made. Take a look at the reviews and see if it is one you want to consider. It is ISO 100 so a tripod might be necessary.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/585497-USA/Kodak_6031330_35mm_Ektar_100_Color.html
I also have a roll of 400 film but am not able to read what it is through the canister. The Ektar's canister is in a box. This roll of ISO 400 isn't so can't help you there.
And consider getting a film retriever. Once in a while you might accidentally think your film is loaded properly only to find out it isn't advancing. If you rewind an unshot roll of film it all the way with the leader going back into the canister, you will need a retriever to get the end pulled out (but it's fine to rewind it all the way after shooting the roll). My local camera store has been fantastic with helping me, and when the employee found out his film retriever was missing, I bought one of these for him and one for me. He immediately opened up the package and tried it out. He was able to pull the film out on the first try. Not all retrievers work easily.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN1080U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be sure to set your ISO/ASA and don't change it mid-roll. That is one big difference between film and digital. You need to shoot an entire roll at one consistent speed. There is something called push processing that will allow a film of one ISO/ASA be shot at a different ISO/ASA, but I've never done that myself. Sometimes people needed a faster ISO than the film was made for. Read up on it, and if you try it out, BE SURE to let the lab know the film was shot at a different ISO. If they don't know, they will process it normally, and you might lose your photos.
Last edited:
coolbus18
Senior Member
Hiya,
Yup TriX is a good place to start. There are now quite a few b&w films to enjoy. here's some of my faves: TriX is gold! Berrger Pancro 400 is beautiful, JCH 400 will give you the ability to shoot straight b&w or infrared. Ferrania P30 is fantastic. Ilford makes quite a few b&w films all of which can give neat images.I would also recommend taking a look on Flickr to see what others use. Film is not dead and more keeps a comin!
F4 trick #8-- Set your film drive to Cl and focus to C and you'll be able to use continuous focus!
if you have any questions , I'll be happy to help you!
This is Rollei Retro 80 as an example.
Yup TriX is a good place to start. There are now quite a few b&w films to enjoy. here's some of my faves: TriX is gold! Berrger Pancro 400 is beautiful, JCH 400 will give you the ability to shoot straight b&w or infrared. Ferrania P30 is fantastic. Ilford makes quite a few b&w films all of which can give neat images.I would also recommend taking a look on Flickr to see what others use. Film is not dead and more keeps a comin!
F4 trick #8-- Set your film drive to Cl and focus to C and you'll be able to use continuous focus!
if you have any questions , I'll be happy to help you!
This is Rollei Retro 80 as an example.
One more suggestion...you might want to write down your settings for each photo so you can review what you did right and wrong. Either get a small paper tablet or use your phone to input the info. It will help especially when shooting unusual lighting conditions. If you aren't accustomed to eyeballing a scene and knowing when to +/- the exposure, you might want to start thinking about it.
And one thing about shooting film is you will develop patience if you don't already have it. Some people shoot an overload of digital photos because it is so easy to delete what they don't want. But you will be paying for processing (and possibly prints). You also need patience when you drop off your film for processing. No more of the instant gratification that is so readily available with digital.
And quite often I could squeeze an extra image onto a roll of film. You won't be able to advance the film once you reach the end. Sometimes the last shot is only 1/2 of an image--it happens once in a while.
And one thing about shooting film is you will develop patience if you don't already have it. Some people shoot an overload of digital photos because it is so easy to delete what they don't want. But you will be paying for processing (and possibly prints). You also need patience when you drop off your film for processing. No more of the instant gratification that is so readily available with digital.
And quite often I could squeeze an extra image onto a roll of film. You won't be able to advance the film once you reach the end. Sometimes the last shot is only 1/2 of an image--it happens once in a while.
I'd start with Ilford HP5+. IT has great exposure latitude and is cheap to develop. Buy a couple of rolls (about $5 each in the US). Shoot one, have it processed as "develop only" and look at the negs. A light table with a loupe (a reversed lens will work) is useful. Once you've figured out how you made the good shots and what went wrong on the bad ones, shoot another roll, with the changes you need. That should do it, and you'll be hooked!