Recommended Nikon 35mm SLR?

carguy

Senior Member
So, what's a good Nikon 35mm film SLR to buy?

What's comparable to the Minolta X-700? Nikon F3?
Will my Nikon AF-S glass work on an older Nikon SLR? Auto-focus aside of course.
 

hark

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So, what's a good Nikon 35mm film SLR to buy?

What's comparable to the Minolta X-700? Nikon F3?
Will my Nikon AF-S glass work on an older Nikon SLR? Auto-focus aside of course.

From what I remember reading, some bodies will work while others won't. For example, my N90s is supposed to be able to accept them if I use it in shutter priority. There isn't any way to set the aperture through the camera body directly so manual mode and aperture priority won't work. According to some people here, a few of the bodies have a way to set the aperture although I can't remember who it was who mentioned it or which bodies will allow those lenses. Hopefully someone will chime in for you. :)
 

dennybeall

Senior Member
I made the mistake back in 2007 when I got deployed to Dallas on a rush SOG assignment when I grabbed my Nikon 35mm film camera ( I think an N4004 at the time) and a lens from a crop-sensor digital camera. The 35mm pictures were just a circle in the middle. So be careful on selecting lenses.
The N90 is a nice camera and available very inexpensively. I picked up a fully operational one with a good lens on eBay for cheap a few years ago.
 
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carguy

Senior Member
Interesting, thanks Denny and hark.

I really like the old school controls on the F3 over the N90s
Even the current production FM10 can be had for ~ $100 but I'd prefer a black body.
 
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dennybeall

Senior Member
Heck if you want to go Old School, I've got a Nikon F with the Photomic head around here somewhere. Nice 85mm lens with that one. It's an old war horse - was used by a working photojournalist on the old Washington Daily News.
denny

Interesting, thanks Denny and hark.

I really like the old school controls on the F3 over the N90s
Even the current production FM10 can be had for ~ $100 but I'd prefer a black body.
 

carguy

Senior Member
Heck if you want to go Old School, I've got a Nikon F with the Photomic head around here somewhere. Nice 85mm lens with that one. It's an old war horse - was used by a working photojournalist on the old Washington Daily News.
denny

Had to look that up online, Big old 'head' on that thing :) Is it black or silver/black?
 

dennybeall

Senior Member
Had to pull the old one from the closet - the smell of the old leather full case and leather neck strap bring back good memories.
 

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hark

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Interesting, thanks Denny and hark.

I really like the old school controls on the F3 over the N90s
Even the current production FM10 can be had for ~ $100 but I'd prefer a black body.

Joe, the FM10 is manufactured by Cosina in case that make a difference.
 

hrstrat57

Senior Member
F100 is king IMHO similar to a D200 with film in it. Will get one myself soon. All AF glass D and G should function 100%.

It is not old school tho......introduced in "99 I think.
 

coolbus18

Senior Member
Well I'm sorta new to film slr's but I went for the all magical F4s and also a N90s. The F4 will take pretty much all Nikkors and has a marvelous feel and can manually set with real dials and knobs. The N90s is another marvel.Takes tons of lenses and can go from the ease of a point and shoot to great manual and is blazingly fast at auto focus. And correcto--DX lenses don't work on them. I had to try and got nice round dumb circular pics.
So if you want ,get either ,as they are both highly capable.

_DSC1663.jpg My F4s with databack. Yes the eyepiece has a shutter for long exposures as does the N90s. N90's are inexpensive and the F4 to me is a bargain considering what they originally cost. Good luck and enjoy whatever you get.
 

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nzswift

Senior Member
I'd go for the F3. They're tough as hell, were the longest produced Nikon (about 20 yrs) and can use just about any Nikkor lens except the G series
 

carguy

Senior Member
So, what would one expect to pay for a nice F4 with the MB-21 grip? Hypothetically speaking :)

Ebay seems to be from $70-$200
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I paid $158 from a Japan seller that hand picked a mint one that was almost new... Some of the Japanese camera dealers on eBay are very meticulous in finding/selling mint cameras and are almost obsessive about their perfect feedback...
 

Retro

Senior Member
I really like my FE2, and I recommend it, but I plan to add an F4 and F5 to my collection, as well as an F90 or N90. I forget what the difference is. I really wanted the F90 when it was current. I'm really puzzled why it is so cheap on eBay now.

Edit: So the difference between the F4 and F4s is only the battery pack, but they are the same body.
 
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Retro

Senior Member
I'm half-way down this page, and my wife is on my back to stop wasting time and start helping around the house: Nikon N90s, N90, F90 and F90x.

I'm very curious about the F100, as Rockwell says it eclipsed the N90 (the F90 is just the Canadian name, like a YJ vs. a Wrangler), but I read somewhere on this site where someone put down the F100. I can't remember why.

I'm all for having an F4 and a lesser camera as a back up. I think the N90 is a great camera, from everything I've read, but I need to finish that page and then read about the F100.

I like my FE2, but I hope to upgrade to these better cameras this year or next.

For you, Joe, it comes down to if you want AF or M operation. If you're not after AF, the FE2 is a great choice. For AF the F4 is possibly the best choice, followed by the F100 or N90.

A purist (me) will always choose the F4 over the F5.
 

coolbus18

Senior Member
Hi!--it's N90, N90s in the USA. The F4is my baby. The N90s autofocuses blindingly fast. It's light and is just a superb camera. The F4(imo 'cause I'm still a noobie) is like a tank. Solid, heavy, magical and it has dials and knobs for everything. 4 motors,wow! Just the sound that happens when you push the shutter button is worth the price of admission! And it takes Nikkor lenses back to 1959. Images are superb.shutter speeds to 1/8,000 sec.Oh and matrix metering for MF lenses as well. Both have the High Point viewer which Nikon should have on all its dslrs and a 100% view through the viewer. Wanna see bright just look through the eyepiece!
I guess the N90 is cheap because ; !) it's a film camera, 2) it doesn't have the mythological status of the F4 , 3) the 90 can have a sticky back. Is it pro caliber? Absolutely,imo.
So I made my decision by getting both( one loaded with color film, the other with b&w) and lived happily everafter.
btw--the F4 has a lot of tantalizing accessories to get.And they look so cool with a MF-28 databack.

Then there's the F5 and F3. But they're yet to come.
 

carguy

Senior Member
I'm half-way down this page, and my wife is on my back to stop wasting time and start helping around the house: Nikon N90s, N90, F90 and F90x.

I'm very curious about the F100, as Rockwell says it eclipsed the N90 (the F90 is just the Canadian name, like a YJ vs. a Wrangler), but I read somewhere on this site where someone put down the F100. I can't remember why.

I'm all for having an F4 and a lesser camera as a back up. I think the N90 is a great camera, from everything I've read, but I need to finish that page and then read about the F100.

I like my FE2, but I hope to upgrade to these better cameras this year or next.

For you, Joe, it comes down to if you want AF or M operation. If you're not after AF, the FE2 is a great choice. For AF the F4 is possibly the best choice, followed by the F100 or N90.

A purist (me) will always choose the F4 over the F5.

I'm leaning toward the F4 myself. There is a clean version FS locally I'm eyeing.
 
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