On Fri, 29 Nov 2002 17:47:33 +0000, TP wrote:
>d_ruether@hotmail.com (Neuman - Ruether) wrote:

>>I like the F3's size and its bit better VF; my hands don't
>>fit the F4 at all well - it is too big (though otherwise
>>it is excellent...). Also, since I generally carry two
>>identical bodies in a bag with 4 lenses, the weight and
>>size of the F4 made this difficult - it is the one "F"
>>I never owned (well, longer than overnight, anyway...;-).

>You can solve this by buying the MB-20 battery grip for the F4, which
>loses the weight and bulk of the MB-21 (F4s) or the MB-23 (F4E).

This makes the reach to the shutter-speed dial
even more difficult - and it is not just the height,
but the width and weight of the body that makes
packing two in a fairly compact bag difficult.
It has the smoothest shutter release of any SLR
I've tried, though...

>Also, don't forget that the F4 has a built-in motor drive. The F3
>plus MD-4 motor drive weighs more than the F4s and is more bulky.

I removed the F3 motor long ago for "fun" use, though
it is a help for slow-speed shooting and for good
grip "on the run". BTW, the F3 can be made even more
compact and light by replacing the HP finder with the
original, smaller one (it is still easy to see the
whole frame with glasses, and the magnification is
a bit higher - though I still like the view with the
big sports finder [the eyepiece is 1"x1.5"!]).