On Tue, 30 Jul 2002 17:57:43 +0800, "Andrew Tham" wrote:

>I'm thinking of getting an F4 from the used market. Having shot with the
>FE/FE2/FM/FM2 series of bodies I think the way the F4 is constructed would
>present a gentler learning curve than if I were to jump into the F5 or F100.
>Besides, I'm still using manual Nikkors, no AF lenses in the kit yet!
>
>Would appreciate it if folks could share their experience in buying and
>using the F4 from the used market. Anything in particular that I should look
>out for when inspecting the body, other than the usual routine? Any quirks
>on the F4 that is prone to failure that I should be aware of?

The F4 is an excellent manual body, with a
vibrationless shutter, but I found it too big
to handle easily, so have never owned one
longer than a day. I would look for a nice used
8008. It is compact, with an excellent finder,
and it handles TTL flash very well (with selectable
fill-ratio, with suitable Nikon flashes - look
for an SB24...). It is easy to use - when you
press a button, *only* the info related to it remains
on the LCD, and it is changed *only* with the large
wheel at the rear (and locks when the function button
is released - and the buttons are all clearly marked).
The learning curve is VERY short with this camera,
and it is excellent (and better than all subsequent
Nikon bodies except the F100 and too-large F5,
most of which had unsharp finders, alas...).