I think the grumpy reception accorded some F (pro) model Nikon bodies has to do with the personalities and dispositions of people who buy Nikon bodies. We tend to be people who like to talk about how good the old body/lens was. We get personally attached to the gear. We enjoy dragging around heavy stuff because it feels more solid whether it si or not. New gear -- particularly gear that includes technological advances -- means that competent people experience incompetence when they have to get accustomed to new ways of doing things. We don't like that. Some people think Nikon has gone down hill in quality ever since the F 2. Lots of people didn't like the F4 precisely because it had AF, and required the purchase of new lenses to take advantage of it. Interestingly, the original brochure for the F4 doesn't really feature AF. For the F4 user, AF is supposed to be one tool among many that the F4 makes available to the serious shooter. With the F5, people were used to AF and tired of the Canon shooters being so cocky about their new toys. We are not ready for Nikon to become like Leica or Contax -- splendid quality gear for what it is but only for the niche market, not for the day-in and day-out shooter on a tight schedule. I'm happy with my F4, but I handled an EOS 3 yesterday and I'm looking forward to seeing an F 100. -- John N. Wall email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWW: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jnweg/html We are not revitalized or transformed as often by a change of circumstances as we are by a change of perspective.
