Hi Matthias,
With the help of the this list I went for a used F4 instead of a f90x.
I've never regretted that move! The F4 is an absolutely wonderful
piece of equipment and I just can't stop using it.
Let's start with the cons:
* The body is big & heavy for a SLR, but there is a cure! Go find yourself
a MB-20 battery pack. This reduces the size and weight considerably -
the handgrip will be like the F4s or F4e but without anything attached
under the body. (The only difference between the letters after the "4" is
the battery pack fitted, and they are exchangeable)
* The autofocus is not as fast as many of the newer bodies.
(And some other technical things like D-metering, etc..)
Having said that, everything else speaks for the F4, for the way *I* use it.
* It's got all buttons and controls accesible directly, no combinations or
sub-menus
* It's got a 150000 exposure shutter like all the professional nikons (F-F5),
and the shutter has some kind of advanced construction reducing vibrations...
* It will take the beating I give it in the field.
* It's *the* best possible body you can think of for manual focus lenses!
You can mount pre-AI lenses without modifying the body, and on more
modern manual lenses you even keep the matrix metering!
(not even the F5 does this)
I definitely recommend it if you can live with a battery-dependent camera.
Sure it's more expensive than many other used nikons, but it will probably
hold it's value quite well over the years.
Regards,
Erik
