Nikon Manual Focus future

[superskib]

As Nikon make much of matrix metering I'm surprised that they haven't re-issued the FA as their only manual camera.
It has all the attributes of the FM3A and many others as well. I'm well pleased with my second hand one bought last year, but it is about 20 years old and will be difficult to get serviced in due course,
What about Nikon?

 

[phiggy]

Yes I agree about the Matrix metering it would of been great to of seen it on the FM3A.
But I suppose when you think of it the only other camera that Nikon made that also offered matrix metering with MF lenses was the F4 unless thet are chipped of course.
Even the F5 does'nt offer matrix with MFlenses which I think is a bit short sited on Nikons part.
Good news is or so I believe is you can get a form of matrix metering with the D2H.

 

[kingreverent]

> I have a Nikon FM3A and an F100 and I can assure You that the metering is much better without matrix!

 

[hooch]

I for one have no interest in Matrix metering!!! What I want, eventually is a body that will spot meter. Yes you can buy a spot meter but it seems so much more convenient to have it on the body. I think I will eventually move up to F4s for this feature. I have to say, however that for many reasons I LOVE my FE2s. Did you know that the pro bodies such as the F3 and F4 don't lock the AE when using mirror lock up, the only way to do it is to shoot with the mirror locked up in manual. If your trying to stick with a certain Fstop and bracket by say a half stop, this is very inconvenient since manual speeds are not stepless on these bodies and AE speeds are. With the mirror pre-fire used to lock up the mirror (FE,FE2, FM3a)the AE mode locks in whatever exposure was selected when the mirror flopped up. Not only that but you have to manually return the mirror on the pro models. This may not matter much to you but I'm a landscaper and I shoot 90% of my shots on a tripod at slow speeds with the mirror locked up (I use Velvia, and usually stopped way down for depth of field, often in the early morning or late evening and often with a polarizer or warming filter or ND grad so I rarely SPEED UP to a 30th.) )

Just some thoughts.

Tom Wilson

 

[phiggy]

I along with many other photographers do want Matrix metering, lets face it the cameras that do have it also have the option of turning it off and using the alternative C.W. or Spot option.
How someone can state that cameras are better without I dont understand?
The Matrix system is the envy of photographers who use Canon ,Minolta and other camera makes.
It is without doubt the best multi pattern metering system for ambient or flash light.
I can see Tom's point because if you use graduated filters you are better off metering prior to fitting them, so matrix probably is not the best option.
But at the end of the day the option to have two or three metering options is surely better than one?

 

[hooch]

Absolutely!!! Matrix metering is a good, accurate system, especially the color metering that the F5 has. But if you said to me, "Tom, you can have this body which has matrix and center weighted only and this one that has spot and center weighted only", I'd probably choose the spot. The reason is that most of my pictures are carefully set up landscapes taken on a tripod and often using ND grads. Fortunately the F4 (the body I want) has both so I can use the spot for the situations I described and the matrix when I'm trying to grab a quick shot of that blankety blank Kingfisher who keeps evading me lately. That being said most of my action shots are taken during sunny 16 anyway but still I'm sure I will use the matrix metering some of the time. Now, if I were king of the world, I'd have them put manual speeds to 8 seconds on the FM3a and a spot meter and change the MD12 to where it powers the camera like the MD4 does for the F3 and the MD15 for the FA. That would be the ultimate 35mm camera for my style of shooting. I guess I could also wish for 100% viewfinder coverage and a high eye point finder but by the time I finished I'd have a Sherman Tank.

 

[phiggy]

Oh well Tom it will be interesting to see what the future holds.
I fear that new film cameras from Nikon and other manufactures will be few and far between.
The digital revolution is here to stay, press release claims that Canon have 20 new digital compacts that will be released next year alone.
I for one hope it will be many years before the demise of film cameras.
Will Nikon fullfill your dream of a camera MF or AF that offers what you want from a film camera?
The Nearest Cameras made that fit your bill is the Canon T90 or the Olympus OM3 or OM4, alas not in production any longer and even if they were they would,nt take those wonderful Nikon optics you have.

 

[phiggy]

Hi Tom I see you are also trying to capture a kingfisher on film.
A beautiful bird and very elusive in the uk.
I think you will be more than pleased with either a F4 or F5 in the future, if it had the multi spot metering option that the Canon or Olympus offered then it would be almost the perfect camera for you.

 

[hooch]

Yes, I'm really attached to my FE2s but I think I'm going to get the F4 before too much longer. The main advantage it has for me is that I have manual focus lenses from the 20mm f4 to a 400mm f5.6 EDIF (560 f8 if you count the TC14) The F5 will not Matrix meter with them but the F4 will. So you see, I AM basing my purchasing decision on Matrix metering.

I have seen this happen before in other equipment, the manufacturers and the magazines will all have us believing we were incapable of producing photographs before the advent of digital capture. Of course the folks in my club are amazed that I don't have auto focus.

 

[phiggy]

Tom I believe Nikon made a great error when they didn't include matrix metering option with MF lenses on the F5.
As you pointed out all three options were available with the F4 and there are still many owners of MF lenses that do not wish to change to AF lenses.
I have a number of MF and AF lenses and have no desire to replace the MF lens with a AF version.
I don't think we will see a replacement for the F5.
I read somewhere that the development that may of gone into a replacement top pro film camera has been put into the D2H, and other future Digi slrs due to be released in the future will include more of the features that have been developed.

 

[pete]

> Will you all have a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and happy new year. And a lot of happy snaps. Regards Geir

 

[bobar57]

Thank you, Geir. I wish you the same to you and to all others members of this Forum.
I will be celebrating today my 46th birthday.

Happy Holidays,

Robert

 

[anupam]

Wish you a merry X-mas and Happy new year 04

And IF you remember... It will be..

"If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;" (-- From IF Poem.)

Always happy...