Review Nikon F6 Video SLR Camera Introduction:
The surprise announcement of the F6 at Photo kina shocked a few people, though if you had been paying close attention you would have noticed a few prototypes floating around the world. The Nikon F6 is an interesting concoction. To make it, Nikon essentially took the shutter and transport mechanism from the F5 and stuck it into a D2 series body that doesn't have a vertical grip. It's not quite that simple, of course, as there are tons of minor things that got tweaked, but from a shooting standpoint, you can think of it that way. Let's start with the changes on the "film" side. This is Nikon's top-level film camera, so it has Nikon's top-level film transport and shutter. I don't see much that's different from the F5 in the F6's transport mechanism, though I'm sure that there are many small differences in some of the internal parts. Essentially the multi-gear pull is still there, as are the subtle things that the F5 did to keep film flat and steady through the gate at high frame rates. Film in the F6 engages the same way, and at the same point in the chamber, as the F5. I haven't run many rolls through my F6 yet, but those that I have run as smoothly as did my F5. The smaller body makes the F6 seem much more portable, though it is still significantly heavier and a bit larger than the F100. Still, I'd rather carry the F6 than the F100, which is something I didn't say about the F100/F5 choice. The camera fits nicely even into small hands, the controls all feel like they're in the right places, and small touches have improved your ability to find the right control without looking. The F6 just feels like a better, smaller F5. So much so that I wish it was around when I was shooting daily with the F5--I would have traded my F5 in for an F6 in an eye blink.
Nikon F6 SLR Camera Features:
About the only button placement that feels wrong is the FUNC button, which is down under the lens. And it only feels wrong if you try to use it with your right hand. If you've got your left hand under the lens for support, your third finger should naturally fall right on the button. One touch some will like and some won't is that the manual exposure bar has been expanded and moved to the right side of the viewfinder display. Even with glasses on I can see this clearly, and the expanded size and scale makes it easy to see what's going on, but I'm sure that someone will complain about having things both below and to the right of the frame view. I won't, and I don't think you should, either.
Battery performance is, well, so-so. I haven't shot enough rolls yet to be sure, but it seems pretty much like the F5: you'll be changing batteries more often than you do with an F100. Nikon claims 15 rolls at normal temperatures and use for the two CR123As; I think that figure is a little high. Stock up on extra batteries before you leave on long trips to nowhere, folks. Better yet, get the EN-EL4 Nikon F6 Camera Charger and vertical grip; Nikon claims about 35 rolls per charge with that rechargeable battery--shared with the D2 series, but I haven't yet been able to check that yet.
Overall, I really like the handling of the F6. I can find what I need to change quickly. The camera feels right in my hands. All the build quality and handling issues that Nikon lovers expect and love are all there. Battery life is potentially an issue, and the menu system and rear LCD could use a face lift, but that's about it in terms of significant negatives.
While the F6 uses the same sensor arrangement as the D2 series, the position of those 11 sensors in the frame is different. With the D2 series, the sensors are spread out more over the entire frame, while on the F6 they are much tighter to the central area. That's not quite true, as the very outer edges of the central nine sensors do indeed reach out to about the third lines, but I get the idea: some people think the AF sensors are too centralized.
Those people have either been shooting with Nikon or Canon DSLRs, probably. The autofocus sensors on the Nikon F6 Battery Charger cover a bigger area than those on the F5, and they do so more reliably. If you like the F5's autofocus, the F6 will simply blow you away. It's faster, more reliable, and simply has more control options. Plus it covers a bigger area.
The shutter is a bit different. Nikon says they're using a lighter, more durable material in the shutter, though the design is still basically the same as the F5 Nikon Camera Battery Charger. As you'll recall, the F5's shutter is self-checking, and so is the F6's. The F5's shutter can sync to 1/300, but the F6's only goes to 1/250. The F6 makes up for that by supporting High Speed TTL when the SB-800 flash is used. Personally, I like that better than having an oddball 1/300. Shutter speeds of 30 seconds through 1/8000 are still supported. As before, the shutter self adjusts and reports when it can't. Like the F5, you're either going to get the shutter speed you asked for or none at all.
