New products from Petori....I don't think so...they went out of business years ago!! What a load of rubbish to start a story like that!
Everybody knows already but the Nikon F5 is going to be released.
Thunder has been waiting for this day for a long time. It's been 2 years since the rumour first was heard. There has been many half truths and articles in the paper which have been only semi-believable. Information and statements like "that famous photographer is using it" and "it seems that that newspaper is changing to them..." these are confusing many people..
aah I want a F5....
However I don't know why I want a F5 so much, if I think about it, it's not as if I'm dissatisfied with the Nikon F4.

There are people who say that the AF doesn't adjust well to fast moving subjects but basically Thunder doesn't take fast moving subjects and also another thing it doesn't bother me that the camera is quite big. Certainly the Nikon F4's grip is quite big. And it does hurt when you hit your hand on the metal fittings of the strap. But the other day I noticed that you can pick it up very stabily by pinching the strap between the bottom of your index and middle fingers. Doing it like this, Thunder couldn't let go of the grip!!

And you can grip the camera with your right hand from the top, using the left hand to support the lens makes this way of holding the Nikon F4 a very stable hold.
The cameras of the past had a body made of die-cast buff like material, but the single lens reflex die-cast body cover is probably a first??
The exchangeable multi-meter finder system is also good. Actually there are very few people who find it necessary to change the viewfinder a lot, but those who do find it necessary, this supreme machine copes with it the best. There are sure to be people that are not happy about the disappearance of the exchangeable battery case.

However, actually the Nikon F4 exchangeable battery holder has a problem. The waterproofing is quite weak and there are times when in the rain for a long time taking photos, it shorts out. And when changing it on the tripod, it is possible it falls over to the ground.

In relation to the voltage of F5, there is a problem with the reduction, in the no. of batteries. Like the F4, not only is the slowness of the winding on speed a problem. So with the changing of the battery holding system, there are more bad points than good.
In Thunder's personal opinion, I think the supreme machine should be big. When asking for the best functions, they shouldn't try and make them smaller.

Because the small cameras up to now have single reflex lenses have all been the cameras with a short life expectancy. In the case of Nikon F5, the level has increased but the grip design has become average, although it can be said that the means of holding has improved.

In regards to the operation, I can't say much until I use it, but presumably I would like it. The operations that bother me are the very heavy operation buttons. The waterproof and dustproof features are thought to have improved, but it could be a little lighter...


The AF capacities which are still not understood

The biggest problem with the F4 is the AF speed. It can't adjust itself to fast moving subjects. Because the automatic fange finder's accuracy is high and delicate, when unskillful people use it, the Af capacity appears to be inferior. The point is, for unskillful people, the performance will be inferior. Firstly the viewfinder focus distance point is small, and also because the precision is high, basically speaking, when there is camera shake, it will not focus.

Unskillful people constantly shake it a little, being not used to it and because the camera has a very high precision focus, they will find it very difficult to determine the focus.

If you set up the F4 on a tripod, and you aim for an easy focussing object and operate the AF, you will understand that it can focus very quickly. Well, the Nikon F4 is a camera for pros, so it can't be helped that the performance drops when unskillful people use it. Basically it's a camera for skillfull people.

However now these parts are well made by Canon EOS 1. Even if the person that uses it is unskillful, they can usually get it in focus.
How you can determine this is all to do with the computer settings inside the camera. So it means that Canon has more brilliant, talented people that are computer engineers.

The story that active sports cameramen that use AF have all changed to Canon, is not hard to believe. Before destroying the principal that Nikon's supreme cameras have a 10 year cycle, it is said the real intention of releasing the Nikon F5 is countermeasure for the sport's cameramen.

With regard to the real number of professional cameramen there are more professionals in other fields than photo journalists and when you look at delayed sports broadcasts on TV, you understand what part the white lens plays.
Actually at intervals of using the white telefoto lens, the black lens is also needed but the white lens establishes itself so you don't see the black lens. It appears that all the sports cameramen use Canon. Nikon will have to get a move on!!!

When wondering what's the problem with the AF functions of the Nikon F4, you think that it has got really quite fast, and even though you think it's fast, when comparing it to the quiet AF of Canon, however fast Nikon may be, the clumpy noise makes it seem slow. This problem of the operation noise, is an important condition of the AF's image. When you use the lens with Canon's soundwave motor, there is no operational sound, so you can only feel the exact moment it gets into focus, so it seems really quite fast.
So, the Nikon lens makes such a clumpy noise, when starting up the AF operation, it really feels as if it takes a lot of time.

It appears that Nikon knows very well about this too, and so they are proposing the new release of a lens with a soundwave motor. We are talking about the 300 mm and 600 mm telefoto lenses, so no doubt top quality 28-80mm and 80-200mm type lenses (F2.8class) with soundwave motors will be released too.

Other makers will probably use the standard Mabuciti motor, but it's the problem with the sound. In order to get rid of this problem, it really is necessary to change to AF soundwave motor drive. It appears that people are recommending the release of the tuning machine of the Canon EOS-1N. I'm looking forward to the conclusion....


The Marche AF for veterans

In the centre of the Nikon F5 range finder, 5 dots are arranged around the central cross. It is along the same lines as the Minolta d-707 system but one more dot has been added. The most important is the 3 side dots, (in cases where you put it on a side position) that are on the cross range finder.

The weak points of the Marche AF up to now, have been the differing sensitivity of the central sensor and the periphial sensor. Basically the periphial sensor takes more setting so, there is a feeling of losing sensitivity. But with the central sensor being in a cross and the periphial being the standard censor(EOS-1), there is quite a difference when measuring the range with the central censor and with the periphial.

Originally Marche AF's lock was released for unskillful people( the point range automatic selector) but, there was no need to be that kind. If you can't use the AF lock operation, there is just no hope for progress in photography. There is no qualifications needed to use a top class camera (anyone can buy one!!) Of course with the compact class cameras, there is the Marche AF way of thinking for the amateur, but there is no need for an automatic selection mode on the cameras that advanced photographers use.
The ease of selecting an intentional range area is a great point. The range area selection on the F5 is operated by the cross key which is attached to the back. It's the same idea as the operation key on the family computer. By pressing the key when you want to use it, the range area will change.
At the start you will probably be puzzled when going back to the centre, because you don't know which way to press, but it's easy enough when you get used to it. However you should operate the cross key for a set area and for an opposite direction. Before you find this out, you will get a blank for an instant. This didn't only happen to Thunder, many people who pick it up for the first time are apparently puzzled.

I think it's very good that there is a reset button to get it back to the centre, it's probably important to become familiar with the cross-key operation but, it's also important to be able to use the area which you want to use with reliability.

The setting position of the range area is a problem depending on the person. I think it would be more practical if the left and right area (area widths) had more of a space, but I won't start off on this.... it's not an easy one....


The Marche AF on photographing moving subjects

Thunder Hirayama has yet to test out photography on moving subjects, so I can't say for sure but, the AF mode seems to be well prepared to cope with moving subjects. When you first look at it, it seems to be very similar to the automatic selection range area finder of the Marche AF, but there is not such a childlike mode on the Nikon F5. On the Nikon dynamic AF mode, you first select an area at will. There are situations where the zoom can not follow the photographic object because it's moving , in these situations if the main photographic subject is caught by the range finder, the area will automatically change and the subject will become in focus. It's really a mode for photographers for the cameramen to take his intended shot. It's not a mode selection where the cameraman doesn't have to do anything, just let the camera decide on the subject itself.

This mechanism, based on the photographer's chosen range area, and the measured photographic distance, even if the photographic subject is out of this area, other areas will chose a closer distance to the main photographic subjects, but theoretically it is a mode for professionals.

High Speed Motor Drive

With the Nikon F5 motor drive, photos can be taken in rapid succession with a top of second 8 cuts. The function is not that different to the amazingly fast motor drive machines that have been available up to now.


The adoption of RGB light meters

Exposure meters in cameras are fitted with the standard 3 models. Machine Pattern light meter and the most important central light meter and the sport light meter. It is thought that it has reached the level of almost perfection.

The RGB light measure that considers the colour of the photographic subject has been adopted for the Nikon F5. This part is what Thunder Hirayama has been waiting for in expectation. In order for the RGB light meter to realize the exposure in the light meter system, the CCD sensor has been adopted which is used in video cameras. This sensor has 1005 sections and roughly speaking it has a marche pattern light meter with 1005 divisions. When talking about what the RGB light meter actually is, simply speaking by using the CCD, it can determine the amount of light and the object's colours and uses the exposure meter's data.

By being able to determine the photographic subject's colour, it works by using the photographic subject's reflection rate as data. The weak points of the exposure meters in the cameras up to now, have been the following: because the subject's reflection rate was not know, the exposure meter has had to be correct.
If the perfect RGB light meter is working well, you will be able to get an invincible exposure reading. The test machine is still a sample good. There is still not enough photographic data so we can't correctly give a decision but it seems the RGB light meter is very effective. We could see the correct effect when indoors are lit up with fluorescent light or tungsten.

Generally, under artificial lighting, you must over expose(from 1/2 to 1) to get the best result. Particularly, it gave a correct result with easy to underexpose white clothes etc. However, I can't say it was great with mixed lights of both natural sunlight and tungsten. It seems that it still can't determine mixed light clearly. Simply speaking, yellow coloured flower fields, green grass fields, blue skies etc, the effect is best if the photograph has all the same type of colour. However, generally it's true to say that we usually mix various colours together.

But when you break down the RGB light meter circuit, it becomes clear that it's quite an effective light metering system. But because of this, there maybe many problems to do with the circuit's small size. At present, maybe it is necessary to have one the size of a video camera's.


Operational problems

The shutter dial has disappeared from the Nikon F5. Thunder is a little sad, because he basically liked this but because of the new 1/3 stop shutter speed and long life light meter up to 30 minutes (custom function) a LCD indication is necessary. Also, the F5 is now not able to use the practical old type lens. The lens mount is now only run electrically. Because the lens' mechanical drive mechanism from the previous Nikon F4 has gone, only the preferential AF and the manual exposure meter can now be used.

It is now only the exposure meter, the preferential AF and the sport light meter. So, like the F4, even with the old type lens, the convenience of being able to use more than the AF mode has disappeared.

There will probably be some people that are dissatisfied with the change of operations from the F4 will continue to be sold so for manual photography, in cases where the auto function is attached importance to , you will understand when you use the F5.