Scott Kingsley | Providence R.I. Photographer

Free (old) Nikon (film) F4 Camera: The Final Five

Thank you all for your patience. The Panel of Experts has achieved consensus.

A sincere thank  you to all of you how entered and thank you to all of you who looked in on this little contest and thank you to the people who bought some of the gear from the closet and thank you all the people who are going to buy the rest of the gear and thank you, of course, to the panel. This is like the Academy Awards without the sequined dresses.

OK, here’s your Final Five. (Last names are included only if they were in the original post.) Time for you to go Get Out The Vote! Shenanigans will be detected, so, play fair, but have fun. The poll will be available in the sidebar on most pages on this site. Look! It’s right over there. Voting will end at midnight next Tuesday, 3/23/10. Good luck and thanks for playing along.

Again, the gear for sale is HERE. And the sound of the F4 burning through a roll of 36 is HERE.

In alphabetical order: (I know the last names …)

Nick Counts

Hi There,

My name is Nick. I found your listing about giving away a Nikon F4 via craigslist and was quite intrigued. I suppose I should tell you my story. Photography is sort of an obsession of mine (along with good coffee). I have various toy cameras and I had a DSLR (Canon 350D) but lately I’ve realized that film is where it’s at and I sold the DSLR looking to “upgrade” to a nice film outfit. I however I ended up having to use the money to pay rent and here I am without a decent camera. I do have a Fujica STX-1 that I picked up, but it just doesn’t have the capability to offer me the creative control that I need.
That brings me to why I need/want the camera in the first place. Currently I am a student studying film at the University of Rhode Island. While I study film as in motion pictures, photography has always been a close second. Now, I am enrolled in my first ever film class: Black and White photography, and I’m amazed by all the awesome things you can do in the darkroom. Much cooler than shipping them off to CVS, that’s for sure. Cooler even than clicking around in photoshop (which I’ve done my fair share of). The problem is that I constantly find myself running into stumbling blocks due to the limitations of my equipment. There are too few shutter settings and I’m having trouble finding any decent lenses for my camera.
Sadly, my current job involves sitting in a computer lab doing nothing, or when I’m so inclined, browsing Flickr.com for different awesome photo ideas. I have to admit, I think toy cameras are awesome and the Fujica STX is a decent start, but I’m now at the point where I need to move forward in my film experience. What better way than with a sweet old pro Nikon F4 at my side and the school’s darkroom at my disposal?
Thank you for your time.

-Nick Counts

Chris from Canada … no hard feelings over the Olympic hockey, OK?

Looking to buy the 85 and 180 but Ill submit for the free F4.

Wow where do I start. I am from Ontario, Canada. Im not a student.
I have taken literally tens of thousands of pictures. Minolta, Fuji, Nikon.

From my early years on dads Minolta SR101 (tank) used all over Europe. To a newer Minolta AF series camera, I have never stopped for an moment taking pictures. (dads fault)

Currently I own a Fuji S2 digital SLR (Nikon mount) and both of dads aging Minolta setups. Unfortunately time has gotten the best of the Minolta film setup and I have been on the lookout for a used F4 or F5 to replace them with.

My current collection of Nikon gear is growing all but slowly. It very hard to keep up now that the price of MF lenses have screeched up in price. Wow, I remember this stuff was affordable fun at one point.

There are probably people much more deserving than me for the Nikon F4, its a hell of a camera. It set a new benchmark for cameras back in the late 80’s. Even today it holds its own against the newer digital format. Its so hard to beat a great shot through a great film camera when scanned against digital. Digital just cannot keep up when it gets thrust against something like the F4 and a quality scanner.

I will own a F4 or F5 eventually, but I could not pass up this opportunity to convey my utter love and admiration to photography and all who embrace it. WoW what a way to capture priceless moments in time.
I have been very lucky to get some amazing shots over the years. Its something I do every day and will enjoy into my ages.

My currently Nikon lens collection all be it small will mount and meter perfectly on the F4. Its not the newer digital plastic stuff.
The F4 would never go to waste in this home, it would be cared for and respected for the camera that it is.

All that being said I hope you were looking for someone to USE the F4 and not put it on the shelf. My intentions were to USE it and not store it or sell it.
You would be encouraged to visit my web page at any time and check on its work, it would be posted for all to see. I have had a subscription to the .mac site for over 8 years.

Best wishes and good luck to all.

Cheers from Northern Ontario CANADA.

Chris

Julio Gutierrez

You must be twice the person you really think you are. An oppurtunity like this is so rare in todays world. My name is Julio Gutierrez,today i find myself sane from all bad, because my artistic thirst. Really im an artist in work and photography for me is one of those better things in life.

I set myself aside from others with my Canon Film Camera G11. Theres nothing like the feeling of impatiently waiting to see my work developed. Most of the time money is an issue trying to develop so many films, but i still gather enough out that piggy bank to develop my film. I was the type after the newest trendiest point and shoot digital camera because thats what society wanted me to have. But it was not long ago i found my self in love with vintage film cameras.
Exploring all the buttons and all there is to know about them. Manualy setting the aperture is my favorite feature, messing with the macro and in-depth shots, black and white. Its a connection between me and film cameras turned me a picture-taking addict. Im a student,husband,brother,artist in a world of my own trying to make it to see another day theough a set of lens. I have knowledge and research of the camera you have offered to pass on, even though it is worth a alot in value theres somthing else i want from it. I want to give it its life back , Let it see the world again, through my eyes as i continue to explore this unblanced thing we call life in the making. Photography is a canvas filled with my everyday brushstrokes.Help me visualize and interpret my life with your camera, Nikon f4.
Best,
Julio
http://www.crowdofkaos.com

Albert Huerta

I just checked out the Diner video up top. I never knew when that place was ever open. Always walked by it on my way to school. Awesome to say the least maybe I should stop in.

Originally, being 5 am I didnt totally read the CL description and I just saw Nikon F4. When I saw that you wanted to give it away I thought to myself, HEY its 5 am and Im the first to know possibly! Unfortunately as I read on, the words “some nice kid” came up. I am a good 5 years far from being a “kid” and although I’d like to stay an adolescent, im definitely a 23 year old adult.

I’ve always been the families photographer. Shot an olympus om10 (current photography 1 cam of choice, currently under repairs at Zacks on hope st) and an old minolta (long gone). The feel of shooting film is awesome. Every shot is personal and packs a nice treat of excitement when you develop them. I do shoot digitally tho, Nikon D80.

I am currently a student (sophomore) at CCRI Warwick. I started out at URI as a nursing major, later became an elem. ed major and all that ended very fast. After a couple of years not being in school I went back to New England Inst. of Technology for a certificate in Graphic Design where I took my first photo class (2008). Things did not work out well due to issues I was having with my roommates and I didnt end up completing my entire program. So here I am, general courses at CCRI with a focus on film/digital art/photography.

Dedication. I spent 4 days and 3 nights in front of a walmart on post rd camped by a vending machine in 40 degree weather waiting for the playstation 3 release back in 2007…(I actually just documented it with some friends.) I pulled a lot of all nighters tho trying to learn what I know now. Constantly going on adventures. Downtown, Bootleggers, Pawtucket Downtown, Central Falls abandonment, public transportation, New York, school, church, the bathroom even and the list goes on. Ive taken my camera everywhere!

I wouldnt say I prefer film over digital. Simply because Digital allows room for error I suppose. When my Olympus still worked I was always scared I would overexpose everything! Happy to be in a Black and white film course, know my origins. I got serious in to the art using my Nikon D80 but I do love the feeling of shooting film with the idea of every shot counting.

ahhh work! Idk about my work :/… I been shooting seriously for about a year now so definitely Im very self conscious of my work. Everything I link was done in the last 7 months or so. I built a backdrop stand out of pvc pipes and used fabric/clamps I found at joblot for my backdrop in most of these pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahuertaproject
http://www.facebook.com – Albert Huerta
http://www.AlbertxHuerta.com (just opened 2 days ago not fully updated but has some photos)

well thats all for now and I think im going back to sleep after snooping around CL a littler more. NIGHT!

Erin from Newport … Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Hi Scott,

I found your ad on craigslist and thought your contest was a creative way to ensure that your once prized possession went to a worthy home (even though you might not be, I’m a bit of the sentimental sort for old camera gear). I’ll make my case for why I can give the Nikon F4 a good home.

I first started taking photography classes as a sophomore in high school at the Newport Art Museum in Rhode Island. I quickly fell in love with the subject, and went on to minor in photography at Boston College (economics major: we all have to make a living somehow) . I graduated in 2008 but still live like a broke student in Boston. Recently, the very darkroom where I learned to develop was dismantled to free up studio space in the museum. As luck would have it, I managed to obtain a good amount of the darkroom equipment from the museum. I’ve coerced my parents into making a darkroom in their basement in little Rhodey so that I can develop my passion for photography (pun intended). Now that I have a darkroom in the making, I need to build my camera arsenal so that the creative juices can really start flowing.

I currently shoot on a Nikon N75 35mm SLR, which would make a lovely companion for the Nikon F4. I admit that I do have a digital, pocket-sized Canon, but that’s only used for recording everyday moments. Only with a film camera can you turn a moment into art, and only the classic, pre-digital cameras do it best. There’s nothing like developing your own prints: seeing that silver come to life while the smell of chemicals rise over the slow gurgle of running water is just incomparable.

I’ve always loved photography, and feel the dying art of black and white development represents a classic period in modern art that should be kept alive, despite the ease of digital shooting and printing. I would like the Nikon F4 so that I may do my part to preserve photography as the art form it truly is, which expands far beyond simply pressing a shutter button. I ensure you that I will take excellent care of the F4. However, if you should decide that another photographer is more worthy, than I wish it the best of luck in its new home.

Thank you for this fun opportunity,
Erin

PS – if that’s not convincing enough, here’s my shameless begging: please please please please please please can I have it?? pretty please? cherry on top? please?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 7:40 pm and is filed under Contest and tagged with cameras, Contest, gear. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.