wide2tele wrote:
Yes, they were different. Here is a quick history:
The Nikon F5 was in incredibly high demand pre-release. The F4 was severely outdated and Canon were taking the pro market away from Nikon with their new EOS line. Nikon tried to combat this market loss by releasing the gap filling F90x/n to hold on to the pro market till the F5 was ready for release.
Due to the high F5 pre-release demand, unlike other cameras, the F5 wasn't immediately available to all photographers amateur and professional. It was first released to professional photographers only. Professional photographers around the world had to put in orders for the F5. Nikon first filled these orders before releasing the F5 to the general public.
These early F5's that went out to pros had the 300XXXX serials. These cameras were the very first Nikon F5's. Due to the need for a proper professional Nikon camera at the time, these F5's were all almost certainly put to immediate professional use. They were not purchased to sit around and be lightly used. The very first F5's would've been used, abused, worn out or resold at a later time. To find one of the very first/original F5's today in good condition, I imagine they simply do not exist.
Nikon also released the Nikon F5 as a special collectors 50th anniversary model. The 50th fetches high prices. However, there are likely still many of these sitting completely new and untouched in their boxes by collectors. The F5 that is today likely to be around in the smallest numbers, the most unique, and the rarest of them all is the F5 with 300XXXX serial.
These were the cameras that created the Nikon F5 legend.
Worth checking your serials.
Yes, they were different. Here is a quick history:... (
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I have an F5, S/N 3003789. I bought it a few years ago on eBay from someone in Canada. It's in pristine condition, not a scratch on it and functions perfectly.