The Nikon F5 is a 35 mm film-based single-lens reflex camera body manufactured by Nikon from 1996 through 2004. It was the fifth in Nikon's professional film camera line, which began in 1959 with the Nikon F, and followed the Nikon F4. It was succeeded by the Nikon F6, as well as the Nikon D2X and Nikon D3 professional digital SLRs.
Important advances in the F5 included:
Nikon 3-D color matrix meter (the F4 had introduced multi-segment matrix metering to the F series, but color sensing was new).
A self-diagnostic and self-adjusting shutter.
Electronically controlled exposure times from 1/8000 second to 30 minutes.
Built-in 8 frame per second motor drive (up from 5.7 frame/s on the F4).
1/300 second flash sync (up from 1/250 on the F4).
Full support for Nikkor AF-S and G designated lenses (the F4 could not use G lenses in aperture-priority or full manual modes).
Support for the Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization feature of newer Nikkor lenses.
Five focus points for the autofocus sensor (up from one on the F4).
A new industrial design by Giorgetto Giugiaro (also designer of the F3 and F4).
An integrated vertical/battery grip with additional shutter release and adjustment wheel controls (the F4 had three different interchangeable battery grips).
Like all previous Nikon F series cameras, the F5 had manual film rewind, high durability, exceptionally short shutter lag, interchangeable 100% coverage viewfinders (including a large-view Action Finder, Waist-Level Finder, and 6x High-Magnification Finder, in addition to the stock multi-metering pentaprism), and the Nikon F-mount for lenses.