mrstring's Full Review: Nikon F100 Body Only 35mm Film Camera
We (my wife Bettina and myself) love photography since over 25 years and we did all our work in a traditional darkroom. Then 1981 we lost interest in working in that dark room (you ever smelled the Cibachrome chemistry?). On the other side photography without the darkroom (to be able to deliver a printed master piece) left our cameras (2xNikon F2 + 1 FM, prime lenses from 20-200mm) for some 17 years in the closet.
In midst of 1999 we found that digital photography and the digital darkroom (deliver for print and Web) is ready for prime-time (at least for advanced budget constrained prosumers). We bought a Nikon Coolpix 950 and photography made fun again.
But compared to our work with the F2 there was something missing:
-1600x1200 is not very much for larger prints (but it is reasonable)
-the lenses are not up to good fixed lenses from Nikon and Canon
-missing lens hoods reduce image quality
-no removable lenses
-viewfinder is to small and imprecise (most consumer cameras are not
SLR). It does not really allow to do good image composition (this is my
main critique)
-most cameras don't invite to be used on a tripod
So the next logical step would be something like the new Nikon D1. But for me that camera feels like a brick (also the F5).
By browsing the excellent photo site httl://www.photo.net I got the idea to buy the Nikon Coolscan LS2000 slide scanner and use my F2 and film to capture images for the digital darkroom. This works pretty well.
Although we very much love the F2 I wanted to try one of the new Nikon bodies. First the metering of the newer cameras is much more sophisticated and the Coolpix 950 made me love auto-focus and also a zoom lens (although the quality of zooms still concern me).
At Christmas we bought a F100 with the 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 Nikon zoom. As I said the F5 is to heavy for me and the N90 did not feel that well in our hands. As a natural follower to our F2s the F100 seems just right.
After shooting about 10 rolls of film (negative and slide) I am very happy with the F100:
- metering is outstanding
- handling wonderful
- weight just right
- flash integration very good (with SB28)
- auto-focus good (some problems on unicolored surfaces)
Minus so far:
- no manual shutter release (only negative if you see the price of the needed MC-30 cable $80)
Though the Nikon F100 is not really cheap it is a very good buy. I am not that sure about the lens (just ordered a Nikon 35-70mm 2.8 from B&H, first sample was broken - moving front part).
Sorry to bother you with all that background above, but the point is that if a camera feels well compared to an F2 then its is an excellent body. With the F100 photography makes as fun as 20 years ago.
An evolution of the N90s with many of the F5s traits, the F100 is a lightweight professional alternative to the big F5. The list of features is not li...More at Buy.com
The F100 a 35mm SLR body geared to the professional and is situated beyond the N90 and behind the F5 as the #2 top camera in the Nikon line With its s...More at Amazon Marketplace
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