frank_vanriper's Full Review: Nikon F100 Body Only 35mm Film Camera
The Poor Person’s F-5!
By Frank Van Riper
Professional photographer, author, and photography columnist of The Washington Post
To everyone like me who can’t afford to spend three thousand dollars on a camera body—not just any camera body, but Nikon’s incredible top-of-the-line F5—take heart. The new F-100 is the answer to a prayer. A reasonably affordable [less than half the price of the F5], superbly engineered camera that incorporates much of what makes the F5 so great, this camera falls nicely in between the F5 and the N90s. In fact, in the photo industry, a camera like the F-100 is called a “Tweener”. Tweeners can result from a number of different factors. Price can be a major one; technical innovations another. Sometimes, a manufacturer will unveil a tweener simply to have something new to show a fickle camera-buying public.
In Nikon’s case, the F-100 (it sounds like a jet, but it’s built like a tank) falls nicely in between the workhorse (N90s) and the showhorse (the F5).
The best endorsement I can give the F-100 is this: I’m buying one.
It’s hard to come up with drawbacks on this ruggedly handsome camera. Not only does it perform and handle beautifully in the major areas like autofocus and exposure calculation, but it also features nice touches that show that somebody in Tokyo is paying attention to little details.
For example: opening the camera back no longer requires a pinch motion on the release lever. Now there is an easier—but still fairly foolproof—mechanism that lets you open the back with one finger instead of two. When I’m on a job, shooting an event or a wedding, for example, I love the fact that this one little feature lets me work faster.
Another small but welcome thing: changing batteries (4 ubiquitous double-A’s, or equivalent) is made easier by a tiny latch—not the common screw that used to require a coin or other tool.
In fact, one has to compare the F-100 with the literally twice as expensive F5 in order to come up with any negatives.
There is no built-in shutter monitor, for example. But, hey, the F5 revolutionized camera design with this feature, which literally comes to your rescue, as Nikon says, “if you’ve ever experienced shutter failure—shutters that sound like they’re working, but they’re not.” [This feature, which may even justify the F5’s $3350 list price, will adjust the shutter if it goes slightly out of whack, and alert you if it fails.]
Additionally, the F-100 does not have Nikon’s revolutionary 3D Color Matrix metering, which actually evaluates the reflectance of red, green and blue, as well as a scene’s overall reflectance, to better gauge exposure.
But, at half the F5’s price (list $1620; street $1299) these amount to minor quibbles. What this camera does have is Nikon’s newly designed and incredibly fast, smooth autofocus, a high-speed flash sync of up to 1/4000 second with the SB-28 strobelight (allowing you to use fill-flash even under the brightest conditions), not to mention all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from high-end 35mm cameras, regardless of manufacturer. These include auto-exposure bracketing, rear-curtain [and slow speed] flash sync, and multiple metering modes, including a 1% spot.
The F100 also incorporates the F5’s new command dial configuration that makes both cameras much easier to control when held up to the eye. As with other good SLRs (notably from Canon), aperture settings are achieved in the front of the camera with the index finger; shutter speeds are changed in the rear of the camera with the thumb. And in both the F100 and F5 changes come in 1/3 stop increments—a welcome bit of additional creative control, that was first introduced [with shutter speeds only] on the N90s.
Recently, I discovered yet another reason to love this camera: it lets me use cheaper lenses.
Note: I’m not saying cheaply made lenses—you always should use the very best glass you can afford. Rather, the fact that you set your aperture electronically (via the command dial) rather than manually (by literally moving the aperture ring) means that, in most cases when using zoom lenses, the camera can compensate to maintain the aperture you desire when you zoom in on a subject. For example, in the past when using zoom lenses with a variable maximum aperture (say, f 3.5-5.6), I would lose as much as a stop of light-gathering power as I zoomed. If I didn’t remember to compensate by opening up my lens, my flash pictures especially might be underexposed. Now, however, when my working aperture is anything less than wide open, the camera simply automatically opens up the lens sufficiently to maintain the aperture at which I want to work. This is especially helpful when shooting with flash.
The most radical design departure for Nikon, which was first unveiled in the F5, may be its Focus Area Selector—a round, thumb-activated dial in the back of the camera that lets you manually change autofocus sensing from the center of the frame to four other areas around the viewfinder. But let’s not get too enthused about what simply may be an autofocus parlor trick. This is really a manual version of the dubious eye-controlled autofocus system that Canon unveiled several years ago. Frankly, I’d be perfectly happy with only one sensor to worry about.
But what may really set this camera apart from the N90s and other cameras is its ruggedness, and sheer comfort in the hand. Man, this camera feels good!
The F100’s front body as well as top and bottom covers are made of a tough magnesium alloy. Unlike the N90s, the F100’s critical surface areas are covered with textured rubber that not only provides excellent gripability, but also a measure of impact protection. Nikon also boasts that the F100 “features strategically placed O-rings to provide resistance against moisture and dust.” In all, the F100 exudes a ruggedness that seems to go beyond even Nikon’s legendary toughness in its professional-level equipment.
So to what do we really owe this great new Nikon?
If I had to bet, I’d say it was the F5—as well as competition from other high-end SLR’s, especially Canon’s popular EOS line.
Frankly, there is only a small universe of professional photographers and amateur gearheads who are going to spend three large for the F5, and Nikon may already have plumbed that market. In my case, for example, the F5 is more camera than I need, especially since as a professional I do much of my commercial and most of my personal work in medium format.
Thus, I’m a perfect candidate for a Tweener--the F100. Nikon probably figures I’m in good company. And they’re probably right.
Questions/comments? Contact me directly at <fvanriper@aol.com>
[Check out Frank Van Riper’s latest book, Down East Maine/A World Apart.]
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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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