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Please note that I am an amateur photographer; I know my fair share about
making a good photograph, but I know zippy-de-doo about serious camera testing.
What you find here are just my thoughts and opinion after upgrading from an F601
(N6006 in the USA) to an F100.
Top photo: buses at the Haarlem railway station. Nikon F100, AF 24-50 mm at
24 mm, Fuji Sensia 100, handheld.
Theory
In
theory, this camera is great. Read the specs, check out the looks, try it in a
photo store. Five AF sensors, 10 segment matrix metering and 4.5 frames per
second promise quite a camera. However, 4.5 fps doesn't actually get us any
pictures unless we take the camera out for a field test.
You can compare the F100 against a few other Nikons on my Nikon camera comparison .
Photo: Color Guard. Nikon F100, AF Micro 105/2.8D, Fuji Superia 400,
handheld.
Practice
My first pictures with the camera, some of which are included on this page,
were taken during a performance of Marsorkest TTB (marching band with Color
Guard), on Koninginnedag (April 30th, the official birthday of Queen
Beatrix of The Netherlands) and during a walk through Haarlem. The first results,
shot on Fuji Superia and Fuji Sensia, looked very good. Focusing, exposure and
film transport all seemed OK.
Auto-focus
The
F100 features 5 AF sensors, which take a bit of getting used to, if you have been
shooting with a F601 (or F401, F801, ...) for over five years. At first, I
exclusively used the center sensor, but now I frequently select the other sensors
as well. A sort of gamepad on the camera's back allows you to easily select a
sensor.
I have tried only a few action shots with the F100, so I cannot reliably
comment on its AF tracking. From what I've seen for myself, I think it's fair to
say that it's very good.
Photo: Portrait of a member of the Color Guard. Nikon F100, AF Micro
105/2.8D, Fuji Superia 400, handheld.
Metering
I think there isn't much to be said about the F100's metering systems. They
work just fine. Even for slides, I frequently rely on matrix metering and using
bracketing when I think it's needed. Yes, of course the camera can be tricked and
matrix metering will not always do things right. Just keep both camera and your
brain switched on, and you'll be fine.
The ability to use manual exposure with shutter speeds selectable in 1/3 stops
is definitely an improvement over the F601 (full stops only). This makes the
combination of spot metering and manual exposure much better applicable.
Motor drive
The
F601 has a motor drive with a loud, sharp sound. Rewinding a film in that camera
regularly made me hide the camera its bag. The F100 is a real improvement: much
faster and much quieter. Combining the AF and motordrive of the F100, I tend to
shoot more frames, probably because it is so easy and goes almost unnoticed.
Occasionally, the F601 would fail to load a roll of Fuji Sensia (never any
other brand or type, not even during hectic wedding assignments). The F100 hasn't
let me down yet.
Photo: motor show in Uitgeest on Koninginnedag. Nikon F100, AF 24-50 mm at
24 mm, Fuji Superia 400, handheld.
DoF preview
My F601 lacked DoF (Depth of Field) preview and, using the FE, I figured I
would use it only moderately often. Now that I have my F100, I find I actually
use it quite often. DoF preview works in all modes (P, S, A and M) but it is
rather noisy. In fact, it makes as much noise as taking a picture. Note that
Minolta's 700si also has a loud DoF operation; I recall my friend Ruud telling me
"Hey, I already took that picture", when I just pressed the DoF button on his
700si.
Mirror lock-up
The F100 does not have mirror lock-up (MLU). I have never used a camera that
does have that feature so I cannot say that I actually miss it. For its price,
however, it would seem that Nikon should have included MLU in the F100.
Reportedly, a very complex construction (requiring an extra shutter blade) is
needed, so this is probably why they left it out.
No built-in flash
I used
to be very surprised when I read camera magazins' reviews of cameras such as the
F100 in which the reviewer would question Nikon's decision not to include a
built-in flash. I figured that anybody who can afford an F100 can also afford a
flash and that anybody who needed an F100, would know better than to use a
built-in flash. Nikon was very, very wise not to have included such a gimmick in
their great F100. Then I went to Warwick castle in England, where I ended up in
dark places of which I would have loved to take pictures. My friend Ruud, with
Minolta's 700si, just smiled and flashed away ever so happily.
Photo: "Hells Angel" at the Uitgeest motor show. Nikon F100, AF 24-50 mm at
28 mm, Fuji Superia 400, SB22 for a fill flash, handheld.
Weight and size
The camera is not very light, 785 grams without batteries. I have fairly small
hands and the camera fits nicely, though it certainly should not have been
bigger. An F5 would be, if not for its price, overkill indeed.
March 2000 update:
I my original review I wrote: I did not (yet) get the MB-15 vertical
grip [...] but I think adding the MB-15 would make the F100 too big and
too heavy for me. In December 1999, I finally had an opportunity to try the
MB-15 in a photo store and I decided to buy it (the fact that I finally found it
for significantly less than 400 Guilders also helped). Now that I have actually
used it during real photo shoots, I have mixed feelings. Sure, the performance
upgrade is nice and the added grip is really useful, but after almost three
months, I can't help feeling that the camera has gotten too bulky indeed,
especially with the hefty SB-28 flash, that I bought to replace the SB-22. It has
added about 280 grams to the setup. Oh yes, the MB-15 does indeed feel like cheap
plastic and at first glance you might think it's an accessory for the F60 (N60),
not for the F100.
Handling
In general, this camera is a dream! With its solid feel and great performance,
I actually tend to take more pictures. But there are some minor issues to be
dealt with, though.
I kept
forgetting that the self-timer does not automatically reset. When taking a
picture with the camera mounted on a tripod, I used the self-timer to avoid
camera shake. However, if I shot the next picture handheld, I usually pressed the
shutter release, wondered why nothing happened, looked at the top LCD and the
camera fired. I have bought an MC-30 cable release to "fix" this problem.
The user interface is different from that of the F601 (and therefore, F801 and
F90). The first couple of times I used the camera, I had to actively look for
which button to press. After that, the camera is very easy to operate. I could
not get used to setting the aperture with the sub-command wheel, but a custom
function allows you to reroute it to the aperture ring on the lens. I guess the
new "G" type lenses (currently only a 70-300 zoom) are just not for me, since
Nikon doesn't include an aperture ring on those.
Photo: Dunes on a
Saturday morning. Nikon F100, AF 24-50 mm at about 24 mm, Fuji Sensia 100,
handheld.
I really
don't understand why mechanical cable releases no longer suffice; as with many
other cameras, the F100 needs an electronic cable release, which is quite
expensive. You pay 30 Guilders or so for a mechanical, but have to shell out 200
Guilders for an electronic MC-30. I think this is silly; nevertheless, I did buy
the MC-30, because I can't stand using the self-timer for tripod shots (and then
forgetting to reset it).
Unlike the F90(X), the Nikon F100 does not have an internal viewfinder cover.
Instead, a plastic cap is provided, just like with the F601. With that camera, I
lost mine after a year and a half; I wonder how long this one is going to last...
A viewfinder cover proves to be a useful feature during tripod shots: when you
remove your eye from the view finder, light may enter the finder and influence
the metering system. A viewfinder cover prevents this.
March 2000 update
I attached the eye piece cap to the camera strap so that I wouldn't lose it.
This is not a great solution, because after a few months, I actually managed to
have it scratch my eyelid while taking the camera off my neck. Having only one
eye vision, you can imagine that this scared me so much that I decided to remove
it from the strap.
Photo: Dunes , on the
same Saturday morning. Nikon F100, AF 24-50 mm at 35 mm, Fuji Sensia 100,
tripod.
The F100
not only promises to be a great camera, it is a great camera. It's fast,
accurate and not too big. If you must have removable viewfinders, mirror lockup
or an even faster or sturdier camera, then you must also cough up 2000 Guilders
extra and get the F5.
After a little more than 50 rolls of film, I have come to really like my F100.
Using the camera has been nothing but fun, except for a little while when it started acting
up . A warranty-covered trip to Nikon cured my F100 and I've been a happy user
ever since.
Photo: houses in Haarlem, taken on a dull, overcast day. Nikon F100, AF
24-50 mm at 50 mm, Fuji Sensia 100, handheld.
It is an expensive camera, though. 3000 Guilders is a lot of money, and
the accessories aren't cheap either (NLG 200 for the MC-30, NLG 369 for the MB-15
and the date back will probably not be a bargain, either). Fortunately, I am
convinced this camera will last a lifetime. Or at least till digital has become
too tempting.
More information
Specifications of the F601, F90X and F100 can be found at my camera comparison .
I have had 4 F100s, each with problems. The problems were as follows:
1. underexposure by about 3/4 to a full stop
2. consistently undershot when focusing (i.e., focused slightly in front of the subject)
3. consistently rewound film in the middle of rolls
4. (my current body): focus selector (thumb pad) stopped working
Thats 4 bodies, 4 malfunctions. None of them saw more than 100 or so rolls or film. None were dropped or otherwise abused. The first body was bought when the F100 first hit the market, and the most recent one was bought around November, 1999. As far as I can tell, Nikon has got some serious quality control problems with this camera.
I've had one of these for a while and have found it great for impressing family and friends. With the addition of a long, sturdy zoom lens, the magnesium alloy body unit is very effective for clobbering people. I haven't yet had any functional problems with my F100, though I've noticed one or two firmware bugs.
My main CRITICISMS would be:
The spot meter isn't very sensitive (rather not as sensitive as I would like)
The 4.5 fps is the maximum you get. You can get a whole lot less. Buying the battery grip thing, takes you all the way from 4.5fps to 5 fps.(but gives you loads more pose value)
UK accessory prices are typically 70-100 percent more than from B&H photovideo.(ML-3 95UKP(USA) vs 180UKP(UK))
The strap you get with the camera is a waste of time. Judge the quality of the camera by the quality of the strap at your peril.
The button for switching focus mode MF -> SF -> CF is small and can be awkward to fiddle with.
The BENEFITS (over a minolta 7xi) i've noticed are:
Less thought required over metering.
Better flash performance.
Better build quality.
Much better for giving the impression I know what I'm doing.
I've read on forums elsewhere a mixture of feelings about the F100.
I have had one for about a year and put it through quite a bit of film and weather and it has not failed me yet. Exposure and performance in general has been great. I do get some underexposure but usually only in long exposures and was assuming I was not allowing for <insert that word that I can't remember here that means the film's reaction time not being consistent as exposure gets longer>.
The only other cameras I have owned are Nikkormats and the F100 still gives me the same 'well-built' feeling with all the fancy technology with it.
I think this is a very fine camera. I use mine about 90 percent of the time when I am taking 35mm pictures. Handling is great, features are great. I think the lack of MLU or mirror-pre-fire is weird, and I would have liked a built-in viewfinder shade (I do a fair amount of macro). Overall, I am very pleased.
But the lack of quality control is weird. Like the reviewer and another poster, I had to send mine back for repair under warranty -- from time-to-time, the display in the viewfinder wouldn't illuminate. And it seems to be happening again now; it's probably going to go in to the Nikon shop again soon.
If you look over the archives on photo.net, it is odd, but I see more notes about problems with this camera's reliability than any other modern camera (there are more postings about Nikon problem than the other camera systems, it seems to me).
If this camera had a history -- personally for me and more generally speaking -- of high reliability, I could recommend it without qualification. But the reality is that if you buy this camera, you might encounter some difficulties with the F100 that you shouldn't have to. (On the positive, Nikon Service did the work very quickly and had the camera back to me very quickly)
I absolutely love the feel of the camera in my hands, and I get great results. I don't mind the weight at all, and it feels far more sturdy than Minoltas that I have tried, including my old Maxxum. I haven't compared it to other brands.
I do have a few problems with ergonomics, though. In particular, I wind up inadvertently switching the focus point (among the 5 in the viewfinder) with some regularity. Yes, I know that you can "lock" it, but then you wind up with the opposite problem -- you try to move the focus point, and it won't budge, till you remember that you locked it. Because the in-finder indicator of which focus point is active is pretty pale, I sometimes have to point the camera away from what I'm shooting, just to see which focus point I'm using. (Alternatively, I could look at the top of the camer, but this would still require me to take my eye awar from the finder.)
Like the review, I also left the self-timer running once, but it was only once, and I figured out what I did before the shutter fired, so I didn't even lose the shot.
Occasionally, when I put on a lens, I fail to set the f-stop ring to f22, and I get "EE" in the finder. It takes only a second to fix this, but I've missed a shot a couple of times.
I genuinely wish that it had the ability to take out a roll of film in the middle while leaving the leader outside the film can. I have one of those gizmos to pull out the leader, but it doesn't work as well (or as consistently) as I'd like, and having the camera do it would be *much* better.
When the batteries die, the F100 can take you by surprise. The camera locks up, typically with the shutter wide open, leaving you with the sinking feeling that the camera's broken until you remember to replace the batteries. The first time this happened, I was in Europe, and I was sure that I now was going to get to carry a broken albatross with me all over. Luckily, I tried replacing the batteries before just putting the camera away.
All in all, it's a great camera, and well worth the money in my humble opinion.
After using a FE2, 20mm AF-D, 50mm f/1.4 AIS, & 105mm f/2.5 AIS for eons, I thought I would jump on the AF bandwagon. After several test rolls, I found out AF was convenient as expected, but matrix metering surprised me by its accuracy in most situations (I am not an AE fan). I often like to selectively highlight with off-camera hand-held flash, using a 283 & 20mm AF. This is much easier now, when I don't need my flash hand to focus & set f-stop too. For action pics, the AF speed was dandy. To get the most from the F100, get a dedicated flash, with of course, an AF lens set.
On the other hand, my pictures using the F100 often appear slightly less sharp when using the AF-D 20mm, compared to the FE2. In the longer exposures, it could be because of its lack of mirror lock-up. But the mirror seems well damped and it happens in all light conditions, so I really suspect the AF is not as accurate as when using my old fashioned split image MF. The AF does not respond to small changes in distance, say if I move 6 inches further from a stationary subject 10' away. Even though well in DOF, having the plane of focus slightly in front or back of the main subject degrades sharpness.
I would like to change to a split image with grid screen (& red AF sensor LEDs) to confirm this, but Nikon does not offer one. This complaint is probably not obvious to photographers using longer lens and used to AF results. To a picky old timer like me---used to MF & very wide lens, I do notice a slight loss in sharpness. (I don't see any difference in sharpness when using my longer MF lens.) Overall, F100=nice, but what can I do to get back the lost sharpness and still use AF?
Having now used my F100 camera for some time now---I am a pro, and I
don't mean 5-15 rolls---I mean LOTS!---I have not found any problems
with my camera---NONE! I have used this F100 (plus 2 N90S bodys) for
all my work with only a sticking back release on one of the N90S (dirt
-easy clean) and no other problems. I realise this is just one F100
but thats my experience. Please note, I do take very good care of my cameras, but they are used in dusty outdoor conditions.
I have using a F100 for about two months now. I am a professional and shoot for am magazine. I had been using an N90s. The F100 is very impressive, well built, and fit my hand perfectly. I am still getting used to the many features and the ways to access them. Years of using the N90s made me very familiar with it, and I have not had a problem switching to the F100.
The camera is definitely quieter and faster than the N90s. Film advance and rewind, when set to the proper mode, are much quieter. Auto-focus, yes I do use it sometimes, is much faster than the N90s. I kept my old body and have been able to compare them side by side. Even in casual testing, the F100 is obviously faster.
I have not experienced any problems whatsoever. The exposure seems to be right on, and all the buttons and knobs work as they are supposed to. I would recommend the MB-15 grip, without it my little finger had a tendency to hang there in mid-air. The grip make the camera balance better and is almost mandatory if you shoot many verticals.
I would highly recommend this camera to any working pro, or advanced amateur. I love it.
After having owned an F100 for eight months, I have decided to rid myself of it and go back to my trusty FM2 and Nikkormats. Why? Two main reasons: the F100 can't handle the cold weather here in Canada like the mechanical units. Second, after reviewing my work over the last few months, and having used both systems in various circumstances, I think that the mechanical cameras force me to think a little harder about what I'm doing and my results have been much better with the manual equipment. No question that the F100 is a great camera, very fast and accurate. But I just don't think it helped my creativity out at all, based on the kinds of pictures I take.
I bought my first F100 almost a year ago and had it in the shop twice as it would skip frames and leave 6-8 blank frames at random times in a roll. Sent it off for a repair and after six weeks it came back with a "No problem found" response. I was able to recreate an error message that would come up everytime it skipped a frame and showed the store clerk. Back to the shop and four weeks later it was back...well the reconditioned one was.
I now have a recon unit and it is working flawlessly. I love the feel of the camera and even though it is a bit heavier, it feels much better in my hands. I love the bracketing feature for automatic bracketing as I shoot in alot of sunlight and the metering seems right on everytime I use it, despite my stubborness to continue bracketing.
I purchased a Nikon F100 in January 2000 and I can reconfirm all the praise it has garnered from other users on this page. I estimate that I have shot 150+ rolls of film through the camera. I find it a very satisfying camera to use. My only problem with the camera functionally, is that I do not fully comprehend the subtleties of the 6 autofocus options. I only use option 1(portraits Stills & product photos), 2(snap shots),4 (for panning action shots) and 5 (action Photos where focus tracking is required). 3 seems to be the same as 1 and I can see no need for 6.
I own an FM and an FM2n, 23 AI/AIS lenses and 4 auto focus lenses for the F100. Some of the AI lenses I have had for 20 years or more and they are still functioning perfectly. I also own a Pentax 6 x 7 with 4 lenses as my medium format camera (lanscapes Portraits and aerial photography) and a Toyo 4x5 field camera.
I started to experience the auto focus zone switch problem on the F100 in December while in Colorado. It has been intermittent, and at first I thought that I had set something wrong in the custom options. The problem got worse with time. Last Saturday 14 April 01, while on an assignment and with the camera about 3 months out of warrenty, the auto focus zone selector started working so erratically that the camera would not focus consistently. I could futz with it and get the focus zone where I wanted it but the next time that I touched the shutter release the complete zone display on the top deck would change. When this happened the focusing motor would drive the lense to either the infinity position or to the closest focus position and then lock up. I used the FM2n to finish my work.
I rely on the auto focus camera for my work because of failing eyesight and I have gotten so used to it that I purchased a new F100 on Saturday evening 14 April from Pete's Photo World in Cincinati. The faulty one is on its way back to Nikon in New York.
I was/am an engineer by profession and have been an active photographer for most of my life and have occasionally made a few bucks on assignment on the side. I feel that I know a little about what constitutes reliability in a camera. My confidence in the F100 is severely shaken and yet I purchased another one, go figure that out. If the General (my dear wife) finds out I'll be sleeping in the car !!
I'll keep everyone posted on how Nikon handles the situation
Well friends and gentle folks, Nikon has repaired my F100 at no charge even though it was 3 months out of warranty. In my previous note above I mentioned that I had purchased another F100. This new one appears to be working OK but the auto focusing on this camera is not as precise as on the original camera.
The repair order that came back from Nikon with the camera stated that they had
· Repaired the camera back
· Repaired the auto focus operation
· Adjusted the shutter speeds
· Adjusted the Auto Exposure operation
· General check and clean
· Cleaned the CCD.
As Stated above the camera is only a little over a year old and I am left wondering if this degree of servicing will be necessary on an annual basis to keep the camera working reliably. Now I have two of the beasts !! The good news is that Nikon did not even question the fact that the camera was out of warranty and they returned my camera within 10 days, the only cot to me was the shipping and inconvenience. Thank you for this Nikon USA but I wonder if buying a second F100 was the right thing to do ??
I have had two f100 bodies and have never had a problem with them.I run about 2-4 rolls of film a week and have been doing so for the last two years.There obviously is a problem with their quality control and it would appear that you are either lucky or downright unlucky when you make your purchase. I shoot in the UK which means i have to deal with all kinds of weather but yep my f100 soldiers on.
Take care of it and have the body serviced every year. Keep her clean and grit free, buy a waterproof covering and enjoy this wonderful piece of kit....Oh yes,the 80-200 silent wave rocks.
This article expresses much of what I feel about the F100. I have been shooting with an F80 since it came out (2 years ago or so), and I finally decided to give the F100 a shot. What I really like about this camera is that it is so much more solid than the F80, and a lot faster. I took pictures at Sazuka last year with my F80, and tried to get some rapid action photos. I was at the hairpin curve, so I thought the cars would be slow enough that the F80's 2 fps or so would be fast enough. Well, not bad, but not great either. I am going to try it again this year, and I am more confident about getting more useable shots per roll. What I don't much like is that the back of the f100 is not sealed against the weather, only the rest of the camera. The other day I was shooting some birds down by a canal in Nagoya, Japan, and it was very windy and dusty. I took my F80 and my F100, and that's when it hit home that the blowing sand and dirt was going to be a problem. Does anyone have some good suggestions about how to protect your camera against this sort of thing? I have looked in the photo shops, and am still not sure.
The F100 locks exposure when using the self timer. Hence, using a view finder cover may not be that important if you have your eye to the camera at the moment you press the release. If, however, you use a cable release (and not have your eye at the camera), a view finder cover may still be desirable.
My F100 has shown some problems with the AF selector on the back. It would seem to me that the contacts between back and camera are a bit sensitive to dust. I am quite careful with my equipment and yet the "left arrow" has failed a couple of time. A quick wipe while changing film has always solved this problem.
About batteries... my F100 tends to stop rather abruptly when power gets low. My F601 (N6006) behaved differently: it would simply drag until it dropped, so to speak. Warming up the lithium battery seemed to help as well. With the F100, you have a couple of shots to detect (i.e., hear) that film advance is a little slow before it quits. Fortunately, I have developed a habit of bringing spare batteries, so I don't run into trouble.
The MB-15 grip continues to be a weird thing. First I thought it made the camera bulky, now (February 2002) it feels strange whenever I take it off. I suppose I've finally concluded I like it. Note that it takes 6 AA batteries and that most simple battery chargers accept only 4 at a time, requiring two charge cycles to recharge the lot (or an extra charger, of course).
With the SB28 I have occasionally had the "unwanted firing" problem, mostly when using an SC-17 cord. The flash will sometimes fire for no apparent reason. Since the problem is very intermittent (once without cord, twice with and countless more occasions without any problems at all), I'm not sure if sending it to Nikon would help.
February 2002: I haven't yet lost the view finder cap. A much better score than with my F601 (32 months and counting vs. 18 months).
Combining the F100 with AF-S lenses (which I didn't yet own at the time of the review), makes it even easier and faster to use. AF (in the AF-S 17-35 and AF-S 80-200 zooms that I now own) is very fast and very silent indeed.
I must agree with Patrick. My F100 dies very quickly once the battery indicator goes low, even just one notch below full. At the first sign of low battery, replace them; don't try to run it flat. The first thing I always notice is that the light meter turns off the moment you let up on the shutter button, instead of the normal 'x' seconds delay. Also, a couple of times I have had problems with the mirror locking up and the camera displaying E (as in Error). I have only found this to happen with low batteries however. Replacing them with fresh ones and releasing the shutter (as the manual says) does clear the error. Scared me the first time it happened..! Just wanted to comment on these couple of concerns. Overall, I am very pleased with this camera.
I just wanted to comment on the following:
"With the SB28 I have occasionally had the "unwanted firing" problem, mostly when using an SC-17 cord. The flash will sometimes fire for no apparent reason. Since the problem is very intermittent (once without cord, twice with and countless more occasions without any problems at all), I'm not sure if sending it to Nikon would help."
On a trip to Florida with my then F80 (passed to my son and replaced with an F100 that I had to have once I saw it for the first time and picked it up) and an SB-28 flash with the SC-17 cord my speedlight started to flash intermittently too. I first suspected that the batteries on the speedlight were probably going so that was the first thing that I replaced. But the problem still persisted. I would hear the speedlight charging up and as soon as the red light went on it would seem to have a life of its own - firing at random times. So eliminating the batteries in the speedlight as the culprit I started to suspect my SC-17 cord which I had recently purchased. I wiggled the ends of the cord around to see if it was an intermittant electrical connection and to see if I could get the flash to fire when I moved the ends of the SC-17. But I couldn't get it to fire consistantly when I wiggled the cord around. So I packed everything away until I got back home to NY. I went to B&H and purchased a second SC-17 cord and the flash still had the "unwanted firing" problem. So the cord wasn't the problem. Then while playing with the camera the battery indicator on the LCD screen went to 1/2 (indicating that the batteries were low). That was the only thing that I hadn't suspected or done anything about. The one thing that I had previously overlooked. Upon replacing the batteries with a fresh set - I could not get the flash to fire unexpectedly anymore. No matter which SC-17 cord I used (the old one or the newly purchased one). The SB-28 would charge up and not go off unexpectedly no matter how much I wiggled the cords. So I now knew that the camera's low battery condition must not have been sending out or the flash not receiving some synch electrical signal that it should have been receiving.
