Nikon F100

[hap]

Mine has a problem with focus placement button. Not all will activate. Cleaned contacts and ultimately removed the button to see if I could further improve with cleaning. Now the button can’t be returned securely. And one of focus selectors still dead.

 

[Uncle Bill]

I picked up an F100 recently an shot a couple of rolls of colour film through rolls of Ektar 100 and Portra 400, and was blown away. I own an F90 and N90s both great autofocus bodies from the 1990s, the F100 is something else entirely a total beast with the big bonus being lighter than the F5 (still want one of those). I turned around and also picked up an AF-D 28-105 and 70-210 lenses and a friend gifted me an AF-D 50 f1.8 lens.

 

[Ricoh]

Yes, so you press the door release button whilst closing the door and leave it once it is closed. Of course there is always the risk of the plastic latches breaking if you drop the camera but we shouldnt be dropping cameras on the floor anyway.

Thank you!
Flimsy corner cutting design, I would have been a bit ****** off if I’d paid full retail price back in the day.

 

[Uncle Bill]

What's not to love with the ergonomics:

Nikon F100, the latest addition to the fleet. by Bill Smith, on Flickr

 

[Photog9000]

I agree with other sentiments here on the F100. I found it to be an excellent shooter and it seems like I read somewhere that its autofocus module was the same as the F5. I bought two when I made the switch from Olympus and added the MB-15 drives. They were perfect for work when I was shooting for a small newspaper.

 

[John Bragg]

I bought my F5 first when prices were at a low. £165 in near mint condition. I paid £135 for the F100 to partner it and I love both, but the F5 simply exudes quality. The F100 is a great travel camera though.

 

[john_s]

You can set the camera to focus using the AF-ON button on the back. Then use shutter button to make a photo.

That's what I do with my Nikons. The shutter button does not alter focus so a series of portraits can be taken quickly without upsetting the focus. The only downside is that if you hand the camera to someone to take a photo, then you have to explain this to them, not always easy.

 

[splitimageview]

Love F100s, have had a few, including one when they were first released.

Nowadays I'm preferring F80/N80 for AF bodies due to the much smaller size/weight.

 

[hap]

Love F100s, have had a few, including one when they were first released.

Nowadays I'm preferring F80/N80 for AF bodies due to the much smaller size/weight.

Cannot meter manual....like my 40mm ultron. Otherwise, great camera.

 

[p.giannakis]

Love F100s, have had a few, including one when they were first released.

Nowadays I'm preferring F80/N80 for AF bodies due to the much smaller size/weight.

Do you use G-lenses with the F80? I had quite a few over the years, i liked the small size, better ergonomics and they are so quiet when compared to the F90x but all three I got they were so slow focusing my Nikkor primes (50f1.7, 50f1.4 and 35f2 - not to mention the 28-70) - I ended up keeping only the F90x. Never used it with G lenses though.

Edit: here is a video I made some time ago.
https://youtu.be/nQM6bTDH-o4

 

[ruby.monkey]

I haven't found my F100's shutter release to be particularly sensitive, but I do have a Panasonic G9 that has a release that's truly a hair trigger. I added a Lolumina stick-on soft-release which, with a little practice, makes it relatively easy to reach the half-press position without releasing the shutter by accident. I use these on both the G9 and a couple of Sony A7-series bodies and have had nothing but good experiences with them.

The soft-release comes with two bases to fit on either flat or domed shutter release buttons.

 

[splitimageview]

Cannot meter manual....like my 40mm ultron. Otherwise, great camera.

Yes, one of the compromises made with the F80/N80, lenses must be chipped in order to meter. This is about $20, a Dandelion chip will do the trick.

Another compromise is the smaller viewfinder, smaller than the N90 or F100. Not too small, just smaller, which is fine for an AF camera designed to be small and light.

The focusing screen isn’t designed for manual focusing anyway, and the green dot focusing indicator is mostly useless... 😀

It’s an AF camera for me, I don’t use manual focus lenses on it, that’s what my FE2 is for, with it’s fabulous viewfinder and FM3a focusing screen. (Nikon should have used the same screen in the Df, but I digress... )

Don’t have any G lenses...but they do work on the F80.

Ditto when I had F100s...AF only.

 

[Archlich]

The F100 lends itself especially well for MF. The K3 screen - with the tab filed off - fits perfectly. You’d have a very powerful MF platform that can match any of the larger Contax!

 

[Ricoh]

It’s a pity an ‘aperture index window‘ wasn’t incorporated into the design solution. For of us who prefer the manual focus lens it would have been more than a nicety, quite essential in fact.
Not so, and I guess Nikon in common with others in the business thought AF would be the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[splitimageview]

The F100 lends itself especially well for MF. The K3 screen - with the tab filed off - fits perfectly. You’d have a very powerful MF platform that can match any of the larger Contax!

This is good to know, thanks!