Fast, Sturdy, lighter then the f5

Focus selector does not work well anymore. (maybe I just need to clean the contacts as mentioned below?)

I bought this camera last year. I had always admired my friends F4 and I had sort of peeked with what I could do using my 6006. I was torn between the F5, F100, and N90s. I choose the F100 because I travel a lot and it was lighter while still haveing 98% of the features of the F5 and I liked the metal construction of the F100 better then the plastic of the N90. When compareing both the N90s & F100 with the grip the 100 seemed to fit in my hand better.

I had thought I was just haveing trouble getting the hang of this camera having not used it heavly. However after a recent trip to Hawaii, I think that I am experenceing some of the exposer problems mentioned in other reviews. Too bad it is just out of warenty..... :-(

I was shooting out in the snow two weeks ago and now my focus area selector does not seem to want go to the left side anymore. (maybe the contact just needs to be cleaned?)

I have not noticed the batt problem that many seem to complain about but I also have always had the extra grip on it. I replace the batts about every 4-6 months. I only average 1-2 rolls a week.

So far this has been a good solid camera, it has all the features I wanted and a few more that maybe I will use down the road if I ever start shooting heavly again?

I would not recomend this camera to everyone. But then again I think the price alone deters many. If your looking at a camera in this price range, I would deffently recomend it. Though with the recent price drop of the F5 it may become harder to justify? (espically after you buy the grip.)

Up until recently I have been very happy with this camera. It is very sturdy and has traveled all over the country with me. I have seen many complain about the weight. Though it is heaver then the F4 it is still lighter then the F5. And when using a 80-200 2.8 nikor (my favorite lens) the little extra weight does not really add up to much!

Customer Service

Not used for this camera yet, but has been good in the past.

Similar Products Used:

F5, N90, N70, 6006, F4

Perfect layout, perfect ergonomics, very good focus, very good build quality

No mirror lock up option, tends to slightly underexpose if strongly backlit.

Strength: Very top notch camera. Extremely well built, very well spec'ed for actual use, and devoid of fluff. Very high performance under actual shooting conditions. Actual shooting performance is only fully matched by the F-5. Even EOS-1V falls short in low light AF area.
Weaknesses: No mirror lock up, No film leader option, Battery grip is expensive and shabby, won't highlight automatically selected AF points.
Who Should Use: People who wants a solid, high performance camera for picture taking.
Who Shouldn't Use: People who wants to brag about the niftiness of the latest marketing gimmick.

Customer Service

Slow but thorough. Took 5 weeks to fix a problem, but recalibrated everything, cleaned the thing inside out. replaced a slightly smudged but undamaged mirror just for the hell of it.

Similar Products Used:

F5, N90s, N80, N70, N6006, N50, FM, FE, EOS-1V, EOS-3, F-1N, T-90 Maxxum 9, Maxxum 7.

solid beauty of a camera. Works perfectly every time it is handled. Results are outstanding.

none to really speak of.

I get well exposed, sharp, clean shots with my F100, 18-35 3.5,4.5 and SB-28. Camera is smooth, reliable and comfortable to use. Clearly laid out and simple to master. Can be used in a variety of ways which can appeal to photographers of all types.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Olympus OM-1, OM-2, Nikon FM2n, F3HP, N90s, N70

Fast AF, accurate and almost perfect metering, fast enough winder, quite light body, good handling, large features list

No mirror lock, no RGB metering (don't really know if this is a disadvantage as the new matrix metering is very good), PB-15 quality not as good as it could be (compared to F4s eg.)

Really good camera for all types of use; no need for F5; outperforms any competetor.

Customer Service

never needed in +13 years with Nikon equipment!

Similar Products Used:

F801(s), F4s, Eos 1N, F5

Responsive AF
Great ergonomics
Well specified and well built

None

Regardless of brands, this is simply one of the best cameras on the market. Cannot understand why it got ratings lower than 4 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F2AS, F3, F4, F5
EOS 620, EOS 50E

Fast focusing, good grip, use of AA battery, lot to explore.

none

After using manual cameras, F100 has serverd my very well, especially with fas focusing. I've had for about 4 months now and only complain is the custom setting, with out manual, it is little difficult to know what your custome settings are. but thats miner compared to what it can do.

Customer Service

Never used it.

Similar Products Used:

FE, FM2

Strong body, great controls, swift action, flash control, viewfinder (ohhhh......)

Power consumption, weird lock-ups, film winder was replaced twice

Well, It's a real Nikon. Sturdy body, incredible metering, fast film advance. Long lasting competition with Canon finally was materialized in super AF action and ergonomic body (just remember those yucky controls in F3-F4). Everything in this camera works just as I expected except some completely unexpected lock-ups described by others. It cost me few vital shots. Another grip would be the excessive power consumption, which is directly related to the mid-roll rewind glitch. This one is not as dangerous as a lock-up but could make you to say quite a few f*** words. Surprisingly, but I had to replace take-in film winder twise because for some reason it gets worn out fast. Except these things, F100 a best upper-class Nikon yet. Without mentioned problems I would give it all 10 stars.

Customer Service

pretty good

Similar Products Used:

F90x, F3, F4, EOS 1, modern Nikon horror called N80 (sheesh...)

-Accurate Metering
-Rugged Metal Construction
-Dynamic AF
-Fast AF, Fast & Quiet Motor
-When used without the vertical grip it's lighter than F5
-Manual ISO override

-Regardless of motor drive shooting mode, shutter release tends to fire continuously in extreme cold temperature.
-AF Servo Mode selection switch is to small, not very ergonomically located
-Only 96% film coverage in the Viewfinder
-"Persistent Type" self timer switch - tend to forget to turn it off if you only want to use it once
-No "on-board" eyepiece shutter
-Dynamic AF does not seem to work that well with non AF-S lenses
-Vertical grip's material is hardly of pro-quality material; certainly not a match for the body's material.
-Extremely limited Databack capability; only able to print date/time info and nothing else.

Metering is very accurate.
Took about 30 rolls of shots using my F100 outdoors in cold temperature at -15 to -25 Celcius (roughly 10 Fahrenheit), although the shooting mode was set to "S", 90% of the time the shutter release would continue to fire until I lift my finger up.
No similar problem experienced when shooting indoors.
For the price, I expect Nikon to at least put in an on-board eyepiece shutter like the N-90S.
All in all it's a good body for serious amateurs, or as a backup body for professionals.
Beginners will probably get more "bang for the buck" by going with the F80 (N80 in the U.S.)

Customer Service

- Haven't tried

Similar Products Used:

- Nikon: F5, F90S, F80, F50, FA (Backup)
- Canon: EOS-1
- Contax: RTS-3

Well constructed, fits hand well(with MB-15 grip), great metering.

MB-15 construction not as good as body, but seems OK.

I have been using this camera for a couple months now. I love this camera. I never thought any thing would replace my beloved N90s, but it is now my back-up camera, and seldom used. I had debated on whether to buy another N90s or spend the extra $350 for the F100. Glad I got the F100.
Body without the MB-15 grip seemed short and fat in my hands, and left my little finger hanging in space. Grip made it fit perfect. AF, when used, is extremely fast, and accurate. Have not gotten used to the five focus points yet.
Lack of mirror lock-up is not a problem for me as I rarely have need of it. I think the F100 is a little quieter in use, but a little noisier in the rewind mode, when compared to the N90s. Switching from N90s posed no significant problems. Buttons and switches in slightly different locations, but well-marked and easy to figure out, maybe easier than the N90s when I first started using them.
I have had none of the often cited problems such as over-, or underexposure, and no lockups. The first time I mounted the SB-28 on the camera, it started flashing about once every two seconds. I shut down both the flash and body and restarted, not a single problem since. I now leave the body off when mounting the flash, then turn the body on and then the flash. Don't know if this has anything to do with it or not.
I would highly recommend this camera to the professional, or advanced amateur photog, and the price is actually starting to come down.

Customer Service

None required on any of my Nikon gear, ever. Canon is another story.

Similar Products Used:

N90s, F70, FE-2, F3HP, D1, Canon EOS 1, A2E

Build
Price (compared to F5)
Ergonomics
Features
Meter
Fast AF
Weight

Not as rugged as the F5 (though much more so than EOS 1whatever).
Vertical grip not as well built as the camera

Not that much to add to what the other reviews says, this is F5's younger brother. It has some features the F5 lacks (like - optional- automatic film rewind at the end of the roll and red active AF point). It does not have the tank-like build of the F5 but then not the weight either. Metering, AF, ergonomics etc is top notch.

Buy this camera if you are a serious photographer and you think the F5 is too expensive or heavy.
If you can afford it it's definitly preferable over the F80 ("N80" in the US).

I've had no problems with my F100 at all with about 130 rolls through it.

You do want the vertical grip/battery pack. Don't buy the body without it.

Only gripe I have is that the battery pack is weaker than the body, only noticable when you have the body attached to the tripod.
This camera is cheap compared to what you get, if you can at all afford it - don't get anything smaller. Great camera.

Customer Service

Never had to use

Similar Products Used:

F, F2, F3, F5 and others