I love this camera. I started out w/a Nikon F & FTn in 1970, and have used all the professional F cameras, wll as the FM, 8008s, and N90. The F100 is like the old FTn. It's quick, quiet and rugged. I set the camera to c/w metering, manual control or Aperture, and Cs drive. It is an extension of my eye. I shoot with normal & w/a lenses, both AF and manual focus. I own 3 bodies!

I would like to see Nikon retrofit the camera w/a metal back. The in-focus green dot is tiny...I wear bifocals and it's hard to see at times.

All around great camera. Just the right weight and size for me. A street shooter's delight!

Customer Service

Good up here in the northeast. My gear gos to Nikon in Long Island. Bit pricey, but I know Nikon Techs work on the gear. I've had to send one lens in to be fixed in the last 10 years.

Similar Products Used:

F4
F5
N90
8008s

focusing build quality feel balance

matrix metering can be fooled (though see reveiw below)

Overall the best 35mm camera i have ever use and that includes the F5! Lighter and more portable than the F5 so it doesn't get left at home! Matrix pattern metering could be a bit better with back lighting though youv'e got to watch how much sky is in the frame, but you can just dip the camera down and lock it takes only a fraction of a second and is more accurate than even the RGB on the F5. Focusing with the great but massively expensive AFS lenses tops canon in my opinion, very positive and accurate with none of the errors i found in my eos 3/5 which i dumped. No flame just personal experience! Handling is simple and quick as it should be on a camera of this price the technology seems to sit quietly in the background rather than being in your face which i like. I've got two and i love them it's the only camera i've been able to photograph motorbike road racing with with any great degree of sucsess so that speaks for the focusing power of the camera. AA alkaline batteries don't last too long rechargables are a better bet other than that she's perfect and gets the job done every time indoor flash photgraphy (museums and suchlike where you can't use a tripod)is the icing on the cake the balance between background and foregroung light is incredible. On the whole the best you can't go wrong.
Enjoy.

Customer Service

required first week returned within three days and never a problem since!

Similar Products Used:

nikon f5 canon eos3

Pick a any feature, it's a strength of this incredible SLR.

One minor one, I would like to have seen the MB-15( the add-on vertical grip/battery pack) to have boosted the fps rate a little more than half a frame per second (4.5 --> 5.0)

Before the review, just a quick note to the reviewer below, Canon's E-TTL flash is just their version of Nikon's 3D Matrix Balanced Fill Flash. In my opinion, this is the best camera ever made (Canon AE-1 is a close second). Some might disagree and say that the F5 is, but all in all, especially where value is concerned. They say that the F5's RGB color meter is a thousand times more accurate than the F100's 10 segment Matrix meter. Wrong. I've tested both extensively, and the F100's meter is just as good as the F5's 99.9% of the time. They also say that the autofocus is faster in the F5 than the F100. Maybe, but the difference is so little(especially with the AF-S lenses) that I'm not even sure that the speed can be tested in increments that small. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that the F5 is an incredible machine, well deserving of all the honors and accolades it's received, but in my humble opinion, the F100 more than holds it's own. So buy the F100, save the 7 or 8 hundred dollars and use it to buy the best lenses Nikon has to offer. Because if you think about it, the light that is recorded on film never actually touches the camera, just the lens (and the film of course!). I hope I was able to help somebody! Good Shooting!

Customer Service

Not needed, probably never will, this is a rock. I've seen pros abuse this camera day in and day out, and it holds up just as well as the F5

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F5
Nikon N80
Nikon N90s
Canon AE-1 (the best manual SLR ever) (if you are or know some just getting into photography, get a used AE-1 into their hands, they'll love it)

Excellent construction,
quality materials
custom settings
photo secretary software

loud depth of field preview, auto focus is not as quick and accurate as N90s.
some dials too small and not easily accessible

I am a new user to the F100 but have been shooting Nikon for 10 years. I have to admit, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I was going to be. I used an N70 for 5 years and really enjoyed it- then I moved up to an N90s and I was really impressed with it's autofocus ability and good handling. With the F100 however, I have noticed the autofocus is somewhat inferior to my N90s. The N70 and N90s have a different focus system than the F100. They have wide and spot focus areas in the center of the view finder. I have NEVER had a problem with the autofocus "hunting and seeking" like my F100 does in low light. I believe it is due to the very small focus areas on the F100. Other than this, I like the feel of the body and it's weight. I think it's got some really good features, and I'm glad Nikon dropped all the goofy auto programs from the camera menu.
Also looking forward to hooking up to Photosecretary software. Though i must say that the prices for this software- a single cd rom- 169.00 is absolute highway robbery!!! and 119.00 for the cord to connect it!!! A cord!!! I guess they know I'll pay it...

Customer Service

na

Similar Products Used:

N90s
N70
F4s

Very sharp focus (try it with an S lens). Nice layout and easy access to all camera features. Excellent feel in hand. Robust, tough and sturdy body construction. A pleasure to shoot with!

No MLU. (Not that important on such a robust and sturdy camera) Also, wished the back would've been diecast.

An excellent professional camera. (Prices have come down a lot. - Do price searches on the Internet. There are lots of deals.)

Similar Products Used:

F5, Canon A2, Minolta 9x

Well-built, very fast focusing and drive, flexible and easy-to-reach controls, and all that...

Limited flash control (needs to work with dedicated Nikon units) - no flash exposure compensation like on F70.
But that's pretty well the ONLY drawback.

This is the body I went with after 3+ years with the F70 body. It has proven itself to be perfectly capable in all situations, all of the controls that I need are exactly where they should be, and lets me compose and set everything significantly faster than the F70 could ever hope to. It was definately worth the wait as it filled the gap between the F90 (which wasn't flexible enough) and the F5 (which was too expensive for me).

I also like the heft of it (with the MB-15 grip), as it gives me a bit more confidence and stability. Too bad the vertical grip doesn't have the second wheel, though. Not a biggie.

However, the only gripe I have is that the F100 needs a high-end flash to work with it if you want to do some flash exposure compensation. This means that I need an SB-26 or SB-28, but with the F70 I can use my cheap Metz 28AF-4 quite nicely. But that's a small thing, since most people who get the F100 won't have any concerns in shelling out $400+ for a flash - as I will have to do soon.

In any case, this is pretty well the ideal body that I would want without having to shell out even more for the F5. Now my F70 isn't being used, which means it'll be up on eBay real soon as I only need one camera body (but more lenses - primes, not zooms).

Customer Service

Not needed...

Similar Products Used:

F70
Dad's old semi-auto Pentax

Very rugged, super fast autofocus operation, bracketing, 5 spot areas, three differente metering modes, spot, center and matrix. Very Fast at 5 fps with the battery grip.Autofocus in dim light or low light is incredible.

None

If you're are looking for a reliable camera this is the one. It is definetely build for heavy duty work, a thruly professional camera. Cheap for all the benefits you get with this camera.
Congratulations Nikon, you did it again!!!!!!!

Customer Service

Never needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N90s
Nikon F4s

*Good eye relief for the older folks using glasses.
*"Road hugging weight"(it really feels good in your hands, and seems to reduce vibration).
*SOLID build
*Despite all the features, it is easy to use.
*Fits my hands and is easier to use than smaller, lighter cameras.
*Quality appearance and feel
*Uses AA batteries

Nothing significant, but some of the controls are on the small side.

A great, quality camera that simply gives me better pictures than I have gotten before. I really tried to talk myself into buying the N80, but after using a freind's F100, I knew I would never be happy with the N80 despite all its virtues. The F100 viewfinder is a godsend to my older eyes. I am using the Nikkor 28-105 and an old AI 50mm f/1.4. The pictures give me a BIG smile. I initially thought the F100 would be overkill for me, but it isn't and it is easily mastered. It really is a joy to use. Easily a five star camera.

Customer Service

Have never needed

Similar Products Used:

Own or have owned the FE, FG, Minolta 700si, Pentax ME Super, Canon 7e

Great feel in my hands. Fast, images jump out at you. All controls exactly where I need them. All functions necessary for people and outdoor photography.

Some of the Flash controls are too small. When using the compensation feature its hard to hold the button and control the front and rear controls

Great camera. Like it more than the F5 which feels bulky in my hands

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 6006
Nikon 8008
Other F-100
Hasselblad

Vey solid contruction.
Great feel in ones hand.
Large and Bright view finder.
Fast autofocus.
Abiltiy to use your old Nikon manual focus lenses.

The only weaknesss for me was the inability to see the aperature reading through the viewfinder when using manual focus lenses. Otherwise none. This is a great camera.

A great SLR camera. If your considering Nikon this is the camera to buy. This camera provides complete manual mode for those who like full control of over their photos and full automatic mode for those with less experience. The ability to use old manual focus lenses is another bonus (not available in their lower end autofous cameras). In addition the autofocus system and metering in this camea is fast and accurate. In summary if you are looking for a great great SLR camera , look no further, buy the F 100 (you will not regret it).

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

Contax N1
Nikon FE2
Contax G2