Fast AF. Very good light metering and compatibility with old manual lenses. Great egronomy (with or without MB-15).

Heavy knocking mirror. No mirror lock-up function.

Great camera. Precise and fast.

Customer Service

???

Similar Products Used:

F90x, AF 50/1,4D, AF 20/2,8D, Sigma 180/3,5 EX Macro, SB-29s,

I love the spot metering, which neither of my older cameras had, the 5-segment focus area, the more granular exposure compensation, starting from .3, .5 and 1 stop inrements.

I miss the MF21 Multi control back of the 801. I also miss the conventional screw-type cable release. I had 2 conventional screw-type cable releases, one of them being a long roll of may be several hundred yards. The F100 is not compatible with neither of them. Nikon also chose not make an adaptor like they did for the 801. The cable release for the F100 is not more than 2 feet or so I heard, or you must buy an expensive set of remote control/ receiver unit. I also hate the noise made by the depth-of-field preview. But I don't regret, since the only alternative would have been the F5, which would be a real waste, since I don't make money out of photography, so far.

I had an AF801 as well as an FE. I was very happy with both of them, specially the 801, with the MF21 Multi control back. Neither of them never let me down. The 801 is rather old and cannot take advantage of the latest electronics in lens and as well as flash technology. I had to buy a new camera and it had to be a Nikon, because I had lots of lenses and simply could not afford to start from scratch. Also I have a special affection for Nikon brand, even though other brands like Cannon, Minolta may be as good in every aspect or better.

Customer Service

Never had any real problem with neither of my cameras. Only once I asked the Nikon agent to remove the dust from the mirror of my FE and they did without charging anything.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FE, AF801

high flash sync 1/250 very good autofocus (better than N80 right and left sensors) uses AA batteries. MB-15 grip very useful with vertical grip. AF drive works better (seems less strained) with pro grade lenses than N80. Compatible with a wide range of lenses including many legacy manual focus ones. Generally rugged construction

>>mediocre film door seal against dust - noticable when hiking in Arizona. >>MF-29 multifunction back is a joke compared to the one offered for F-5, N90s, and the discontinued Minolta X-700. >>No mirror lock up (mirror dampening appears to be above average though. No built-in fill flash for convenience (prefer shoe mount units....sometimes not convenient have one mounted all the time). >>No built-in shutter blind unlike F-5 and Xd-11. removable blind does easy to lose unlike the removable blind for the X-700 which stays more securely on the camera strap

Very good,sturdy camera (dust seals excepted). I needed the MB-15 grip to provide better balance when using heavier glass and to provide better control for vertical shots such as 10k road races. Shooters with smaller hands probably won't need or want the grip. Controls layout very good. Easy to alternate between F100 and N80 as needed. I bought this unit after I had purchased the N80 and the F100 price dropped from $1300 to $1000(the Pronea 6i was a purchased as a close-out item). There is a noticable difference between fill flash finish line shots with 1/250 flash sync (F100)versus 1/125 (N80) (and 1/180 for Pronea 6i). I'm looking at buying a digital SLR later this year and the flash sync is one of the critical specs. Multifunction back: I should have looked into this more closely- it wasn't a priority at time of purchase . Even the backs for the N90s and the old Minolta X-700 seem to be much more capable than the MF-29 that is offered for the F100 in terms of long exposure/sequenced exposure . I couldn't get Nikon (via their website) to clarify whether or not the back would provide date/time data for the Photo Secretary package. If it could do that simple task I might still consider getting the MF-29 and the expensive software.

Customer Service

Could not capably fix Pronea 6i shutter problem under warranty (light streaks in picture in daylight above 1/180 shutter speed). Could fix front element on 80-200/f2.8 when filter shattered for a price ($250-300) within a month. Customer communication out of NY sub-par (slow) compared to other vendors I have dealt with. No response to product capability inquiries (MF-29/Photo Secretary)

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80,Nikon pronea 6i, Minolta X-700,Minolta XD-11

Superb quality and feel Fast/Accurate AF Wide array of functions

No Mirror Lock-up (not that big of a deal)

I am a fine arts photographer who was looking for a capable camera in many areas. A magnessium alloy body was a big plus. I also wanted access to Digital SLRs. This pretty much left Canon and Nikon to choose from. I originally had a Canon Elan 7 and was fairly disappointed. I didn't have the money for a EOS 1V, thus could only afford the EOS 3. While this camera seemed to be good, in comparisson the the F100 it just didn't seem to cut it. So I decided to sell all my equipment and start anew with a F100. Let me tell you, I couldn't be happier with a 35mm camera. I won't bother listing all the techical positives and negatives, I would go to a professional review site for that, but think it important to make my experience known. I will state that I did get burned buying a Tamron 28-300mm lens for my Canon and hated the lens. For this reason I purchase only nikkor primes. I miss zooming, but the control over the Depth of Field, the size and the quality of my 24mm f/2.8D, 50mm f1.8D and 105mm f/2.8D Micro lenses are difficult to beat in a zoom.

matrix metering, 5 point AF selection, fast AF, great viewfinder, flash handling.

none

I use the camera for underwater photography. Great tool, especially for macro shooting. The matrix mode, and the flash handling is just perfect

Customer Service

I don't know

Physical build and ergonomics superb. When working, nothing to fault provided you keep your wits about you, not asking the metering systems to do teh impossible.

Questionable reliability of electronics compared with Nikon's manual focusing bodies whose pedigree is unrepraoachable. No manual remote cable release (aka F80)

Having owned and used Nikon FM and FE2 manual bodies since they were first introduced end '70's/early '80's, I somewhat reluctantly elected to switch to autofocus because of eyesight degredation in my early 50's. Being used to Nikons built like tanks (my FM having bounced down a mountainside with no damage other than minor cosmetics), I elected to buy the F100 as opposed to other plastic offerings. After shooting only 5 rolls of film, the display panel started to flicker like christmas tree lights before dying on me. Nikon UK's service centre quoted minimum 6 weeks for repair, though eventually reduced this to 2 weeks, only after my protestation about needing my camera in due time for birth of my daughter. They replaced a faulty power printed circuit board, but tried to sting me for GBP 180 repairs because the camera was 1 week outside warranty. I argued that Nikons were built to last longer by reputation, quoting 20 plus years' trouble-free operation of my manual focus FM. Nikon UK eventually caved in, waiving the charge. After that experience, I somehow never felt like trusting the electonic camera any more, selling the F100 and buying an FM3A, using my tried and tested MF lenses. Sure I'd love to have a more technically-advanced AF Nikon, but can I rely on them? So far, more than 60 films shot with my FM3A and no problem. Moral of the story - the purists are right - MF Nikons are more reliable than AF - even if it takes longer to set up and some wastage of film will occur because of focusing errors etc., especially as you get older. Shame really, because when it worked, the F100 was a delight to hold and use.

Customer Service

Overloaded - repair times reflect understaffing or fact that too many bits of kit need repair compared with previous manual kit which was/is unquestionably more reliable, for the experienced amateur or pro to consider.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM, FE

Lightweight, weather-resistent, metering

No manual film rewind and Nikon repair run-around

Have owned the F100 for 2 1/2 years. Had a number of serious problems for the first six months of operation. First the lens release button had no pressure when touched by my hand or finger once causing a 28-70S lense to drop from the camera - repair bill from Nikon $900. When I spoke to Nikon about this they shined me on. Next the electronics failed to operate in the camera, causing the film to not rewind. This happened during a month long assignment in the jungles of Central America. A design fault in the camera is that there is no way to rewind the film into the cassette without the motor rewind. The F5 has a manual crank. So therefore I was stuck having to find a dark place to take the film out since I had'nt brought a film changing bag. I attempted to reach Nikon repair from the telephone and was continually put on hold and no-one appeared to have interest in helping me. Also during this period the camera was inconsident in proper exposure. When returning to the USA I sent the camera to Nikon for repair, I received it back in two months. The lense release button now has proper tension and the camera makes perfect exposures. Even though the camera was still in Nikon warrantee I had to pay a repair bill of $575. I have owned Nikon cameras since 1968, and still have the FTN's and F2's that I used as a photojournalist in Vietnam, and they still work perfectly. I have never had a problem with a Nikon until the F100. This was my first experience with Nikon repair and frankly they stink. My suggestion is if you are a pro pay the extra dough a buy a F5 or if you want the F100, buy two of them. If you don't make you living as a photographer travelling to remote locations the camera will probably serve you well. I'm placing an order today for a Nikon F3A to carry in my pack to replace the Nikon F2 I bought in 1972 as my manual backup.

Customer Service

Lousy if you are a pro and need assistance now. After my experience with Nikon repair I now understand why a lot of long time Nikon users have bailed and gone with Canon. However I am staying with Nikon because I believe I either was sold a defective camera from the get-go or this was not the camera for me.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F4 & F5

Versatile, fast, accurate and lightweight. Batteries do it longer than with the F5, some 50 films with mb-15!

AF sometimes struggles a bit, nothing really bad. Battery power indication is a bit confusing...

I bought this camera as a second body to the F5`s. It`s soon become indispensable due to its versatility: if you need fast and reliable operation, mount the mb-15; if you are shooting people that aren`t used to cameras pointed at them, take off the mb-15... It`s as simple as that! Overall, this piece of metal works in every situation, although it isn`t fully built of metal like the F5. I`ve taken it on a 10-hour outdoor shooting in heavy rain and it worked without a wimp. AF is fast and reliable, the metering is accurate and you have the choice between spot, centerweighted and matrix metering. Latter is quite useful for point-and-shoot things, it does a good job in most situations(and I use reversal film most of the time). Some photographers reported problems with the af selector pad...I haven`t had said problem yet. I think this body is a good choice for an addictinal body for pros and it`s surely the right tool for sophisticated amateurs with some solid knowledge behind them.I wouldn`t recommend it for beginners because there are quite a lot of functions and buttons so you really have to know what you want and what you`re doing.

Customer Service

No problems with the guys yet...

Similar Products Used:

F5, FM2, FE, F80

Superb handling and ease of use Workmanship Superb focusing and metering

None

After many years of having a Pentax System (Super-Program, ZX-5n)with just a few lens (28mm, 28-80mm, 50mm & 80-200), I decided to buy a system that both my wife (who likes photography) and I could enjoy in our retirement years ahead. After much study in magazines, books, reviewing sites as well as talking to others, I decided on a Nikon system. My first purchase was the F100 Body along with a 28-105 & 70-300 ED Lens. From the very first time I used this camera I fell in love with it. It is very intuitive, wonderful to hold, superb in focusing and metering (right-on-spot)and has an excellent and sturdy frame. In over a year of shooting, it has not disappointed me one iota! Nikon, I feel, makes the very best camera equipment on the market today -- bar-none. Since that time, I have purchased an F5 for myself as well as several more lens, accessories etc. I am still learning the multi-functionality of these cameras and enjoying every minute of it! Perhaps the thing that impresses me most is the superb workmanship of Nikon which carries over to their servicing dept. When I had a problem with a couple of their Close-Up Lens (5T & 6T), they immediately shipped me two replacements -- no questions asked! Although I have Pentax Equipment and enjoy using it occassionally because of it's light weight and portability -- my true love is my Nikon equipment.

Customer Service

Excellent - quick, very receptive to concern and very prompt to take action on replacement of Close-up filter discoloration problem.

Similar Products Used:

F5 Pentax ZX-5n Super-Program

I like the overall feel and balance of the F100. Also, it has great spot metering and the shutter speed is also fast enough for what I do.

None that I know of....

Great camera. I had an N8008 for many years, and I decided to step up. I could not afford the F5, so the F100 was more in my price range, although its a little pricey also, I could not shell out another 1000.00 or more.

Customer Service

Hevent dealt with them.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N8008