Introduction

The Nikon F100 35mm film SLR was introduced in 1999 and in production until 2006. It was marketed as a high-end 35mm film SLR with autofocus for amateurs and professionals. For many who consider the Nikon F5 as too big and the Nikon F6 as too expensive the F100 is their AF film camera of choice. As I am writing this review, it is a very sought-after camera.

Review

The Nikon F100 uses Nikon’s F-mount and is therefore compatible with almost all Nikon F lenses ever produced. It is not possible to stop down E-lenses like the Nikon 105mm f/1.4, but you can use them at their maximum aperture. Here are some key specifications:

35mm film SLR
viewfinder with ~96% coverage and diopter correction
Multi-CAM1300 with 5 AF-sensors (like the F5)
ISO range from 6 to 6.400
4.5 frames per second
Modes: P, A, S, M
Matrix metering with 10 segments
flash sync 1/250 (no i-TTL)
top LCD Panel
power supply: four AA batteries
Weight ~880g with batteries

Build Quality and Design

The Nikon F100 is a well-built tool, although it feels significantly less solid than a Nikon F6 or Nikon F5. The button layout is convenient and easy to use but lacks the flexibility and accessibility a Nikon F6 offers.

Everything else about the F100 is pretty much standard Nikon and the control layout is a mix of a Nikon N90 and a Nikon F6. It works out.

Two flaws of the F100 stem from certain plastic parts. The battery cage and the plastic rewind coupling fork. The latter is an essential part of the camera that is impossible to repair without replacing it. Having it made out of plastic is bad news – especially when considering that these cameras are approaching the 20-year mark.

Nikon F100 film chamber with DX-code reader

Auto-Focus

The Nikon F100 uses the same AF system as the Nikon F5 and it therefore performs very similarly. Single AF works very well, especially the center-point.

The AF-points are all centered in the middle of the frame, so the F6 has the edge here.

When I sacrificed a film to test C-AF, I found that that the F100 performs equally well in Continuous High and Continuous Low.

The F100 combined with the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 was used for the following AF Continuous High test:

Metering and Flash Metering

Employing a 10 segment matrix metering system, the F100’s metering is reliable enough for all applications. Strong back-lit situations confuse the meter, it is not infallible (no meter is). On the right side of the viewfinder hump is a switch to set the camera to spot-, center-weighted or matrix metering.

Again, I have to draw a comparison to the Nikon F6, which is far superior regarding metering.

Although it makes use of advanced TTL flash metering, it is important to note that this is not Nikon’s i-TTL system, but the predecessor. This might hamper compatibility with new, third-party flashes.

Performance and Usability

The Nikon F100 is a camera that you can take out of the box and start shooting with. Its controls are easy to understand and when paired with Nikon AF-D or newer lenses, it is a solid tool and even up to professional tasks.

It does not handle and feel like a contemporary DSLR, though. It is almost there, but not quite. This is hard to describe, but when you pick it up to try it, you’ll understand what I mean.

The good thing is that it is smaller and lighter than new DSLRs (e.g. D700). It is a great camera for the demanding, traveling film photographer.

I imagine it is a great camera to toss into one’s camera bag alongside a Nikon DSLR, just to shoot some frames on film whenever one feels like it.

The fact that it runs on AA-batteries is also important for the traveling photographer – this type of batteries can be bought anywhere.

In order to configure the 22 custom settings of the camera, you have to bring the manual or memorize the codes. This is very similar to the Nikon F5.

One option the F100 lacks which I find very annoying is to set it to leave the film leader out when rewinding. As I do process B/W film myself, this is very inconvenient.

Conclusion

There are online debates on whether the F100 is a professional or an advanced enthusiast camera. While these discussions are mostly irrelevant, they capture the feeling I have about the F100.

On the one hand, it is perfectly capable of professional photography and gets the job done. On the other hand, there are some intangible things missing to give you the feeling that this is the ultimate camera you can always rely on.

I consider this camera perfect for Nikon shooters who want to shoot a roll of film from time to time or for photographers who want to document their life on film but not rely on point and shoot or manual focus cameras.

In case you want to regularly shoot professional assignments on film, I’d rather buy a Nikon F5 (almost the same price and more durable) or the modern F6.

Nikon F100