Nikon F100 or F5?

PeteZ8 · Apr 22, 2008

Looking for a nice AF Nikon body to compliment my d*****l stuff. Size and weight are of no concern as I would likely get the external winder for the F100 anway (I like the vertical release). I have heard the F5 is a battery killer, but I rarely would shoot more than two or three rolls in a day so that does not matter.

I think I am pretty much sold on getting an F5, but is it worth the extra money? In similar condition the F5 is fetching about $200 more than a nice F100.

AutumnJazz · Apr 22, 2008

I haven't used an F5, but I love my F100.

PhotoJim · Apr 22, 2008

The F5 is not that horrible on batteries, especially if you use lithiums. It does use more battery power than the F100 does, but I haven't found the consumption to be excessive.

I have both cameras. I got the F100 new. I love the camera. The ability to take off the MB-15 is nice when size and weight is an issue.

The F5 handles just as nicely. All the controls are in the same place, which makes moving back and forth between the cameras really simple. The autofocus is slightly better, but not dramatically so. The motor drive is much faster, but that's not always significant.

One thing I like about the F100 over the F5 is the viewfinder. When you manually select a focus point on the F100, it turns red and is quite easy to see. On the F5, if you have the right focusing screen the point turns dark grey, which is fairly easy to see in the daylight but in darker conditions is not so easy. There are also arrows that point to the sensor from the side of the frame, but I don't find them to be all that intuitive.

I like my F5 better than my F100... but the F100 is not bad. What will your second Nikon be? (Every film Nikon shooter should have at least a pair of bodies, I think. Different films, different lenses...). If you are short on money, buying a pair of F100s might serve you better than having a single F5. If you already have a nice Nikon body, then the F5 might just be perfect.

John Koehrer · Apr 22, 2008

Petez8
The accessory grip is not a winder. It's makes the f100 balance better.

There were only five differences in the two.

1.color matrix metering(F5) vs B&W(F100)
2.100% viewfinder(F5)
3.Interchangeable prisms/finders(F5)
4.faster advance(F5)
5.mirror lockup(F5)

That's about all the difference there is as far as features go When I was peddling these things new it was about $1000 difference in price. Now it's $200 no big deal, get one of each.

I personally preferred the F100 for the size & weight advantage. I'm thinking the addition of the battery pack speed up the advance on the F100 a tad bit also but it's been too long.

PeteZ8 · Apr 22, 2008

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry to say, this WILL be my 2nd Nikon body. I still shoot mostly di***** and will continue to do so. I just have very little time for shooting lately and the workflow for electronic forums is much faster and cheaper. Darkroom time and film processing is just too time consuming to do all of the time. I very much enjoy it when I can. When I really want to slow down I'm in the process of putting together a 4x5". The 35mm will fill the gap between them.

I currently am shooting film on the infamous Pentax K1000, but since I am shooting Nikon AF in that "other" format, I figure it only makes sense to buy a body that will be useable with my lens investments for that. The F100 and F5 both seem to have similar handling to my D200, which is a nice feature.

Thanks again for your replies, and it is good to get a subjective comparison from someone who owns both. I think the F100 is starting to look like the better choice

PeteZ8 · Apr 22, 2008

John, we posted at the same time. Do you find the color matrix metering to be more accurate? Framerate is not a huge issue to me for film.

I had forgotton about the lack of a mirror lockup, but I'm not sure it's worth $200 alone.

AutumnJazz · Apr 22, 2008

A bit off topic, but I was wondering, how does the F6 compare to the F5?

PhotoJim · Apr 22, 2008

John Koehrer said:
Im thinking the addition of the battery pack speed up the advance on the F100 a tad bit also but it's been too long.

You remember correctly.

F100 - 4.5 fps
F100 + MB-15 - 5.0 fps
F5 - 7.3 fps
F5 with Nikon NiMH battery pack (not NiMH AAs) - 8 fps

keithwms · Apr 22, 2008

PeteZ8 said:
Looking for a nice AF Nikon body to compliment my d*****l stuff. Size and weight are of no concern as I would likely get the external winder for the F100 anway (I like the vertical release). I have heard the F5 is a battery killer, but I rarely would shoot more than two or three rolls in a day so that does not matter.

I think I am pretty much sold on getting an F5, but is it worth the extra money? In similar condition the F5 is fetching about $200 more than a nice F100.

Okay let me just vent a bit here

Every now and somebody posts a question: should I buy this, or should I buy that?

And we don't know what that person shoots, how they shoot or what they value most in a body. Or what their kit budget is. These are things that obviously should go into a decision (and into our advice too!)

Both are fine cameras, and the right one for you will depend on many things. Note too that neither option is exclusive of the other- quite a few folks have both. They are simply quite different bodies, and the pros/cons of their feature sets were discussed ad nauseum on various sites. You ultimately have to decide for yourself what you need... or get both and try 'em out!

RE: MLU, I thought I'd miss it on the F100 but I do not. That thing has a superdamped mirror or something, I have gotten plenty of acceptable shots well below 1/60. Almost no slap.

OverlordXenu, the F6 very similar to the D200 body, if you are familiar with that.

Pinholemaster · Apr 23, 2008

I owned two F5 cameras. When the F100 came out, I bought 3. These cameras are different tools. Ultimately I sold the F5's because I wasn't using their high end abilities. The F100's suited my client's needs, and my back much better.

If you need to shoot a lot of sports action. Get the F5 camera. If you need a smaller footprint in front of your subject, or just don't need the weight around your neck and shoulders, get the F100.

If I had the money, though, I'd also get rid of my F100's and buy two F6 bodies. Unfortunately all my clients want digital, so for them I use the D300, and have no money to spend on my preferred F6 choice.

PhotoJim · Apr 23, 2008

keithwms said:
Every now and somebody posts a question: should I buy this, or should I buy that?

And we don't know what that person shoots, how they shoot or what they value most in a body. Or what their kit budget is. These are things that obviously should go into a decision (and into our advice too!)

That's exactly why I very seldom actually say what a person should buy. My answer in this thread gives compelling reasons to buy either camera. It's up to the original poster to decide which reasons are more compelling for him.

Nicole · Apr 23, 2008

I always suggest that you rent/hire the cameras you are comparing and choose from there. I bought an old second hand F100 four years ago without any bells and whistles and still find it a very useful tool for some of my work. That's all it is, a good tool. GAS is overrated. Pete, if you can, run a couple of rolls through each camera you are comparing and see how you go. Good luck.

GraemeMitchell · Apr 23, 2008

I shoot F5s on a regular basis. The main weakness of the F5 imo compared to modern pro cameras is the AF. It's fast, sure, and 12 years ago was tops, but by todays standards it's dated. Mostly b/c there's only 5 points and they're in a narrow spread. For this reason I usually have the F5s set to manual focus. (This same criticism goes for the F100).

They weren't on your list, but my favorite Nikon bodies are the F3hp and the F6. My F3s see more use than any of my other gear.

pentaxuser · Apr 23, 2008

Pinholemaster said:
. Get the F5 camera. If you need a smaller footprint in front of your subject, or just don't need the weight around your neck and shoulders, get the F100.

.

I thought I could work out what a "smaller footprint in front of your subject" is from the context but I can't. Can you amplify on this? Thanks

pentaxuser

JohnArs · Apr 23, 2008

I have the F 100 and F 5 and prefer the F5 its the most professional Film camera ever build and you can change viewfinders etc. and the metering is still one of the best even better on most digitals. I had a success rate of around 99% correct metered slides, this was amazing!
The shutter is also self controlled and there was a F 5 from a german photostudio got in service to Nikon with over 1'000'000 shoots!
Get the best from the past!

Armin Seeholzer

SuzanneR · Apr 23, 2008

pentaxuser said:
I thought I could work out what a "smaller footprint in front of your subject" is from the context but I can't. Can you amplify on this? Thanks

pentaxuser

I think what he means is it's a smaller camera between your face, and your subject's face. A big huge camera can be an unnerving thing for some portrait work, and the F100 may not appear as intimidating as the F5 to your sitters.

That is if... portraits are something you routinely make!

Snapshot · Apr 23, 2008

I own two Nikon F100s and I feel they are a more flexible camera due to the fact the isn't a mandatory vertical grip. However, with the F5 you do get a more robust build, removable pentaprism, a 100% viewfinder, faster autofocus, colour matrix metering and mirror lock-up.

pentaxuser · Apr 23, 2008

Thanks Suzanne This certainly sounds right. I just hadn't associated a camera with a footprint. Might explain why at a wedding a couple of years ago the pro used a F100 without the additional battery box underneath to avoid the intimidation that the F5 might produce.

pentaxuser

BobbyR · Apr 23, 2008

This option does not really exist anymore but silver cameras were always less obtrusive than all black ones; the black ones are like having a bright red wart in the middle of the forehead.

The F4 can have the motor drive removed also.

Bobby

snegron · Apr 23, 2008

BobbyR said:
This option does not really exist anymore but silver cameras were always less obtrusive than all black ones; the black ones are like having a bright red wart in the middle of the forehead.

The F4 can have the motor drive removed also.

Bobby

Actually, I believe it is the exact opposite. The silver colored bodies stand out much more than the black bodies. The black bodies are less noticeable in low light conditions, silver bodies can be seen from far away.

BobbyR · Apr 24, 2008

snegron said:
Actually, I believe it is the exact opposite. The silver colored bodies stand out much more than the black bodies. The black bodies are less noticeable in low light conditions, silver bodies can be seen from far away.

Fine if you are on black ops but black is the color of pros, and government people and people are often either curious or annoyed if you point one at them.

John Koehrer · Apr 24, 2008

Dear mr know-it-all,
The black bodies are less obtrusive, just ask any correspondent who has taped the camera to reduce reflections etc.

keithwms · Apr 24, 2008

John, actually there are chrome stealth bombers that are so inobtrusive that nobody's even seen one yet. We only see the black ones.

</sarcasm>

BobbyR · Apr 24, 2008

John Koehrer said:
Dear mr know-it-all,
The black bodies are less obtrusive, just ask any correspondent who has taped the camera to reduce reflections etc.

Dear Herr doofi: If one has a chrome camera, you look like an amateur, if you have black, many people assume you do it for a living.

When I used my chrome Pentax people paid little attention to me; when I started using my black Topcon people would often approach me and ask me if I was a photographer.

I don't know, maybe you were holding so the sun was shining in everyone's eyes, I never in my life tried to hide my camera and sneak around, afraid the silver glint would expose me.
"The black bodies are less noticeable in low light conditions, silver bodies can be seen from far away."
I think some here watch too many spy movies.

I would also love to get a silver F5, where do you get these? :rolleyes:

John Koehrer · Apr 26, 2008

BobbyR said:
When I used my chrome Pentax people paid little attention to me; when I started using my black Topcon people would often approach me and ask me if I was a photographer.
I would also love to get a silver F5, where do you get these? :rolleyes:

Dear Mr know-it-all,
As Jorge's signature line said "If you buy a piano, you own a piano. If you buy a camera you're a photographer."
You forgot F100's!
I'd be willing to rattle can your F5 silver, for a price. I promise to use only the finest Rustoleum has to offer. No warranty on further operation though.

Nikon F100 or F5?

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