School me on the Nikon F100 back

neilt3 · May 20, 2021

Pitotshock said:
Here are my two survivors
US2180943, and
2059257

Of course I have no knowledge if any previous owners had replaced the back doors though

Mines fine too .
SN is US2023453
The doors not slammed shut , just reasonably gently pressed shut , the same as all the rest of my cameras .

dmtnkl · May 21, 2021

Horatio said:
So, when the latch breaks, where does this occur? On the door itself, where the prongs are?

The two small hooks on the back's edge break off completely or get partly fractured.

I read somewhere (don't remember where now...) that nikon was offering a repair at some point (yes, repair, not replacement with another back). It would be possible to file away the two hooks and then machine metallic replacements that you will glue or drill on yourself. It could be an interesting modification if you are inclined to invest time on it.

Steve@f8 · May 21, 2021

Another survivor here.
B 2212123

Purchased second hand, but from the look of it very lightly used.
I take care closing the film door as described by Pitotshock and others, ie holding the catch in the unlock position until the door is flush, then releasing the lock gently.

Horatio · May 21, 2021

Thanks for all the replies, folks. How about the sticky back syndrome? I've read that liberal cleaning with isopropyl alcohol helps.

Steve@f8 · May 21, 2021

Another problem with the F100, not yet discussed, is the plastic fork / tongs interfacing with the film cassette. Also prone to snapping and in so doing renders the camera U/S. I think Nikon amended the design of the tong-things some time during the production run. The later design was not as susceptible.

Pitotshock · May 21, 2021

One of mine had a sticky back and a few minutes with a cloth and rubbing alcohol solved the issue.

neilt3 · May 21, 2021

Horatio said:
Thanks for all the replies, folks. How about the sticky back syndrome? I've read that liberal cleaning with isopropyl alcohol helps.

It's not an issue . A few minutes with some IPA and it's clean .
I can't remember if mines needed cleaning , but all three of my Minolta Dynax 7's did , and a couple of Canon EOS cameras .
My Nikon F80 certainly needed the stickiness cleaning off .
But a few minutes with a rough cloth and IPA and it's all gone .

Huss · May 21, 2021

Yup my F100, F80 and F75 all needed the IPA treatment. Downside is the stickiness is replaced by a dry but hard and shiny surface. But that is still preferable.

John Earley · May 21, 2021

One more survivor: US2132620

Huss · May 21, 2021

Horatio said:
Thanks. I'll make note of that number. Nikon fixed the fork in later models, so maybe the door latch as well.

If you look at the serial #s of the broken ones on ebay, they are all over the place. Including one in the 3XXXX range (there may be more, but I didn't check all of them).

Horatio · May 22, 2021

What gets me is the N8008 has a metal latch. Was it not comparable to the F4 as the F100 is comparable to the F5? If so, why not carry over to the F100? Well, it doesn't really matter. Nikon made it that way (plastic) for a reason, even if a poor choice.

sionnac · May 25, 2021

My F100 latch broke when dropped unfortunately on a grass lawn. I would love to replace the entire door as recommended by a friend but they are pricey. If I can find a replacement I will also take care with opening and closing as directed.

shutterlight · May 25, 2021

Mine broke, which is clearly not unusual. However, it broke while sitting on a shelf; no idea how that happened.

Huss · May 25, 2021

shutterlight said:
Mine broke, which is clearly not unusual. However, it broke while sitting on a shelf; no idea how that happened.

Stress fractures and the pressure to keep the door closed was finally too much.

Arthurwg · May 25, 2021

I've owned my F100 from new, and that was a long time ago. Traveled with it extensively and was not particularly careful but it's still 100% in every way.

Horatio · May 25, 2021

My F100 arrives today. It will get a close inspection for fatigue/stress fractures.

edit: Hopefully with no damage from shipping!

Charles Escott-New · May 25, 2021

Lots of people on ebay selling plastic replacement door latches for Canon eos film cameras. Could this happen for our Nikons or is there some technical difficulty?

choiliefan · May 25, 2021

Some enterprising soul could 3d print these and make a tidy profit -- I guess.
Must be some way to transplant the electronics and pressure plate into a well-engineered shell.

swchris · May 25, 2021

Arthurwg said:
I've owned my F100 from new, and that was a long time ago. Traveled with it extensively and was not particularly careful but it's still 100% in every way.

S/N?

Horatio · May 25, 2021

So, the F100 arrived in excellent condition, with a slightly sticky back. Sorry the latch photo is blurred. No signs of cracks.

School me on the Nikon F100 back

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