I pose this question because I'm sure that there are a number of members here who have had the opportunity to use both of the subject cameras. And I'm assuming that you will have developed a preference for one over the other.
Me, I'm getting the itch for a good, high-performance film Nikon that will AF accurately. My F4 is pretty much a dog when it comes to trying to capture fast moving subjects, so this is a requirement. And from all I've read on the two cameras, both the F100 and F5 can handle most any sort of moving subject you can throw at them. Literally, I suppose.
On the surface, this question might seem to be a no-brainer -- get the F5, right? But wait -- the F100 has a few niceties that the F5 lacks. And they're nice enough such that one might seriously want to consider the F100 over the F5 -- like red framing of the AF sensors instead of black -- whatthehell was up with that, Nikon? Like a much less tedious lock for the AF area selector switch. An improved AE Lock button. And for those who care about these sorts of things, the F100 is obviously lighter and has better ergonomics.
True, the F5 is built like a tank and is darn near indestructible. True, it has that amazing 1000-segment metering pattern. True, it has real mirror lock-up. And true, it also has a blazingly fast motor drive.
So each has its merits. But the reason why I even bring up this topic is because of one thing: price. I was looking at Buy It Now prices on eBay just now for both cameras, and what I'm seeing with most prices is a $50 to $100 price differential between the two cameras. But here's where it gets interesting. If I add into the price of the F100 the price of the MB-15 High Power battery pack, suddenly the price differential has pretty much vanished. And, believe me, if I were to buy an F100, one of the very first things I would do would be to buy an MB-15. Not just for the vertical shutter release and other controls, not just because it lets the camera run on AA batteries, and not because it slightly boosts the drive's continuous speed. But mostly because of ergonomics. I like the added feel and greater grip area that the MB-15 will provide, and that right there is enough for me to get an MB-15.
So then we're down to the choice of a plasticky, advanced amateur oriented machine with updated features, or the old standby pro model that's a bit unwieldy but built to last forever -- for about the same price. Me, I've done a fair amount of freelancing in my earlier years, but these days I shoot mostly for my own enjoyment. So the additional ruggedness the F5 has to offer isn't really all that important to me. However, I have always preferred the feel of a camera that has some weight to it. Would an MB-15 add enough weight to give the F100 more of the solidity I like? Well, it will probably help some, but it still won't have the heft of the F5. However, heft alone is not enough for me to choose either way.
So given all this, that's why I'm curious about your responses. If you could only choose one, which would you buy?
Me, I'm getting the itch for a good, high-performance film Nikon that will AF accurately. My F4 is pretty much a dog when it comes to trying to capture fast moving subjects, so this is a requirement. And from all I've read on the two cameras, both the F100 and F5 can handle most any sort of moving subject you can throw at them. Literally, I suppose.
On the surface, this question might seem to be a no-brainer -- get the F5, right? But wait -- the F100 has a few niceties that the F5 lacks. And they're nice enough such that one might seriously want to consider the F100 over the F5 -- like red framing of the AF sensors instead of black -- whatthehell was up with that, Nikon? Like a much less tedious lock for the AF area selector switch. An improved AE Lock button. And for those who care about these sorts of things, the F100 is obviously lighter and has better ergonomics.
True, the F5 is built like a tank and is darn near indestructible. True, it has that amazing 1000-segment metering pattern. True, it has real mirror lock-up. And true, it also has a blazingly fast motor drive.
So each has its merits. But the reason why I even bring up this topic is because of one thing: price. I was looking at Buy It Now prices on eBay just now for both cameras, and what I'm seeing with most prices is a $50 to $100 price differential between the two cameras. But here's where it gets interesting. If I add into the price of the F100 the price of the MB-15 High Power battery pack, suddenly the price differential has pretty much vanished. And, believe me, if I were to buy an F100, one of the very first things I would do would be to buy an MB-15. Not just for the vertical shutter release and other controls, not just because it lets the camera run on AA batteries, and not because it slightly boosts the drive's continuous speed. But mostly because of ergonomics. I like the added feel and greater grip area that the MB-15 will provide, and that right there is enough for me to get an MB-15.
So then we're down to the choice of a plasticky, advanced amateur oriented machine with updated features, or the old standby pro model that's a bit unwieldy but built to last forever -- for about the same price. Me, I've done a fair amount of freelancing in my earlier years, but these days I shoot mostly for my own enjoyment. So the additional ruggedness the F5 has to offer isn't really all that important to me. However, I have always preferred the feel of a camera that has some weight to it. Would an MB-15 add enough weight to give the F100 more of the solidity I like? Well, it will probably help some, but it still won't have the heft of the F5. However, heft alone is not enough for me to choose either way.
So given all this, that's why I'm curious about your responses. If you could only choose one, which would you buy?
