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F100 vs. N90s


royall_berndt

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I hope I'm remembering accurately, but I believe Moses Sparks (a major league photographer and photo.net member) used multiple N90 or N90s bodies, sought to replace them with F100 bodies when these were introduced, and posted about having trouble with them. It may have been an early production run, or I could be totally mistaken, but you might look for his posts or write to him.
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There's a big price difference in them, which can steer you toward the N90(s).

 

IMO, though, the F100 is an easy choice especially if you're getting it to complement a digital kit/newer lenses.

 

The F100 has a much better AF system. It's not a huge deal to me on film cameras since I don't do action with them, but my N90s has worse low-light sensitivity. The center point on the F100 is a cross-type that works in lower light and with lower contrast, plus you have the 4 additional points if you want them.

 

The F100 loses nothing over the N90 with MF lenses. On the other hand, with newer lenses, you get VR with the F100 plus full functionality with G type lenses(the N90 is limited to P and S).

 

The control layout of the F100 is descended from the F5, and the same basic layout(with some obvious changes and rearrangments) is still in use today with the D850. The two wheel layout is used on the better DSLRs, and hold-the-button, spin-the-dial is used on every Nikon DSLR.

 

I find the F100 significantly more refined than the N90(s) in every way. The shutter on the F100 is a pleasant "snick", while the N90 is a loud "Clack." AF with screwdriver type lenses is quieter. Film advance and rewind are both faster and quieter.

 

There's nothing wrong with the N90, but I can't think of any way in which the F100 isn't better. The F100 is arguably one of Nikon's best film cameras. The F6 is a lot more polished and does a lot more than the F100, and if push came to shove it's what I'd keep/choose over the F100. The F5 is a beast, but it's an action camera at its core and is more than I need when shooting film these days.

 

BTW, I'm not completely talking out my rear end on this. I have at least one of nearly every Nikon film camera ever made, and AFAIK I don't have any holes in my AF film cameras. Most of them never get used, but I've used the N8008s, N90s, F100, F4, F5, and F6 a decent amount. The F4, F100, and F6 are the main AF film cameras I use.

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I hope I'm remembering accurately, but I believe Moses Sparks (a major league photographer and photo.net member) used multiple N90 or N90s bodies, sought to replace them with F100 bodies when these were introduced, and posted about having trouble with them. It may have been an early production run, or I could be totally mistaken, but you might look for his posts or write to him.

 

The F100 had teething pains, and the biggest issue in early ones was a rewind fork that was too light duty. IIRC, Galen Rowell had one break on him in the field and went back to the F4 for a while before finally being convinced to change to the redesigned F100.

 

There are photos of the redesigned fork out there on the web. Don't forget that the F100 was released in the internet age, and you'll find a lot of old discussion/reports about it on some of the older fora, including here. Ken Rockwell(love him or hate him) has a dozen pages on the F100, including IIRC, documentation of his fork replacement.

 

I doubt you could have Nikon repair it now, and for the use most film cameras get now I doubt you'll break even an old style one if it hasn't broken yet in the last 15+ years(the F100 heyday was 1999-2000, and supposedly was in production until 2006).

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Over the years I picked up most every AF Nikon on the used market out of curiosity. I bought an F100 new in 2000 for $1,200 and always felt it was worth it. I bought a used N90s in 2006 for $165 and never really warmed up to it. It never disappointed me as far as use but I'm kind of glad I didn't pay $899.00 for one when it was in the Nikon lineup as the #2 pro camera. I bought an N70 new in 1997 for $430 and didn't think the N90s was "twice the camera" as far as price.

 

Eric Sande

Edited by erichsande
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I bought an N70 new in 1997 for $430 and didn't think the N90s was "twice the camera" as far as price.

 

I'm a fan of the N70.

 

Once you get past the "fan", it's overall a really solid camera with a great range of utility(inc. good MF compatibility) and a much nicer/more refined sounding shutter than the N90 or N8008(I lump those two together since they feel very similar to me and I suspect have mostly the same shutter mechanism).

 

Of course the problem I see with the N70 is if you don't use the fan regularly, which I don't, you can walk yourself into a corner and at least for me it can take some button pushing to get back out of it. In a sense, that was a good way for Nikon to pack a lot of functionality into a comparatively small/simple LCD, but three buttons and a control dial don't make for the easiest navigation.

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...and a much nicer/more refined sounding shutter than the N90 or N8008(I lump those two together since they feel very similar to me and I suspect have mostly the same shutter mechanism).

 

I was quite surprised by the sound of the F100 shutter (though I like it). Owning an N70 for 3 years prior I assumed it set a trickle-up standard for shutter volume.

 

Eric Sande

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I would (did) choose the F100 over the N90. The F100 has a metal body, except for the back, whereas the N90 is mostly plastic. The F100 viewfinder has 100% coverage. The most annoying feature was the automatic rewind. On more than a few occasions it would rewind when I needed to be quiet (during a performance). An F5 rewinds on command, with a manual crank if preferred. My F100 is still in good shape after 20 years and hundreds of rolls of film.

 

Also in its favor is the lack of an internal flash, nor does it have a dial with scene selections. It has a plain vanilla interface, more like a mini-F5

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The N90s/F90x has only one command dial and one AF point, while the F100 has 5 AF points and both the main and sub-command dials. Only the F100 is fully compatible with the modern G lenses that have no aperture ring and works with the VR feature. There used to be an important cost difference when the F100 was available new. Today, I think the F100 is the easy choice.
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I've always meant to get an F100, but still haven't got to it.

 

I did a report in CMC (I think) on the N90 / F90, but can't find it. If you have better luck with P.net's search engine, go to it.

I personally liked the N90.

Nikon-f90-12.thumb.jpg.adb89b661ca47e613f2a33a9b4721fc4.jpg

Nikon N90

Nikon-F90-06-e.jpg.8ddbf8e93f5a228ccfa0b3de18f7e031.jpg

 

The later (despite the number) F80 is cheaper and works really well, though it's surely not so durable.

 

here's my post on that one:

Nikon F80D (N80QD in USA)

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Bought the F100 when it came out (at full price...ouch!), used it for several years before switching to digital D100, sold it and then bought an F5 for its versatility. Presently using an F4, which I still prefer over the F100.
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I prefer the N90S (F90X where I come from). I've owned several of these, and briefly, an F100.

 

My reasons? The N90 seems better built than the F100, although the exterior is plastic, the chassis and other important parts like the door catch are metal. The rubber panels of the F100, like those of well used DSLR's, tend to come loose over time. The battery holders are something of a weak point in both cameras but the N90's seems slightly more robust. At least they both take AA batteries.

 

I prefer the simpler single area focusing system of the F90 although that of the F100 is no doubt faster and more versatile, probably if this were a critical requirement the F100 would win, for example in sport photography, but for the sort of general use to which film SLR's are more likely to be used these days the N90 system seems more than adequate.

 

Last and perhaps most important, the N90 can be found at a fraction of the cost of the f100.

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I'd choose the F100 over any other Nikon film camera except (probably) the F6 (the F5 is too much of a tank). Most of the advantages have already been mentioned. It has the two dial interface that began with the F5 and continues in the dSLRs. VR and G lenses are fully compatible, so it's easier to share glass with a dSLR. You have 5 AF points (all 3 horizontal points are cross-type) and the AF works very well (even today, it's no slouch). The rubber can get sticky, though it doesn't turn into goo like the coating on the back of the F90/N90 can. But its Achilles heel is that plastic door catch. If it breaks, the whole back has to be replaced, and is no longer available as a spare unless you can find one secondhand or pick up the otherwise largely useless MF-29 data back. I've read about a talented repairer fabricating a metal catch like it should have had in the first place, but that's not a service that's commonly available.
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Of all the cameras mentioned I have two N90S bodies and three F4s bodies. I’ve used the F5 here and there and have never even seen an F6 or, if you can believe it, the F100. Personally I prefer the F4s because it fits my hand and I am more used to the control setup. I liked It the very first minute I picked it up. I have learned to use command dials though they still don’t come naturally and I just have to put up with them. To me it’s the difference between simply using it and spending too much time messing with the equipment.

 

Rick H.

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