adam_nance Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I currently own two D70's and use them for wedding photography along with two manual focus Minolta XD-11's for film. Since I'm now investing in Nikor glass for the D70's, I'd like to move over to Nikon for my film cameras. I'm coming from completely manual film cameras, so I will probably never use any bells or whistles beyond aperture priority mode. I would however LOVE a good, fast multi-area autofocus system, and the ability to shoot continuously at 2fps or faster. All of my lenses will be D and G, as these are fully functional with the D70. I've seen new N80 bodies for around $300, but I'd like suggestions for what I should look for in the used market around that price or (hopefully) less. I'm new to the world of autofocus film cameras, so if there are more pieces of information I should be looking at and thinking about, let me know. Thanks! -Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam_nance Posted December 17, 2004 Author Share Posted December 17, 2004 Oh! And compatability with my SB800 flashes would be nice. Thanks again, -Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown14 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Definitely an N90s (about $250). A great AF body. However, it can't handle "G" lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klix Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Go to keh.com and get an F100 or F5 in BGN or better condition. When you receive it, shoot slides. If good, keep the camera; if not, return it within 14 days of purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_miao1 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I would recommend F100. But the used in decent or very clean/mint condition one would cost at least $400 at current eBay market, but worth it. I can't comment on N80 'cause I don't own one, while N90s would definitely be a great alternative as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 The choices are pretty simple. It highly depends on your budget. I think the F5 will be an overkill and it is also havey. The best choice is probably the F100 but a new one is around $750. The N80 matches your D70 very closly and shares some of the same shortcomings; if you are happy with the D70's viewfinder and its AF system, you will be happy with the N80, which has exactly the same AF module as the D70. Any older body such as the N90/N90s or the even older N8008/s has only 1 AF point and is not completely compatible with G lenses. I am not sure what your budget is, but it sounds like the N80 fits you best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsksla_ddygff Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 the f100 slams the f80 to the mat, outstanding camera, one of nikons finest, fits the hand like a glove. N80 you got to be kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leslie_cheung Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 F100 but then you'll probably start hating the d70 finder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregory_roush Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 F100 but then you'll probably start hating the d70 finder.. Absolutely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown14 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 The question was for $300 or less, wherever ya'll can get a $300 F100, I'd like to know?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armando_roldan Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 junk the Minoltas and use the extra cash to get a nice used F100 instead of regretting a new N80. I recently for an excellent F100 on ebay for $450. I bought my first used F100 2yrs ago for $700. I also have D70 but for weddings,use the F100s only and D70 for everyday and sports shooting since I shoot 1000 digital photos and only a handful compared with 10 rolls of processing and film costs of the F100s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_k2 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 For under $300, I recommend the N75, which you can get new for under $100 (e.g. at buydig.com). I bought it as a lightweight hiking camera and I have come to really like it. <p> Although it only does 1.5 fps (how often do you really want to eat up film any faster?) and only meters the newer AF lenses, it is a more than adequate camera. It is the lenses that really count anyway. With good lenses, correct metering (it has a good meter but only in half-stop increments) and a sturdy tripod, the N75 can, with few exceptions, produce shots as good as any 35mm camera. <p> I have owned many Nikons (currently F5, D70 and N75), but because of it's small size and weight, I use the N75 more than any of my film cameras including the F5. The quality of the pictures (on film) produced by the N75 is still better than any of the 35mm D-SLRs, imo. I don't think it's built to last a lifetime, but for under a $100, you can't go too far wrong. <p> See Thom Hogan's site for a <a href="http://www.bythom.com/n75.htm">good review of the N75.</a> <p> - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 B&H currently lists a new N75 for $180 and there is a $30 rebate for a final cost of $150. I would be skeptical about any price that is significantly lower. My biggest problem with the N75 vs. the N80 is that you cannot manually override the detected DX film speed on the N75. If the somehow detected ISO is wrong, you are stuck. Your also cannot push/pull film to something other than the specified ISO. However, the new cost for the N80 is close to twice as much. If you want rock bottom cost, the N75 may be an option. There is no doubt that the F100 is a better SLR, but it looks like we are talking about a budget of below $300. IMO, once you are comfortable with DSLRs, at this point it is unwise to invest heavily on film SLRs any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_kramer Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 go to ebay, i was just searching that myself. alot of nice N80 and N90s used bodies cheap.good deals to be found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank uhlig Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 F100, no second thought. Used they are a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_smith3 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Get a used F100. If that is too expensive, get a used n90s, although the G lens might be a problem with this body. I think the veiwfinder on the n90s is better than the f100's because it does not have that built in diopter adjustment. Either of these cameras is head and shoulders better than the n80. Joe smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Waller Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 yet another vote for the F100. While I have owned and used N90's - I definitely would not recommend one, only because of the G lens incompatibility. As the others have said - the difference between the F100 and the N80 is gigantic. This is a no brainer......even if you have to stretch your budget a tad, the F100 will put a smile on your face. An outstanding camera! The only option in my opinion would be the bgn F5 which is simply the best film camera ever made. The meter alone is worth the extra dollars - simply uncanny, and it can rip off 8 fps if you are so inclined like for shooting the bride tossing the bouquet or a rousing dance scene, but it is quite a bit heavier than the F100 as the other fellow noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_pike1 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hmmm. I'd have to give a vote for an N90s. Though not fully compatable with G-mount lenses, there are still plenty of other AF-Nikkors out there to suit your purpose with adjustable aperature rings. You may have some already. If you have to have compatability with G-mount lenses, then I'd say an N80, but if you can afford it definately a good condition F100. The F100 blows the N80 out of the water, and is worth the extra couple hundred bucks. I'd also keep the Minoltas if you can. I've handled a friend's manual-focus Minolta, and they really aren't all that bad. It's always good to have a good MF body on reserve, even if you won't use it much. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_cofran Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 I got a used N90s on ebay for $230 and have been very happy with it. very solid build, lots of advance features, acurate metering, and full manual or full auto (your choice). I've heard so many ppl rave over the f100, i'm sure its a great camera but for twice the price of a n90s what does it offer that warrants all that money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmarkpainter Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Peter, Faster AF and better metering. I have an N90S and it is a great camera for the money...you can buy them for $250 @ www.keh.com My next Nikon will likely be an F100 jmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_k2 Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 ><i>B&H currently lists a new N75 for $180 and there is a $30 rebate for a final cost of $150. I would be skeptical about any price that is significantly lower.</i> <p> As I wrote in my post, buydig.com has it for $96. Buydig is a reputable dealer. Get with the program. The thinking that B&H is the only reputable camera store in the universe with reasonable prices is a couple years old and is going to cost you and people who might actually take your advice a lot of money. <p> - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwenting Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 For $300, get an F80 or F90 (N80/N90 in the US), or maybe an F70/N70 if you think you can get used to the StarTrek user interface. Any used F100 would be so completely used up it would be cheaper to get a new one than to recondition it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike r Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Dollar for dollar, the N80 is the best camera out there IMO. Those who like slamming the N80 in favor of the F100 amaze me. Of course the F100 is a better camera, just as the F6 is better than the F100, but look at the price differential. In your $300 price range which some seem to ingore, I think either a new or a used N80 is the perfect choice. The only other camera I would suggest as others have would be an N90S, a very solid professional caliber camera, but that's a little outdated now. It also has quite a different interface than your D70's. Here again, the N80 would be a much closer match to your digitals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_chow Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Get the N80. Best value for money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_sanders Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 If you are doing wedding work don't mess with the n80. Flash sinc @ 1/125 sucks. I've owned an n80, 8008, n90, n90s and f100. The n80 was the most recent until this week. I just dumped it to a local pawn shop and picked up a near mint n90s with grip for $203. For 35mm wedding work it is perfect. Great finder, durable, FASTER AF then the N80, Flash sinc @ 1/250 or up 1/4000 using FP mode. Save your money for glass, go with the N90s over the f100. -JOE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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