F100 and newer lenses

[Andy Collins]

<p>My primary camera system is Canon EOS and has been for most of the last 20 years. Recently though I've acquired a few Nikon bodies that I've wanted for awhile, the latest of which is an immaculate F100. At present I have the Nikkor 28-105 D zoom lens, and of course I've used my manual Nikkor primes on it. I would like to buy the 24-120 zoom and pass the 28-105 on to a friend who shoots Nikon. I've heard a lot about some of the newer Nikon DSLRs that won't work with certain lenses because of the motor being in the lens or body or some such, I don't remember which. My question for you experienced Nikon-shooters is whether or not the 24-120 G AF-S will operate properly on the F100 or will there be any problems with it on this particular body? Also, is this lens quiet in operation as opposed to the 28-105 D lens that I'm currently using? Being accustomed to the silent operation of my Canon USM lenses, this lens is incredibly loud and I'm hoping to find a much quieter alternative. Any help in this regard would be much appreciated. As for the camera itself, I think it's brilliant. It handles wonderfully and is compact without being too small. In many ways it reminds me of the F3HP, another camera that's a dream to use. My primary SLRs (excluding the ridiculous number of classic cameras I own) are the 7D and 1vHS, but I think the F100 may join that list as well. I really like it a lot-not quite as much as those two, but <em>a lot</em>. Thanks again for your help.</p>

[photo5]

<p>Yes, G lenses function perfectly on the F100.</p>

[craigd]

<p>I'm sure the F100 will work with any lens Nikon makes today. It's a modern autofocus film camera with full support for VR, G lenses, and everything else.</p>

<p>The F100 should be fine with older lenses back to 1977, when the AI feature was introduced, though with non-electronic lenses you will have to use center-weighted metering rather than matrix metering. (Usually this isn't a big deal, go ahead and use center-weighted.) I don't think the F100 can mount pre-AI lenses unless they have been physically modified for AI compatibility.</p>

<p>Ken Rockwell's web site has the most helpful Nikon camera/lens compatibility page I know of.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>two places to look for the skinny<br>

<a href="http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html">http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html</a><br>

and KR's great listing ... which you can find by Googling 'nikon lens compatability', even tho it's not linked here, it is also a good thing to copy and save.<br>

Jim M</p>

 

[dweezil]

<p>yes the F100 can work with just about any lens that nikon has released ater 1977. Even the DX ones although they will vignette.<br>

As for the 24-120 AF-S G being silent? AF-s is nikon's equivalent of Canon's EOS SWM so focusing will be about as loud as your canon lenses</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Along with the F5 and F6, the F100 is backward and forward compatible with all AI/AI-S lenses since 1977 and all the way to the most recent AF-S G lenses with VR. Both versions of the 24-120mm AF-S G (the eariler f3.5-5.6 and the latest constant f4 version) are fully compatible with the F100.</p>

<p>The only compatibility issues are DX lenses with a small image circle and some PC-E lenses may not be fully functional on the F100.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Yes, you can use that lens. G, AF-S and VR all work perfectly on an F100. (It's actually a perfect camera to use alongside a Nikon DSLR because they use the same lenses and most of the same flashes.)</p>

[jennifer_spencer]

<p>I have an F100 and it works great with my full-frame lenses. I have one DX lens, an 18-35mm zoom, and there is vignetting on my film with that lens, though not at all focal lengths. Otherwise, I've had no lens problems. And I too love the F100 camera - it's my favorite.</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>Thanks everyone for your answers. I think I'll get that lens to use as a walk-around lens. <strong>Erwin</strong>, that was what I thought the AF-S lenses were like, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the clarification. Any suggestions for a longer zoom in the 70-300mm or 100-300mm range that won't break my bank? I have the 70-200/2.8IS, and 100-400 in EOS mount and can't justify lenses of similar expense for the F100 since it's not my primary camera, so I'd like something much less expensive, but enough to make a simple, good kit.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>I was given a Tamron 70-300 VC last week. It works perfectly on the F100 and it's quite good. Both of the Nikon 70-300 lenses (the inexpensive G and the newer AF-S/VR) also work. I tried a 70-300 AF-S/VR alongside the Tamron on my D90 and the two lenses seemed about equal to each other, though the Tamron is maybe a bit sharper at 300 and focused on a distant subject.</p>

[Richard Williams]

<p>Coming from all-USM kit, you might be more sensitive to this than me, but I don't find the 28-105 to be particularly loud (compared to, say, the sound of the F100 shutter and winder). It (or the F100 lens motor) might need a service, of course. The AF-S lenses are very nearly silent so you should be happy with the 24-120 as far as noise is concerned. Optically, the older 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 AF-S gets rather mixed reviews, so you might want to do a direct comparison before passing on the 28-105. The new f/4 24-120 AF-S is supposed to be quite a bit better (but it's quite a bit more expensive, too).</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p><strong>Andrew</strong>--Thanks for those lens suggestions. I'll look into them. I hadn't thought about Tamron.</p>

<p><strong>Richard</strong>--Any noise is loud in comparison to my USM lenses, so it takes some getting used to. The camera has very low mileage and is in like-new condition, while the lens is in excellent condition as well. They both seem to function perfectly. As for the image quality from the 24-120, I have also read mixed reviews so I will definitely take your advice. The Nikon Compendium seems to give the lens a mediocre rating while giving the 28-105 almost glowing reviews, so I may end up keeping it for now and focus on getting a longer zoom. The 24-120/4 is <em>waaay</em> out of the price range I'm willing to pay unless purchasing an L-series for my Canons. I bet it's a really nice lens though.</p>

[jake_carlsen]

You are right in thinking that the older 24-120 is not the best lens out there. The new one, as should be clear from the

price, is a very good lens, but if this is a second system that you are more just collecting than looking to really move to on

a full time basis then sticking with the 28-105 may be the way to go.

 

The older Nikon lenses are on the loud side. In fact I cringe when I have to pull out my 85mmf1.8D at weddings as it is a

lot louder than I would like, but this is part of the experience of shooting with Nikon. The new equipment that they are

producing is astounding, but in the 90's and early 2000's, the equivalent lens technology from Canon was much nicer.

 

This kind of thinking may get me kicked from the Nikon Fanboy club, but it is really just the truth.

 

The F100 is going to be a total pleasure to use, and there isn't a lot of current technology that it isn't compatible with. The

only things I can think of are maybe some of the newest flashes...which will still fire on the body just fine but you may want

to do some homework on the metering to make sure that they will work correctly. Although since you are seeming to be

willing to get used equipment, the SB-28 would be a great flash to use and will be completely compatible with this camera.

 

Happy shooting. You have your hands on a very fine machine from Nikon's history.

[Andy Collins]

<p>Thanks for the excellent feedback regarding the lenses, <strong>Jake</strong>. While I'm not planning to make a "move" to Nikon I will probably use the F100 a lot for film photography, which I do a lot of alongside my digital shooting. I currently use the F3HP quite a bit and, contrary to what fanboys from both sides may approve of, it rides in my camera bag quite frequently with my 7D. I can easily see the F100 doing the same. I think I will stick with the 28-105 for now and find a longer zoom to go with it, and the SB-28 sounds like a good choice of flash units as well.</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>The Nikon F100 is my favorite FX camera, but I would not call it compact, except in comparison to the humongous F5 or F4e. The F100 fits my hands better than any other camera, and I find it well balanced with most lenses.</p>

<p> </p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>When I was describing it as compact, I was in fact comparing it to my 1vHS which is huge and heavy, like an F5. The F100 is a bit less beefier than my 7D even, although it may be just a tad wider. Whatever its size, I think it handles like a dream and makes me <em>want</em> to pick it up and use it.</p>

[photo5]

<p>The F100 has perfect dimensions for me. I wish there was a digital F100, same size and weight. One can only wish...</p>

[photo_galleries]

<p>The latest AFS G VR lenses may work with the F100, but at the expense of short battery life -- the VR feature, especially, is a battery hog. My F100, with a 35/2. AFD lens will go on forever, but with a 70-200mm/2.8 G AFS VR, a full charge will only last about 6-7 rolls of 36 exp. film.</p>