peter_bick1

The Radio Shack charger does work for both the F5 and F100 batteries.

The catalog number is #23-250 and it is identical to a charge made by

MAHA and sold by Thomas Distributing. The price, as mentioned in a

previous post, is around $50. You can find several posts referring to

this in the photo.net archives. Search under batteries and

rechargeable.

<p>

I have charged mny F5 and F100 battery packs now with no problems. This

unit can also be used to charde NiCd and NiMH bateries for Canon

cameras and many video cameras.

<p>

Good Luck

<p>

Peter Bick

Another point should be added regarding the TCe caps. They only fit

correctly one way. You must line up the small black dot on the outer

edge of the cap with the white mounting dot on the teleconverter.

Theoretically, you could put the cap on 3 ways. In my experience, and

that of several others, you can easily jam the cap on if the dots do

not match up. It is dificult to remove when this happens The small

black dot is not easy to see on the cap so you might want to put a dab

of paint or tape near it. This would also help you keep it separat3

from the similar body caps that do not fit at all. When properly

aligned the word Nikon is right side up as you hold the TC with the

mounting dot upright. Little known trivia, and as stated above you do

not want to lose the cap on safari or have it jammed.

<p>

Good shooting.

<p>

Petr Bick

I agree with Gary on this one. The main reason I sold my N90s (which

served me very well) was the switching back and forth between my F5's

and the N90s during action events. I shoot mainly in manual mode and

it was a large distraction to unlock the aperture ring and manually

change the aperture via the ring instead of the control wheel. The

F100 solved all of that and is much more like the F5 besides being a

more solid body. The good news is that the N90s held its value very

well and remains as a very competent light weight body that produces

very good results in competent hands.

<p>

Ellis, I think this may drive you crazy over time as well. We will

wait to see how you fare.

<p>

Good shooting.

Boy, this is a tough crowd. A lot of creativity shown here and a lot

of fun! I only hope the Nikon crew is reading this as well. I would

like to see a number of these suggestions although the gyro welded to

the F5 is pretty far out.

<p>

Another couple of days and we will see what they have up their sleve.

<p>

Good shooting!

I second the previous post for Robert's here in Indianapolis.

Excellent service and a very broad range of equipment including long

glass, medium format, some panaorama, strobes,etc. The website

provides much of the info you are requesting. They also have an

extensive section of used pro gear if you would choose to buy.

Good luck.

<p>

Peter Bick

I just had the chance to do a field comparison between the F100 and

the older F5's. Last week I was shooting the Women's NCAA Swimming

championships at the University of Georgia and used the F100

extensively on a 400/2.8 AF-S, 300/2.8 AF-S and the 80-200 AF-S as

well as some wide angles.

<p>

I was using strobes in the natatorium and only used the camera meters

to occasionally confirm ambient light exposure, so I cannot compare

the metering capabilities except to say that they gave equivalent

readings under these conditions. As for TTl fill flash capability, the

F100 was very good and I saw no difference between the F100 and F5

using an SB-26 with or without the stadium strobes. The F100

autofocus was very good, quite fast and handled all the above lenses

very well. I did not hesitate to choose between the bodies. Since I

was only able to shoot at 1 frame/second due to the strobe recycle

time, I could not really evaluate the high speed film advance rates.

Since the swimmers often pop out of the water during some strokes and

disappear again, the camera has to acquire sharp focus quickly as the

subject moves. The F100 was very good at tracking the subject even

when they were underwater and quite blurred.

<p>

I was using an N90s as the 3rd body for this type of shooting until

recently. The F100 is much more compatable with the F5 and it is

easier to change bodies and not have to remember how the different

functions are set up. The F100 aperture and shutter speed dials are

set up like the F5 whic is particularly useful. One additonal plus

for the F100 is the added shutter speed wheel near the vertical

shutter release on the power grip. This was useful a number of times

and I wish the F5 had it. The F100 has a solid feel much like the F5

and much more solid than the N90s.

<p>

There were a few minor differences in the F100 I had not anticipated.

These relate to differences in how the autofocus sensors are selected

and are indicated in the single and dynamic focus modes.

<p>

While this was certainly not an extensive test of the diverse

functions this reader group would like to have compared, I can

certainly say that te F100 will fill many of the needs that an F5

would accomodate and it is lighter and costs less.

<p>

I will do another test this week as the NCAA Men's Swimming

Championships are being held so I can do further testing on similar

subjects and conditions.

<p>

Good shooting

Costas, Robert's Distributors in Indianapolis Indiana is a large

distributor of Nikon and Canon, Hassy (and other) equipment. They

serve many of the high-profile shooters from national publications and

agencies in the US. Sports Illustrated photogs for example is one

customer group. Robert's gets a sizable allotment of new Nikon stuff

when it comes out as a result. They also were the only photo

equipment supplier (non-film) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games and

they extended their business through those contacts. At any rate, the

5 year warranty is a Nikon program for their new lenses and is not a

store warranty like those you hear about through B&H or others.

<p>

Since I live here in Indy I have dealt with Roberts for some time and

their service is excellent. You can find better prices in New York on

grey goods but service in an emergency is worth a lot. Having an NPS

number also helps in getting on the allocation list for the new

equipment. In some instances, such as the release of the 400/2.8 AF-S,

Nikon actually shipped lenses to distributors with assignments to

specific customers on the shipping invoice. They did this to be fair

to the queue on the allocation listing in a time of high demand.

<p>

Lastly, I do not get any commission from Robert's. I just have a long

relationship with them and they have served me very well. I also buy

stuff elswhere as well.

<p>

They have a website at www.robertsimaging.com. If you want a name as

a contact ask for Bruce Kwitny, he is the guru of the high-end stuff.

They also have an extensive assortment of used stuff and send rental

equipment all over the US (big glass, strobes and all). I was in

there yesterday and counted 8-10 Nikon 400/2.8 AF-I's that were taken

in trade (mostly for the AF-S lens). Good service without the

attitude. For a little balance, I have also had good luck with Del's,

Camera World of Oregon and M&M (before they were bought out).

If anyone wants to extend this discussion or ask further questions,

send me an email.

<p>

Good luck!

There hae been many posts on this topic, so I will try to highlight a

few new topics and clarify a few others:

<p>

There are several differences between the AF-S and pevious two-touch

version of this lens. 1) This is a new optical formula of 18 elements

in 14 groups as opposed to 16 elements in 11 groups (I am not sure how

this actually differs but probably contributes to the true IF function

of this lens), 2) the AF-S lens has 5 ED elements ( more than

previous) and is a true IF lens, 3) The AF-S lens works well with the

TC14E converter (and the TC20E but I have not tried it) 4) with the

AF-S motor, the manual focus is activated full time during AF with no

lag so you can go AF or manual instantly like the other AF-S lenses,

5) the large scalloped hood is included with the lens, 6) the AF-S

lens has focus lock buttons on the barrel like its larger AF-S cousins

so it can be locked and you can re-compose without changing a switch

on the body or changing a slide switch on the lens, 7) the tripod foot

has a different shape than the two-touch lens foot so it will require

a different arca-style plate for some users, 8) the tripod collar is

detachable so you can leave it off when only handholding, 9) The AF-S

lens is a bit longer and wider throughout the barrel and weighs more,

1580g (3.5 lbs) vs 1300g for the two-touch, 10) Both lenses use a 9

blade iris so this is not different, 11) The US lense comes with a 5

year warranty...nice security, 12) The serial number on the US lenses

are prefaced with a 'US' before the number so it will be easy to spot

US vs grey for repair (still an unfortunate distinction).

<p>

As for price, many previous posts have speculated on the probability

that the price will go down with time. I agree, but when. The lens

is on allotment and probably will be for several (many??) months. I

got one for $1499 so the rumors of $2000 are way off. For those of us

that shoot lots of action, the convenience of the full-time manual

focus, the focus lock capability, the TC14E compatability and the fact

that when you mount this lens it is very much like other AF-S lenses

you are using means you do not have to keep changing body settings in

the heat of an event. And yes, as people switch to the AF-S there will

be many of the two-touch lenses available which are also excellent.

<p>

Just my 2 cents worth. Good shooting!

Mike, I also use the Gitzo monopod with the RRS arca style quick

release plate. I do not use the bogen swivel but just tilt the

monopod. I do this for several reasons, I use the combo with an F5

and 300/2.8, 400/2.8 or 600/4 and the swivel puts too much play into

the system in my opinion, especially if yu are moving quickly down a

sideline or going from kneling to standing and back. The extra

stability given by the quick release plate (arca style) is very good

as compared to just screwing the pod into the lens collar. I did not

believe Brian Geyer of RRS when he said I would not go back once I

used this set-up but he was right. The QR plate makes changing faster

as well. I have used this setup for pro tennis, college football and

basket ball and college and olympic swimming. Works great.

<p>

Good shooting