Photons to Fotos

The Nikon F100 by all accounts is one of the most competent film cameras one can buy. It is compatible with a wide range of lenses through Nikon’s history of the F mount. It is rugged, and heavy in the hand, so slow shutter speeds tend to give steady shots…at least for me. Full of features and with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second, it ticks a lot of boxes and can be at the core of a complete system of accessories and lenses

However, there is something which nags at the back of my mind, whenever i am working with it…..that is just it…its a workhorse, its not a pleasure to use in the way that a Nikon Fm2n or a Nikon FA is…

It is nothing tangible and its nothing i can put my finger on…Indeed as a Nikon fanboy (I hate to admit it but I am 🙂 ), I actually feel ashamed to admit it, but I am actually thinking of putting the camera back on the shelf with my collection of cameras.

The fact is that the Nikon F100 does not have a defined rolein my bag….

It’s too heavy to be a simple add on to leave in my bag for the occasions where i need a film backup to my Z system….

It does not give the feel of an old manual SLR….which is also the ideal instrument for street photography…The F100 is anything but discrete in that sense

When i find myself comparing it to a Nikon F75 I own, which is a humble consumer camera….then I know i might have the wrong instrument in my hands…

The F100 remains an ultra competent workhorse, and I will be the first to say that it is probably the most complete professional instrument (or semi pro anyway)…but i guess, my F100 is the proof that sometimes internet reviews and features just don’t give the whole picture.

Maybe if I was journalist or a pro, in the last years of film, the F100 would have been my go to camera….thing is I am not…Film for me means two things….the pleasure of mechanical workings combined with the slow meditational pace of taking an exposure in black and white….so back to my Nikon FM2n I will go, i think 🙂