Hero Image

Nikon F100

Nikon F100

If is, after the much more expensive Nikon F6 (still being made), the best and most recent camera that basically supports all the cool features the DSLR-line does. The Nikon F100.

I have researched and read many articles and sources, and came to the following conclusions.

Lenses

Due to being a film camera, you will need to use full-frame (FX) lenses. FX-lenses are much more expensive than DX-lenses because they require more glass and a wider view. FX-lenses can be used with DX-camera's, and it will magnify your image by 50%, so 50mm on FX will be 75mm on DX (great for portraits!). FX-camera's can also use DX-lenses, but you will end up with vignetting (black ring around the image) because the lens is not wide enough. Some newer DSLRs (not the F100) will allow you to adapt to the lens and crop the image as if it were a DX-sensor. But it will make having an FX-camera kind of useless..

Your best option to start with is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. It's close to human-eye (can't really go wrong), and is very cheap compared to others. The Nikon F100 supports modern G-lenses, and this particular lens is one of the sharpest out there. It's even sharper than their much more expensive 50mm f/1.4G! However, these lenses can have quite a bit of distortion (mostly visible with brick walls). The older 50mm f/1.8D is slightly less sharp, and mostly only available as used, but has significantly less distortion. This will also act like a great portrait lens if you own a Nikon DX-camera, like me. I have a Nikon D80 on the side (they're both from 2006).

If you're going for a zoom lens, I recommend the Nikon AF-s NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G. It replaces basically all other lenses and is great for everything, including macro photography with its 300mm. It's also very sharp. Only downside is that its focus is not very fast, so wildlife might be tricky. It will allow you to travel around with basically one lens instead of a bag full of them. It also has vibration reduction that works quite well, removing the need for running around with a tripod.

28mm also kind of replaces 24mm (they're very, if not too, close), so if you want to go wider for landscape photography, add a 14mm or 16mm to your arsenal and toss it in a pocket of your jacket. Good to go.

So, to summarize:

  • Get a 50mm f/1.8G to start with.. excellent sharpness and light sensitivity for a cheap price. Also great for portraits on a DX-camera if you already own one.
  • Get the 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G if you can afford it (+/- € 999,-). It will replace pretty much everything.
  • Get a 14mm or 16mm if you really want to have something wider than the 28mm from the above zoomlens. It's light and small, and a prime lens (fixed mm) will be better than a zoom anyway.

Film rolls

If you want to take pictures of people or even weddings, Kodak Professional Portra 400 is your go-to film roll. It has the finest skin-tones, and finest grain at ISO 400. It's also a good ISO to shoot when it's cloudy, or indoors. It's also nice for landscapes and such!

If you want the film with the finest grain, Kodak Professional Ektar 100 is the best, but it kind of oversaturates red tones, making skin look not so nice. Best quality to scan, though.

For color-reversal film (dia/slides), Fujifilm Velvia 50 seems to be the most popular.