Hi everyone, I played around with the new F100 at my local camera dealer today. They ordered 20, got 2 and sold both! So, here are my first impressions: As expected, the camera has a look & feel like the F5, except for the lighter weight. I found it a bit uncomfortable to hold, as I am used to the N90s+MB10. They did not have any MB-15 grips but I think it would be essential for all but the smallest of hands. Controls are generally well laid out and fairly simple to figure out. This was confirmed by a user of another brand who also had a look. F5 users will probably be happy to use the sub-command dial for aperture selection but I found it awkward. I just prefer using the ring on the lens. The F100 displays "fEE" in the viewfinder when you attempt this but fortunately custom function 22 fixes this so that the proper aperture is displayed. CF2 changes shutter increments from 1/3 to 1/2 or full stops. The graphic meter scale changes from -2..+2 to -3..+3 if you do this, which is nice, but bound to confuse when mixing bodies... Autofocussing was quick in the dim shop interior using a 28/2.8 lens. It's hard to make a comparison to N90s or F5 as I've not tested either under the same conditions. Next I tried to mount a manual lens. They had a really old-looking 135/3.5 (complete with prong). It mounts, DOF works, spot and CW meters work, even the electronic rangefinder on all AF sensors work as expected. Speaking of DOF, it's a light pressure button which stops the lens down electronically. While it's stopped down you can change the aperture using the lens ring but not using the sub-command dial. I also tried a TC16A, the F100 does *not* want to focus with it! The L button on the left hand side is *not* a replacement for the eyecup shutter in the N90s and other cameras. It's only apparent use is to lock the aperture and/or shutter dials so you can't change these settings unintentionally. Fairly useless IMHO. All in all, it looks fairly good. Pity about the TC16A, though. --André Mostert [EMAIL PROTECTED]
