re: Subject: RE:Some figures from Popular Photography Annual Photo Contest
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>> Again, this is just a guess. Could someone working in a photo shop
>> confirm whether Nikon sells more F90x than Canon sells EOS5, for
>> instance? Or F100 than EOS3?
I work at Broadway Camera in Toronto P/T on Saturdays and can shed some
light here, at least from our store. We have had one Canon EOS 3 ordered and
sold. No other requests & the EOS 3 was available at least one month before
the F100. We have had 10 F100's come in [original order was 25] and each was
sold within 48 hours of arriving. We got two in on Friday, I got mine on
Saturday and the second was sold on Saturday also. F90X outsells the Canon
EOS A2/A2E at least 20 to 1. Yes, 20 F90X's sold for each A2/A2E sold. The
F70 outsells the EOS Elan II/IIE about 3 to 1. The Canon EOS Rebel G
outsells the Nikon F50/F60 at about 7 to 1. These are estimates and should
be fairly accurate.
OK. Now an F5 User Perspective of the F100.
The truth is, an ex. F5 user. I traded mine in on Saturday for an F100.
One of my biggest personal beefs is the weight of the F5. I have huge hands
and still find it cumbersome to carry the F5 around all day. I was in Santa
Fe for three days in November and carrying the F5 around for 8-10 hours a
day got quite cumbersome. This was not a serious shooting trip but a happy
snaps touring trip. Were my images great. Yes, they were awesome. So were my
girlfriends images taken with her F90X. We both own 24-120's, a lens I
consider the perfect traveling companion. Could we tell the difference
between the two sets of slides? Not really. My exposures were a little bit
better due to the fact that I knew what to meter on in tricky situations and
generally do switch between spot, matrix and center weighted. She was set on
program & matrix for the entire trip.
This is not an F5 bashing commentary. in fact, I love the F5 and if finances
permitted, I would have kept it and purchased the F100 so I could own both.
The truth is, even if I had both, the F5 would have gone into
semi-retirement and would only be used when I really required two cameras
any my SO's F90X was also in use. My plan is to get a second F100 next year.
OK, the F100.
Construction is awesome and almost up to par with the F5. The F5 has it here
by an edge. Handling wise, the F100 feels better in my hands than the F5.
Control layouts. After using the F5 for a year and a half, the F100 controls
seem logical and accessing them, especially custom, ISO, AEB, Lock & flash
modes are superior. No cover to flip as on the F5. F100 Film Transport:
Quite nice but it reminds me of an F90X rather than the F5. The F5 is QUIET
and there is no better shutter or film transport on the market. One for the
F5 here. Focus indicators: The F100 has it here. The red LED's are awesome
since I do a lot of night and low light photography. Interestingly enough,
these indicators are built into the prism, not the screen. There are no
focus bracket and center weigh circles etched on any of the F100 screens so
to my pleasure, I can see the LED's on the E-Screen. in regards to focus
indicator selection, the F100 seems smoother and all controls, including the
lock are positioned around the dial. Nice touch. Viewfinder information. All
in one place. Nice! no more hunting around the edges of the F5 screen. The
green on black is simply awesome and IMHO, superior. the viewfinder is also
brighter on the F100. Quite noticeable with the 24-120 & E-Screen. The
on/off lock is gone on the F100 but the F5 has a smoother rotation. This
works better for me.
Nice F100 Custom function features
Many of the custom functions are similar to the F5 so I'll skip them. The
one that I will miss is the extended shutter speed range. back to using my
MC-20 for extended shutter speeds.
#1. Auto film rewind at end of roll. Finally.
#2. EV in 1/3, 1/2 or full stops. Will stick to 1/3
#13. Easy Exposure Compensation. Quite Cool. Since I shoot mainly chrome, I
tend to bracket a lot. With this function enabled, the sub command dial
kicks in exposure compensation. I mainly use Aperture priority so I change
the aperture via the main, front command dial and when I rotate the sub
command dial, I can adjust the compensation in 1/3 steps, + or - depending
on rotation direction, very, very quickly. Nice touch!
#17. LCD illumination via any button. When enabled, touching any button
illuminates the LCD panel. A nice feature for me since I love night & low
light photography.
#20. Shutter release confirmation via LED. Nice.
#22. Aperture setting via lens's aperture ring. Yes, it works. you do get
the aperture reading and it works just like the F90X. My preference is via
the command dial for zooming & constant aperture plus being able to control
it in 1/3 stop increments.
My only complaints are quite trivial. All F series camera have the engraved
Nikon & model number. This would have added a touch of class a true feeling
that I now own what Nikon consider to be an F series camera. The custom
function pocket guide for the F5 fits nicely in my wallet. The F100 guide is
twice the size. No real problem here as I have recorded all the function in
my PalmIII. There's something stately about the F5 when I hold it. It is one
of the finest crafted piece of electronics on the planet. The F100 is almost
there. The F100 shutter and transport remind me of the F90X, much better &
quite smooth, but not and F5. They could have built it better to have the F5
sound and feel.
My feeling is that the F100 is really a baby F5 rather than a souped up
F90X.
Price Difference in Toronto is still about $900.00 Canadian street prices
which IMHO, still a great deal.
Please note: My perspective is that a camera is just a tool. These are my
opinions. I believe that after 20 years of photography, I can just about do
anything with any camera, make or model and get the same results. It's not
about equipment but rather technique and knowing how to manipulate light and
film. On the other hand, the toys are great. I believe that Nikon makes some
of the best cameras and glass around. I've switched systems twice times
[started with Minolta MF, went to Minolta AF and then Nikon ] and now am a
Nikon user for life.
The bottom line is: Find what's right for you and use it. Who cares if there
is different technology that may be better. It's about creating images. It's
about knowledge. It's about intuition. It's about experience. It's about
knowing light and knowing your equipment inside out such that you can
manipulate and control it to get the best possible image. Nikons line is "We
take the worlds greatest pictures". Maybe Nikon users are just better
informed. That's what this list is all about.
Regards,
Mark
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.interlog.com/~mvucinic/
http://www.broadwaycamera.com
