Great digital SLR
Written: Dec 22 '02
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Pros: Negligible lag time when powering up the camera, long battery life.
Cons: Not for casual users, Pictures need post-processing, price, Nikon Capture 3 costs extra.
The Bottom Line: Excellent digital SLR that handles just like a Nikon film SLR.
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| mk11's Full Review: Nikon D100 Digital Camera |
The D100 is Nikon's first model in the affordable digital SLR market. It directly competes with the Canon D60 and Fuji S2. It has a 6 megapixel CCD, compability with most of the Nikkor SLR lenses with ideal matching with D and G lenses, has a built-in flash, and a rechargeable battery that has remarkable long-life between charges. The battery is supposedly designed for up to 1500 shots per charge and it seems to hold up to this claim in real-world situations. The outfit also comes with NikonView software and a trial version of Nikon Capture 3 software(which is now in version 3.5).
The body is based on the Nikon N80 body although the D100 is taller. It has a more robust feel than the N80 although the exterior is still made of the same polycarbonate material. The D100 feels like a brick with a very solid feel to it. It doesn't compare to the professional D1 series, however. The layout of the camera is typical Nikon and requires very little learning if you are already a Nikon user.
The CCD is smaller than a standard 35mm film's dimensions but much larger than the typical point and shoot digicam. This results in better quality shots compared to P&S cameras. However, this difference in size from 35mm film also results in a 1.5X crop in the field of view. This cropping factor seems to be a big source of confusion. Most people assume that the 1.5 factor results in a zooming effect where, for example, a 100 mm lens will become a 150mm lens with this camera. This is not true. In actual fact, the 100 mm lens remains a 100 mm lens but the crop that this camera does makes the field of view appear as a 150mm lens' field of view. In other words, if you like wide-angle lenses, you will be disappointed when your 17-35mm zoom lens gives you a field of view of about 24-48mm. If you are primarily a portrait or long-lens shooter, this won't affect you that much.
As a camera, I have no qualms recommending it. This is the first affordable digital camera that handles just like my film SLRs. The camera is ready to take a shot as soon as you flip the on switch. I takes pictures in RAW, TIFF, or JPEG modes. For best results, you'll need a high capacity compactflash card. I have a 512MB Lexar and have been happy with it. I have not had as much fun with other cameras as I have had with the D100. You will find yourself shooting away with much greater frequency and experimenting with your photography much more with this or any other digital camera. If you don't like your results, just erase it and try again. The instant feedback from the LCD screen allows you to do this unlike a regular film camera. In the end, when you are ready to print a shot that you like, just use your home ink-jet printer or send it to a Walmart, Costco, or other film developer. More and more developers are offering digital processing now.
There are also many discussions about which is better. Canon D60 vs. Fuji S2 vs. Nikon D100? I think that if you are already a Canon user, get the D60. If you are a Nikon user, get the Fuji or the Nikon. All three are very close in performance and you will be hard-pressed to tell which picture came from which camera after post-processing is done. This also leads me to my final point. With digital SLRs, you will almost always have to do some post-processing of your shots using a program such as Photoshop. This will ultimately provide you with great pictures which will be better than digital point and shoot cameras. However, if you like to just take a shot and print it without much other effort on your part, you should probably stick with a good digital P&S like a Canon G3.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1995
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
mk11
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Location: Houston, TX, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I am a photography and car enthusiast who likes to explore new products.
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