Nikon F-100 Camera Body

I did try a friend's F5 for a few days, which is an amazing camera. But given the few additional features it has, and the weight difference, I'd would still choose the F100 over the F5. It does 95% of what the F5 does in a much better handling and lighter package.

Finally, regarding the review below that talks about the lack of mirror lock-up (MLU) causing the mirror to break when traveling - what a load of trash... MLU has nothing to do with traveling with your camera. It's used exclusively to reduce camera vibration by flipping the up mirror early, typically for shots taken with long exposure times on a tripod. The reference he made to other information on the web regarding the lack of MLU in the F100 all have to do with vibration, not any travel concerns. The fact is that some camera vibration can be intoducted in the exposure range of .3 secs to .75 secs. MLU would help to alleviate this, and since the F100 doesn't have MLU some people have said that vibration may impact pictures with exposure times in this range. Any more or less exposure time than this and vibration isn't a problem.

I've taken many insect pictures using a tripod and macro lens in this range, and have not noticed any lack of sharpness. And if there were a problem, it's easy to change settings to get a longer or shorter exposure time. If you are strapping a camera to a microscope and MUST take pictures with exposures between 0.3-0.75 secs, get a camera with MLU. For the other 99.9999% of all pictures taken, it's not a problem. Mirror lock-up goes almost completely unused on cameras that have it - it simply isn't needed. Bottom line: lack of MLU on the F100 is a non issue.

Finally, I travel a lot for work and have taken my F100 all over the world in all kinds of conditions with no problems. This is a well built, reliable camera.

The focusing on the F100 is far faster than on the N80. When I originally bought my N80, I thought it was fast. On the F100, it's amazing. The images from the F100 are great, and I've never had one that didn't turn out because of camera error (what can I say, human error is the prevalent error behind this camera)

This camera isn't for everyone though. It lacks some of the features of the N80, such as the pop up flash and the grid lines on demand. If you're looking for an introductory camera, this is not it.

However, if you're serious about photography and already have a speedlight (flash), then this camera is definitely worth it. The reason for it not including a pop up flash is that the camera is geared towards very serious amateurs or professional photographers. Nikon figures that by the time you step up to one of their higher end cameras like the F100 or the F5, that you've already acquired a good flash unit. To put it into perspective, one of the photographers who routinely shoots at the local high school shoots with this camera. You can get the grid lines in the viewfinder by spending another [amount of money] and replacing the screen inside the viewfinder. Unfortunately, they aren't built in like the N80, but there is a work around, so in my mind, that's not a big deal.

This camera also has a vertical grip via the high power pack, which is something that the N80 is clearly lacking. So if you tend to shoot a lot in the vertical direction, this is a definite plus, especially if you're like me and don't have very big hands.

All in all, I highly recommend this camera for those who are serious about their photography, and don't want to spend the cash for the F5.