How to Shoot the Nikon F100 35mm Film Camera

The Nikon F100 is my favorite 35mm film camera. It was one of the last film cameras Nikon ever produced, and it brought together all the best features of the Nikon F line into an affordable, tough, compact package. While the Nikon F6 remains insanely expensive, the Nikon F100 is a contemporary camera that does pretty much the exact same thing for a fraction of the price. Remember, with 35mm, you’re not getting a better ‘sensor’ with a better camera – every body of the same system can use the same lenses and same film. The camera body is just ergonomics.

This guide is going to assume you have some familiarity with photography and DSLRs and/or mirrorless cameras, but that you may be new to the world of film photography. The F100 is a great place to start with 35mm, as it will feel far more familiar to digital shooters than older mechanical manual-focus SLRs and will give you reliable exposures.

Lens Compatibility

The Nikon F100 is just a camera body, so you’re going to need some lenses before you go any further. Thankfully, the F100 uses nearly the full range of Nikon F lenses, giving you access to decades of amazing glass. Nikon has officially stopped the production of new F series lenses in the age of the mirrorless Z system, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have tons of options. The F100 works great with autofocus lenses labeled as AF-D and AF-S in particular.

The main compatibility issue to look out for is AF-P lenses. For some reason, Nikon made a handful of AF-P lenses at the very tail end of the F line. Despite looking and working mostly the same as AF-S, AF-P broke compatibility with all Nikon film cameras. Dumb. AF-S, AF-D, and AF all still work, as well as most of the manual focus lenses that came before.

Lenses with VR work fine on the F100, but I’m not sure I believe the internet when it claims that vibration reduction actually does anything on the F100. When I use F mount VR lenses on digital bodies, I can hear the VR at work, and the same lens will be silent on the F100. It’s not the end of the world (I use VR lenses all the time with my Nikon F100 with zero adverse effect) but I wouldn’t seek out VR specifically for the F100.

AF and AF-D lenses will have an aperture ring on them, but the smallest aperture unit on the ring (usually like F22 or something like that) will be orange. To properly control aperture with these lenses, set the ring there and control aperture through the camera itself.

Older non-autofocus lenses will require you use the aperture ring to control aperture, but honestly, I think you’re better off with a split prism camera like the Nikon F3 with manual focus lenses. Split prism focus systems allow you to focus quickly and more accurately than trying to squint at a focus confirmation dot. Modern AF-S lenses will have no aperture ring to worry about.

If you really want to get into the weeds on Nikon lens compatibility, Ken Rockwell has you covered. However, the F100 is one of those cameras that just works with the vast majority of lenses, you’re really going to have to work to find one that doesn’t.

To attach the lens, line up to white dot on both the body and lens, insert it, then twist it counter clockwise until it clicks in. Sometimes lenses with aperture rings will have a little white line at the top center that acts as this white spot.

To remove the lens, hold down the lens release button next to the lens on the camera body and twist it clockwise. Unlike digital cameras, leaving the camera body open and lens-less isn’t a death sentence, though you won’t want to transport or store the camera this way.

Batteries

One of the best features of the Nikon F100 is that it uses four plain ol’ AA batteries. That’s it. And it can run forever on them. No weird CR2 lithium batteries or anything, just easy-to-get AAs.

The battery compartment is in the grip and is accessed through the bottom of the camera. Flip up the screw handle, then rotate it counter-clockwise to unscrew it (it won’t take much to come out). The battery compartment will pop out. Slide it out, dispose of the old batteries if needed, and put in new ones. There are handy little icons on the battery holder to let you know where everything goes.

The battery compartment may be damaged if old alkaline batteries were left inside for a long period of time. You can try to clean the corrosion with alcohol if it isn’t too bad, or you may have to get a battery compartment replacement. Moving forward, I recommend picking up some rechargeable lithium AA batteries for your Nikon F100, as they won’t leak and last ages on a charge. Remember, it’s not if alkalines will leak, only when. I charge my lithium AAs every few months just to out of an abundance of caution and I’ve never come close to killing the batteries while out shooting.

Loading Film

There’s a little window in the back that will let you see into the film compartment. When there is a roll of film loaded, the window will show you what the roll is (color or bw, chemistry, how many exposures, etc). Boy, do I miss this window on older cameras. I once shot for an hour in a shoot for a client with my Nikon F3 with no film loaded because there was no way to check. If it’s empty, you won’t see anything in the window. The LCD will also read E on the top screen if there is no film (or there is, it’s already been rewound).

To load in film, open up the back latch and flip it open. The film goes in ‘upside down’ or with the flat base at the top where it meets with the prongs from the camera. Once the film is seated in, pull a little of the leader (the film that’s already out of the cartridge) to the red line. I like to make sure one of the holes catches with the roller at the very end, but don’t worry, the camera will push down the film and roll to keep everything flat. Once film is inserted, close the back compartment, turn on the camera, and hit the shutter. The film will advance to the first photo and display a 1 on the LCD screen. If it doesn’t, showing E instead of 1, reload the film and try again.

On the top left of the camera there is an ISO button. If you’re not pushing your film, just hold down the ISO button and switch the camera to DX on the display. Confusingly if you’ve been in Nikon’s digital world, DX here doesn’t mean crop sensor, it’s referring to the DX coding on modern 35mm film rolls that tells the camera its ISO/ASA rating. I always leave it on DX, but if you’re using hand rolled film or need to manually change the ISO value, you can switch away from DX and set it yourself.

Setting Up the Camera

For the most part, operating the F100 is joyously simple, which we’ll get into below. However, you gotta set it up. And that’s the one place where this camera can be a slightly miserable to use.

Enter the custom settings menu, which you’ll need a literal key to translate. I’m not kidding, I carry around a laminated card that was included with the camera that lists out all the mysterious codes that you need to know to understand custom settings menu. It’s frustrating for the same reason that programming a VCR is frustrating – it’s simple but if you don’t know what you’re doing it’s impossible to intuitively figure it out.

When you get your Nikon F100, I recommend sitting down with the camera and going through every custom setting to make sure the camera is set the way you want it and doesn’t have anything weird toggled by a previous owner to trip you up. Pull up the custom settings cheat sheet on a computer and have at it. Once you’re set, then you don’t need to think about it again unless you store the camera for an extended period of time with no power.

In addition to setting the custom settings to your liking, this is a good time to make sure the viewfinder is set to be easy on your eyes. The little -+ knob right next to the eyecup is there to be adjusted to whatever works best for your eyesight. Put a lens on, get the camera in focus, and adjust until you can clearly see everything. I wear glasses when shooting, so it’s very helpful to get this dialed in.

Finally, on the top left of the camera is where you can select drive mode (how fast the camera will take photos). Since this is 35mm and film is costly, I keep this on S, which is for single photo (this will prevent you from accidentally taking multiple photos if you hold down on the shutter too long). If you want to take lots of pictures fast, C and Cs are continuous and Continuous (slow) for the spots/wildlife photographers wild enough to be using film.

Operating the Camera

Okay, now you got everything set, you got your batteries, and you got your film, it’s time to shoot. The on switch is right around the shutter, making it easy to turn the camera on and off quickly. If you push that lever past on to the little lightbulb icon, it’ll light up the backlight on the LCD screen.

The F100 operates very similarly to a modern mirrorless/DSLR body. Pick your mode (program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual), point your camera at your subject, press down halfway on the shutter button to focus, all the way down to take your photo. The F100 will automatically advance the film. Easy!

Hold down mode to use the dials to switch between the modes (I personally almost always use aperture-priority and sometimes program), and the LCD display will show P, S, A, or M depending on which you’ve selected.

Once in a mode, you can use the dials to adjust aperture and shutter speed. Manual will allow you both, priority modes will give you control over one, and program will change ratio between them while keeping exposure where the camera wants it to be.

Speaking of exposure, you can hold down the exposure compensation button and use the dial to change that. This camera is pretty smart, so it doesn’t need to be babysat like some film cameras. Typically I leave it at 0 or -1/3 stop if I’m shooting an object I want the camera to keep relatively dark (think like shooting rocks or trees, that sort of thing).

There are different metering modes, but I leave it on matrix metering and forget about it. Like on modern digital cameras, there isn’t a whole lot of reason to mess with spot metering. The camera is reliable enough with exposure that trust it. I’ve used multiple F100 units and none of them have let me down. It’s one of many reasons I love this camera so much.

There are five focus points, and you can switch between manually switching between them or letting the camera pick. Personally, I always pick focus by switching between the spots using the d-pad on the back door. If, for whatever reason, you want to lock the camera to one of these spots and disable the d-pad, you can move the switch next to it. It literally locks the d-pad in place so you can’t move it.

Advanced Features

There are lots of modes, buttons, and dials you really don’t need to mess with, but if you’re the determined sort, you can still find the manual for this camera online at https://www.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/42036.pdf

Like any good camera, there’s a lot of redundancy built-in to allow people to shoot the camera their way. For example, there’s an AF-ON button that if you hold down does the same thing as holding down the shutter half way, except there’s no danger of accidentally taking a picture. I never use it. Same with the L lock button next to the CSM button.

Rewinding the Film

When you reach the end of a roll, the camera will no longer let you take photos and blink with a notification. The Nikon F100 is nice in that it will use up every bit of a film roll, often allowing you to go over 24 or 36 photos on a roll (though keep in mind you might only get half or 2/3rds of a frame on the last photo on a roll).

Hold down the two rewind buttons simultaneously (they’re the ones marked red, which are the exposure compensation and BKT buttons) to wind the film back into the cartridge. Once it’s done, it’s safe to open the back of the camera and pop out the film. The film should be completely inside the cartridge now (new film always has a leader sticking out). Sometimes there’s a little bit still sticking out, but you can just push that into the cartridge easily enough and your film is still safe.

Troubleshooting and Common Issues

In my experience, the most common point of failure for F100 units that I’ve used are the latch holding the back door closed breaking. If a piece of the door itself breaks, it’s easy enough to swap out with a few screws, but the latch within the camera body itself is much harder to swap. At that point, I’ve just gotten my hands on another body and kept the broken one around for parts.

Speaking of the door, it communicates with the body through a series of pins. If they become dirty the back buttons may fail to register presses. You can use isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts on both the camera body and the door. If the door continues to not work, you can try swapping it with a replacement (like it said, it’s pretty easy) to see if that fixes the issue.

The rubber on the hand grip, like all rubber on consumer products, may become sticky with age. If you encounter this, you can remove a layer of rubber with a magic eraser to get to the rubber that hasn’t degraded underneath. Another solution that I’ve employed is simply covering up the rubber with tape, though obviously that can be a very aesthetically displeasing solution.

The battery holder is delicate, and something you should check if at all possible when getting your hands on one of these cameras. There can be damage from previous alkalines on the contacts or the latch can break. In either case, you may have to find a replacement. Just handle it with as much care as you can.

I’ve used my F100 cameras in wet and challenging conditions. I’ve even swapped film and lenses in storms. So it can take a beating. But when you get back from your shoot, take care of it. Remove the batteries, open up the back, remove the lens, and let everything thoroughly dry out if you take it into a blizzard or rainstorm.

Good Luck

The Nikon F100 is an incredible camera. When I need to shoot film in a professional capacity, this is a camera I can trust as a tool. It’s the perfect blend of film with the modern conveniences of a DSLR. It may not have the goofy charm of a weirdo vintage camera, but the F100 is here to get the job done.

Honestly, I’m kind of mystified why the F6 commands such an insane price while the F100 is still relatively cheap. The F100 was sold alongside the F6 new, and besides recording roll data and more focus points, the F6 isn’t ten times the camera of the F100. If you really need a big boss big time camera that can survive warzones, the Nikon F5 is the real upgrade, not the F6.

As time goes on I can see F100s getting more and more valuable as the finite amount out there break down and get rarer. Part of me wants to keep the camera a secret and build my own hoard of F100s, but it’s always better to share. The best thing to do if you get your hands on one is to get out there and take pictures. Happy shooting!