Released in 2002 with a price tag of $1999 USD, the D100 was the first consumer level
DSLR from Nikon. Acting as the baby brother to the successful Pro-level D1, and a direct
competitor to Canon's D60, budget-minded photo enthusiasts could now join the digital Revolution.
The body design is based on the F80, a 35mm film camera released two years
prior. You would think that it would more closely resemble the F100, but camera model
names are just one of those things that exists beyond the edge of rational thought.
In 2004 Nikon followed up the D100 with two similar models, splitting their consumer range
into the entry level D70, and the D200 acting as a step up from that. The D100 features a 6.1
megapixel aps-c (or DX in Nikon speak) CCD sensor. ISO from 200 to 1600. F-mount with full support
for AF-D lenses. A built-in flash. Top LCD status display with a green LED side light. For storage
it uses CF, supporting cards up to 4GB. USB 1.1 via a mini connector. You're best off using a card
reader to transfer your photos though. There's also a composite video out mini jack and power in.
It uses en-el3 type batteries. A very tiny by today's standards 1.8 inch TFT LCD. It
isn't exactly high-res at 150 000 pixels, and the viewing angles aren't very good.
OK, for being a digital camera body from 2002 there's obviously only so much you can expect
from it. Now, I think with contemporary cameras, in most use cases, shooting JPEG is fine. There's
a lot of information there, and the workflow is just easier for everyday photography. In the case
of the D10, I recommend shooting RAW at all times. Its resolution, dynamic range, and noisiness
doesn't give a whole lot to work with. You'll want to start with as much as you can get - and massage
the image when developing those RAW files. That said, there are limits as to what you can massage
from it. Pump up that detail and put that noise on display. You want a vintage film-like image this,
camera will deliver something akin to that. Lean into its shortcomings.
Even when shooting RAW there are some artifacts to deal with; with chroma noise in dark areas,
and a bit of zippering on high contrast edges. These older CCD sensor cameras have
been getting somewhat popular lately for the way that they capture colour. I'm not
going to say that it does something that a newer CMOS sensor necessarily doesn't,
but it can give you quite vibrant colours with a slide film look to them.
As I said at the top of this video, the D100 is based on the F80, and it kind of shows. When using
it you do get a sense that this is a digital camera grafted onto a film body. For example,
the shooting mode dial is also how you can access ISO, white balance,
image quality, and AF target. Note: these can be adjusted through the rear menu as well. This
just seems kind of clunky. The interface often requires using two hands at a time. To zoom in
you must hold down a button while turning the rear wheel control. It's needlessly fussy.
There is an overall sluggishness to how it performs. In my 5D classic video I
stated that I was surprised as to how snappy everything felt,
and that's because I expected it to perform a little more like this. That said,
the difference between that camera and this one is three years... and several thousand dollars.
One area where this camera performs quite well is power consumption, it just seems to keep going,
especially when you have the battery grip as I do. This accessory not only provides double the power,
and a second set of controls for shooting portrait, it also adds a remote Port. So,
if you want to plug in an intervalometer to do time lapse, the grip is a necessity.
Something I've noticed about Nikon's SLR's is that they put a lot of attention into
dampening the mirror slap. There is absolutely no Kickback when you fire the shutter. On the D100
it feels really contained.
When it comes to cleaning the sensor, from what I can tell mirror lock is only
available if the camera is being powered by an AC adapter. Without one things get
a little adventurous as you have to set it to bulb and hold down the shutter while rooting
around in there. Ultimately it all feels maybe a bit half-baked, and fair enough,
this is about as early as you can get into DSLRs without getting into some real exotic territory.
I've talked about the overall level of compatibility when it comes to the Nikon
F-mount in the past. With over 60 years of cameras and lenses based on this platform there's a high
level of interoperability between all of them, but it has its limits. When it comes to lens support,
the D100 seems to draw its Comfort Line at AF-D. Unlike later consumer models it does
also have its own autofocus motor and will work with screw driven AF-D lenses. I only
have one such lens myself, and I found the performance to be... well, worse than my F4.
Now, this could be the fault of my particular copy, but my gut tells me that this is not an
autofocus beast under the best conditions. Anything before AF-D, you are only able to
shoot in full manual mode - giving you an error code if you try firing the shutter in
any other shooting mode. It does support the auto aperture, but it doesn't have an AI tab,
so it doesn't know what the aperture is set to - which unfortunately means that you don't have
access to the light meter. This kind of sucks if you want to use older glass as you have to
essentially figure out your exposure with test shots. That said, you get used to it pretty quick.
This camera is old. There are people born after its release that can vote,
so your expectations must take that into account. With patience and tweaking,
it can take some interesting images, and for some this might be a great tool in
their artistic arsenal. The D100 doesn't feel cheap or cumbersome, but it also doesn't feel
as refined and confident as later models. Most people getting into classic DSLRs might want a
little more than what this camera has to offer - in both image quality and functionality. So,
something more fully realized like the D200 might be a better option.