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tradmanclimbs
Aug 11, 2003, 1:55 AM
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I currently shoot professional sports with an F100 but am in the process of switching to digital. Is a D100 going to be good enough? The D100 is 2 grand cheaper than a D1X anyone used them?
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tim
Aug 11, 2003, 3:14 AM
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In reply to: I currently shoot professional sports with an F100 but am in the process of switching to digital. Is a D100 going to be good enough? The D100 is 2 grand cheaper than a D1X anyone used them?
you know when I was first thinking of getting a digital SLR, I also was thinking about taking a trip up to Willoughby around that time so I called a local hardman in VT area who I used to climb with on weekdays when I lived in Burlington. Alden Pellett, maybe if you climb ice around there you've met him, he works as a freelance photojournalist and he is damn good at it. Anyways he was telling me that his D30 (the Canon of 3 generations ago, slower and flimsier than the D100) was the greatest thing ever for assignments. No more scanning, just take a hundred or so frames and send in the good ones. Done. Everybody's happy.
The D100 is now down to about $1500 and all your lenses will fit on it, and it's fast enough. The D2H that Nikon is threatening to come out with will focus faster, motor drive faster, and do automatic high-speed flash sync. If these things are critical to you, really really critical, maybe you should wait for the D2H, it really is a PJs-only camera. But it'll be expensive for sure ($3500?) and the D100 is available NOW. I liked mine a lot...
A month or so ago, some crackhead broke into my house and stole the D100 (my F100 was in my rucksack that I carry the camera(s) in). It sucks shooting slow-ass Velvia and scanning it; if I was doing this professionally I would kill myself (after having used the D100 with a big compact flash card and a firewire card reader). But I'm not and it was $2000 cash payout so I'm going to wait.
Unless you're shooting a lot of wide angles (and don't want to pay $1000 for a plastic 12-24mm f/4) or really need the fast focusing of the F100, you will absolutely love the D100. If your assignments call for shooting a ton of frames and editing them on a tight deadline, you will love it. It is built well enough (more plasticey than the F100 but similar form factor) and there is nothing else in this world like shooting at ISO 1600, 3200, or 6400 and getting decent frames for your trouble. I can't describe how awesome that felt the first time I tried it -- took a bunch of pictures at a tango show in Buenos Aires and I thought, "wow, I'll never be able to go back to the F100".
Which of course is exactly what I did when I got robbed and my insurance paid out. My girlfriend, who always hated how fiddly the SLRs are, was mad at me for not replacing it. I will -- I just want it to get cheap again. Right now I have an 18-35mm and an 85/1.4 and I'm happy to shoot slides with the F100. It is a great camera, I love it to death, but there is nothing like the ability to rattle off 500 frames at 3fps and never change a roll of film, whether you're shooting at ISO 200 or ISO 6400 or everything in between.
Hey, if it sucks, you can send it back within 30 days. I don't think you will if you're using it professionally, unless (like I said) the focus speed is too slow for you. It's a damn good package, there are little things that are shabbier than you'd wish here and there, but the overall package rules.
I will end up getting another one eventually. Just not yet.
I have to post my Argentina photos. That's it, I'm posting them tonight.
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overlord
Aug 11, 2003, 11:18 AM
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try the photography forum??? :?:
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rwaltermyer
Aug 11, 2003, 12:24 PM
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I can only speak from a N80 user (the D100 was basically built of the N80's body.) And yes, the focus speed is the only thing that seperates the N80 from being a professional-grade camera. If the N80 would focus like an F5, it would be the best camera out there for its price. It still is.
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tradmanclimbs
Aug 11, 2003, 12:48 PM
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Like I said I shoot sports for a living. specificly Equine sports. I could not imagine takeing a step backwards from the F100 in focusing speed. Is the D100 slower autofocus? I can live with slower fps but not slower autofocus or less sofistacated metering.
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erica44
Aug 11, 2003, 12:55 PM
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I have used all of them. the D100 the D1X and the D1H. I spent an intensive amount of time with the D1H and thats my choice of the 3. however, my work now uses the D100 (can't afford anything else) and it gets the job done. it is quick and easy so, I think someone else has already said it. what is most important for you. if its money then the D100 is the one for you. if you need faster then I suggest the D1X. but like I said I will go with the middle any day and take the D1H.
my job title says I am a photojournalist but I am not a good one, so use this info what you will. good luck.
erica
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dsafanda
Aug 11, 2003, 1:45 PM
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I have a D100. I think it is a very nice camera if you really want to make the switch to digital now instead of continuing to wait. I think the price is right. I'm not sure I'm getting quite the same performance that I was with my F90 and Fuji film but the convenience and lack of processing and scanning costs is totally worth it for me. I'm shooting much more than I ever was before. I can continue to invest in Nikon glass in the meantime and 4-5 years from now when the technology has leaped again I'll invest in a new digital body.
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thegreytradster
Aug 11, 2003, 10:23 PM
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Check out dpreview.com (yeah it sounds like a porno site but it's not) Extensive reviews of everything digital photo related. You might also consider the Sigma with the Foveon chip set. Totaly different technology and impressive results.
What kind of equestrian stuff? That's the old ladys' gig. Have to stay "horse poor" so I can go climbing! :cry:
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tradmanclimbs
Aug 11, 2003, 10:46 PM
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I shoot the whole gambit , Show jumping, dressage, eventing, endurance, barrel raceing, etc. I absolutely hated my N90s and came to the conclusion that it was a piece of pro-sumer crap. With that in mind I guess it's between the D1x and Dh1, but I need to go big and I guess the D1x isn't much good past 8X10?
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thegreytradster
Aug 11, 2003, 11:23 PM
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Her thing is Hunter/Jumpers.
Been away from the Photo game for a few years. Have and old Nikormat FTN. No AF but don't know what i'd do with an AF camera anyway except turn of the AF. Cut my teeth on 8X10 Deardorfs. I use a Fuji finepix 1400 for climbing. Small compact, and good enough for web sites, although a little more zoom, lens shade and ASA eq. speed would be helpfull. SOCALHOTCLIMBS.com
Seen some impressive blowups from the Foveon/Sigma. Don't know if the equivilent ASA speed is fast enough for what you are doing though. The Foveon.com site provides a lot more detail on how their system works. Sigma buys the chip sets from them.
If I wasn't "horse poor" I'd have one!
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tradmanclimbs
Aug 11, 2003, 11:41 PM
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I used to shoot all that stuff on manuel but guess what? the world has changed and the new stuff works. Ask any photo editor that has been arround a while and they will tell you that they see a lot more shots with the ball just off the bat etc then they used to.
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thegreytradster
Aug 11, 2003, 11:58 PM
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If I was making a living at action photography, I'd trade up.
Heck, if I wasn't "horse Poor" I would. Sigma makes AF lenses, I think.
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tradmanclimbs
Aug 12, 2003, 12:13 AM
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I gave up on after market lenses. They are usualy opticly fine but they break easy :roll:
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thegreytradster
Aug 12, 2003, 12:23 AM
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Yep the Nikon stuff is pretty tough. Mine still works after 35 years of abuse. Although strictly speaking a Sigma lens on a Sigma body wouldn't be aftermarket. Don't know what there "toughness" reputation is.
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cyberclimber
Aug 13, 2003, 3:09 PM
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In my work I use a D1, D1x and a D100. The D100 definately has the slowest AF speed and it also has the slowest flash sync speed (@1/180th). The D1x is my camera of choice for most work due to the AF speed and sync speed (Nikon claims 1/300th but we use ours at 1/500) . The D100 has a slightly larger chip size but the D1x seems to process the image a little better and need fewer post camera adjustments. The D100 is a nice camera for the money and if you don't need a fast AF and sync then I would say to go for it.
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tradmanclimbs
Aug 22, 2003, 2:24 AM
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I do need fst fill flash as well as fast autofocus but I tried a d100 and it was useable. I figure I will need 2 bodys anyways so I bought a 100 and a G4 and will wait untill the D2h comes out before springing for a top of the line modle for my primary body. This will give me time to learn the system and all the stuff that goes allong with cataloging the photo's and selling them. I will probobly do a few small shows digital this fall and then get a d2h in the spring and have 2 bodys to launch my horseshow season in the spring. Big jump for me :shock:
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