Earlier this month I hunted around for a used Nikon F100 and finally got it in my hot little mitts last week. I’ve been having a lot of fun with it — going back to 35mm feels so good. It’s great being able to spend more time on a single scene again instead of being uber-deliberate, which is how I am with medium format since it’s more expen$ive to shoot and develop.
To put it simply: I’m in L-O-V-E. I’m never putting this puppy down. The things I love most about it aren’t evident in the photos it produces, though…
For example, how it’s built just like my dSLRs (or, I should say, how my dSLRs are built just like my F100). One issue I’ve been facing when I shoot on my manual SLRs is the difference in handling. I always get tripped up when going from one camera to the next — they feel different in my hands, knobs turn this way, aperture rings turn that way, etc. — and in turn it takes me time to get used to it, every time.
But I can go back and forth between my D700 and F100 in a completely fluid manner. They might as well be the same camera. Except when I instinctively look at the back of my F100 after taking a photo I just get flushed and my best friend laughs at me. :)
My F100 also came with a battery grip, and as you can tell from the photos that I promise are coming soon (Just shut up already and get to the photos, Kim!), I’m super duper in love with having an extra shutter release. No more T-Rex hand when I want to shoot vertically!
(…Are we there yet?!)
The following photos were taken today and yesterday, around Mississippi and Irvington, as I feverishly blew through a roll of cheap film so I could see what this bad boy is made of. As luck would have it, it’s made of awesome. This bad boy’s gonna fit right in with my Portland lifestyle.
I saw lots of cats on my walk, too. :)
Wayne Smith
on December 21, 2011 9:07 pmIt looks great, Kim! The image quality is really good, so is the color. What lens were you using with these?
Kim
on December 21, 2011 9:10 pmThanks Wayne! :) Almost all of these were taken with the 85/1.8... I think there's 4 or 5 that were taken with the fiddy.
Bronwyn
on December 21, 2011 10:02 pmOh WOW. You weren't kidding! Creaminess ahoy!
Also I completely agree about the extra shutter. It feels so right and makes life so much easier when shooting a fast-paced event! (though it took me some time to think "okay left hand, you can press down, the other shutter works too!") The only snag with the D7000 out of the box was it didn't feel as natural as the D90 did - the battery grip solved that pretty fast after I realized I wasn't adjusting. It adds weight but for me it's a small sacrifice. :)
You're making me want to YouTube the shutter again. Music to my ears.
Kristin
on December 21, 2011 10:56 pmgreat shots, and the colors of the rollfilm are perfect. I like it.
Angélica
on December 22, 2011 4:42 amLooks really nice :D I think I'm going to bring my Pentax MX with me today! I always forget how much fun it is to shoot film.
Jonathan Fleming
on December 22, 2011 10:30 amLove the clean look to the light in these photos! It can indeed be pretty jarring to move from one kind of camera to another and back. After reading this, I think an F100 would be my film cam of choice as well =)
M.
on December 22, 2011 12:20 pmI love those images...
there is just something beautiful about film that is so hard to get from digital...
debbie
on December 22, 2011 3:03 pmthese are wonderful! super yummy. i think you're inspiring me - i haven't picked up my camera in MONTHS *cry*
Kim
on December 22, 2011 9:26 pmYou aren't the only one crying. We miss your uploads, Debbie! :)
Jade Sheldon
on December 22, 2011 4:03 pmOh my, GORGEOUS! You are killing me though: this is making me want to run out right now and get an slr and start shooting film! My bank account would really hate me though... :(
Kim
on December 22, 2011 9:25 pmAw, well if you ever want to blow through a roll of film, I have more cameras than I know what to do with -- we could photo walk it up. In fact, more photo walks is one of my resolutions for 2012!
Jade Sheldon
on December 23, 2011 1:09 amMore photo walks are DEFINITELY one of my New Year Resolutions too. I want to go and photograph some of the beautiful places in Portland that I've never had the opportunity to before.
Sara
on December 22, 2011 5:42 pm*dreamy sigh*
As if I needed more fuel to flame my 1N fire. SO lovely. =)
Kim
on December 22, 2011 6:35 pmHey man, my offer to ship you that 1N on sale at KEH is still on the table. Anything to spread the sickness. I mean, LOVE! Spread the love... Yeah. :P
Jacqueline
on December 22, 2011 10:56 pmso awesome. i thought about that camera for a minute... but stayed true to my canon blood and went with the ae-1 instead.
also, how ridiculously cool is that leaf/converse shot? dang.
Bria
on December 28, 2011 2:50 pmI'm falling so far behind on your blog! (And mine for that matter...)
These are beautiful! I am so tempted to snag an F100 for myself...I've had it in the back of my brain since our little chat on Twitter. Maybe I'll throw down after Morocco, just in time for some spring wedding action.
P.S. I am so inspired by your blog, not just your beautiful images and stories but by the fact that you post so freakin' regularly. When things get busy around here my blog seems to be the first thing that gets neglected. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because I just can't stand to be in front of a computer for another hour after my work day. Thanks for inspiring my lazy ass to get back at it. ;)
Kim
on December 28, 2011 2:57 pmAw, thanks so much, Bria! I've definitely been missing your posts on my feed reader!
Also, about blogging... Well, Chris doesn't call me "Backstory Smith" for nothing! I just really like storytelling, in any form. I'm glad my obsessive blogging is inspiring you, though. :) I'm not sure if you can do this on the Blogger platform, but one thing that really helps when a hectic time is coming up for me, is to draft a number of posts and then schedule them to go live throughout the week. It's a really good method for when you have a block of time on a certain day to just sit down, crank out some thoughts and then let the blog take care of itself for a week or so.
And I really CAN'T recommend the F100 enough. DO IT!! :)
Trude
on December 28, 2011 4:13 pmDude, the way it handles DOF and texture is loooovely. Or should I say the way YOU handle? Either way, I'm so glad you're happy with the new toy!
Mandi
on December 29, 2011 8:46 amI've got PLENTY of expired color ISO-100 35-mm film if you're interested in a swap with a total stranger. ;)
Heck if I can't keep my film from tearing away from the container! (Neither the film or K-1000 are defective; I'm just lame.) Soooo my fanny is in full stock of this stuff... I could still use some VARIETY.
April
on December 29, 2011 1:52 pmLove them! Shooting film is a like a little present to myself, so I think I know what you mean.