C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →slr-35mm
The F100 (1999) was Nikon's "F5 light." Same 10-segment 3D matrix meter (an F5 derivative), same Multi-CAM 1300 5-point AF, same shutter range. What's missing: the F5's full 1,005-pixel RGB matrix sensor (replaced with 10-segment derived data), interchangeable finder, integrated battery grip (the F100 takes 4 AA in a removable bottom plate; the MB-15 grip adds 4 more for 5 fps). The body is magnesium with polycarbonate skinning, 785 g vs the F5's 1,210 g.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The F5's brain in a body half the weight. The best $200 you can spend on a film camera in 2026.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F |
| Years | 1999–2006 |
| Shutter | 30s – 1/8000s + Bulb, electronic vertical |
| Flash sync | 1/250s |
| Meter | TTL 10-segment 3D matrix |
| AF | Multi-CAM 1300, 5-point (same as F5) |
| Frame rate | 4.5 fps; 5 fps with MB-15 grip |
| Weight | 785 g (body only) |
| Battery | 4× AA |
Released March 1999. Sold for 7 years until 2006. The F100 occupied the "advanced amateur / second pro body" slot — same image quality and AF as the F5 in a smaller, cheaper, lighter package. Many sports photographers carried an F100 as a B-camera to an F5. Discontinuation came as Nikon shifted resources to digital DSLRs (D200 / D2X overlapped this period).
The F100 is the most-recommended affordable modern Nikon film body in 2026. Used prices fell to $150–350 for clean copies. For the money, you get F5-grade autofocus, F5-derived metering, full PASM, modern Nikkor compatibility (AF, AF-D, AF-S, AF-G), magnesium build, weather resistance (good but not full F5/F6 sealing). Combined with a $50 50/1.8 AF-D and a $80 SB-600 flash, you have a complete modern film kit for under $500.
It's the body most film-revival shooters end up with after exploring 80s and 90s cameras and realizing they want speed and modern lens compatibility.
F-mount: AI/AI-S meter (manual focus), AF/AF-D fully compatible, AF-S autofocus (no aperture control on G lenses without a body that drives it — F100 does drive G lenses, with caveat). MF-29 data back. SB-28 / SB-600 / SB-800 / SB-900 flash. MB-15 vertical grip (8 cells total, 5 fps).
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Nikon F100
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