Nikon D100?

Question

There is one for pretty cheap on craiglist. it comes with a SIGMA ZOOM,28-80MM 1:3.5-5.6 HF MACRO, strap, memory card, battery.

All for $345

How naive is it to believe that this is a great deal?

If I do end up looking at it, what are some points of interest to check on the camera concerning functionality and making sure that nothing is messed up?

Answer 1

It depends on what condition it's in. It's not one of the newer digital cameras, so the seller has probably upgraded to the D200. Personally, I'd prefer a Nikon lens to a Sigma, but that's just me.

Answer 2

I own a Nikon D100 and like it very much. It is an older camera and completely obsolete compared to even the entry-level Nikon D40. However, I have no short-term plans to retire mine; I am very happy with it.

First, compare the price to a brand-new Nikon D40. For $345, you're 1/3 of the way to a brand-new, latest technology camera with a warranty. I'm not saying you should buy a D40 instead, just consider that financial fact in your head. Are you OK with it? Then read on!

Inspect the camera body for scrapes or cracks. These could indicate that the camera lived through rough times.

Try ALL the buttons. Make sure they all work.

Take some pictures and look at them in the LCD viewer. Are the exposed properly?

Put the camera into continuous shoot mode and hold down the trigger. Listen to the mechanics as it photographs. Any weird noises?

Take a few pictures of blue sky if you can. Look at them in the LCD screen and zoom in. Look for grey spots that indicate dirt on the sensor. If you see some, it doesn't mean the camera is a lemon - but it will cost you $100 to get a cleaning from Nikon.

Turn off the camera and remove the lens. Inspect the metal mount on both the camera and the lens. Look for bends or gouges.

Hold the lens under a bright light and inspect the aperture. Gently work the aperture control on end of the lens and watch. The aperture should open and close smoothly without sticking. There should be no signs of oil on the aperture blades.

Hold the aperture control wide open and look through the lens against a bright light. Look for stains, moisture, scratches or other problems. Look particularly closely around the edges looking for faint spiderweb-looking growths. That's fungus growing inside the lens. If you see it, the lens image quality will slowly fade in the months / years to come.

More tests are hard to do without taking the camera home. In the end, it's a used camera. It might be in great shape or it might fail in a month after you buy it. That's the risk you take for a deal!

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http://www.lenslenders.com

Answer 3

Be wary, the D100's shutter mechanism is rated for 'just' 100,000 actuations.
That might sound like a lot but the D100 was discontinued in 2004 (if memory serves) and it was sold to avid amateurs and even pros - people who tended to use them heavily. Repairing a shutter costs around $300.
Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to ascertain the shutter count. Software like Opanda can do this for newer Nikon models, but not with a D100.
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Hi Photoace,
Nikon doesn't list any numbers, but if you Google for it, you'll find that most sites agree that the film version F100, the digital D100, and the newer D200 all have a mean time to failure rated for 100,000 cycles. Granted, these are conservative estimates. Any particular unit might last 200,000 shots. (Or just 40,000.)
In general, entry level models by both Canon AND Nikon are rated for 50,000, semi-pro models are rated for 100,000, and pro models are rated for up to 250,000 actuations.
Then again, perhaps all these sites are just parroting each other. If you have a reliable source for higher numbers, I'd love to have a link.
For now, let's agree that you've used YOUR D100 like crazy ;-)
Kind regards,
Jeff

Answer 4

It's a great deal, provided it's in reasonable working condition. The lens is so-so, but the camera is quite good. It's an older model, but still takes decent pictures.
You should make sure that you can take pictures in auto and various modes, that you can download them to a computer.
I wouldn't be surprised if the battery is old and doesn't hold a full charge for long.