Design, Handling and Ergonomics

After I got over the thrill of holding the camera in my hands for five mintues, I rampaged through the box for the manual. Guess what ? They forgot to give me the manual for the test unit. Wow... now I can really find out if the camera is user-friendly huh ? So now I have Nikon's second most advanced SLR without any manual; this is a real acid test for user-friendliness I must say.

So did it pass the test ? Well, I managed to guess and operate 90% of the camera after fiddling with it for 15 minutes, so a typical user shouldn't have any problems at all. I use a Nikon F90X, but I've never used a F5 before. So I'd say that the F100 is well-designed and definitely more user friendly than your typical VCR. The only function you are likely to have problem figuring out is the custom functions. There are a total of 23 custom functions, and without a documentation you are probably unable to use the customize functions in the field, bar those that you use frequently. However, Nikon did include a small plastic laminared card with all the functions imprinted on it, so you can easily check the custom functions even when you are out there shooting.

If the F100 outperforms the F5 in any area, it would be the illuminated red focusing squares. Unlike the focusing squares of the F5 which is indicated in black and difficult to see in anything other than the most ideal situation, the selected focus squares are illuminated in red for around 0.5 secs when activated. It is pretty easy to spot which square is selected. The focusing screen is one of the brightest of any Nikon SLRs, even outshining (forgive the pun) the F5. The viewfinder LCD screen is bright and legible, and provides comprehensive info without being too cluttered. The display is dark green and illuminated, making it  viewable in all lighting.
 

The F100's shutter button is sure and decisive, without being oversensitive to the half-depress. The release lag is reasonably fast, and the operation is smooth. Like the F5, the On-Off operation is a collar switch. I actually prefer the sliding switch on the F90X,  because the collar switch needs two hands (one to hold the camera) to turn it on to prevent dropping the camera. The aperture (front) and shutter dials (back) are within comfortable distance of thumb and fingers, and clicks are distinct and smooth.

The F100 provides diopter adjustments for eyesight, although I'm slightly apprehensive about this feature. It allows compensation so that people with eyesight problem do not need to wear spectacles while shooting. If you are near-sighted, how on earth are you going to spot potential photographic subjects if you are not wearing specs and not looking through the viewfinder. Okay, it works only if you walk around with a F100 stuck to your face. However, a professional photographer pointed out that the diopter feature is very useful for photographers with far-sighted vision, since it allows them to see the image in the viewfinder clearly without having to put on their reading glasses.
 

If there is one feature which I really like on the F100 over the F90X, it must be the great electronic depth-of-field preview button. As someone who does macro work frequently, the DOF preview button on the F90X really leaves me with sore fingers, not to mention accidentally shifting the tripod while pressing the button. The F100's electronic DOF preview, in contrast, is a delight to use. A slight press, and the aperture stops down to the pre-set f-stop. No fuss at all !! This picture was taken with the Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 AF-D.

Other than the custom functions which I was unable to operate without the manual, the other function which racked my brain was the bracketing feature. I was not able to figure out what the cryptic display was trying to tell me, so I guess I'll just have to wait for the manual to arrive. But I am glad they included the auto-bracketing function into the camera. You are able to take 2 to 3 frames in 1/3 to 1 EV difference, and the best feature is that you can use custom function #11 to set the bracketing for either the background exposure or for flash exposure, something which they claimed is a Nikon exclusive. Pretty cool I'll say...
 

The AE-L and AF buttons at the back of camera are well designed and well-positioned. They are slightly studded to provide better friction and for easier location in the dark.All the buttons are clearly marked and spread out on the F100, kudos to Nikon's designers for that. Best of all, there are no excessive buttons. But a gripe I have is that the F100 does not have a viewfinder curtain. I know  that not everyone uses it. But when the lower model of F90X has it as a standard feature, it's really disappointing that Nikon chose to leave it out of the "mini-F5". It affects those who do closeup work and night photography the most.

Saying that the F100 has a great construction is akin to saying that Volvos are slightly tougher than Japanese cars. In case you didn't catch my drift, I'm saying that it is a understatement. It is difficult to find another camera which is built as tough as this little cookie, aside from the Nikon F5 and Minolta Dynax 9. The metal chassis gives the F100 a tough exterior, but the surprise comes from knowing that the F100 weigh only 30 grams more than the F90X !! The battery compartment lock is improved, with a flip-key design rather than the coin-slot design on the F90X. And the F100's grip is incredible - in fact,  the camera feels like a stone covered in rubber. But the right-hand section is slightly bulky, so users with shorter  fingers may not like it as much. I love the handling.
 

Functions and Specifications

Rather than bore you with specifications of the camera, I've listed the specification chart of the end of article.
 

Real-world performance

So how does the F100 perform in the real world ? Does it live up to its hype ? After a trial of three weeks, I will say that the F100 ranks easily among the best SLRs in the world, and will withstand challanges from any current cameras in the market.

In any review of modern SLRs, most people would want to know the speed of the autofocusing and the accuracy of the metering. Compared to the F90X, the F100's autofocusing is significantly faster, and less prone to hunting. It is also considerably quieter and more precise in focusing. The only blight in the focusing scheme is that the two squares at the top and bottom does not focus on horizontal lines ! I am not sure if this is documented anywhere, but I tried it on various subjects with horizontal lines, it simply does not catch on. I wonder if it is a deliberate design by Nikon so that you will not be focusing on horizons when you compose a landscape using the rule of thirds. Like what they say folks, it's a feature not a bug !
 

This picture of the orchid is taken with the right focusing point activated. When taking such still-lifes or portraiture where a focusing point is dominant, it is extremely useful.

So far so good, for stationary objects. Even very low contrast subjects like the fur on my stuffed yellow duck caught focus using the squares. The same subject posed difficulty to the F90X, so that's definitely an improvement. So I moved on to moving subjects to check out the dynamic autofocus mode and test the accuracy of the focus tracking. I chose the fountain at Bugis Junction because I knew there were always small kids playing there. Those little angels rank only below basketballers and soccer players in hyperactivity. When fooling around the spurting jets of water, they can get throughly wild and their movements can be really erractic (to avoid being hit by the water jets). Also, the spurts of water also serve as a obstruction to the AF tracking. Nikon claims that the AF tracking ignores temporary blockages to the subject and will hold focus. So I aim to take that claim to task.
 

The Dynamic AF mode is pretty impressive. I locked on the kid dashing everywhere in the fountain, and the focus held on like glue. The kid really jerked and skidded around the fountain, and the tracking was so smooth that it was difficult to tell if it was working at all. Then came the interuptting spurts of water jets... the F100 had no problem holding focus on the kid. So I'd say the F100 passed the test with flying colors. To make the best use of the F100's AF, you have to understand the workings of the two modes. The Dynamic AF uses closest subject as focus, and will actively track the subject with any of the five focusing points. The single-point selectable AF is great for off-centre compositions such as for portraiture or landscape.

The viewfinder has a higheye-point design, meaning that spectacled users can view the entire viewfinder area without having to flatten your nose into your face. It works great, and the LCD readout is sharp and clear, so no complaints about that. When the aperture dial is used, the aperture ring on the lens must be set to the minimum f-stop. Like a kid discovering a new feature on his new toys, I was delighted to find that I could now set my aperture in 1/3 stops ! Wow ! That is... until I found that it was quite a chore to keep spinning the dial to get to the stop that I wanted. Fine. So I decided that I want to set full stops using the aperture ring on the lens. When I turned the ring to other apertures, the LCD display read F--. After some cross-checks with the Nikon F100 catalog, I figured out that setting custom function #23, I could use the aperture dial on the lens to set the aperture in full stops. I'm glad that there is a choice - spinning 2 dials to choose aperture and shutter speeds in 1/3 stops could get pretty tedious after a while.
 

Now for the exposure. Unlike the top-of-the-line F5, the F100 does not sport a colour matrix meter. The literature does not mention anything about a improved meter, so I took it to mean that the meter is the same one on the F90X. One of Nikon's claim to fame as a professional brand is the unparalled accuracy of its Matrix metering. Using multi-segmented sensors and a database of stored situations, the Matrix metering is capable of providing pin-point accuracy in exposing up to 90% of the pictures taken. My experience with the Nikon F90X supports this claim. The tricky 10% which may lead to inaccurate exposure is mainly very bright AND very reflective subjects which take up a large portion of the image. The F90X consistently underexposes such subjects by one stop, which I will allow compensation for. However, with most subjects, even with half body portraits with white walls as background, the F90X gives spot-on exposure. That speaks very highly of a reflective-reading meter.

The F100, like the F90X provides very accurate reading, which is really to be expected. I put the F100 through a variety of situations, and compared the readings with a Minolta IV F lightmeter, and the variances for most situtations (I'd say around 95% of the time) were within 1/3 stop. Pretty amazing stuff. But what I want to know most is whether the F100 has the same tendency to underexpose bright and reflective subjects as the F90X, or perhaps overexpose black subjects. Again, a series of situations with bright highlights were chosen, and the F100 did considerably better. For example, skylines with bright overcast skies occupying 2/3 of the image area were underexposed by 1/2 stop. This is perhaps a good thing considering that the clouds retained some details rather than blown out highlights with a correct exposure. Reflective subjects like a polished bonnet of a silver Rolls Royce was correctly exposed, maybe slightly (1/3 stop) underexposed. It seemed to have slightly more trouble with yellow, underexposing by 1/2 stop. If you are using print films, you should have no problems at all with the matrix metering. If you are using slide films, the underexposure is really insubstantial for most purposes, and serves to saturate the colour if anything. For predominately black subjects, I photographed a black cloth with a small film box on it (for reference to judge exposure). The results were acceptable - just 1/2 stop overexposure with a completely black cloth. I feel that although it is undocumented, the F100's meter is slightly more accurate than the F90X's.
 
In these following examples, subjects of high contrast and predominantly dark subjects were handled with ease and accuracy from the F100 metering.

As for flash exposure, I could not get hold of a Speedlight SB-28, so all the tests were conducted with a SB-25.  Is it accurate ? Very. With some trials, you could virtually expect every single flash-exposure shots to come back with spot-on exposures. I was one of the doubting photographers about the Distance technology, but my own tests convinced me that the distance information enabled the flash to ignore any obstructions between the camera/flash setup and the subject, or backgrounds, and expose correctly for the subject using Distance data as the extra measure. All the tests of exposure (ambient and flash) were conducted using Fuji Astia 100 film. On the left: Using the slow-sync first-curtain synchronization function of the F100, coupled to panning technique to create a sense of speed.

The mirror movement is fast and precise, with little vibration or slap. This refinement is really what differentiates the F100 from the F90X. The sound and feel of the F100 is simply inspirational. The mirror movement is still audible, although it is quieter than the F90X. But the film transport is nearly silent. If you can get hold of the F100, try to differentiate between the mirror movement and the film advance. It has one of the most silent film transport in any Nikon. The film rewind speed is nothing to phone home and tell your mom, but the sound is significantly dampened compared to the whirl of the F90X. And imagine the surprise when I opened up the back after rewinding the film for the first time - the film leader is left out ! Great if you need to change films mid-roll. To fully rewind the film, just depress the rewind buttons again. But it seems that standard models of F100 does not do that. And if you use custom function #1, you can program the F100 to rewind the film automatically at the end of the roll. It's a small convenience feature which you might like to activate.

What really irked me was that the switch for switching between autofocus and manual focus (M/S/C switch) is too small. I had to actively search for the switch to change it, unlike the F90X which has a bigger switch. Almost all the buttons on the F100 are big, except for this tiny switch which can really bug you if you are in a hurry. As said before, most functions are easily comprehended, so no need to bring manual. Nikon, how about a printed plastic card for the custom functions ? Finally, I found that there is still a slight overdose of locking devices on the F100, even though there are significantly less locks compared to the pro-calibre F5. The F100 is designed to emulate the handling of the F5 in most aspects, so that pros can have both cameras in the bag and not feel uncomfortable about switching between the two.
 

System Accessories and Compatibility

Nikon is favoured by professional users because of its system accessories and backward compatibility. As you might expect, the Nikon F100 offers a excellent backup of system accessories, so you can adapt the camera for various purposes. Many of the general Nikon system accessories can be used on the F100. Some other accessories such as the cable release and Ni-MH batteries are for specific cameras only. The F100 can also be connected to the computer via a cable for you to customize your settings on the F100, or to download shooting data (e.g. aperture, shutter speed etc.).

The MB-15 is a auxillary grip that attaches to the base of the F100, and it functions as a film advance booster as well. The MB-15 improves the handling of the F100 pretty much, especially when you are shooting vertical compositions (eg. portraiture). Also, when you are using long lenses such as the 80-200 f/2.8, it provides a better leverage for the wrist, enabling you to hold the camera more comfortably and more steadily. The MB-15 features a secondary shutter button, command dial and AF start button. It takes 6 lithium or alkaline AA-size batteries, or the rechargeable Ni-MH battery MN-15 from Nikon. When the MB-15 is attached, it boosts the maximum film advance rate from 4.5 to 5 frames/second.
 

The F100 can use the AF Nikkors, AI-P type Nikkors, as well as the AI and AI-S type manual focus Nikkors. Backward compatibility is ensured by the legandary Nikon F-mount, unchanged even as Nikon moves to the AF-S age. The new Silent Wave motor lenses (AF-S) is Nikon's answer to Canon's Ultrasonic Motor (USM) lenses. With Nikon outfitting its pro lenses with the AF-S motors, it is hoping to lure back professional users with its tough bodies and high-speed AF.

Here are the lenses that can be used on the F100 and their limitations :

AF, AF-D and AF-S Nikkor : Autofocus and all functions possible

AF Nikkor other than D-type: All functions except 3D Matrix Metering possible

AI-P Nikkor: All functions except 3D Matrix Metering and autofocus possible

Non-CPU: Useable in Aperture-Priority or Manual exposure mode, Center-Weighted or Spot Metering. Electronic Rangefinder usable with lens with maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster
 

Value

At a price that is twice that of the F90X and slightly less than F5, the F100 is indeed in a tough spot. The lower end users would flinch at paying a price at which they can buy two F90X bodies, given that the F100's performance is not exactly twice that of the F90X. The higher end users will be thinking why on earth would they buy a F100 when they could spend a few hundred more and get a top-of-the-line F5 instead.

So is the F100 a justifiable camera ? Or is it a misfit which is totally out of place in the Nikon system ? Based on the specifications, the F100 is a perfect fit between the F90X and the F5. It lacks the professional refinements such as removable prism, mirror-lockup etc. But it also took the best of the F5's design, such as the body structure, and in some cases even improved on them (such as the red-indicator boxes in the viewfinder). Compared to the F90X, the F100 addressed the "short-falls" of the predecessors  by including features such as multiple-exposure, exposure bracketing, customizable functions and removing unneeded functions like Vari-Programs. The F100 can be called a miniature F5, or a F90X on steroids.

Perhaps the only blunder Nikon has made is with regards to the pricing. Being so much more expensive than the F90X and close to F5 in price, most would think that people would give it a miss. But surprisingly, the sales of the F100 is doing very well. Most customers are photographers who already have a F5, and want a smaller version to carry around or as a backup camera. Or photographers who wants the newest toy in town. All in all, the F100 is not the camera for the best value. But it's impressive specification does make it worth a consideration for many.

Rivals

The F100's deadliest rival comes in the guise of the Canon challenger - EOS 3. The EOS 3 was launched a few months before the F100, and both fall into the same category of being the second-best-in-line. Indeed, both cameras are very highly specified, and it is unlikely that majority of users will find them deficient in terms of specifications and functions.

The Canon EOS 3 is priced slightly higher than the Nikon F100, and matches the F100 in terms of features. Both are modern AF cameras packed to the brim with electronics and modern technology. However, the F100 is better constructed and feels more substantial than the EOS 3, due to the die-cast construction which endows it with better toughness (and extra heft too). As the EOS 3 has just been launched, I have never used it and thus could not compare the two of them side by side. Like the F100, there have been some minor glitches like some users being unable to use the eye-focus control even after repeated calibration, or complaining about the number of lighted squares in the viewfinder.

The Minolta 800si is another rival for the F100. Minolta has been known for giving the best value for money, so it is hardly surprising that the Minolta 800si is the cheapest of the trio, and yet offers enough features to pose a challenge to the Nikon and Canon. However, the Minolta 800si is also the oldest of the three and thus could not serve up the same advancement as the rest, but it is still a highly capable camera for the money. The new Minolta flagship camera Minolta 9 falls into the "pro-calibre" catagory with the Canon EOS 1n and Nikon F5, so it will not be fair to compare it with the F100.
 

Conclusions

As usual, Nikon has upped the ante with Canon closing in on the professional end of the market. Canon has always offered very capable cameras for the amateurs, and they are now developing the higher end models such as the EOS 3 and EOS-1n. Nikon has always been the professional's camera, and they have revamped their lower line such as the F60 to recapture the market share lost to Canon, while striving to improve the top-range cameras. The ceaseless battle between the two giants has led to continuing improvements in the development of photographic equipment.
 

The F100 is undoubtedly the best example of such improvements. With technology gleaned off the professional F5, and with Nikon's long experience in making cameras, the F100 represents Japanese technology at its best. There is no doubt that the F100 is amongst the best 35mm camera in the world today. The hefty price tag is a consideration, but photography is never cheap. If you love modern cameras, the F100 is definitely a irresistible buy.

So would I buy a F100 instead of a F90X ? Yes, if my budget allows. The F100 has included many important options left out of the F90X, such as multiple exposure, electronic DOF preview and exposure bracketing. And the construction and ergonomics are considerable better than the F90X. Even then, the F100 is almost a thousand more than the F90X. But if I have enough money lying around, I'd go for the F100.

The new Silent Wave Motor (AF-S) Nikkor lenses are another reason why Nikon is attracting the professionals. Nikon has always been known for its tough and rugged bodies, but it's AF performance in the past has never been noted for its speed and silence. Canon on the other hand, based its reputation on the superiority of their Ultrasonic Motor (USM) lenses, with their silent and swift performance. However, with the launch of the AF-S lenses which works exactly the same way as the USM lenses, Nikon is now able to offer the benefits of tough camera bodies, great system accessories, and incredibly fast and quiet autofocusing. Now, EOS users may be laughing at this so-called "innovation" which Canon users already had years ago. But the fact is, now Nikon has both bodies and lenses - tough, fast and quiet. That alone is reason enough for many professional users to consider a switch.

Would I buy a F5 instead of a F100 ? If it is going to be my only camera, I'd think the F100 is a better choice. The F5's hefty weight and size is something to consider while choosing the camera, although the F5 offers even more features than the F100. But the newer F100 is better designed, has less locks, better AF indicator boxes (important), and it is much lighter than the F5. If I could choose a combination of system, I'd get the F5 and the F100. But if I can only buy one body, I'd say go for the F100.
 

Specifications

Below are the specifications of the Nikon F100 :

Type of camera: Integral-motor autofocus 35mm SLR with electronically controlled focal-plane shutter

Exposure modes: Programmed Auto; Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority ; Manual

Picture format: 24 x 36mm (standard 35mm film format)

Lens mount: Nikon F mount (with AF coupling, AF contacts)

Viewfinder: Fixed eye-level pentaprism, built-in diopter adjustment (-3 to +1 DP)

Eyepoint: 21mm (at -1.0 DP)

Focusing screen: B-type BriteView clear Matte screen III, interchangeable with E-type screen (grid)

Viewfinder frame coverage: Approx. 96%

Finder magnification: Approx. 0.76x with 50mm lens set to infinity and -1.0 DP

Viewfinder information: Focus indications, metering system, shutter speed lock, AE lock, shutter speed, aperture lock, aperture, exposure mode, electronic analog display, exposure compensation, frame counter/exposure compensation value, ready-light, five sets of focus brackets (area)

Reflex mirror: Automatic, instant-return type

Lens aperture: Instant-return type, with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus: TTL phase detection, Nikon Multi-CAM1300 autofocus module;

Detection range: EV –1 to EV 19 (ISO 100, at normal temperature)

Lens servo: Single Servo AF (S), Continuous Servo AF (C), Manual focus (M); Focus Tracking with Lock-On™ automatically activated in Single Servo AF (S) or Continuous Servo AF (C)

Focus area: One of five focus areas can be selected

AF Area mode: Single Area AF and Dynamic AF

Focus lock: Focus is locked by pressing Focus-Lock button or lightly pressing shutter release button in Single Servo AF

Metering system: TTL full-aperture exposure metering system; three metering systems selectable (limitations with lens used): 3D Matrix Metering, Center-Weighted Metering (75% of the meter's sensitivity concentrated on the 12mm dia. circle) and Spot Metering (4mm dia. circle, approx. 1% of entire frame)

Metering range: 3D Matrix Metering: EV 0-21; Center-Weighted Metering: EV 0-21;
Spot Metering: EV 3-21 (at normal temperature, ISO 100, 50mm f/1.4 lens)

Exposure meter coupling: CPU and AI combined

Exposure compensation: Exposure compensated in ±5 EV range, in 1/3 steps

Auto Exposure Lock: Detected exposure value locked by pressing AE-L button

Auto Exposure/Flash Exposure Bracketing: compensation in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 steps, in 2 or 3 shots

Film speed setting: DX or manual selectable (manual setting effective over DX  detected film speed); Film speed range: DX: ISO 25-5000, Manual: ISO 6-6400 in 1/3 steps

Shutter: Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter

Shutter speeds: In P, A: 30 to 1/8000 sec.; In S: 30 to 1/8000 sec. (in 1/3 steps); In  M: 30 to 1/8000 sec. (in 1/3 steps), Bulb

Sync contact: X-contact only; flash synchronization up to 1/250 sec.

Flash control: Controlled by five-segment TTL Multi Sensor; Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash with TTL Multi Sensor: 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash compatible with SB-28, 27 and D-type AF Nikkor lens; Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash with a Speedlight such as SB-28, 27, 23, 22s and AF Nikkor other than D-type lens; Center-Weighted Flash: With Speedlights SB-28, 27, 23, 22s and non-CPU Nikkor lens with Center-Weighted Metering; Film speed range in TTL auto flash: ISO 25-1000

Flash sync mode: Front-Curtain Sync (normal sync), Red-Eye Reduction, Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync, Slow Sync, Rear-Curtain Sync

Ready-light: Lights up when flash fully charged with Speedlights SB-28, 27, 23, etc.; blinks (3 sec. after flash) for full output warning

Accessory shoe: Standard ISO-type hot-shoe contact (sync contact, ready-light contact, TTL auto flash contact, monitor contact, GND), safety lock provided

Sync terminal: Standard JIS terminal, lock screw provided

Self-timer: Electronically controlled; timer duration: 10 sec.

Depth-of-field preview button: Stop-down lens aperture by pressing depth-of-field button

Film loading: Film automatically advances to first frame when shutter release button is pressed once (shutter and reflection mirror not activated)

Film advance: Automatic advance with built-in motor; S, C, Cs selectable

Film advance speed: (with Continuous Servo AF, Manual exposure mode, shutter speed 1/250 sec. or faster, 36-exposure film)

S: One frame advance

C: Continuous shooting; Approx. 4.5 fps (AA-type alkaline batteries);
Approx. 5 fps (with Multi-Power High Speed Battery Pack MB-15)

Cs: Continuous silent-low-speed shooting; Approx. 3 fps (AA-type alkaline batteries);
Approx. 3 fps (with Multi-Power High Speed Battery Pack MB-15)

Film rewind: Automatic rewind with built-in motor (activate by pressing two film rewind buttons);
Rewind speed with 36-exposure film: C approx. 9 sec., Cs: approx. 19 sec. with 36-exposure film (AA-type alkaline batteries)

Multiple exposure: Activated using film advance mode dial

LCD panel information (illuminator built-in): Film speed, DX indication, shutter speed lock, shutter speed, aperture lock, aperture, exposure compensation, Auto Exposure/Flash Exposure Bracketing, electronic analog display, Custom, exposure  mode, Flexible Program, flash sync mode, AF area mode, focus area, battery power, frame counter

Camera back: Hinged back (removable); AF area mode selector, focus area selector; changeable with Data Back MF-29

10-pin remote terminal: Equipped

Power source: AA-type battery holder MS-12 provided (four alkaline or lithium batteries); optional 3V lithium battery holder MS-13 available (for two CR123A or DL123A batteries); optional Multi-Power High Speed Battery Pack MB-15 and AA-type battery holder MS-15 are also available (for six alkaline or lithium batteries, or optional Ni-MH battery MN-15)

Power switch: Power ON, OFF and LCD panel illuminator on position

Exposure meter: Auto meter shut-off 6 sec. after power turned on if no operations are performed; activated by lightly pressing shutter release button or pressing AF start button after power is turned on

Battery power confirmation: LCD display indicates power level

Two-Button Reset: Pressing the CSM and MODE buttons simultaneously and holding them for more than 2 sec. resets various settings to their original default settings (with some exceptions)

Dimensions (W x H x D): Approx. 155 x 113 x 66mm

Weight (without batteries): Approx. 785g
 

Specifications and design are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.