Simple to use, robust and strong. It can be found very cheap on eBay.

A bit heavy compared to equivalaent contemporary models, sometimes a bit noisy and it seems that it's a bit prone do damage as it ages. It's not so resistant to cold weather, but very few auto-focus SLRs are.

Overall this is a nice auto-focus 35mm camera. I bought mine about 8 years ago. I've used it A LOT. It's simple to use and often other people learn to use it very quickly as well. With this camera I quickly learned to appreciate photography. It comes with all basic features found on many SRLs of today. It's not so fancy as the latest models, and back in 1996 when i bought it it was a quite impressive entry level auto-focus SLR. Last year however, it miraculously died on me. error message appeared on display screen. Nikon USA cleaned, lubricated and repaired it and I had a warranty on Nikon's work, but just a few weeks ago, after the warranty expired the camera died again - just dead, no signal, nothing works. I must point out that I do take good care of my cameras and the second time it died I was very angry.

Customer Service

Nikon was a bit slow when it came to repair - it took them aobut 3 months. Otherwise, everything was smooth.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N55/N65, several EoSs, Voigtlaender Bessa R2...

Definitely the build quality and materials used. Strong metal frame, very, very robust, much like the pro models. This is definitely the best thing about this camers, that makes it so much better for me than supposedly "comparable" models from other brands. Lots of creative control is also a big plus.

I see only two... The worst one is total inability to use the internal lightmeter (and thus, all programs) with any lenses but the D and G ones. This means I have to use a hand-held lightmeter whenever I use a 1000mm mirror lens or any of those excellent Russian Nikon-mount lenses originally made for Kiev cameras... The other flaw is lack of any kind of DOF preview.

Although many people tend to look down on this camera, I dare to disagree. Basically one's opinion depends on what use he or she has for the camera. What I needed was a sturdy camera that's built like a tank, able to withstand some rough abuse, bad weather, etc. I have previously been using a soviet-made Zenit Automat. A delightful camera, in my opinion, but I needed autofocus for those wildlife shots. After brosing through dozens of lousy all-plastic Canons and minoltas, I've finally found this beauty. It's almost exactly what I needed... But, I'll go into details in the other fields of this review.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Pentax SF7

Reliable, quality built

Cannot be used with other Nikon lenses, excepted D type

This camera is a gem. The functions are intuitively easy to use. It took me about 10 minutes to know how to use it. Though the AF is a little bit noisy, the pictures are excellent. Those who looked down on this camera must check the lens they used. The quality of the pictures depends mostly on the lens and the photographer.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3, Minolta maxxum 800

Reliable, quality built

Cannot be used with other Nikon lenses, excepted D type

This camera is a gem. The functions are intuitively easy to use. It took me about 10 minutes to know how to use it. Though the AF is a little bit noisy, the pictures are excellent. Those who looked down on this camera must check the lens they used. The quality of the pictures depends mostly on the lens and the photographer.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3, Minolta maxxum 800

I enjoyed having this camera as a beginer photographer. It was worth the prise. I'm thrilled experimenting with that.

Decent construction.

Very slow AF, metering is not as good as other Nikon bodies, very noisy.

Ok for a beginner. Noisy, loud and slow.

Customer Service

Average.

Similar Products Used:

Most Nikons

Lightweight.

Cheap, cheesy feel. The user interface is an absolute nightmare.

Can't handle AF-S lenses, VR lenses, and internal focusing lenses. Can't meter with manual lenses. Very limited specs.

I would save my money for a better camera.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F60, F70, FM10, FM2, F90x, Canon EOS-300, EOS-50E, Pentax MZ-5n

Small, compact, lightweight.

Poor metering, pathetic autofocus, slow flash sync, dim viewfinder, I could go on and on.

Save your money for a better featured camera.

Customer Service

OK.

Similar Products Used:

F80, etc...

Decent exposure so far.

Slow AF, horrible interface and poor handling.

This type of camera is probly OK for a begineer or for one who cannot afford a better camera. It is not easy to use and I do not think it is value for money compared to N60 and N70

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

N60, N70, N90s, FM-10

Light Weight
Compact Small Size

Missing Features like Multiple Exposure which I'd like to use very often. Flash is not enough. Wish it has more features for the money I paid. Does not have cable release which is quite useful in taking fire works etc...

Though I like the camera and taken lot of good pictures with it I wish I could have bought a better higher end model from Nikon (like N70/N90). I want to buy F100 but because of the economy reason I am planning to buy N80 which seems to be a good camera for starting to intermediate level photographers.

If you have money save to buy N70 and above. If you already have one, do not regreat use as a back up.

Customer Service

Recently the Transport which helps to wind and forward the film started malfunctioning. I got it fixed through a pro repair shop in NY for $100. Didn't try Nikon because the warrenty got expired.

Similar Products Used:

N60 N70 Cannon Rebel G