Has the future arrived? First impressions of the Nikon D100 underwater in a Subal D10

Alexander Mustard · Issue 11, Feb/Mar 2003 · pp. 16–22

Products mentioned: Nikon D100, Subal D10, Nikon F100, Nikon F80, Nikon F5, Nikon D1, Multi-CAM 900, Multi-CAM 1300, IBM Microdrive, Compact Flash card, 17-35mm lens

Digital is the future of underwater photography. There is little doubt. It is clearly no longer a question of if. The question is when. In 2002, Nikon released the D100 digital SLR and it has been greeted by a furore of activity from housing manufacturers. In contrast, housings for Nikon's higher specified D1 series were conspicuous by their (almost total) absence. But the cheaper, lighter, smaller D100 has already been promised homes from the likes of Aquatica, Hugyphot, Ikelite, Light and Motion, Sea and Sea, and the subject of this review, Subal. Has the future arrived? My aim in this article is to assess the D100 from the point of view of someone who is already shooting a 35mm Nikon SLR underwater and is thinking about digital, because I see them as the most likely client for the D100 (for one thing they will already have the lenses). This article represents my first impressions. I h…