This is a great camera for the amateur, the serious amateur; or even a great pro-camera backup. This camera shares many of the technical innovations used in the F-5 and the F-100 for about the third of the price of a F-100. 

This is not a pro-camera and not built like one (not a metal body), if you hate plastic you will not like this camera. Having said that, the weight you save is a dream when your carrying it all day. The control placement is perfect for me and I like the feel in my hand. There is plenty of room for you to grow as you become more familiar and confident. When you want you can use this camera in manual mode, auto mode and a few in between. The auto-focus is fast and does well in low light settings. In auto mode the exposure seems to be perfect and unless I’m playing the camera does a much better job then I could do. The picture clarity and definition to me is perfect. I would also recommend that you invest in a good quality lens and not a cheap lens (Nikon makes some cheap ones also). 

I have owned this camera for a few years and shot many rolls of film without a hitch. This is my second Nikon purchase and I would recommend this camera to anyone.

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