After the first incident, the mirror was stuck up and the shutter would not actuate. Early shutters were made from titanium; however, from 1989, for the FM2n, manufacturing technology had advanced sufficiently to allow for aluminum to be used. After winding the film, the film advance lever would require a few taps in order for the camera to realize the film had been wound and make the shutter button to operable. It has a multiple exposure tab, exposure compensation from -2 to +2, and has an exposure lock button, self-timer, and DoF preview lever. It has aperture priority, intuitive exposure lock, and a solid 60/40 center-weighted metering.Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to settle on “the one.” The one 35mm film camera that will serve all my photography needs. This issue was repaired by Nikon UK for 70 GBP, and my camera is now back to full functionality.
It is so well dampened that shutter lockup, according to Nikon, is not required and therefore left off this camera. …But if style and ergonomics are paramount when it comes to SLR’s, the OM-1 still wins hands-down vs. the FE2 or any of the ‘two-letter’ Nikon F’s.After a few film bodies, I ran across the Nikon FE2 on eBay and pulled the trigger. The Nikon FE2 was definitely up to the task with an amazing 1/250th flash sync speed!
It also has a flash exposure compensation button (dropping the EV to -1 when used during flash photography) that I have never used once. Camera review: the Nikon FE 2 – by Mac MacDonald. Okay, to be fair, the Nikon F3/T might be the most well-loved of all hard-working 35mm SLRs by a slim margin, but the F2 was the gold standard workhorse for a decade or more. I shoot them on my Leica’s but have had severe reliability issues with the LTM CV’s with fairly serious/heavy use that has lead me to retiring two of my lenses following multiple rebuilds. That was quite expensive.
It's a lifetime camera.
My question to John Counts – how do you find focussing without a split image, that head shot with the 50/1.2 for example, I have an E screen on my F3 and I can’t imagine nailing that without some kind of focusing aid! And as prices dropped on film cameras, it was fun acquiring more of those sturdy and reliable Nikons of the FE/FM generations.
The meter is a simple 60/40 center-weighted system.In general, this is an exceptional but simple camera, renowned for its build quality and reliability. I travel frequently and am an avid collector of modern and contemporary photobooks.This ability to become an almost-invisible part of the photographic process might be my favorite thing about the FM3a, and I fully intend on getting another few decades out of it before I pass it on to the next generation.I can’t believe the FM3 has been out for 14 years!In January 2006, after 5 or so years of film photography with a combination of cheaper cameras (e.g., a Minolta SRT-101, a Fed-3 and an old Mamiya 35mm), I bought a like-new Nikon FM3A for $429 USD on eBay. The FE2 is a beautiful camera! The FE2 freed me from having to carry around more stuff. Nikon Df Complete Body Tour and Menu Walkthrough - Duration: 41:18.
Nonetheless, being a bit wary of cameras fully dependent on batteries and electronics, I held onto my Nikon FM, for much the same reasons you enumerated in your review of the FM2. Login Search Used. I focus and recompose and the key to that working properly is to lock the exposure value prior to recomposing. Nikon went all out and the extra attention given to dampening this shutter can be felt when on a tripod and shot at slow shutter speeds.
It is a chrome version. would also feel right and home and wouldn’t be confused by any aspect of its operation.I bought my FM3a from Grays of Westminster in 2003.
The review below outlines my thoughts on the Nikon FE2 and why this is quite possibly the best 35mm film camera available.I used the FE 2 in the Alaska Arctic for three years when I worked on the newspaper “The Arctic Sounder” as the only person in the bureau.
It never froze up, the film never flared when advancing — even at minus 48 degrees.
The camera, first released in 2004 is the last of…In the hand, the Nikon F3 feels stout. I used to use the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 almost exclusively, but my go-to lenses since 2015 have been the Voigtlander Ultron or Nikon Series E. While these are on opposite ends of the quality spectrum, I sometimes find that the wider 40mm Ultron is a bit too much for some applications.I concur with most of the above comments. The all-mechanical backup provides a level of security that, even in the unlikely event the battery dies, all shutter speeds will still be fully functional.Not having used many DSLRs or advanced electronic film cameras, I can’t say that I have missed other, more advanced features.
Since then it has shot hundreds (if not thousands) of rolls of film, and has accompanied me to 20+ countries on four continents.The beautiful brassing on it. It’s hard to beat the Ultron though, so it stays on the camera most of the time.