Desmolicious wrote:
Problem with the Nikkormats is the meter cells tend to be either dead, or grossly inaccurate by now. Happened to both my FT2s.
@ottokbre@ my FE2 developed electrical issues - the shutter speed did not match what it metered. And I've seen FM3a with dead meters. So if your FG is working (I have one too!) keep with it. I'm not saying don't get another Nikon, I'm saying if you get an electronic one you may still have issues later. All these cameras are old now.
But my F2As... Sover Wonged it, it has the new meter resistor thingy that he does. Rock solid. But unless it has had that meter upgrade, the meters can be bad in those too. My older F2 metered head seems to work, until I notice the readings are way off. I haven't bothered to get it fixed as I have the As metered head....Show more →
I got lucky with my FT2. Purchased from a dealer and film tested to confirm that it is all fine. Its a pity there is no enthusiast like Sover who can fix the meter on these as the cameras are good enough to justify it. I think fading reliability of old Cds meters is a common problem for any camera of this era. Even some SPD cells can lose reliability if they get cloudy lenses over the sensor.
andrewd01 wrote:
I got lucky with my FT2. Purchased from a dealer and film tested to confirm that it is all fine. Its a pity there is no enthusiast like Sover who can fix the meter on these as the cameras are good enough to justify it. I think fading reliability of old Cds meters is a common problem for any camera of this era. Even some SPD cells can lose reliability if they get cloudy lenses over the sensor.
It's not a knock on the FT2 - it's that the meter cells are ancient now in any camera of that era. Just buy it and use it as a mechanical meterless camera.
If the F3 took a hit by the rewind knob, that often cracks the circuit board underneath it killing the camera. A pretty common occurence.
It's why Nikon made the F3P and Ti - they used Ti top plates. And why I have an F3P instead of standard model.
@ottokbre if you want to try out my F2 plain prism, F2as, F3, N80, F6 you are welcome. Just come on down.
I sold off my Nikkormat FT2, N2000, FM, Fm2n, FE2, F, F100 and F4.
Really surprised at the lack of love for the F4. Maybe not the best camera, but I see it as the pivot between the cameras before it and after it. Change in general lay out, move to AF, a modern looking camera but largely mechanical in nature.
Yes it is the F4 that doesn’t work. It was bought super cheap many years ago, and is likely to have had heavy pro use. It worked for a short while and then locked up. Obviously a service, if even possible, would cost far more than another used camera. The problem is finding one without duff LCD screens.
The F3 was bought from someone that used it exclusively on a copy stand with DW3, so it was pretty much in brand new condition. I would like to get a P or T version if I see one in nice condition for reasonable money.
Desmolicious wrote:
It's not a knock on the FT2 - it's that the meter cells are ancient now in any camera of that era. Just buy it and use it as a mechanical meterless camera.
Agreed, but the meter is part of the fun of this camera. I like how you can adjust the exposure before lifting the camera to your eye using the analogue meter on the top plate, and then make a small correction if needed after framing the shot.
Thanks for the thread. It had me looking at Nikkormats, then it made me realize why I don’t own one anymore. I lost count of how many different Nikkormats I’ve owned over the years. Mostly FT or FTn but I did have four FT2s. I like the shutter that sounds like slamming a car door and the shutter speed dial behind the lens mount. Even the little tab for changing film speeds that would often chip a fingernail. Of the four FT2s, one had a meter that was always accurate, two of them were like playing a slot machine and gave readings all over the place. The fourth one had been built out of three broken ones, painted OD green and given a Hugo Leather stingray cover. It looked great but the meter was off by two stops no matter how many times it was adjusted. Decided to try a meter less ‘Mat and bought a FS. Had it serviced and it was fun, for a while. The FT and FS have two annoying features: first is a single slot on the take up spool making loading film a bit of a challenge. Secondly, the finder is equipped with a matte screen with no additional focusing aids like a fresnel prism. I have enough trouble with my eyesight, trying to focus a 1.2 lens on a matte screen showed me how much. The FS was sold for about the price of the service but it was a learning experience.
There are the intangibles with the older Nikons like wondering if the prism foam is deteriorating or why do most of the consumer models have cropped viewing screens? I liked my F’s because of the 100% finder but as more information was loaded into the viewing area and mirror boxes were made just a bit smaller, some of the viewable edge disappeared.
If I had some D lenses sitting around, I would grab a N80. I loved my Nikons and they were part of my life for a long time, there are a lot of them available at reasonable prices.
Opinions only on the ones I've owned and shot with, though I have been film free for over a decade now.
FM2n - how not to love something so small, light, and does not need batteries? Viewfinder smaller compared to the others.
F3HP - favorite Nikon film body ever, if the criteria is using the silky smooth controls, and enjoying the great optical viewfinder experience. The VF LCD leaves something to be desired, but otherwise great. If you don't intend to AF with film, I would recommend this one.
F100 - my most used film SLR. Almost everything the F5 was functionally, but smaller, lighter.
F5 - the beast, love it. Toughest I've ever used, but chews through the batteries (if my memory is correct), use Lithium AA's. If you want AF with film, and don't mind the weight and bulk, get this.
Or get a bunch of bodies, keep it loaded up with different film, and enjoy!
andrewd01 wrote:
Yes it is the F4 that doesn’t work. It was bought super cheap many years ago, and is likely to have had heavy pro use. It worked for a short while and then locked up. Obviously a service, if even possible, would cost far more than another used camera. The problem is finding one without duff LCD screens.
To be fair to that F4, you bought one that was worn out from use. These things do not have an indefinite lifespan.
The two F4s I had were perfect. No issues, no leaky LCDs, perfect specimens. But I made sure to find that condition! The thing is, even in perfect condition they were still on $250 or less. You just have to weed through the worn out professionally abused ones.
I've not had the depth of experience with Nikon bodies that some on this thread obviously have: I started with a gently used FE about the time the FE2 had come out, and I was very impressed with its capabilities. When the FE2 was discontinued I ended up purchasing pretty much the last NIB FE2 in Copenhagen (where I then lived), paying a premium for what I expected to be a substantial upgrade over the FE (TTL flash!). The Nikon I wanted (but couldn't afford) was the F3, and when my finances allowed, I purchased a very nice F3/T chrome/titanium. Sure, the F2 is more of a mechanical masterpiece, but honestly the F3 has enough quirks (the flash mount!) and limitations that I didn't want to pay even more for the older F2. I consider the F3 to be perhaps the pinnacle of Nikon film bodies, and found the F4 and successors to be just too large (I never really made use of my MD4 on the F3, so prefer the capability to have a no-motor-drive setup that the F3 provides).
So, I would say this is my recommendations:
- FE2 for budget conscious and smallest size (FM3A if you are willing to pay 2x to 3x more for the benefits of a full-mechanical backup -- never really needed it!)
- F3 for a truly amazing "system camera", professional quality, just lovely mechanics, and honestly these days can be had for very little expense
I love my F100, though Huss is right- the film door is a bit flimsy and requires some babying. I've thought about adding an F5 to get the same feature set with a WL viewfinder, but the battery-eater reputation has, so far, held me back.
grantgoodes wrote:
I've not had the depth of experience with Nikon bodies that some on this thread obviously have: I started with a gently used FE about the time the FE2 had come out, and I was very impressed with its capabilities. When the FE2 was discontinued I ended up purchasing pretty much the last NIB FE2 in Copenhagen (where I then lived), paying a premium for what I expected to be a substantial upgrade over the FE (TTL flash!). The Nikon I wanted (but couldn't afford) was the F3, and when my finances allowed, I purchased a very nice F3/T chrome/titanium. Sure, the F2 is more of a mechanical masterpiece, but honestly the F3 has enough quirks (the flash mount!) and limitations that I didn't want to pay even more for the older F2. I consider the F3 to be perhaps the pinnacle of Nikon film bodies, and found the F4 and successors to be just too large (I never really made use of my MD4 on the F3, so prefer the capability to have a no-motor-drive setup that the F3 provides).
So, I would say this is my recommendations:
- FE2 for budget conscious and smallest size (FM3A if you are willing to pay 2x to 3x more for the benefits of a full-mechanical backup -- never really needed it!)
- F3 for a truly amazing "system camera", professional quality, just lovely mechanics, and honestly these days can be had for very little expense...Show more →
A few of the F3 models - P, Ltd - had a regular hotshoe on the Ti prism. Like normal cameras!
freaklikeme wrote:
I love my F100, though Huss is right- the film door is a bit flimsy and requires some babying. I've thought about adding an F5 to get the same feature set with a WL viewfinder, but the battery-eater reputation has, so far, held me back.
It's not just the F100. Also my beloved F/N80, the F75 etc. At that point only the single digit aka 'pro' Fs had proper metal latches that have no risk of breaking. Such a lame move by Nikon - even their bottom of the line EM came with a metal latch!
How to lessen the risk of the plastic latch breaking - always hold the open switch up when you close the camera back, then release. Do not snap the back closed with careless abandon, like you would do on pretty much any camera!
freaklikeme wrote:
I love my F100, though Huss is right- the film door is a bit flimsy and requires some babying. I've thought about adding an F5 to get the same feature set with a WL viewfinder, but the battery-eater reputation has, so far, held me back.
If you get an F5 also check to make sure the dials still work. A couple I've played with were flaky eg trying to change ISO, it will skip all over the place. Apparently dousing the dial innards with electrical contact cleaner can fix it. Apparently.
Desmolicious wrote:
If you get an F5 also check to make sure the dials still work. A couple I've played with were flaky eg trying to change ISO, it will skip all over the place. Apparently dousing the dial innards with electrical contact cleaner can fix it. Apparently.
Same for all the buttons. One of mine has a flaky vertical AF-ON button.
