I have an OM1 in black. I love the look of these cameras, and they are very close to a Leica in terms of the smooth mechanical operation. The first thing I did with both my OM1 and OM2 was to unscrew the hotshoe for an even cleaner look. I never use a hotshoe- mounted flash.
andrewd01 wrote:
I have an OM1 in black. I love the look of these cameras, and they are very close to a Leica in terms of the smooth mechanical operation. The first thing I did with both my OM1 and OM2 was to unscrew the hotshoe for an even cleaner look. I never use a hotshoe- mounted flash.
I did that, but did not like the look of that gaping hole on the top. Those shoe adapters seem to be very fragile as most that I have seen are cracked.
I appreciate that this thread is basically the "look what I just got" thread.
On the topic of handsome SLR's, here's one of my favorites. I rarely actually use an FE these days, but it was my first manual SLR and it's still an easy recommendation to people getting started. Great meter readout, good size, pre-Ai compatibility, and still quite affordable.
OffTrail wrote:
I appreciate that this thread is basically the "look what I just got" thread.
On the topic of handsome SLR's, here's one of my favorites. I rarely actually use an FE these days, but it was my first manual SLR and it's still an easy recommendation to people getting started. Great meter readout, good size, pre-Ai compatibility, and still quite affordable.
The FE seems to be more reliable than the FE2. My FE2 failed - started shooting at random shutter speeds - and I have seen others the same.
But I have not heard of the older FE doing that.
Desmolicious wrote:
The FE seems to be more reliable than the FE2. My FE2 failed - started shooting at random shutter speeds - and I have seen others the same.
But I have not heard of the older FE doing that.
FE's do seem to be pretty reliable. I see plenty of dead ones listed for parts so clearly they aren't infallible, but I don't hear many complaints. I've got a silver one that's been rock solid for several years. I haven't shot the black one nearly as much, but I give it a roll once or twice a year to keep things moving and it keeps on working. The only problem I've had with one, I bought for $20 knowing it had a mechanical film advance problem. Got my money's worth out of it before something finally broke, though.
OffTrail wrote:
FE's do seem to be pretty reliable. I see plenty of dead ones listed for parts so clearly they aren't infallible, but I don't hear many complaints. I've got a silver one that's been rock solid for several years. I haven't shot the black one nearly as much, but I give it a roll once or twice a year to keep things moving and it keeps on working. The only problem I've had with one, I bought for $20 knowing it had a mechanical film advance problem. Got my money's worth out of it before something finally broke, though.
Out of that whole era, the FM seems to be the most solid. I had an FM and FM2 - both were great cameras. Sold because too much gear - and here I am again…
Speaking of, the test roll from the OM2n was dropped off. I want to see that it is working correctly before I go through the effort of replacing the light seals!
Desmolicious wrote:
I always wanted a black OM2n because, dang, just look at it! A year or two ago I had bought what seemed to be a good one off ebay, but it was a fungusy mess. And then after a period of looking for another gave up as they all seemed to be thrashed w defects.
This morning I sauntered into Pauls Photo in Torrance to pick up developed film (awesome shop),amd they had this in their film camera case. Just came in yesterday. Once I contrrolled my hyperventilation I checked it out, ready to be disappointed yet again.
This thing is perfect (but will of course need new seals) . No desilvering issues in the VF/prism, no dents, no scratches. I have too many cameras and did not need this but my sweating gums told me I wanted this oh so bad.
When am I ever going to run into an opportunity like this again where I stumble across a legit mint black Om2n?
And to top it off I ask, are you flexible on the price? They were - but to be fair they knew this would keep me coming back with more film to develop with them! ...Show more →
Nikon FM2n. I got this as a gift from my uncle, who was giving up photography as he’s getting older. It’s in mint condition. I ordered a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AI-S for it, and a Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-S is currently on the way via DHL.
jukkah wrote:
Nikon FM2n. I got this as a gift from my uncle, who was giving up photography as he’s getting older. It’s in mint condition. I ordered a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AI-S for it, and a Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-S is currently on the way via DHL.
I think the FM/FM2 is my favourite camera from an aesthetic standpoint. I just love the lines of the camera, the leatherette on the prism, the proper Nikon font etc. The lines on the FE series don’t quite work for me, and the FM3A looks completely wrong with the modern Nikon font.
The FM/FE series are reliable, competent consumer grade cameras. Although many pros used them, they don’t stand up well to heavy use IMO. The thin metal top and base plates get too easily dented and the plastic trim plate looks awful when scratched up when cameras are poorly looked after by professional photographers. Nevertheless some iconic images were shot with this camera, the most famous being ‘Afghan Girl’.
Couldn’t agree more about the FM/FM2 design, it has aged beautifully. And you make a good point about the build quality too. They’re tough enough for most situations, but definitely not indestructible. That Afghan Girl shot is hard to beat as a legacy though!
I'll join show and tell. Got it a few weeks ago. Left film 20 years ago and now remembering what it's like to wait for film back from the lab. When did a 3-pack of Fuji 400 go from $10 to $24? Where did all of the local labs go? And how did processing go from $7 to $15/roll? Good grief. But what the heck? This is fun.--Eric.
gel685 wrote:
I'll join show and tell. Got it a few weeks ago. Left film 20 years ago and now remembering what it's like to wait for film back from the lab. When did a 3-pack of Fuji 400 go from $10 to $24? Where did all of the local labs go? And how did processing go from $7 to $15/roll? Good grief. But what the heck? This is fun.--Eric.
