Nikon FM3A
p.2 #1Nikon FM3A
Fm3a is cool as heck. I wish the fe2 meter worked before hitting frame 1. I wonder if a relatively simple mod?
Sep 17, 2026 at 08:18 PM
p.2 #2Nikon FM3A
bjhurley wrote:
Mostly I've seen complaints that the hybrid shutter is mechanically complex and would be more difficult to repair, but maybe that's speculation. I guess most of the criticism I've seen is that it's overhyped (i.e., you pay a lot for the hybrid shutter feature and in other respects the FM3a is not so different from some much cheaper Nikon models). The reason I bought mine was that it's the last film camera Nikon made so everything is younger and the one I bought was in mint condition.
The only reasons i sold it were that I decided I'm not an SLR...Show more →
Ah, makes sense that it'd be on the more complicated end of things. I kicked around the FM3a idea for a long time, but had to let it go when it was clear I was using the F3 (and then an M2) a lot more often than the FE.
Still love the FM/FE family, though. They're about as classic as it gets IMO.
OffTrail wrote
What tends to go wrong with these?The only reasons i sold it were that I decided I'm not an SLR...Show more →
Ah, makes sense that it'd be on the more complicated end of things. I kicked around the FM3a idea for a long time, but had to let it go when it was clear I was using the F3 (and then an M2) a lot more often than the FE.
Still love the FM/FE family, though. They're about as classic as it gets IMO.
Sep 17, 2026 at 08:20 PM
p.2 #3Nikon FM3A
EB-1 wrote:
What do you mean incorrect, the semi-italics? My F4 from 1988 has Nikon in a slanted sans-serif type font. It's totally correct for the era. FM3A with the smaller A is just the style.
Nikon was messed up by already having an FA and yet the camera was not an FM (manual). IMO it should have been the FE3 but they probably wanted to emphasize the hybroid shutter.
EBH
The FM3a was a retro-styled camera with no resemblance of Nikon's contemporary models when it was released in 2001. They should have used the old font that was used on the other FM/FE series bodies.
And it looks like Nikon's designers agree with that these days - both the Zf and Zfc have the old font.
What do you mean incorrect, the semi-italics? My F4 from 1988 has Nikon in a slanted sans-serif type font. It's totally correct for the era. FM3A with the smaller A is just the style.
Nikon was messed up by already having an FA and yet the camera was not an FM (manual). IMO it should have been the FE3 but they probably wanted to emphasize the hybroid shutter.
EBH
The FM3a was a retro-styled camera with no resemblance of Nikon's contemporary models when it was released in 2001. They should have used the old font that was used on the other FM/FE series bodies.
And it looks like Nikon's designers agree with that these days - both the Zf and Zfc have the old font.
Sep 17, 2026 at 10:35 PM
p.2 #4Nikon FM3A
nhmorgan wrote:
My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter.
What do you prefer about the FM2N meter?
Imo the match needle is one of the FM3a's most compelling selling points
(+ the hybrid shutter of course)
It shows how far you're over or under compared to the meter reading, instead which I find very useful when consciously over- or underexposing a scene.
My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter.
What do you prefer about the FM2N meter?
Imo the match needle is one of the FM3a's most compelling selling points
(+ the hybrid shutter of course)It shows how far you're over or under compared to the meter reading, instead which I find very useful when consciously over- or underexposing a scene.
Sep 17, 2026 at 10:41 PM
p.2 #5Nikon FM3A
nhmorgan wrote:
Love my Fm3A. Lucked into a second body for a great price that I think has never been shot. My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter. Oh and the Logo is just wrong on the FM3A
It really is the cream of the crop for manual focus cameras.
I really like the needle! But for some reason it seems more fragile than using LEDs or LCDs.
None of Nikon’s pro level cameras used needles, apart from maybe the original F? F2 had already moved to LEDs in the metered heads, F3 brought on the era of LCDs.
I really liked my FM2n, but I thought the way it showed the exposure info was a mess. Aperture on the top. Shutter speed on the left. Exposure LEDs on the right. The info was all over the place!
Love my Fm3A. Lucked into a second body for a great price that I think has never been shot. My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter. Oh and the Logo is just wrong on the FM3A
It really is the cream of the crop for manual focus cameras.
I really like the needle! But for some reason it seems more fragile than using LEDs or LCDs.
None of Nikon’s pro level cameras used needles, apart from maybe the original F? F2 had already moved to LEDs in the metered heads, F3 brought on the era of LCDs.
I really liked my FM2n, but I thought the way it showed the exposure info was a mess. Aperture on the top. Shutter speed on the left. Exposure LEDs on the right. The info was all over the place!
Sep 17, 2026 at 10:53 PM
p.2 #6Nikon FM3A
Desmolicious wrote:
It really is the cream of the crop for manual focus cameras.I really like the needle! But for some reason it seems more fragile than using LEDs or LCDs.
None of Nikon’s pro level cameras used needles, apart from maybe the original F? F2 had already moved to LEDs in the metered heads, F3 brought on the era of LCDs.
I really liked my FM2n, but I thought the way it showed the exposure info was a mess. Aperture on the top. Shutter speed on the left. Exposure LEDs on the right. The info was all over the place!
Agreed on terrible viewfinder ergonomics of the FM2, especially when combined with crap eye relief. The Leica R6 does this perfectly, with aperture, shutter speed and highly legible meter LEDS on the bottom of the frame with goldilocks magnification/eye relief specs.
The main reason I like the FM2 is the beautiful styling of the camera, especially in titanium
nhmorgan wrote
Love my Fm3A. Lucked into a second body for a great price that I think has never been shot. My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter. Oh and the Logo is just wrong on the FM3A It really is the cream of the crop for manual focus cameras.
None of Nikon’s pro level cameras used needles, apart from maybe the original F? F2 had already moved to LEDs in the metered heads, F3 brought on the era of LCDs.
I really liked my FM2n, but I thought the way it showed the exposure info was a mess. Aperture on the top. Shutter speed on the left. Exposure LEDs on the right. The info was all over the place!
Agreed on terrible viewfinder ergonomics of the FM2, especially when combined with crap eye relief. The Leica R6 does this perfectly, with aperture, shutter speed and highly legible meter LEDS on the bottom of the frame with goldilocks magnification/eye relief specs.
The main reason I like the FM2 is the beautiful styling of the camera, especially in titanium
Sep 18, 2026 at 04:04 AM
p.2 #7Nikon FM3A
fjablo wrote:
What do you prefer about the FM2N meter?
Imo the match needle is one of the FM3a's most compelling selling points (+ the hybrid shutter of course)
It shows how far you're over or under compared to the meter reading, instead which I find very useful when consciously over- or underexposing a scene.
It's just a visibility thing. There are pretty frequent occasions where I just can't see the needle adequately. It's also a lot of information. I like it simply and visible in darker scenes. That just a preference, though. Once the viewfinder goes up to the eye, I really just care about exposure. My initial settings are going to be fairly close. FM2N has: -, - o, o, o+, + . That's 2/3rds of a stop in either direction, which is plenty for me.
nhmorgan wrote
My only complaint is that I think the needle meter was a regression; I much prefer the FM2N meter.Imo the match needle is one of the FM3a's most compelling selling points
(+ the hybrid shutter of course)It shows how far you're over or under compared to the meter reading, instead which I find very useful when consciously over- or underexposing a scene.
It's just a visibility thing. There are pretty frequent occasions where I just can't see the needle adequately. It's also a lot of information. I like it simply and visible in darker scenes. That just a preference, though. Once the viewfinder goes up to the eye, I really just care about exposure. My initial settings are going to be fairly close. FM2N has: -, - o, o, o+, + . That's 2/3rds of a stop in either direction, which is plenty for me.
Sep 18, 2026 at 06:23 AM
p.2 #8Nikon FM3A
IMO people stress too much about metering on film cameras. Almost no-one is shooting slide film these days. As long as you don’t point the meter at the sky or an unreasonably bright part of the scene the metering will be good enough with negative film. It is better to err on the side of over exposure by pointing the meter towards darker parts of the scene..
I have a quite a collection of film cameras and I am sure the metering and shutter speed accuracy is *variable*. I always check the negs when they come back and they always show a good range of contrast. What you don’t want to see is ‘thin’ rendering of the negative (no dark greys or black in any part) as this indicates under exposure.
I have a quite a collection of film cameras and I am sure the metering and shutter speed accuracy is *variable*. I always check the negs when they come back and they always show a good range of contrast. What you don’t want to see is ‘thin’ rendering of the negative (no dark greys or black in any part) as this indicates under exposure.
Sep 18, 2026 at 12:25 PM
p.2 #9Nikon FM3A
Desmolicious wrote:
The FE2 has a much nicer traditional Nikon font, is maybe 1/5 of the price, pretty much does everything the same apart from being battery reliant. But batteries are tiny, cheap and take up no space. People have no problem bringing along extra film but a couple of teeny button cells is an issue?
Yeah, I _always_ carried spare button-cells with my Nikon film cameras, and I think I had to rely on the FE2's manual 1/250th shutter speed exactly once in my life, so that advantage of the FM3a is a bit theoretical IMO. If an FM3a fell into my lap, I would totally use it, but I remain loyal to my FE2, the only Nikon body I bought new rather than used.
The FE2 has a much nicer traditional Nikon font, is maybe 1/5 of the price, pretty much does everything the same apart from being battery reliant. But batteries are tiny, cheap and take up no space. People have no problem bringing along extra film but a couple of teeny button cells is an issue?
Yeah, I _always_ carried spare button-cells with my Nikon film cameras, and I think I had to rely on the FE2's manual 1/250th shutter speed exactly once in my life, so that advantage of the FM3a is a bit theoretical IMO. If an FM3a fell into my lap, I would totally use it, but I remain loyal to my FE2, the only Nikon body I bought new rather than used.
Sep 25, 2026 at 05:50 AM
p.2 #10Nikon FM3A
Desmolicious wrote:
My F3/P has two electronic contacts on the hot shoe. Not sure if that makes TTL though, as I have never used flash on it.
Flash is for quitters.
(is what I say when I forgot to bring one along).
The 2nd contact on the F3/P hot shoe is for the flash-ready light in the display, so no TTL. "Flash is for quitters" was my mantra too, but TTL on the FE2 changed my mind somewhat, and the SB-15 is a very nice/compact flash which you can mostly just leave on the camera in those situations where a flash might be useful. In the digital age with super-extreme effective ISO I almost never need a flash anymore, and don't miss the lack of one on my Df.
My F3/P has two electronic contacts on the hot shoe. Not sure if that makes TTL though, as I have never used flash on it.
Flash is for quitters.
(is what I say when I forgot to bring one along).
The 2nd contact on the F3/P hot shoe is for the flash-ready light in the display, so no TTL. "Flash is for quitters" was my mantra too, but TTL on the FE2 changed my mind somewhat, and the SB-15 is a very nice/compact flash which you can mostly just leave on the camera in those situations where a flash might be useful. In the digital age with super-extreme effective ISO I almost never need a flash anymore, and don't miss the lack of one on my Df.
Sep 25, 2026 at 05:54 AM
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p.2 #11Nikon FM3A
I'm on the other side of the fence when it comes to the Nikon logo...I like that it's the modern font! The FM3a was their last hurrah, a "throw everything we've learned into our last model" film camera, one that came during that golden little window of 3mp Coolpix, D1 variants and film living side by side. It was Nikon's transition time into what they are now and in many ways the FM3a was a "modern" camera.
When I think vintage Nikon, I think of older cameras with more limitations, not the FM3a.
When I think vintage Nikon, I think of older cameras with more limitations, not the FM3a.
Sep 25, 2026 at 06:57 AM
p.2 #12Nikon FM3A
RoamingScott wrote:
I'm on the other side of the fence when it comes to the Nikon logo...I like that it's the modern font! The FM3a was their last hurrah, a "throw everything we've learned into our last model" film camera, one that came during that golden little window of 3mp Coolpix, D1 variants and film living side by side. It was Nikon's transition time into what they are now and in many ways the FM3a was a "modern" camera.
When I think vintage Nikon, I think of older cameras with more limitations, not the FM3a.
Yeah, dissing the logo seems like carping to me: The FM3a is one sharp looking camera! It came out after I'd moved on to my F3/T, but otherwise I would totally have upgraded my FE2 to an FM3a. Even now, it calls out to me, but the prices it commands are luckily sufficient barrier to prevent me from even looking for one.
I'm on the other side of the fence when it comes to the Nikon logo...I like that it's the modern font! The FM3a was their last hurrah, a "throw everything we've learned into our last model" film camera, one that came during that golden little window of 3mp Coolpix, D1 variants and film living side by side. It was Nikon's transition time into what they are now and in many ways the FM3a was a "modern" camera.
When I think vintage Nikon, I think of older cameras with more limitations, not the FM3a.
Yeah, dissing the logo seems like carping to me: The FM3a is one sharp looking camera! It came out after I'd moved on to my F3/T, but otherwise I would totally have upgraded my FE2 to an FM3a. Even now, it calls out to me, but the prices it commands are luckily sufficient barrier to prevent me from even looking for one.
Sep 25, 2026 at 09:25 AM
p.2 #13Nikon FM3A
grantgoodes wrote:
Yeah, I _always_ carried spare button-cells with my Nikon film cameras, and I think I had to rely on the FE2's manual 1/250th shutter speed exactly once in my life, so that advantage of the FM3a is a bit theoretical IMO. If an FM3a fell into my lap, I would totally use it, but I remain loyal to my FE2, the only Nikon body I bought new rather than used.
The only film cameras that I have run out of batteries with are my N80 and F6. Those I definitely carry spare C123 and Cr2s with me. (Whichever ones they use). The battery life indicators go from 100% to 50% then two shots later - dead.
Desmolicious wrote
The FE2 has a much nicer traditional Nikon font, is maybe 1/5 of the price, pretty much does everything the same apart from being battery reliant. But batteries are tiny, cheap and take up no space. People have no problem bringing along extra film but a couple of teeny button cells is an issue?The only film cameras that I have run out of batteries with are my N80 and F6. Those I definitely carry spare C123 and Cr2s with me. (Whichever ones they use). The battery life indicators go from 100% to 50% then two shots later - dead.
Sep 25, 2026 at 08:12 PM
p.2 #14Nikon FM3A
Am I correct that the FM3A has brass top and bottom covers? And are the shutter release button and film advance/wind cap also made from brass, or are those machined from another metal?
Sep 25, 2026 at 08:17 PM
p.2 #15Nikon FM3A
Surfnsun wrote:
Am I correct that the FM3A has brass top and bottom covers? And are the shutter release button and film advance/wind cap also made from brass, or are those machined from another metal?
Brass top and bottom.
Web search:
Controls: Lathe-turned, precision-machined metal caps and dials sit on the top plate
Am I correct that the FM3A has brass top and bottom covers? And are the shutter release button and film advance/wind cap also made from brass, or are those machined from another metal?
Brass top and bottom.
Web search:
Controls: Lathe-turned, precision-machined metal caps and dials sit on the top plate
Sep 25, 2026 at 08:22 PM
p.2 #16Nikon FM3A
You can see a teardown here. https://richardhaw.com/2020/04/10/repair-nikon-fm3a/
EBH
EBH
Sep 25, 2026 at 08:26 PM
p.2 #17Nikon FM3A
Buying a really good film camera makes me want another really good film camera to go with my camera. I’m not seeing any flaw with this logic.
Sep 26, 2026 at 12:36 PM
p.2 #18Nikon FM3A
Surfnsun wrote:
Buying a really good film camera makes me want another really good film camera to go with my camera. I’m not seeing any flaw with this logic.
From someone who has owned a lot of film cameras, there is no logic.
Buying a really good film camera makes me want another really good film camera to go with my camera. I’m not seeing any flaw with this logic.
From someone who has owned a lot of film cameras, there is no logic.
Sep 26, 2026 at 12:40 PM
p.2 #19Nikon FM3A
EB-1 wrote:
You can see a teardown here. https://richardhaw.com/2020/04/10/repair-nikon-fm3a/
EBH
That example shows the plastic front trim plate that looks ugly on badly treated cameras.
I very much doubt that any knobs/dials etc are brass as weight saving was very much an objective of this series of cameras. The knobs/dials are high quality however. The brass top and base plates are extremely thin and will dent if breathed on heavily.
They are nice cameras if treated well. I like to use a leather half case to keep cameras like this in mint condition (easy to source on ebay). Do not be under any illusion that they have particularly solid and durable build quality.
You can see a teardown here. https://richardhaw.com/2020/04/10/repair-nikon-fm3a/
EBH
That example shows the plastic front trim plate that looks ugly on badly treated cameras.
I very much doubt that any knobs/dials etc are brass as weight saving was very much an objective of this series of cameras. The knobs/dials are high quality however. The brass top and base plates are extremely thin and will dent if breathed on heavily.
They are nice cameras if treated well. I like to use a leather half case to keep cameras like this in mint condition (easy to source on ebay). Do not be under any illusion that they have particularly solid and durable build quality.
Sep 26, 2026 at 01:50 PM
p.2 #20Nikon FM3A
A scratched trim plate or dented metal top plate doesn't affect durability, it only offends people who care about form over function.
Sep 26, 2026 at 01:53 PM