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rangefound

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I have been shooting with my bessa R for a good three months and i love it. Although I crave for a leica that is definetly a long way down the road, with that said I have quite a few nikon lenses from the days when my father was a photographer, yet no nikon body. I had an F2 but I sold it to fund my purchase of the bessa. I also despised it's large size. Now I want to get an SLR in nikon mount but I have some very specific requirements: I want a SMALLEST possible camera, with aperture priority and manual control that takes and meters with AI lenses and is cheap. I look forward to your responses, thank you. Out of curiousity what's the smallest nikon SLR?
 
Manual & aperture priority=FE or FE2. Maybe F3. They're all pretty comparable in size and smaller, less bulky than the F2.
The F3 is very highly regarded. I think it's the smoothest Nikon out there. Very comfortable.
They are all battery dependent and only give one shutter speed with a dead battery.
The FM3a I believe give higher speeds with dead battery but I'm not sure about AI compatibility.
 
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The FE2 can be considered the smallest one having all you need for the best price. There are a few models a little bit smaller, but you start to lose tools or roughness... Others can be bigger or heavier or cost more. But from your description, the best lightest tool, I can't imagine a better one.

Here's the best review (lots of pages...):

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfeseries/fe2/index.htm

Cheers,

Juan
 
"is cheap...." rules out the FM3A (yes, it is AI compatible). BUT if you can swing $500-$600, this is your best bet.

An F3 is nice and solid, but not the smallest.

I think the EM is the smallest and the cheapest (around $50).

An FE2 can be had for less than $200.
 
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If you can get a Nikon FG in good working order, it is smaller and lighter than the FE/FE2. It also has program mode, and full manual operation. Mine works well. It should also be fairly cheap.

The EM is slightly smaller, but does not have manual controls. It is Aperture Preferred Automatic only. The FG is slightly larger to accommodate the shutter speed dial.
 
Darn, Brian beat me to it! The FG is the smallest, lightest cheapest Nikon giving you both manual and aperture priority exposure. (It gives program exposure mode as well with AIS lenses.) The FG will not accept non-AI lenses.
 
Get the FG for a less rough camera with a 1/1000 shutter instead of a 1/4000 one.

Leica shooters like to say 1/1000 is great. Digital Leica shooters like to say 1/8000 is great.

Cheers,

Juan
 
The FM3A would have to be the top choice but not so cheap as stated. I was lucky to pick mine up for just over $300.00 and from memory Akiva (kshapero) got his very cheaply as well.

It's a pity these things seem to be developing a bit of a cult status because they're just a camera and aside from the hybrid shutter they're nothing special otherwise. Being Nikon's last manual SLR has given them a uniqueness that seems to be forcing the prices up constantly.
 
The FM3A is a great camera too... It costs near three times the FE2... Its price is close to that of user Leicas M2 & M3 or new Bessas (R2, R3, R4).

It looks like you want to do serious photography with small equipment... Consider the rangefinder option: with flat lenses, RF's are half as thick as SLR's...

Cheers,

Juan
 
Keith said:
The FM3A would have to be the top choice but not so cheap as stated. I was lucky to pick mine up for just over $300.00 and from memory Akiva (kshapero) got his very cheaply as well.

It's a pity these things seem to be developing a bit of a cult status because they're just a camera and aside from the hybrid shutter they're nothing special otherwise. Being Nikon's last manual SLR has given them a uniqueness that seems to be forcing the prices up constantly.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.

Indeed I never ever needed the mechanical speeds on my FE2 in decades...

Cheers
 
Nikon FG, definitely. My father gave me his when I started doing photography and it's the only 35mm SLR I've ever really known. It really surprised me when I saw how much FGs are going for now. Compact, P and A modes, no frills. When it was released, it was marketed as a cheap entry level camera, but really, when it was released, "entry level" did not mean plastic all over.
 
Jeez the overwhelming amount of FG users along with great resources like MIR have led me to decide on the FG. To be honest it was a toss up between the FE, FE2, and FG but i wanted to leave it open ended as maybe there was some camera that fit better than those three. Now the question is who wants to sell me a Nikon FG for a fair price :angel:
 
Go for what you can find...

Go for what you can find...

rangefound said:
Jeez the overwhelming amount of FG users along with great resources like MIR have led me to decide on the FG. To be honest it was a toss up between the FE, FE2, and FG but i wanted to leave it open ended as maybe there was some camera that fit better than those three. Now the question is who wants to sell me a Nikon FG for a fair price :angel:
Click to expand...

Sorry, don't have an FG. I'd just say keep your eye out for a bargain on any of these three and go with what you can find. They're all very capable. And if you keep your eyes open, deals will come up - I found an FE2 in an antique shop for $100 with lens, it just needed batteries. (After I got over the profound moral objection I have to anything that I wanted and even used in high school - really, anything produced in my lifetime - being considered an antique)
 
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