I had two FTNs for many years. I loved them and I used them a lot. One traveled all over the world with me, especially to Southeast Asia where it went in my backpack and got bounced around like, well, everything does in one's backpack. Once I inadvertently left it on the seat of a bus I was on in Indonesia. The conductor ran back and handed it to me. I had just enough time to tip him the equivalent of $5 (it was the first money I pulled out of my pocket and I handed it to him) before he ran back to his bus and the vehicle sped off.
In time I got sick of damaging fingernails to adjust the ISO and I had the usual GAS symptoms we all do at times (or inevitably), and sold them off for two Els. These were an improvement over the FTNs in every way but I never quite bonded with them, probably due to the increased weight and the size. They worked well for about a decade until I got a second attack of the must-buys and put them on the shelf for a pair of FT2s which I still own, but sadly, hardly ever use, given that the world is now 99.5% digital and the insane cost of film in Australia.
I see FTNs floating around on Ebay at prices ranging from $25 to $500 (the latter being definitely the triumph of stupidity over hope), and I do wonder why so many of them end up being listed at such low prices. Going by friends who've bought on Ebay, the quality is variable, and about 50% get returned as the sellers either did not describe them properly or made false claims.
Personally, given the ridiculously low prices at the lower end of the Ebay sale market for FTNs, I would never sell my Nikons for so little.
As I usually point out to the Ebay buyers I know, when you decide to put your money into a camera aged between 50 and 60 years, the trick money you believe you are buying may well turn out to be a lame duck.
Tafoni sandstone by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr
Rocks and Reflection by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr
Tafoni wave by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr
