Nikon FM2...should I?

EcoLeica

EcoLeica

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ok i know its not a rangefinder but seeing that most of you all seem to have SLRs as well i would love to know if anyone who has one can tell me whats it like. I have just been offered one at a very good price but im pretty much useless when it comes to SLRs
 
I have used one for years and never had any problems with it. The shutter is mechanical so it the batteries die it will still work. I haven't used mine in a couple of years but they are good users - better than the FE and a few of the others that are battery dependent for the shutter
 
If you want an SLR the FM2 is a great start. A solid feeling camera with just the basics. I used one for many years before getting sucked into the rangefinders. I still have it and take it out once in a while.
 
A great camera and quite intuitive to use. One of Nikon's best SLRs, which is saying something. You'll need Nikkor AI lenses for it, but they're pretty reasonably priced.
 
It is very nearly the same size and weight as a Nikon RF camera. 1/250 flash sync and top speed of 1/4000 are very nice features. Older Nikkor prime lenses are extremely affordable. It takes "AI" lenses, not the oldest 1960s "auto" lenses, but the older 1960s lenses can be converted for $25 to $40 or thereabouts.

There are two models of this camera: The first batch of FM2s had a flash sync of 1/200. The later cameras (nearly all of the production run) are FM2ns and have a flash sync of 1/250.

The FM2 is about as close to a rangefinder as a Nikon SLR can get in size, feel and simplicity.
 
If you are a dedicated Leica user, be aware that Leica controls are "reversed" from Nikon. Focus is in the opposite direction; f/stops are in the opposite direction; I think even the shutter-seed dial might turn in the opposite direction.

For some people, this doesn't matter. Others find it to be a big surprise.
 
FM2 is a fine camera, I would recomend starting with a 105/2.5, then a 28/2.8 AIs (this is the best version ever made, no others are as good, it focuses VERY close, almost macro!), and then a 500mm.

B2 (;->
 
actually, there are 3 versions:

1/200th sec sync
1/250th sec sync (titanium shutter, shutter leaves have structure)
1/250th sec sync (aluminium alloy shutter, shutter leaves smooth)

and of course, several tastes: chrome, black, titanium, strawberry.

;-)
cheers, sebastian
 
The 24/2.8 AIS is a great lens.
The Series E lenses are sleepers. Excellent optics, very lightweight so you can carry them all day. 28/2.8; 50/1.8; 100/2.8; 75-150/3.5
 
Vince is right, the Series E lenses are a great value. When I was a SLR geek, I wanted the 70-150 but never found one used at a reasonable price. Not as sharp as the 105/2.5, but well worth the money.

B2 (;->
 
The FM2n is a fantastic camera. Solidly built, with an excellent meter, simple clear controls, a bright viewfinder, interchangeable focusing screens, and no fat. I have used these cameras for twenty years and never had a problem. I've dropped them, had one go under in a flood, and had them suffer countless other little indignities that might have killed lesser cameras, but the FM2n's keep merrily ticking along. Well, I had to replace the shutter in the one that got flooded, but otherwise, it's fine.

However, I have to disagree with the folks who recommend the series E Nikon glass. Yes, they are very affordable, and they are a little smaller and lighter than the regular series lenses. But their optical performance is also a solid step below Nikon's AI/S lenses. The E series is, after all, their budget line, and is not as well corrected. These days Nikon manual focus gear is going so cheap that I think it's hardly worth getting the stuff they built as a budget alternative to their regular professional line- I'd stick with the AI or AIS lenses.
 
EcoLeica said:
ok i know its not a rangefinder but seeing that most of you all seem to have SLRs as well i would love to know if anyone who has one can tell me whats it like. I have just been offered one at a very good price but im pretty much useless when it comes to SLRs
Click to expand...

The FM2N is my favourite SLR camera; and somehow I have two of them. It is very well-built, durable and all mechanical. It has a built-in simple center-weighted metering that behaves very similarly to the one in my M6, and uses the same batteries (SR44) too. The viewfinder is excellent and focusing is easy. All these are packaged in a compact size and light weight.

There are many similar SLRs, but this one is a Nikon. There are so many lenses widely available, some at bargain prices and offers excellent quality. I use rangefinders for lenses up to 90mm, and the Nikon covers anything longer than that, as well as macro for the fun of it.
 
>>. These days Nikon manual focus gear is going so cheap that I think it's hardly worth getting the stuff they built as a budget alternative to their regular professional line- I'd stick with the AI or AIS lenses.<<

Drewbarb is correct. Nikon's professional level AI/S lenses are so affordable these days there's no point getting anything else.

My favorite Nikon SLR setup is: 24/2.8; 50/1.4; 85/2 and 180/2.8. The 180 is a huge, heavy, rather costly photojournalism lens. You could also do well with either a 135/3.5 or 200/4 AIS. As mentioned above, the 105/2.5 is a remarkable lens. There's an older version that uses the same formula as the excellent RF version, and a later 105/2.5 AIS introduced in the late 1970s that is, if possible, even better.
 
fm2 are wonderfull.My fm2n outlived my f3.
E -series lenses are OK but not more. I have 50/1.8E(works great on BW with a yellow filter but on color or wide open the 50/1.4 is waaay better) and a 75-150/3.5 (works great period). You can see examples on my blog.
 
Hey Ive not noticed any difference between my 50/1.8 E and non E lenses, perhaps I need to try a tripod and chart...

Two E's is better than one prof...

Noel
 
BTW- I can also heartily recommend the 105 f1.8 lens which is just one of the most fun lenses I have ever used. It lives on my FM2 much of the time, and is still very often my go-to lens for headshots, with film or digital. When shooting weddings, I carry my Leicas with a range of lenses for most of the work, but I also carry an FM2 with that 105 and also the 180 f2.8 Vince mentioned for the tele work. Sometimes I will omit the Nikon and just carry a 135 for the M3 instead, trying to work light and only carry one lens-mount, but I'll only do this for outdoor summer jobs when there will be plenty of light for the whole job.
 
I've done lots of work with a 28/2.8E -- It came free with a camera body. I shot so many nice images with it that I never felt any need to upgrade.

Weight is important to me. My family has a history of chronic back pain. About 20 years ago, while regularly carrying a camera bag with two or three SLR bodies - an F, an F2 and Nikomat - plus four to six lenes, my back went out on me and left me unable to walk for a couple of days. Once I recovered, I significantly lightened my camera equipment -- just two bodies, usually an FM2 and unmetered F, or two rangefinders, plus a total of three to four lightweight lenses. My back has been fine ever since.
 
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