Back and forth , buying a Nikon, again . . .

vha

vha

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Go figure how this happened, might be a really bad idea to have both flickr and e**y side by side in firefox 😉
Anyway, the damage is done and I´m just about to pay for a 45mm Nikkor P in chrome, I probably do have the tessar bug, but at least here you understand me 🙂

At the moment I have a lens, but no camera that fits, have a beaten with a stick / self repaired FM, but the shuttler on it now and then auto-fires, so that camera does not count at all ..

A Nikon F3 (for the 4th time) or a FM2/T (no reasonable reason for the T, but I fancy one at the moment) or ? F3 have 100% finder, but is bulky, FM2/T looks fine, but my logical sense ( mostly ignored) is whispering in my ear that paying for the T is not needful, a FM cost less and does kind of the same job.

Any idea ?, you have to be one to know one you know 😀

Thanks

vha
 
I'll take a moment to respectfully my slightly differing preferences.

While the FM3a has a great TTL fill flash capability and the hybrid AV electronic/mechanical shutter was brilliant if you use it in available darkness and are shooting a dark subject or against a dark background, the FM3a's match needle meeter is almost impossible to read. The FM2n's bright LEDs are always readable in any light.

My preference is an FM2n with a FM3a back (it fits fine and offers a film cassette window) and of course a Tom A Softie attached. A FM2T would be great if you can afford one, but not really necessary as a basic user body.

If you don't need a variety of changeable or high eyepoint VFs, the FM series were superior to the F3 in every possible measure for my needs...they were not battery dependent, they were smaller, cheaper and steady on workhorses with a built in hotshoe in the right place. Mind the finicky rewind crank and careful not to crinkle your shutter though. 🙂

Again mileage will vary, but that's what makes all this gear available such a nice thing.
 
Think the conclusion this fare is that i´m watching a few FM2n on e**y, a FM2/T is temting but too pricey, and i´m not a collector . .

But who knows what i might find 😉

Thanks. . and i´m looking forward to some more input 🙂

vha
 
i suppose this is a bad question for a guy getting ready to sell his f3hp/md-4 and f3p/md-4, but here goes....

if you've got a nikon lens you want to put to proper use, i can't think of a better way than the f3/md-4 combo. i've had most of the nikons up thru the f4.

f and f2 are nice - the f3 does what they do and more, and in my opinion, better. huge with the md-4, but a nice stable platform. i find it odd to use the f3's without a motor - it's just the 'correct' package. the f and f2, well, neat as they are, those motors are dinosaurs and can hurt as much as they might help with anything.

fm2n is a really nice camera. size, feel, LOVE the shutter.... but you give up compatibility with those sweet older lenses, and i always thought it had the most 'kick' of the bunch. disappointing, as otherwise it's the smallest package.

the f4, with the counterbalanced mirror assembly, sweet integral motor, and fast, accurate shutter, is also an excellent choice. i don't have a 'good' reason beyond personal preference for the tactile realities of the f3 for not ranking the f4 at the top.

now, maybe the f5 and/or f6 are THAT good, but really, f3's are cheap, plentiful, and predictable.

now, why am i clearing out my f3 collection if this is all true?? i've had a leica IIIf for a bit now, and really love both the size, and most importantly, the glass. i see a bessa r3 or such in my future, what with a limited budget and only nikon gear to sell. the wife has a nikon n80, but the lens compatibility is terrible. concentrating all the nikon glass in the house into her collection will be a good thing.

besides, when i want another SLR, i can have the ancient 'hassy vs mamiya' argument and make some BIG negatives!

just my 2 cents
 
FM2 👎 or FA
Both excellent.
FA was the first cam with Matrix metering.
You can find both models with titanium honeycomb shutter.
F3 is heavier and as the minimum speed as 1/2000 (FM2/FA/FE2 - 1/4000)

But if you wear glasses there is nothing better than F3HP
 
comment on the last couple comments:

f3hp with glasses - yes, amazing, none better

fa - also nice, not my preference for the level of automation same mirror vibration issues as the fm2n compared to f3 or f4

viewfinder displays..... now this one is something of a real issue. the 100% in the f3, uncluttered for the most part, has been great. however, i DO miss the LEDs for the meter readout in the fm2n when it's dark out. if you need to see the shutter speed, or over/under, in really low light, the f3 is a problem. there's an illumination setup, but it's not amazingly legible, and the switch for it IS amazingly bad relative the rest of the camera.
 
Think resale

Think resale

The FM3a, the nicest camera I have owned to date, smooth to use, excellent viewfinder, focus screen is bright and very easy - things snap into focus even in low light (no need to focus and recompose - a major plus) You can clearly see the metering needles in all but darkness (when I would begin to question their usefulness) Coupled with the 45mm lens they make an attractive second hand buy, I sold mine for more than I paid for it.

Ted.

P.S. The lens is beautiful, not tack sharp below f5.6 but offers a lovely feel to people pictures. I would have kept mine if I could have afforded to.
 
I prefer the FE2 over other Nikon cameras for its design and overall excellent features. If yo u just need a body to attach the lens to, get a Nikkormat FT.
 
point about my previous comments - the f3 suggestion is based on my preferences - oddly enough, for one rangefinderish quality. the SUBSTANTIAL mass of the f3/md-4, combined with the horizontal travel shutter it has, makes for very good handholdability at low shutter speeds.

if that matters, great. it's complete crap at another (35mm) rangefinderish quality tho - size.

any of the suggestions in this thread will mount the lens in question and has a decen shutter - what more do you want out of the package?
 
since you're getting a pancake lens and presumable want to keep the kit compact and relatively light, i'd suggest a Nikon FG, you can get one for $50, TTL metering, aperture priority, program mode, small as a Oly OM, light and dependable...,

did i mention you can get them for $50-80???
 
f3 is the one of the nicest nikon slrs out there. The fm2n is slightly smaller and lighter, however the f3 just feels so purposeful and cool in your hands. I use an fm2n at the moment. Each does the job.
 
Ah GAS is wonderfully vicious, isn't it? 🙂

Here's my only Nikon manual-focus body (love the shutter speed ring) and lens (20mm is cool):

2266663921_4d283e12c3_o.jpg


and a sample, I do use them, I'm not a collector... (ha!) 😉

2316346485_67a8dca0a3.jpg
 
Ahhh

Ahhh

I have one just like it at home! The Nikkormats are great! A little fiddly IMO but almost bulletproof. I got one to use the cheaper Non-ai, but still great, Nikon glass. This would be a great camera to concider, buy a hand held meter (or use sunny 16) and you don't even have to worry about buying the air battery replacement for the mercury cells used back then. However the top mounted meter display is great for macro. Maybe I'll have mine adjusted...🙄
 
Some more caothic input 🙂

Some more caothic input 🙂

sykotec said:
if that matters, great. it's complete crap at another (35mm) rangefinderish quality tho - size.

any of the suggestions in this thread will mount the lens in question and has a decen shutter - what more do you want out of the package?
Click to expand...

Absolutely a decent question 🙂,
Had a F3/T with a Tokina ATX pro 28-70 and all that, think i had a MD4 too. Lovely quality and feel, gave images I like, but was kind of bulky,
but still portable compared to the Pentax 67 w/55mm 3,5 I also had at the same time 😉

Anyway, since I have a pancake lens in the mail soon,
the plan is to get a small Nikon, like the design on the FM series,
would like the finder of a F3HP, but then again that ain't small.
A F100 is a compromise , you loose the no battery needed thing but get a spot meter and a camera that is comfy to hold and a better finder.

Then it is the "Economy" (spent money on a lens i not exactly need, so at least don´t spill too much on a camera) A FM2/T is too expensive,
a F3 not so sure, a nice FM2n is ok, depends on the state
and the F100 I don´t know.

So my wallet says a FM, again .. or a cheap but not beaten with a stick FM2n, you guess the other options 😀

Thanks.

vha
 
here's an interesting thought - i just realized i've got an old nikon EM sitting here. it's far from smooth at this point, and was tossed my way by a friend who shoots nothing but his d70 these days, simply because i'm the only person he knows who still bothers with film. i was told to give it a good home, wherever that may be.

i HIGHLY doubt you're interested in something that's aperature priority or 1/90 sec only, but if you want to go budget, it's yours for the cost of postage.

otherwise, yes, the f3 has some great qualities, but it's prob not the right one this time around. the finder you might live without, but the bulk vs moving mass is a major diff vs the smaller nikons. mirror lock quickly becomes your friend in low light.
 
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