Nikon FM vs Nikkormat FT3. Opinions?

The Nikkormat meter circuit uses a carbon resistance strip that wears out over the years, and it's getting harder (if not darn near impossible) to find replacement parts for. I've got two Nikkormats I can't use the meter in anymore because of this. My FM meter on the other hand is still working fine.

PF
 
KoNickon said:
The meter on the FT3 is its Achilles heel, so just be aware of that. The FM is an extremely reliable camera in all respects. I give the nod to the FM.
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do you know if the FT3 has depth of field preview ? also, when the meter goes on a FT3 is is fixable without a new part or is the meter shot at that point?
 
All Nikkormats have a big DOF preview button near the shutter release. One of their most distinctive characteristics.

If the top deck meter readout is the main driver here, then the FM won't do the job.

All FMs and Nikkormats are decades old. All bets are off on how long they'll last! But my sense is that most cameras used by RFFers live a pretty easy life. We're talking a LOT closer to ten rolls a year than ten rolls a day. If you want an old and inexpensive retro camera, don't let a little disposability stop you.
 
I much prefer the feel of the build quality of the Nikkormat. It feels like a serious tool. The FM/FE/2's feel hollow and flimsy in comparison, yet are still very good cameras. Can't go wrong.
 
68degrees said:
do you know if the FT3 has depth of field preview ? also, when the meter goes on a FT3 is is fixable without a new part or is the meter shot at that point?
Click to expand...

As the other poster wrote, the Nikkormats all have a DOF button on the top deck, next to the pentaprism. I personally prefer the location of the DOF lever on the FM -- it falls naturally under my right middle finger.

While the Nikkormats are hefty beasts, I wouldn't necessarily equate mass with reliability. FMs are very durable.
 
68degrees said:
do you know if the FT3 has depth of field preview ? also, when the meter goes on a FT3 is is fixable without a new part or is the meter shot at that point?
Click to expand...

The part that goes bad is a carbon resistance strip mounted behind the lens mount. It wears out from use, as there is a wiper that rides along it to change resistance in the circuit, thus slowly removing bits of carbon from the plastic base (also the main reason for meter failure in the Yashica Lynx rangefinders). That's the part that is getting harder to find, and like Phil_F_NM says, are usually only gotten by cannibalizing another body.

But other than that, the rest of the camera is a sturdy hunk.

PF
 
One minor difference that hasn't yet been mentioned is that I believe the FM shows the set aperture in the viewfinder via a Judas window. The Nikkormats only show the set shutter speed (also shown by the FM).

Ronnie
 
farlymac said:
The part that goes bad is a carbon resistance strip mounted behind the lens mount. It wears out from use, ...
Click to expand...

True of the earlier FT and FTn models. The FT2 and its Ai sister the FT3 used Nikon's FRE (Functional Resisting Element) component which avoids the wear and "noise" seen with carbon resisters. This development from Nikon appeared in the middle of the F2 Photomic run (all DP-1 finders with the little "tail" at the end of the needle excursion window and all DP-3, DP-11, and DP-13 finders). It was also rumored that the repair part for the resistor gear in the F Photomics was an FRE component after about 1973-4. The EL-2 also is supposed to use an FRE. Even FREs can still fail and they can't be "fixed", only replaced. Failure, though, is much less likely than it is with the older carbon resistor systems.

The galvanometer based meter in the Nikkormats is prone to getting out of balance due to impact and will thus read inaccurately. The inaccuracy can vary between holding the camera horizontal, vertical or lens down. A skilled repair person can rebalance the movement but its is a delicate job. As a general rule, the LED system in the FM either reads correctly or so massively wrong (one LED light always, none light, ...) the error is obvious.
 
I didn't know that about the FRE -- all the more reason to get an FT2 or FT3 rather than an FTn. (Get an FS instead, if you can find one -- no meter at all!)

If the original poster is still interested, one additional difference between the Nikkormat and the FM is in the meter switch. Like many Nikon models of the '60s and '70s, the meter is turned on by pulling the advance lever out to the standoff position. With the Nikkormats, that standoff position is a little vague; with the FM, there is a very clear detent (as with the F2). I know a lot of people hate this feature of the Nikons, but I like turning the meter on and off by such an obvious action, rather than having to remember to turn a switch as with the OM-1, Minolta SRT series, and Canon FTb and AT-1, for instance.

But that puts me in mind of something that may count in the Nikkormats' favor, depending on your preferences: With the FM, if the advance lever is pushed back flush with the body, the meter is turned off AND the shutter release is locked. I know this drives some people crazy, since they think it can cause a lost shot. The Nikkormats do not lock the shutter release when you do this. (I prefer the FM here also, but others may not.)
 
KoNickon said:
.With the FM, if the advance lever is pushed back flush with the body, the meter is turned off AND the shutter release is locked. I know this drives some people crazy, since they think it can cause a lost shot. The Nikkormats do not lock the shutter release when you do this. (I prefer the FM here also, but others may not.)
Click to expand...

Maybe that is on the later FMs because mine will fire regardless of the advance lever position. I think I have an earlier model. My shutter has a separate lock on it when you turn a knurled ring on the base of the shutter release.
 
The main thing the FT3 is tempting me with is the shutter speed on the front of the camear with the handy lever so you can know the shutter speed by feel without looking at the ring or in the viewfinder. and I like that it has a repeater window on top for the meter. DOF lever might be better on top next to the shutter release IDK.

You guys are making persuasive arguments in favor of the FMs meter and that bigger and heavier does not always mean stronger or more reliable. The FM is quite strong in its own right and does have a nice feel and look to it.

The thing that gives me pause now is the meter on the FT3, not so much the wearing out but what was mentioned that bumping the camera can throw it off and create the dreaded intermittent electrical problem depending on the angle of the shot , that could drive a man into madness and could have had I not been advised here of that pitfall.
 
68degrees said:
Maybe that is on the later FMs because mine will fire regardless of the advance lever position. I think I have an earlier model. My shutter has a separate lock on it when you turn a knurled ring on the base of the shutter release.
Click to expand...

Correct, there are two variants of the FM. The original version separated the meter switching (wind lever standoff) from the release lock (knurled collar around the release). This proved a clumsy arrangement when the motor (then the MD-11) was used. It was too easy to leave the body release unlocked preventing motor operation.

When Nikon introduced the FE, they moved the release lock to the wind lever. Now the meter switching and motor drive switch over were unified. Wind lever out, the body turned the meter on, unlocked the release and allowed manual wind. Lever in, the body locked its release and turned off the meter allowing the motor to turn on the meter, release the shutter, and wind. About 6 months later (in the US at least), the FM bodies began arriving with the release lock matching the FE.
 
Dwig said:
Correct, there are two variants of the FM. The original version separated the meter switching (wind lever standoff) from the release lock (knurled collar around the release). This proved a clumsy arrangement when the motor (then the MD-11) was used. It was too easy to leave the body release unlocked preventing motor operation.

When Nikon introduced the FE, they moved the release lock to the wind lever. Now the meter switching and motor drive switch over were unified. Wind lever out, the body turned the meter on, unlocked the release and allowed manual wind. Lever in, the body locked its release and turned off the meter allowing the motor to turn on the meter, release the shutter, and wind. About 6 months later (in the US at least), the FM bodies began arriving with the release lock matching the FE.
Click to expand...

which do you prefer?
 
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