Nikon FM3A - the Good SLR

[kshapero]

The Nikon FM3A has Aperture priority exposure and a manual exposure (so what no big deal) but if the battery becomes drained in the field ALL SHUTTER SPEEDS are available for use. Who else has that?

 

[feenej]

Nikon makes a good camera. There is no arguing that.

 

[Keith]

My OM's ... provided I carry both cameras ... OM-1 and OM-2! 😀

And that Nikon is just so homely! :angel:

 

[kshapero]

My OM's ... provided I carry both cameras ... OM-1 and OM-2! 😀

And that Nikon is just so homely! :angel:

So you want to take one home?

 

[silvalis]

If only the FM3A had the multispotmeter from the OM3/4...

 

[rover]

If they could just figure out how to put a ff digital sensor in that bad boy. No film drive motor, no matrix metering, that should leave room inside for the digi stuff.

 

[oftheherd]

Fujica ST-901 was doing that when all Nikon had was the F. 😀 Pentax might have beat them to it with theirs but I am not sure they had mechanical shutter speeds with their camera, the ES (or was it EM?). And of course, the ST 901 was also aperture preferred auto exposure, rated EV -3 to 18. That was 20 seconds at f/1.4 to 1/1000 at f/16. Actually, you got closer to 30 seconds.

Fujica allowed you to default to mechanical speeds even if you had the battery. They were limited to 1/60 to 1/1000 and B though. I don't know if the same is true of your Nikon or not.

Nice looking camera however, no matter what Keith says. 😀

My OM's ... provided I carry both cameras ... OM-1 and OM-2! 😀

And that Nikon is just so homely! :angel:

Keith, you mean the OM-2 wouldn't work without a battery? I thought better of Maitani than that.

 

[ray*j*gun]

It gets more beautiful as you use it. Mine is chrome and every time I process a roll I am reminded of that!

 

[rxmd]

The Nikon FM3A has Aperture priority exposure and a manual exposure (so what no big deal) but if the battery becomes drained in the field ALL SHUTTER SPEEDS are available for use. Who else has that?

A Canon New F-1 with AE Finder would... or a Nikon F2 with one of the DS aperture control units. They both support all speeds.

The Pentax LX and a whole lot of other cameras only support mechanical speeds faster than the sync speed (1/75 in the LX case).

Does the OM-2 work without batteries?

 

[newspaperguy]

As Keith was too polite to mention
(But obviously, I'm not)
Olympus was there first...

 

[silvalis]

A Canon New F-1 with AE Finder would... or a Nikon F2 with one of the DS aperture control units.

Does the OM-2 work without batteries?

from what I recall, nop.

I did sell my 2n 10 years ago though...

 

[rxmd]

As Keith was too polite to mention
(But obviously, I'm not)
Olympus was there first...

from what I recall, nop.

I did sell my 2n 10 years ago though...

Did they (Olympus) actually build any SLR with automatic aperture and a mechanical shutter?

 

[Tuolumne]

The FM3a is a really nice camera. I have one, from before I went digital. I still have it, but, alas, I am 100% digital now. I only keep it around in case I feel the need to shoot film.

/T

 

[kshapero]

If only the FM3A had the multispotmeter from the OM3/4...

Yes that would be sweet.

 

[kshapero]

As Keith was too polite to mention
(But obviously, I'm not)
Olympus was there first...

Yes I know remember the great Pentax LX did this but what Olympus did this?

 

[adrianzg]

had one w a 50mm 1.2. it's a really really nice camera, looks good too. too bad it didn't grow on me.

 

[Frank Petronio]

It may be sacrilegious but I just started using a $50 Nikon N80 with the plastic Nikon AF primes and... it just works really, really well. Not that attractive a camera, not worth fondling like a F or a Leica, but the metering is spot on, the electronic shutter is super accurate, the AF is fast and more reliable than my middle-aged eyes, the winding and film transport is great (sure beats an MD-12), blah, blah, blah.

So slap me around for it, but the darn things are the best bargains out there. Who cares if the batteries die? Just buy another whole body.

 

[kshapero]

It may be sacrilegious but I just started using a $50 Nikon N80 with the plastic Nikon AF primes and... it just works really, really well. Not that attractive a camera, not worth fondling like a F or a Leica, but the metering is spot on, the electronic shutter is super accurate, the AF is fast and more reliable than my middle-aged eyes, the winding and film transport is great (sure beats an MD-12), blah, blah, blah.

So slap me around for it, but the darn things are the best bargains out there. Who cares if the batteries die? Just buy another whole body.

Frank, you are opening up a whole can of worms. Really upsetting. A few weeks ago at dinner my wife said innocently, "Why don't you just sell all those cameras and just use the Nikkormat? It still takes great pictures doesn't it?":bang:

 

[Rob-F]

Who else has that? Why, the Leica R6, of course! Another thing the R6 and R5 have, that Nikon has not got, is the diopter adjustment on the finder eyepiece. That is in addition to the bright and clear finder on these models.

I never bought an FM-series Nikon. I have two FE2; an FA; and an F3. I especially like the handling of the FE2 and FA. And Nikon lenses are great. I have been using them for many years. But recently I find I just can't see clearly through the Nikon finders unless I wear the eyeglasses that were made for my use with the computer screen. Or squinting through the middle part of my bifocals works also; but too awkward!

I don't think I could sell the Nikons though--at least not all of them. Some of the lenses are just too good, like the 18/4, the 24/2.8, the 28/2.8, 28mm PC . . . I could go on. I'll have the eye doctor come up with something.

P.S. Before someone tells me my prescription has changed, well yes it has, a little, but not enough to explain the problem.

 

[Ken Shipman]

Don't understand what all the fuss is about. My beat up M4 does all that. It has all the mechanical speeds, and if the light changes I automatically adjust the settings. 🙂