other than the fm3a...

T

tunebomb

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are there any cameras out there with electronically timed shutters that will operate at all shutter speeds without a battery?

I thought the m6 was, but i can't find any documentation to say that it is.
 
M6 only had a meter, it wouldn't control the shutter speed electronically.

AFAIK, there is no other camera like the FM3a.
 
tunebomb said:
are there any cameras out there with electronically timed shutters that will operate at all shutter speeds without a battery
Click to expand...

Not all speeds, but the Pentax LX has a 'hybrid' shutter that will work from 1/75 to 1/2000s without batteries.

(And of course, the FM3a's shutter does not work electronically without a battery -- how could it? It also is a 'hybrid' shutter, electronically controlled when in automatic mode but mechanically controlled when in manual; at least that's how I recall it.)
 
The M6 only uses a battery for the meter...the shutter is mechanical...I seldom use the meter in mine (meaning it seldom has a battery installed.)
 
Yeah, Pentax LX. One of those cameras that I owned for a minute then sold. I never should have since it was and still is one of the finest systems ever produced. You can practically fit an LX into a Nikon F2, they are that small. In fact, my M8 would probably be a bit bigger than the LX. Oh well.
**longing sigh for cameras past**
 
The Canon New F1 (the 1980's F-1N not the 1970s F-1n) had a hybrid shutter like the Pantax LX. Fast speeds worked without battery, slow speeds did not.
 
The Canon EF of 1973 had mechanically timed speeds from 1/2s to 1/1000th, and electronically timed speeds from 1s to 30s. That seems like a good split to me. It's a heavily made camera.
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Yeah, Pentax LX. One of those cameras that I owned for a minute then sold. I never should have since it was and still is one of the finest systems ever produced. You can practically fit an LX into a Nikon F2, they are that small. In fact, my M8 would probably be a bit bigger than the LX. Oh well.
**longing sigh for cameras past**
Click to expand...

Comparing Pentax LX and Nikon FE2, each is a few milimeters smaller than the other one in one of three dimensions, and the FE2 is a bit lighter. By the way, LX goes to 1/2000 and FE2 to 1/4000. I've always found 1/4000 very useful, as it's the speed I use for f/1.4 under direct sun with ISO 100 film without ND filter.

Cheers,

Juan
 
Last edited:
Tompas said:
Not all speeds, but the Pentax LX has a 'hybrid' shutter that will work from 1/75 to 1/2000s without batteries.

(And of course, the FM3a's shutter does not work electronically without a battery -- how could it? It also is a 'hybrid' shutter, electronically controlled when in automatic mode but mechanically controlled when in manual; at least that's how I recall it.)
Click to expand...
Yes , the Nikon FM3a is the only Nikon AE camera that allows all the shutter speeds to operate in the event of a battery failure.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
Comparing Pentax LX and Nikon FE2, each is a few milimeters smaller than the other one in one of three dimensions, and the FE2 is a bit lighter. By the way, LX goes to 1/2000 and FE2 to 1/4000. I've always found 1/4000 very useful, as it's the speed I use for f/1.4 under direct sun with ISO 100 film without ND filter.

Cheers,

Juan
Click to expand...


But the FE2 does not have the multiple shutter speeds that were mentioned in the OP. I think it has 2: Bulb & 1/250. No interchangeable prism system. No weather sealing like the LX. Not that the FE2 was a bad camera, it was just a second tier body compared to the LX or F3 of its day.
Phil
 
Maybe it sold and sells more than the LX because it uses Nikkors and it's very small and light (more than the F3 you mentioned) while keeping enough things inside even for professional use... I prefer it to an LX, but I know some others could prefer the pentax lenses system. Just not what I prefer.

Cheers,

Juan
 
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