madNbad
Well-known
Over the years I've owned a lot of Nikkormat's. Mostly FTn's but early on there were several FT's and lately FT2's. The latest acquistion is a FS, the meterless sales flop of the 1960's. I could have bought a F2 AS for what I paid for the body plus the necessary overhaul but the FS is just an odd enough to put it at the edge of collectible. The shutter is noisy, it has the arcane early loading system only beaten out by Barnacks but like my M4, it makes me work for the image.
Nikkormat's have the advantage of being inexpensive to purchase but not cheaply made. I've seen them at yard sales for ten dollars and often can be found with the fabulous 50 2.0 H for not much more. They're quirky with the behind the lens shutter speed dial, back release separate from the rewind and, up until the FT2, no accessory shoe. They are one of the few cameras to offer an external view of the built in meter and offer the opportunity to break a fingernail trying to change the film speed setting. They're the size of a brick and weigh about the same as one but if you want a beater camera that will always work, it's hard to beat the 'mat.
Nikkormat's have the advantage of being inexpensive to purchase but not cheaply made. I've seen them at yard sales for ten dollars and often can be found with the fabulous 50 2.0 H for not much more. They're quirky with the behind the lens shutter speed dial, back release separate from the rewind and, up until the FT2, no accessory shoe. They are one of the few cameras to offer an external view of the built in meter and offer the opportunity to break a fingernail trying to change the film speed setting. They're the size of a brick and weigh about the same as one but if you want a beater camera that will always work, it's hard to beat the 'mat.
