Why I prefer Nikkormat over metered M

Just asking; it's your choice, after all. You don't *have* to do anything. 🙂

If M6 metering is 'bad' and you're getting good results with sunny 16 instead, then it certainly could be used with good results on the Nikkormats.
 
It's been a long time since I practiced doing the Nikkormat shuffle when changing lenses - but I can appreciate the practice of presetting the camera's aperture, shutter speed and focus before bringing the viewfinder up to one's eye. A top mounted light meter does facilitate this, which is why I like the Voigtlander VCII meter on my older rigs.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
The only reasons I prefer Nikkormat over metered M is better metering.
Don’t know why this big and heavy camera, I have tried many other slrs.
Maybe because of all mentioned above.
I just don’t need metering this often and this dumb as on film Ms 🙂
Click to expand...

Better metering from a much less sensitive meter that in most bodies are flaky (jumpy needles, incorrect readings) by now?

Gotcha.

I really like my sweet black Nikkormat FT2. Best $20 I spent. But for conditions where I need a meter (dim lighting/dusk/evening) it is useless. As is yours if you try to use the meter that will no longer read at those light levels.
 
Highway 61 said:
Take batteries off Leica M6 and use pocket hand-held meter with luvly needles then you can measure light everywhere and anytime without looking thru camera viewfinder and without cocking camera shutter and it also works without film in camera.
Click to expand...

Just found this video.
https://youtu.be/MhSaR5ckKZI
He is using MP and mobile phone for metering, but S16 most of the time. With MP. 🙂
I use M4-2.



Huss said:
Better metering from a much less sensitive meter that in most bodies are flaky (jumpy needles, incorrect readings) by now?

Gotcha.

I really like my sweet black Nikkormat FT2. Best $20 I spent. But for conditions where I need a meter (dim lighting/dusk/evening) it is useless. As is yours if you try to use the meter that will no longer read at those light levels.
Click to expand...

Strange. Dim lightning, dusk, evening and no sun winter is where Nikkormat I have is so handy if I feel lazy and don't want to meter by my brain. 🙂
I know where aperture is on the lens, I get sense about shutter speed and all I have to do with Nikkormat is to pull out shutter lever and check where is meter needle stays.

I know what I like in Nikkormat in this regard. The needle, meter are very responsible. Canon FTb and Keiv-19M were very slow.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Strange. Dim lightning, dusk, evening and no sun winter is where Nikkormat I have is so handy if I feel lazy and don't want to meter by my brain. 🙂
I know where aperture is on the lens, I get sense about shutter speed and all I have to do with Nikkormat is to pull out shutter lever and check where is meter needle stays.

I know what I like in Nikkormat in this regard. The needle, meter are very responsible. Canon FTb and Keiv-19M were very slow.
Click to expand...


Yah, no. The meter does not work at low light levels. I had two, gave one to my nephew, kept the other. Does not work. It only reads down to EV 3 like a P&S camera.
Works great at Sunny F16 levels, but in those conditions I don't need a meter.
 
Huss said:
It only reads down to EV 3 like a P&S camera.
Works great at Sunny F16 levels, but in those conditions I don't need a meter.
Click to expand...


Somehow I doubt Ko.Fe. is using his in lighting as dim as EV3. That's what, ten or eleven stops dimmer than sunny bright I think? But your point is important.... I tend to think that the Nikkormat's meter is at its greatest accuracy the closer you get to sunny bright. Ten stops less than sunny bright I'm going to trust my Sekonic incident meter or my Pentax spotmeter before I trust the jumpy 'ol Nikkormat meter.
 
Huss said:
Yah, no. The meter does not work at low light levels. I had two, gave one to my nephew, kept the other. Does not work. It only reads down to EV 3 like a P&S camera.
Works great at Sunny F16 levels, but in those conditions I don't need a meter.
Click to expand...

EV3? Sorry, I'm not evian 🙂.

Nikkormat metered images.

49466382848_b13341d52e_o.jpg



49342879351_3fc9a939b7_o.jpg



49342879376_fa6830289d_o.jpg
 
For some reason I thought you were going completely digital? Makes no difference though — as long as you are content with your tools there is no need to justify your preferences. I just look forward to seeing more of your images regardless of the camera you choose to use. Enjoy!
 
Guth said:
For some reason I thought you were going completely digital? Makes no difference though — as long as you are content with your tools there is no need to justify your preferences. I just look forward to seeing more of your images regardless of the camera you choose to use. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Thank you!
I'm looking for everyday digital, but so far... Good thing, some of my film gear which I don't use is going up in price.
I like the "quality" I'm getting on film, but the content is easier to get on digital. I have negatives of archival sleeves to print, but no time for it...
 
I have a "thing" about not cocking the shutter until I'm definitely going to take a picture. With the metered Ms (M5 and M6 are what I know), the meter doesn't turn on unless you have cocked the shutter. A drawback.

With the Nikkormats and Nikons, pull the wind lever out to its standoff position and the meter's on. Push in back in to shut it off, no need to cock the shutter. With the Nikkormats (not the EL) you can see the meter readout on the top deck -- no need to look in the viewfinder. Stealthy (for you street shooters).

Yes, the meter can be jumpy these days. But I think the center-weighted metering pattern is more usable for most situations than the Ms' spot pattern. And its metering range is plenty wide.
 
KoNickon said:
I have a "thing" about not cocking the shutter until I'm definitely going to take a picture. With the metered Ms (M5 and M6 are what I know), the meter doesn't turn on unless you have cocked the shutter. A drawback.

With the Nikkormats and Nikons, pull the wind lever out to its standoff position and the meter's on. Push in back in to shut it off, no need to cock the shutter. With the Nikkormats (not the EL) you can see the meter readout on the top deck -- no need to look in the viewfinder. Stealthy (for you street shooters).

Yes, the meter can be jumpy these days. But I think the center-weighted metering pattern is more usable for most situations than the Ms' spot pattern. And its metering range is plenty wide.
Click to expand...

MEter on top w/o cocking shutter on Canon 7s. for Nikon, I stick with Fm3a.
 
The chart at the bottom of this page,

https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikkormat/html/history.htm

states that the meter's ring resistor on the EL, EL2, and ELW is more durable than FT-series Nikkormats.

The meters on my FT2 and EL are still accurate (I've compared with meters in modern cameras).

There ought to be a a small but profitable market for repairing or devising a replacement ring resistor for all the Nikkormats and a similar one for all the Nikon F, F2 heads.

The metering pattern is different between M6 and Nikon, so a person chooses what he likes best for his photographic style.

I chose EL over EL2 for the same reason as FT2 over FT3: ability to meter wide open with pre-AI.
 
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