Testing my new Nikon FM
I recently came across a Nikon FM for a very good price - I thought, “Well, that seems a little too good to be true.” Whenever I find a camera at a bargain price, I immediately start wondering what might be wrong with it. As with any “new” camera that finds its way into my collection, the first thing I do is put a test roll through it. No matter how clean it looks or how well everything seems to work, there’s really no substitute for shooting a roll of film and seeing the results for yourself. Things like light leaks, shutter issues, frame spacing problems, or meter inaccuracies often don't reveal themselves until you actually use the camera. It’s also something I try to do as soon as possible after buying a camera. If any problems do show up, there’s a better chance of being able to return it or have it repaired under some kind of guarantee, assuming that you bought it from a shop rather than a private sale.
I bought a Nikon F3 nearly two years ago that had several issues but I didn’t find them before it was too late and months had passed, and I was unable to return it.
As I mentioned in my last post, I was shooting with a Nikon FM for a full year before my last one broke. In general I prefer the Nikon FE slightly, except for the light meter - it just doesn’t compare to the intuitive light meter of the FM. In general they are very similar, both in handling and looks, but there are a few differences.
All images shot on Nikon FM using Kodak Colorplus film
A comparison between Nikon FE and Nikon FM
Nikon FE
-Needs batteries to operate the shutter.
-Light meter - Features two needles on the left side of the viewfinder. One needle shows the metered exposure, and the other moves as you adjust your shutter speed or aperture. The goal is to line them up, unless you’re shooting in high contrast or back-lit situations and you want to over- or underexpose - and every single time I almost mix them up. And also, the light meter is virtually impossible to see if you’re shooting in a dark space. Basically, I’m not a big fan of this light meter.
-It has aperture priority (which I have yet to use).
-The FE also has the ISO on the rewind knob, where exposure compensation is also located. I prefer this.
-Fastest shutter speed is 1/1000 second and slowest is 8 seconds (+ bulb mode)
Nikon FM
-Fully mechanical, meaning the shutter works without batteries (except for the light meter)
-Light meter - Uses a LED system on the right side of the viewfinder. As the light meter is on the right side, as a left eye shooter, I look down to see the light bulbs that indicate if I’m over or underexposing. It’s not a huge thing but somehow it feels easier than to look up. Simply reading the light meter is really intuitive for me as well. AND if you’re shooting in dark environments, you can easily see the light meter.
-The ISO is adjusted with the same dial as the shutter speed, which has at times caused me to accidentally change the ISO. It does not have exposure compensation.
-Fastest shutter speed is 1/1000 second and slowest is 1 second (+ bulb mode)
Both have double exposure levers, although they are located in different places.
Both have a film advance lever that functions as a power switch for the lightmeter, and to be able to measure light and to shoot you must have it slightly pulled out. This took some time to get used to.
Finished this roll in my studio
