colonialpara's Full Review: Nikon FM3A 35mm Film Camera
The Nikon FM3A is the direct descendant of the original Nikon FM which first appeared on scene in 1977. That founding member of this branch of the Nikon dynasty possessed some very significant capabilities that have been genetically passed on to this latest version. What keeps this manual Nikon in the inventory, you ask?
How about quality, high reliability, solid feel, a compact body, simplicity itself and a traditional, but still handsome appearance.
From the beginning to now, the FM and its progeny have all had metal bodies, mechanical shutters and the ability to operate without battery power. The battery my friends, is only used in these bodies to power the meter. In fact, the capability to operate sans power is one of the key attractions for the Nikon customers who seek out this camera.
A little historical info may be of assistance to understand why so many people buy and use this camera as a time-tested back-up body, even if they are using AF cameras from Nikon's long list of cameras with that capability.
Way back in 1982, Nikon upgraded the match diode metering in the FM with a new vertical shutter with titanium curtains, a higher shutter speed of 1/4000 sec. and a slightly faster flash synch speed of 1/200 sec. Within six months of these improvements, Nikon changed its designation to FM2N and upped the flash synch speed again, this time to 1/250 sec. Shortly thereafter, a titanium colored version was offered and dubbed the FM2T. The various iterations of the FM2 lived on in a very long lifetime of 19 years until the introduction of the FM3A in 2001.
People wondered what improvements could be made to this little jewel. Nikon pondered and did come up with additional improvements. While not drastic leaps forward, the new features did enhance an already great little box.
The first and most obvious is the addition of aperture priority auto exposure mode. One sets this feature by turning the shutter speed control dial to the "A" position and locking it there.
For old time Nikon manual body users, the second most noticeable change is that the FM3A utilizes a match needle metering system. Users of the old Nikon F and certain Nikkormat bodies will smile and remember this feature. While many camera users and photography magazine writers consider this to be a retrograde move by Nikon, the company believes, and experienced shooters will confirm, that this system allows for much more precise manual exposure adjustments than the more typical match LED system. Why you ask? Well, the match LED systems can only be adjusted in half-stop intervals. So there is a logic to Nikon's design, despite the belief by some that the feature is not really an advance at all.
Another first for the FM3A is its status as the first of the FM series of bodies to offer TTL flash capability. This is provided by a SPD cell found in the base of the camera's body. Should you use a Nikon SB-27, SB-28/28DX, SB-50DX or the SB-80DX, you can choose TTL auto, non-TTL auto and/or manual flash. The traditional lightning bolt symbol glows in the viewfinder indicating "flash ready" status has been achieved. This symbol will blink if you select a shutter speed higher than the 1/250 flash synch speed.
An added feature is found immediately below and to the lower left of the pentaprism housing for flash compensation. When held in, you receive one less stop of flash.
OTHER CONTROLS:
The traditional controls remain fairly constant and where previous FM users expect them to be. The ISO selection dial has been moved to a more roomy location directly underneath the rewind crank. The numerals are larger and easier to read than in previous models and this dial is also combined and co-located with a large(r) +/-2 stop exposure compensation control. Despite this feature, you probably won't need to use it all that often as this body offers full DX code reading capability.
The shutter speed dial has been made taller and has an easier to grip surface. There is also a fully sealed film viewing window in the camera back. There is also an AE-Lock which is a necessity because the camera does NOT possess a multi-patterned AE mode metering capability. Combined with Nikon's classic center-weighted metering with 60% of the sensitivity in a 12mm circle, you can still take close-up meter readings and achieve the same results as a spot meter would provide.
LOADING THE CAMERA:
For those who remember manual loading of SLRs, this camera offers another one of those deja vu experiences. Opening the back comes with the lifting of the rewind crank. The door swings open to the right and the interior is a work of art in its design efficiency. There are the six DX contacts that read DX coded film containers. Inside there is also a spring-loaded cartridge "hold-in" tab. The film spool is the classic slotted design and you must manually insert the film's leader. There is no automatic take-up or easy loading with this camera body.
IN USE OBSERVATIONS:
I had the good fortune to be able to use this camera for about 10 days when a friend of mine, who had just purchased it went away for two weeks of reserve duty. He did not want to take the brand new camera out into the field and let me borrow it. Knowing I was a Nikon user, he gave me just the body and I decided to focus my use of the body primarily with my Nikon 50mm f1.8 D lens. While the AF and Distance measuring functions did not work with this body, I was able to receive fully focused shots by manually focusing this very sharp and inexpensive lens.
I found the images I received to be tack sharp, contrasty and accurate as to manually set f stop and shutter speeds. The camera's finder worked quite well in tandem with the lens and I had no complaints with the centrally located split image screen. I was able to get incredibly well focused images in the finder and when tied with my "newer" lens, found my viewing through the finder to be very bright, indeed.
In order to get familiar with the camera, I initially started with ISO 100 speed print film. My first day of shooting, I benefited from a gloriously sunny day with low humidity. As a result, haze was minimal. I shot all of my first three rolls without using AE and made each setting manually. Because the FM3A is a manual, analog camera, one does not have all of the intermediate interval f stops and shutter speeds available to users of newer AF cameras with their digital LCD read-outs. You must make-do with the settings on the circular control knobs. There are no "tweener" settings; they are absolute and firm in their values. It is manual, analog photo shooting in its purest form.
Obviously, with a camera like this one, the user must know and be able to apply more of those old-fashioned rules like the Sunny 16 rule. There are no easy rescues and when using slide film with this camera, especially one as unforgiving of exposure latitude screw-ups as Fuji's Velvia 50, one must pay special attention to the settings you have selected.
OTHER NICE THINGS ABOUT THIS CAMERA:
As professional camera bodies such as the Nikon F3 grew progressively bigger and the follow on pro grade AF cameras also grew in size, one of the niceties of the FM3A is its relatively compact size and shape. While it lacks any formed finger rests, its slightly contoured end shapes make it quite easy to hold and manipulate. Many more qualified reviewers than I have commented and written that this body feels even more robust than its predecessors. The body itself is made from a die casting that is made from copper/silumin and aluminum. Previous models were aluminum die castings. This new iteration benefits from added rigidity and strength of the alloy combination.
The shutter release is capable of using a standard threaded cable releases for time exposure. When fired normally, the actuation is Nikon smooth and quiet. In fact, it is much, much quieter than my Nikon N90S's shutter. If you use this camera without the optional MD-12 motor drive, the throw of the film advance crank is relatively short. Nikon states that the throw of the arm is approximately 140 degrees and this will allow a fast shooter a sustained firing rate of 2 fps.
While the metering system in this camera lacks the much more sophisticated spot or Matrix metering found in later generation Nikon cameras, the classic center weighted metering is time proven by Nikon and has been in service for more than three decades. This classic metering system works very well outdoors and even indoors in most cases. It handles both horizontal and vertical subject lines quite adeptly.
Here are some dimensional figures for this camera body:
Width: 5 9/16 inches 140 mm
Height: 3 9/16 inches 90 mm
Depth: 2 5/16 inches 59 mm
Weight: 1 lb, 4 1/3 oz. (with batteries)
Lens: 4 1/5 oz. (this is the wt. for the 45mm f 2.8 developed by Nikon especially for this camera. (I did not use or test the camera with this lens).
FINAL THOUGHTS:
In this age of auto focus/auto everything, with cameras that do just about everything but boil your water for coffee, the Nikon FM3A is a definite return to the past. It lacks many of the features time conscious shooters have come to rely on and which are found in even some of the least expensive AF SLR bodies. This all manual approach will be a turn off for many. But by the same token, this body is ideal for students to learn the basics of photography with. It will force the novice to learn the importance of light ratios and shutter speeds. This body, which will reward achievement will also penalize mistakes. But making mistakes is how we learn and this is a tool that will allow you to do so. In fact, it will force you to learn and learn very quickly or you'd better get used to the idea of a lot of botched photos and/or slides.
This is not a camera with a lot of bells and whistles and it doesn't contain features that you'll find on AF cameras; features which in many cases folks don't use anyway. As a result, the Nikon FM3A will probably never have much mass-market appeal.
So who does this camera appeal to and why is it still used as a very reliable and very capable manual back-up body for folks using Nikon F100s or F5s? This is a camera for beginners and experts both. It is well suited for the discerning photographer who wants to obtain and maintain complete creative control over the image making process. It is also for the person who doesn't want to have to worry about battery life, because other than metering, this camera doesn't rely on auxiliary power. This is a camera for those folks who have resisted going digital and remain classicists and purists to the end.
Within the realm of what remains of manual 35 mm SLR photography, this is the ideal camera for people who do not need instant gratification, who know what they are doing or are willing to learn more without letting the technology obscure the process.
While Canon, Minolta and Pentax have all but abandoned the concept of manual photography and its practitioners, Nikon has excelled in that venue left to them. This compact Nikon, known as the FM3A is, in my opinion, the finest and best manual focus SLR currently in production today.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $650 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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