Nikon FG, FE and FM

gad-westy

gad-westy

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Graham
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Back story. I skipped the film era all together and jumped into photography when digital was in full swing. I don't know why, but I seem to be getting a bit fixated with trying out some film gear. It's not actually the results that I'm after, more the process and mechanical feel that I'm after. I also love the look of some of the 'classic' film bodies and would love to own a few even if they never leave the house.

So yesterday after browsing the TP classifieds, I agreed to buy a Olympus OM1N with a couple of lenses. I then spotted a Nikon FG and have decided to go for that as well. In for a penny and all that.

Anyway, I'll not be doing any more purchasing for a little while until I've had a play and run some film through but ultimately I would like a couple of other Nikon bodies.

So after all that rambling, what I'd like to know is what the key differences between the FG, FE and FM bodies are?

p.s, I realise this subject has very likely come up before but the search does not allow two letter terms so I couldn't really find anything.
 
I know nothing about the FG, but I could tell you a lot about the FE/M series.

A quick Google search came up with this.

There is a big thread about FE/M here

-J
 
The differences between the FM and FE are discussed in this thread.

My first SLR was an FG and I sometimes think about getting another for nostalgia but as I have an FM already, I'm not sure I'd ever use it. From memory, it's got AE and Program modes, has the same 60/40 metering as the other cameras, allows +/-2 exposure adjustment and it was built to be a lightweight model to compete with the Oly cameras of the time IIRC.

Cracking wee camera, I still think some of my best photos were taken with my FG, although that's due in part to only having used plastic compacts previously. I traded mine in against an EOS100 and was never as happy with the results.



ETA: Mine's the same link as Joe posted; I must learn to type faster or waffle less. :D
 
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i have the FG20 too,the black and chrome one,i love its retro styling,lightweight package and ease of use.
 
Must admit I was tempted by that FG in the classifieds too, but a quick look at the viewfinder specs put me off.
 
freecom2 said:
I think I'll abstain from this thread (y)
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Yes, I'm blaming you for feeling slightly poorer right now!

Thanks for all the comments chaps. Really looking forward to getting stuck in. In some ways I'd like everything to be as manual as possible but I was keen to ensure that some metering was built in. I think I'll keep my eyes peeled for an FE and maybe FM in due course but mainly just to get a nice little collection.

Just need to buy some film now.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Must admit I was tempted by that FG in the classifieds too, but a quick look at the viewfinder specs put me off.
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Indeed, and I would rather people be put off before they buy rather than after they buy :)

Anyway, all of these cameras are wonderful. They genuinely are. They offer so much for relatively so little these days, it's almost criminal.
 
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I'm another with a thing for these cameras. So much so that I've now just completed my set, with the exception of the FM3a which I can't afford and would be scared to use (same reason I tell myself I'm better off without a Leica :)).

So I have an FM, FM2n, FE, FE2 and FA - I use them all and think they all have pros and cons over the others, but they work as a good 'team' with lots of interchangeable accessories too.

I don't have any of the 'cheaper' versions of these cameras (FG, FG20, FE10 etc), not because they're not good cameras, but because the bulletproof metal bodied ones don't cost that much more in the scheme of things and are for me something of an engineering marvel and a joy to use...brassed corners, dented body parts and all.
 
Out of interest do any of the 'small' Nikons offer a decent viewfinder?
 
make sure you have an om zuiko 50mm 1.8, one of the best lenses i've ever used and can be had for £30! in fact all the zuiko glass i've tried has been legit, OM range would deffo be my go to Manual Focus 35mm. Awesome glass, tiny body + lenses, best viewfinder you will ever see.
 
timreeves said:
make sure you have an om zuiko 50mm 1.8, one of the best lenses i've ever used and can be had for £30! in fact all the zuiko glass i've tried has been legit, OM range would deffo be my go to Manual Focus 35mm. Awesome glass, tiny body + lenses, best viewfinder you will ever see.
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Trolling are we? :naughty:

£30 you were conned, going rate for a 50mm f1.8 is £15, and it's not a patch on the 1.4 version! :puke:

Also best viewfinder award should go to the Pentax ME - smallest 35mm SLR* but massive viewfinder - bigger still than any OM. (92% and 0.97 mag ME vs 97% and 0.92 on OM1&2) (y)

*Unless anyone knows better?
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Also best viewfinder award should go to the Pentax ME - smallest 35mm SLR* but massive viewfinder - bigger still than any OM. (92% and 0.97 mag ME vs 97% and 0.92 on OM1&2) (y)

*Unless anyone knows better?
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I've heard bigger but not brighter, is that correct? It was always the MX that received the accolade of biggest viewfinder, but I'm sure it was never the brightest.
 
freecom2 said:
I've heard bigger but not brighter, is that correct? It was always the MX that received the accolade of biggest viewfinder, but I'm sure it was never the brightest.
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The MX has a slghtly better coverage at 95% and it isn't as bright as the ME (And IMO the LED display of speeds in the ME is far nicer).
 
I still prefer my F2 to any other 35mm SLR I've used, but I have an FM and I owned an FE years ago. They're excellent cameras, and I should have kept the FE too. Can't even remember why I sold it now.

I missed out on an FA. A dealer in South Africa had a minter, new in box for all practical purposes, and asked if I was interested. The price was very fair, and I agreed to buy it, but he said they were actually selling it on commission for another customer, and they'd have to check with him. He called me the following day and said the owner now wanted a lot more for it, and I turned it down. It was worth the price, but I'm not a collector and it wasn't worth it to me, because I'd probably have been reluctant to use such a pristine example. I still don't know who got greedy, the owner or the dealer who told him I was keen to buy it. Sometimes think I made a mistake, but whatever.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Trolling are we? :naughty:

£30 you were conned, going rate for a 50mm f1.8 is £15, and it's not a patch on the 1.4 version! :puke:

Also best viewfinder award should go to the Pentax ME - smallest 35mm SLR* but massive viewfinder - bigger still than any OM. (92% and 0.97 mag ME vs 97% and 0.92 on OM1&2) (y)

*Unless anyone knows better?
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Not trolling, yeh the 1.8 can go for £15 on ebay, I only really buy from reputable local shops though as in my experience the majority of the stuff on ebay is on there for a reason! as for compared to the 1.4, I went out with the 1.4 for a day and decided that when tested side by side to the 1.8 there was nothing really in it and the 1.4 wide open is a bit soft for anything other than portraits.

as for the viewfinder, I've compared many 35mm to the OM and have yet to find anything quite as good, my f90x is terrible in comparison! You may want to get a new focussing screen if you do much work closeup or in the dark though as I found the split prism was a little too keen to go black on me.
 
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we had dusted the FM2 off to sell on but have ordered some film and am going to bring it out of retirement :D Our local Cash Converters is full of film kit going for a song at the minute, it's great
 
Despite the fact no one needs any encouragement to buy any of these cameras...

here is my Fg-20, FE and FM2. The FM2 in particuaklr was steep but the condition is near mint.

042.JPG
 
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just love those fm's . real joy to use
 
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I have an FE2 in near mint condition and a Nikon FM (old beater) and I think I'll stick with those. They are both a joy to use, especially the FE2.
 
Nikon FE, FM, OM-1, you can't go wrong
 
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Alan Clogwyn said:
Will an FE etc be able to meter an AF lens?
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Completely and utterly fine - in fact, my two lens kit with my Nikon film cameras are both AF lenses (28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.4).

As long as it has an aperture ring with two sets of aperture numbers on it, you are good to go.
 
It is the thing that you need to use to allow a lens with a aperture ring to work on a camera with a command dial. But FE has no command dial so you should be ok.
 
Aperture lock - it ensures that the lens stays on the minimum aperture (for my lenses, f/22) to work properly on a whole range of electronic Nikons.
 
oh right, well it's got that but it isn't orange! Might have found a use for my 70-210!
 
I sold my F3...why did I sell my F3? :bang::bang::bang:
 
Andysnap said:
I sold my F3...why did I sell my F3? :bang::bang::bang:
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Miss it now? I miss the F2 I had... the FE/FE2 I have does everything I want out of a film body, and the F2 is so primitive in comparison, but there's something about them...
 
The FM2n is still one of my all time favourite cameras.
 
Sigma 70-210mm f2.8 APO 82mm filter version, also marketed as a Vivitar Series 1 for a seemingly short while, I've only ever seen one Vivitar branded one. It's an AF lens but on mine the AF is well out of adjustment so it's MF only, and on a plain DSLR screen that's not much good.
 
It looks like an AF-N lens (or what people called AF lenses before AF-D appeared, anyway). Should be fine on an FE, although personally I'd also buy an MD-12 to balance the weight out a bit better. Alternatively, an F3 + MD-4 combination would suit a lens like that.
 
I think an FG will do, I don't really want a Nikon setup, but I'm determined to use this Sigma!
 
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