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Nikkormat FT


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<p>Another camera that I have neglected too much over the last few years, the Nikkormat, or sometimes Nikomat cameras can easily be overlooked for the more glamorous F or F2.<br>

I am guilty of this, using the F2 for the most part when I want a "classic" fix, and the F2 is a wonderful thing. The Nikkormat was aimed at the "enthusiast" market, lacking the removeable bits and bobs of the professional camera, and only having the 1000th top speed.<br>

However the Nikkormat was built to the same brick dunny standards as the pro cameras and soon found a place in the pro shooters bag as a backup. Sometimes this backup was the preferred shooter, as it was with me when I was using the F3 and Fm2 combination for quite a while.<br>

The FM2 was a very different beast though, so I won't digress. The Nikkormats came in three flavours, the original FT that I have here, and the FT2 and FT3 were added later. The changes were minor, with the 2 adding a hot shoe, and the three adding auto indexing to save the turn turn after mounting your lens.<br>

The FT is just all about the business of picture taking, no frills, just the things that you need, a good solid body, nice bright screen, and bulletproof mechanicals. Another advantage the Nikkormat has is that you can often find really good examples that have led an easy life. My camera is one such, and appears almost new, even the meter works well without the "nervous needle" syndrome that afflicts many early Nikons.<br>

For this outing I also used two lenses that I don't use often enough, the 20mm F3.5 wide, and the 85mm F1.8 short tele. The 20mm is a much newer lens and is AIs, where the older 85 is non AI, but both need the twist, twist after mounting on the FT.<br>

Of course to use the meter on these old Nikons you need the "rabbit ears" to couple the meter. The FT is just plain sweet to use, no fancy ergonomics, but still nice to hold, with a real heft and feeling of robustness.<br>

Anyway, enough of the talking and a few pics....first the camera.</p><div>00dftD-560121484.jpg.155ec2810335438140eccb4f01a7494c.jpg</div>

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<p>I have a roll of Kodak HIE that I took with the Nikkormat and the wonderful Nikkor 28mm F2, but will do that in a separate post. These pics taken with Pan-F+ for the Highland pics, Across for the coast shots, all in Pyrocat HD and scanned on an Epsom V700. Thanks for looking!</p>
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<p>Actually, what you are showing is the FTN, which is different than the earlier FT. The FT had a little more troublesome (i.e. pain in the backside) mounting system to connect the meter. I've had the FT, the FTN and the EL. The one thing in common to all of the Nikkormats is the fantastic sound of the sound of the shutter firing; such a beautiful sound. All of them were built like a brick. And all could take fantastic images in the right hands; and you definitely have the right hands.</p>
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<p>Thanks James! Brian, quite right, I forgot to add the "n", well picked up. Alan, I wasn't forgetting the EL as I have this camera, and the EL2, but I somehow consider them to be in another category. Has anyone seen/used the FS, they must be very rare.<br>

Thanks Louis. The shutter speed location is the only thing that I don't like about the Nikkormats, get used to it though. I do have the FT2 and FT3, along with the EL.<br>

Oh, Alan, the films used were PanF+ and Fuji Across, both processed in Pyrocat HD.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Lovely series, <strong>Tony</strong>; I really like the delicate tones of the Jincumbilly Siding pic. I'd agree that the Nikkormat FTn is pretty close to being the epitome of classic mechanical cameras. I particularly like the "Centre the Needle" metering which makes Exposure Compensation a breeze, and I don't have an issue with setting shutter speeds as my left hand quickly finds the lever on the shutter adjustment ring. It would be nice to have the aperture displayed in the viewfinder, but I can work around that. Overall, it's the <em>feel</em> of the camera and it's superb shutter, and it's air of quiet precision, that draws me back. Many thanks for a fine post.</p>
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<p>It is a beautiful camera, a real camera for the real photographer, photographer whom learned photography and related technic first and then both a camera. I have two of them and both in perfect working order. On the second picture, you have the 85mm on it and it looks wonderful. Thank you for posting.</p>
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<p>Never owned a Nikkormat but one of the newspapers where I worked had a couple and they were very solid cameras. Later I got the first of what ended up being four F2 bodies and an FM along the way.<br /><br />The Nikkormats and FM-class bodies that replaced them served at least three roles for professional shooters in my experience: an entry-level Nikon when you were just starting out and couldn't afford an F2, a backup/second camera once you got the F2 (in the days of primes, two or even three cameras over the shoulder was pretty standard), and as a "disposable" camera. In other words, if one broke down or got seriously damaged you could replace it for less than what it cost to repair the top-end camera.</p>
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<p>Certainly an impressive set of photographs Tony.<br>

I enjoy using my Nikkormats.<br>

I believe the pick of the (Nikkormat) lot are the FT3's. All of the advantages of robust build and Nikkor optics but with the considerable advantage (IMHO) of using silver oxide batteries directly, with no need for adaptors or other compensation.<br>

It is difficult to best an all-mechanical, TTL SLR, with native superb optics. </p>

 

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<p>I had never handled a Nikkormat and when I saw a used Ftn from a major used dealer in ex cond for $39 how could I not try it out?</p>

<p>Short story is I love it. It's a well made, heavy metal, brick that was built to last forever. Finish and workmanship is superb. I use it with 105 2.5, 50 2 ai and a surprisingly sharp Vivitar 35-70 2.8-3.8. FT3 is next on my scopes.</p><div>00dg0T-560133684.jpg.4529946020a7a3991eb45963587fa4a8.jpg</div>

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