would you consider FA or FE2

I currently have a FM which suits me well. But I'd like to get

something with higher speed, auto and TTL. On the 2nd hand market I

found some FE2 and FA at approx same price (FE2 for 170euros and FA +

sigma 28/70 2.8 for 300euros).

THey both share specs I need but it seems FA is not very appreciated.

What's your opinion?

My take:

 

FA has an LCD like the F3HP, FE2 has the superior match needle. I'm a F3HP shooter but would prefer an FE2 style metering interface given the choice.

 

FA can use the MD-15 motor drive or the MD-11/MD-12 drives from the FM/FE series.

 

The FA does not have an exposure lock button. This is the most serious weakness of this camera in my opinion. If you shoot slide film, you'll have to rely on exposure compensation instead. Or of course you can try the matrix metering which is present in no other manual camera!

 

I don't know if there's any real basis for this, but the FA is generally regarded to have inferior reliability compared to the FM and FE series cameras.

 

The prices you quoted are very good (without knowing condition).

 

Here's other opinions:

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/fa.htm and http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfa/index.htm

I have a FA & FE2. The FA has a larger pentaprism and is heavier. The FA has a higher view point (less magnification) finder (good if you ware glasses). The FE2 goes to 8 sec (rather than 1 sec) on the manually set shutter speeds. The FE2 is better for fill flash, because the light meter doesn't shut off, like the FA, when a dedicated flash is attached. I think that reliabilty problems with the FA were limited to early production ones.

Reading your comments it seems there is nothing really wrong with FA. I was a bit afraid with this one : some charts and 2nd hand market specialists in France point out that FA is a lot less reaseached than FE2.

 

I think I have a GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrom) these days. I hope I will go thru quickly.

 

In fact I think I have a good oportunity here with FA because of the lens attached (Sigma 28/70 2.8 is not EX serie, does it matter?)for the price. I might try it. But I also saw a Sigma 70/300 for cheap, and a Nikkor 35 f2...

Please help me resist!!

I owned an FA for some time. I was reasonably satisfied, though not terribly excited, about its performance. The "A.M.P." meter (early version of the matrix meter) was very unreliable, though the center-weighted meter was fine. Also, my camera - though not an early-production unit - was plagued with chronic shutter problems and even though I didn't abuse the camera by any means, it spent a lot of time in repair shops.

 

I have a good friend who owns some FA's currently, and when one needed repair recently, his repair shop had a VERY hard time finding a shop that could get the parts he needed. The shop he used is very reputable, but they had to do a national search to find the parts they needed, and it took a long time. For that reason, I'd personally hesitate to buy an FA any longer. It had a relatively short life in the Nikon product line, so there just aren't that many parts for it left in circulation.

 

The FE2, on the other hand, was a much bigger seller when new, and had more parts in common with the long-produced FM2. So, it should be be much easier to find parts for it. I'd recommend an FE2 over an FA at this point, just for that reason alone.

Any of the past or current FM-FE variants would be a better choice than an FA, as already discussed. The FA was one of several offbeat bodies Nikon developed as test beds that proved to be dead ends, much like the Nikkormat EL that featured aperture priority when non-AI Nikkors walked the earth.

<em>"...when non-AI Nikkors walked the earth." --Gary

Watson<br>

</em><br>

Non-AI Nikkors still walk the earth! When I looked at a vintage

1965, 55/3.5 Micro-NIKKOR at a local camera store I gave

everybody a good laugh as I inadvertently did the f/5.6 shuffle.

Thats what youre supposed to do with a Nikkor that

has an aluminum scalloped focus grip, right? This lens is

sleeping on my desk as I type.<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

A friend who repairs cameras doesnt care for the FA (mild

understatement). Apparently he doesnt think they are well

constructed. Ive heard that FA(s) dont endure the

cold as well as FE2(s). Im not sure about the last item.

Had an FA for a couple years in the past..purchased used. Within the first couple months I had to have a mirror lock-up problem fixed despite having the body checked and cleaned at the time of purchase and it was declared in good working order. The camera worked fine for a few months and then the mirror lock-up issue recurred (at a very inopportune time). I eventually sold the thing 'as is'. It's too bad, really, IMO. I enjoyed the features of the camera quite a lot. Despite other comments it seems to me several features were integrated into later Nikon models (though I'm not a Nikon historian and they may have arisen from other places). I think if one could get his hands on a working model you'd really enjoy it. That said, I'd never do it. I think the FM3 is the way to go these days if you want a manual body with TTL capability in the Nikon class.

--evan

I have no doubt about FM3 capacity but it seems very overpriced here in France, about 1000 euros. For that price, I might find FE2 + many Nikkor lenses on 2nd hand market, or F3.

I'm not that rich and I prefer to keep that money to travel for good pictures and beautifull lights with my FM.