The legendary Nikon FM2

What is Nikon doing to address the FM2 audience in this digital era?

Just how many FM2 users are there nowadays? People nowadays want lots of buttons and modes - simplicity does not sell well. For the FM2 user who wants a digital fix, there is the new Kodak film coming soon, and high-res scanning has never been so good or accessable.

 

Ian

Forgot to add that I am a heavy FM3 user, but I have never seen anyone, ever, using any model of Nikon manual SLR's whilst out and about. :-(

 

Ian

With a very small demand as Ian points out, I would offer one would need to mortgage the house and Mrs. in order to

afford what undoubtedly would be the 'uber expensive' manual body. If it isn't mass produced, I don't think we can

even think to afford it. Alas. Jim M. (I would love one, but I doubt a price point would match my desire with my wallet)

Sold my two FM2 (and one FM) cameras about 7-8 years ago. What do you think Nikon should do? The one advantage

of the FM/FM2 - not needing batteries - would not work in the digital area. Any to the best of my knowledge, any

of the DSLRs currently available can be used in manual mode. So again, what is the issue you would like to be

addressed?

I have a Nikon FM that I bought from the original owner on ebay six months ago. I shot a few rolls of black and white film through it, it's in near mint condition. But after getting a D300 I just can't take 35mm film seriously anymore, and my backlog of slides is too large to add any more to. I grew up with the Nikon F FTn and later the FE2, and got an FM2n while working as a wedding assistant in college. They are fab cameras but 35mm film just doesn't do much for me anymore. If I had access to a black and white darkroom with really well-aligned enlargers, I'd still use it to make prints. But those days are gone for me, I'm afraid.

 

I would love to see a digital FM3a. THAT is one camera I would buy over a D700 any day!

I think the issue might be the relatively high price of FX sensors. For that reason any FM styled camera would be expensive, and probably would not sell enough. I did wonder what was wrong with a consumer DSLR with a prime, as bodies such as the D40 are small, but I guess the view finder is dim, and you do not want a cropped image. Is there any particular aspect of the FM2 you want? Small body? FX sensor? Old fashioned metal build. Styling?

 

As an aside, I used to use an Fe, and it is beautifully made, but a modern DSLR is so much nicer. The Fe got horribly cold in cold weather, the aperture and exposure settings were hard to see in low light, and the shape was angular and uncomfortable. I soon yearned for a modern camera.

Ian.... I was walking out of the Pecos National Monument in New Mexico on Monday with my 4x5 on my tripod over

my shoulder, and I passed a guy walking in with an FM2 kit. Spoke for a few minutes, and I kept looking around the

whole time. No dSLRs in sight. For a moment I thought we fell through a time warp, but there were a few modern

cars in the lot that proved it was still 2008. I also saw at least four people shooting FM/FE series cameras at the

Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque last Saturday. So it does happen; keep looking!

 

Not enough to warrant R&D on a digital version of the FM/FEs. But the D40 comes close in lieu of one.

I shoot an FM2N and FM3A SLR's, as well as a couple of RF cameras. I still enjoy shooting and processing B&W film. This is a hobby for me, so I can use whatever I want without having to worry about deadlines or client expecations.

 

OTOH, I also shoot a D200, but only primarily if I want to shoot color, or if I need the fast AF of my AFS lenses. Oh, an I also use an Epson R-D1S.

 

To each his own, I guess...

They've already done it--by selling zillions of film bodies that are now dirt cheap. I can't resist nearly-new F3HP, N90s, 801s, FM2n and FE bodies for their utility and sheer value. Buy 'em and shoot 'em while you can.

Since getting into digital 8-9 years ago, most of my old pro film bodies got sold, but the 2 that I just can't part with are my F2s and my FM3a - something about them just feels right. Not quite the same as a D300 or a D3 - just different. I actually took out the FM3a recently and ran a roll through it. As nice as it is though, taking 36 pix and having to reload was a drag..... ;-) --Rich

My D200 is huge and heavy compared to my old FE2. And I use it as I did use the FE2--aperture priority, manual

focus, single shot at a time. The only difference would be manual advance, which I don't mind, and the histogram,

which I will miss. Anyway, I would love to have an FE2 with even a dx sensor today. An FE2 with a 12-20 mp fx

sensor will perhaps make it a classic again that you will not want to upgrade.

The dSLR equivalent to the FM2 already exists. It has for quite awhile.

 

The natural progression of the affordable serious SLR paradigm typified by the FM series was: FM; FM2: FM2N; F100; D200; D300.

 

The FM3a was a footnote, a good camera introduced a bit too late. The D100 and D70 didn't quite fill the niche. The D200 and D300 have, very ably.

 

While I would like to see a smaller, lighter dSLR the size of the FM series, I don't see the point of a fake film advance lever, top mounted shutter speed dial, etc. Besides, the palm swell grip and other improvements, while adding bulk and weight, are far more ergonomically friendly than the old slab-sided SLR design.

 

I'm still a fan of the FM2N and F3HP. Don't plan to part with mine. But let's be realistic. There isn't enough of a market for this specific paradigm in a dSLR. If anyone tackles such an anachronism, it's more likely to be Cosina.

<< ... <i>What is Nikon doing to address the FM2 audience in this digital era? ... </i>>><p>

 

Nikon is addressing us by saying, "Hello. Nice to see you. The dlsr's we sell <u>now</u> are over there." :-)<p>

 

More seriously, I found manual focus with a couple Nikkor AIS lenses not so much fun on my D70 -- the viewfinder

is too small and not bright enough. D80 and the just-introduced D90 both have much better viewfinders, but the

AI and AIS lenses w/out chips don't meter on models below D200/D300, which are beefier, more rugged, faster, more

expensive cameras.<p>

 

It's digital -- you get feedback right away and can easily adjust metering. But I'd say the FM2 user who wants

to replicate that experience is to some extent swimming against the current.

I still use my FM2 and carry it around with 3 primes (24, 50, 105). It is not the camera I use most often but it gets steady use. Mostly for

outdoor/landscapes. In the dSLR era I am not sure making a camera with the same feel would be a big hit?

Dieter,

 

Yes, a "Digital" FM2 would still need a battery unlike the mechanical FM2. However just as there are Leica range finders that are digital, how about a digital SLR with just a shutter, aperture, a metered manual mode and manual override?

Lex,

 

I think you have said it. After some thinking one realises that D300 DOES represent the model which FM2 people of that era would be looking at.

 

Michael,

 

I used to crave for an FM2 in its heydays and that was the time I was in no position to afford it. Now that I can its no longer availabe and even if it was, time has progressed further away from the concept.

My first Nikon was a D70, now I have a D200. Shot AF Minoltas before that (film of course). I lust after a D700 because of its hi-ISO performance and RAW headroom, something I always wanted.

 

The convenience, and frankly quality, of digital was a no-brainer, but film has its advantages too. So I started looking for a film body that could use my Nikon glass. I wanted simplicity. As has been remarked before, they are soooo cheap. I now have an FM, 2FE's and an EM...

 

Last year I bought a new scanner (after completely wearing out the previous one), after a bit of doubt if I would use it enough to warrant the cost. If it would break today I'd buy another tomorrow.

 

So, for reasons explained in this thread, don't expect a digital FM2n anytime soon. Just go to the nearest camera show / swap meet and take home orphaned film gear. For the price of one dSLR you can buy enough manual Nikons to last you a lifetime.

It's funny because I was pondering how many shutter actuations are on my 4 year old D70 and how much longer it would

last before I have to junk it. And then I thought of the titanium shutter on my original FM2 and how long that thing was

made to last....

 

I'm sure that my FM2 will out last many Nikon DSLR bodies. The build quality of the FM2 seems like something from

another age. I think Nikon would never build a camera of such quality again because they could never sell you another one!

Check out the Nikon FM-series forum at Flickr - soon 1000 members!

The FM-cameras are still very much live and kicking!

 

 

Jon

The FM2N is one of the greatest cameras ever made. Perfection in a manual-focus SLR. I use my F4 primarily, but still use my FM2N too.

Great thrill about using manual cameras was to set the exposures from the tables memorized in your brain and still be able to bring out a roll of nicely exposed images.

I would really like to see a digital back or a digital version of the FM2. I've had mine for more than a decade and still use it every single day. I have no plans to stop using it, but if Nikon produces an all manual digital camera with the same construction standards as an FM2, I will buy it.

To answer your query succinctly, nothing.

 

I worked professionaly with a pair of Nikon F and Ftn and the FM2 down the road was the amateur version and with the motor almost as versitile as the F. Just after the FM3a was discontinued, I purchased one through my local Nikon Dealer as it has two shutters, one completely electronic and one manual. I use these two cameras for my Nikkor telephotos. I much prefer the FM2 for night work as it has LED's where the FM3a has match needle if not using AUTO and does not light, at least i don't know how to get it to light!

Anyway, they are two of the best film SLR's ever made and have the advantage of a huge inventory of used lenses that they work with. So for a modest expense in camera body, lens and with a fine grain film, one can produce work the equal of the finest medium format electronic camera for a fraction of the investment.-Dick

Nikon USA lists two <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Film-Camera/index.page">film

cameras</a> on their web site. When my daughter, at the time 17, wanted to start learning photography a few years

ago we decided on an FM10. Although far from the FM2N I use, it is manual exposure and manual focus. The F6 is

an entirely different beast, of course.