Which one would you buy and why?

<ul>

<li>FE $150.00</li>

<li>FE2 $150.00</li>

<li>FM2 $230.00</li>

</ul>

<p>Prices rounded up. FE in a little better condition than the FE2<br>

Or would you buy a different camera than the ones above?<br>

Cheers!</p>

<p>Hmmm, well, those prices all seem high to me. I own an FM2 and it's a rock solid machine, but all manual. If you need some automation I'd go with the FE2.</p>

<p>Patrick..... yeah! Those are prices in Japan, much higher than in the US</p>

Of the three listed I'd go for the FM2.

But I'd prefer an F2. I almost never use

auto functions.

 

Rick H.

<p>FE2 for me - the needle is much easier to read a scenes brightness with than LED's. Auto is nice too for when you are in a hurry to get a photo.</p>

<p>What Ian said. The FM2 is nice but I can't stand the +/- meter.</p>

<p>I also have a FM2, which I like a lot and is my favourite in your list, <strong>but</strong><br>

<br /> It is a full manual camera; it takes your attention for the metering and aperture/speed settings, instead of your subject. It could be a bit stressing for some. When I want a little more speed or to shoot more relaxed I use to take the F3 with aperture priority mode. This make a huge difference in working speed or automation.</p>

<p>So I`d consider it... maybe the FE2 is a more practical solution. If not, the FM2 (despite of the leds).</p>

<p>FE2 because, back in the day I really wanted one badly but could only afford the FE. </p>

<blockquote>"Which one would you buy and why?"</blockquote>

<p>None of them, because they all take 35mm film. And none are heavy enough to make a decent doorstop!</p>

<p>BTW, you should be able to get a user F3 for around that same price ($150). I recently "had" to buy an F3HP to get the 50mm f/1.2 lens I wanted. Price asked for lens and camera was only about $100 more than the bottom price the lens alone sells for. I figured I could recoupe some of my money by selling on the F3HP. Incidentally I still have the camera body - I'm waiting for a free listing day on *Bay.</p>

<p>F3, interchangeable finders</p>

<p>An F3 in Japan goes for 400 to 1.000 USD.<br>

I am looking for something like my Canon A1</p>

<p>Damn, I'm doing my eBay sales wrong. I should be buying up F3s and listing them on the Japanese site. Is eBay big there? :)</p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>I am looking for something like my Canon A1</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>The "Nikon version" of the Canon A-1 is the FA; not as cool, I`m afraid.</p>

<p>Why don't you buy a body off ebay and have it shipped to Japan?<br>

I bought an FM when it came out, was dreaming of an FE but the FM was all I could afford as a college student. I loved it and it served me for many years until I jumped to AF with a D90.<br>

The FM2 and FE2 have good reputation. <br>

The A-1 is what I made my younger brother buy as his first SLR. Great camera too!</p>

<p>My initial reaction: consider how either camera’s features might fill a void relative to cameras you currently have on the shelf. Secondly, I’d ponder subject matter to determine if one set of features might be more advantageous.</p>

<p>The FE2 has the same features as the FM2n (essentially manual exp mode) and more. I use the slow manual speeds (up to 8 sec) and Aperture Priority of the FE2 for long exposures in addition to using AP when time is too short for fiddling. Exposure lock is often overlooked but very helpful in difficult light. TTL is a bonus if much flash-shooting is involved and flash compensation is easier on the FE2.</p>

<p>I’d be inclined to suggest the FE2 unless ‘rough and tumble’ were routine. I have a slew of Nikon film bodies and both of these are on the short-list. Either will shine in your capable hands.</p>

<p>My first Nikon was a FM, my second was a FM - both stolen. I have one old manual film camera - a FM - - hence - - - FM2. ;)<br>

;)</p>

<p>I'd go fro the FE2 - I was never patient enough for the FM2. I had an FE2 for years and loved it.<br>

As far as the F3 goes (suggested earlier):<br />I preferred it over my F3HP any day. The F3 may be the pro camera, built to higher standards, gives you a 100% viewfinder etc., but my FE2 was built like a tank, and I thought the viewfinder display (dimly lit numbers at the bottom) vastly inferior to the FE2's needle display. Reading a umber takes deliberate effort and distracts, taking in the position of a needle even in low light came effortless to me. I shot slides, so the 100% coverage of the F3 never mattered.</p>

<p>casual consideration -<br>

If you have/or plan to get any non-Ai lenses, the only option for them would be the FE or FM, albeit in stopdown meter mode. The FE2, FM2, FM2n and FA won't mount the pre-Ai lenses.</p>

<p>I currently have an FE, FM2n and FA. I prefer the FE for just me and my film shooting. All have a decent construction level. Depends on how much 'help' via 'automation' one really wants.</p>

<p>Rene'--to me the FE2 is by far the easiest to use.<br>

A delightful camera in either auto or manual.<br>

A secondary consideration might be an EL2--the predecessor to the FE2. The EL2 is VERY rugged, and if the meter is is OK, it gives really accurate info--the shutter is great. Of course, the EL2 doesn't have the higher flash syn and shutter speeds--but it's a great camera. Just a thought---<br>

Good luck!<br>

Paul</p>

<p>FE2, great shutter and meter (make sure its still working) and simple and fast Aperture priority. Small yet rugged, but not as rugged as the F2. Better would be to find a FMn 3A (if I got that right) its the updated version of the FE2 merged with the FMn2 that includes electronic shutter and Aperture priority as well as manual speeds. All those choices are good for a handy film camera.</p>

<p>I love me FE.</p>

<p>FE's are commonly less than $100 if price is important. I have owned and loved FE2's for 30 years, so that's my choice. And the meter needle makes it a better functioning manual exposure camera than the FM/FM2. </p>

<p>Pricing in Singapore for these models are higher than those the OP quotes. I have the FM2n and the FE2. With night photography you can kick off the FE2 in A mode and it will quietly count down minutes and seconds for a perfect image. Its also very easy to use. Good FE2's and FM2n's are fetching $350+ for good examples in our market. </p>

<p>As for the FM2n. Well its the one you take when you want mechanical reliability. But its a different viewfinder etc to the FE2.</p>

<p>In the light of Rodeo Joe's ill-mannered comment, I'll say something about film. Its where you learn about exposure because you can't review and make changes. Shoot slide film? You have very little latitude and when you discover you were spot on, maybe a week later when you get your film back, the sense of achievement is very high.</p>

<p>And RJ...Is your contemporary DSLR worth more than when it was new? No? Shame about that.</p>

<p>I'm with David L. I always think the FE2 makes a better <em>manual</em> camera than the FM2! You can easily meter something bright and then apply, say, +2 EV compensation with the old fashioned match needle metering system. You can move the viewpoint around and see the brightness variation with the meter needle. You have speeds down to 8 seconds in manual mode rather than just one second. Over time the electronically governed speeds are far more likely to be accurate than the mechanical speeds on the FM2.<br>

The FE does not have TTL flash metering but you can use non-AI lenses by folding back the coupling tab. Otherwise not a lot of difference.<br>

Yes, you do need batteries but they are easy to obtain and spares weigh next to nothing to carry.<br>

If only the viewfinder were better with glasses on I'd use mine more...... but that applies to all the Nikon cameras of this type!</p>

 

<p>Agreed, the match needle is great. Mine still works great. I will say though, my FE2 and others I've seen and test fired are loud suckers.</p>