FM10 Quality

[saurabht]

Dear all

Please enlighten me on the the quality of FM10

(about which i'm skeptical) before i buy it

i've no prior experience with photography

and i've no particular interest (street, portrait etc.)

i just want to explore and find out

[jheimsch]

The FM10 is not a true Nikon body, but rather a cosina body with the Nikon lens mount. About 5 years about I convinced my brother-in-law to get one based on it being a Nikon and that it fit his budget. In retrospect I wish I would have convinced him to get a nice used Nikon. The only saving grace it has is it is extremely light. Luckily my brother-in-law uses it as his mountaineering camera. Not expensive enough to freak out if it gets broken, and super light...but durability will be questionable since it is made of thin plastic. For a lot of people, myself included, it might not matter since I baby my camera gear...but when held next to any other Nikon branded body it will feel like a toy.

 

To sum it up if I had a budget of $210 for a camera body I would look into a used FA, FM2n, FE2, N8008s, N80, N70, etc rather than get this body. In terms of the ability to take pictures it has a meter, is light tight and excepts Nikon lenses so anything is possible.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Justin

[Jerry_]

If you want a 'trial' Nikon body, see if you can locate a N50 or F50 unit. It is light, it has enough modes to let you tinker with the exposure, and it works. As noted above, the FM-10 says Nikon on it, but it is not constructed by Nikon....

[cgarrett]

go for a used classic Nikon SLR, they are built better, and have a better feel to them.

[plasma181]

I own the FM10 and the FM3a. The FM10 is not as well constructed as the FM3a, but it hasn't let me down. It can accept lots of good Nikon glass and is able to take some nice pictures. Go to http://www.usefilm.com/cameras/45/Nikon_FM10__FE10.html which will take you to a usefilm.com page. This page has many shots taken with the FM10 and its brother, the FE10.

[fourfa]

there's an interesting guide to manual Nikons at http://www.cameraquest.com/nikonslr.htm, they rank the FM-10 as the #5 mechanical Nikon of all time (after F2, FM3a, FM2n, F):

 

":#5 FM-10 Some will be surprised by this Cosina made camera's high ranking. The key word to this guide is USER. If collectibility or craftsmanship were the criteria, it would rank near the bottom. Most of the cameras ranked below this, especially the FM and FT-3 are better cameras. Yet, this is a USER guide, and you can get parts and repairs easily for the FM-10 -- and so the ranking. A camera with LED metering, 1/2000th shutter speed, 1/125th sync, its specs are better than many of Nikon's older manual focus cameras although the quality of finish is not. The key to its high ranking is easy reparability. Generally meter parts and electronic circuit boards are no longer available for the lower rated cameras. By a slight margin, it is Nikon's smallest mechanical SLR. I know all that on an intellectual level at least. On an emotional level, however, I confess I would rate the FM-10 lower than the FM and FT-3. hmm. right brain, left brain, right brain....."

[icuneko]

<...durability will be questionable since it is made of thin plastic.>

 

 

If I'm not mistaken, the outer covers and plates are polycarbonate (plastic) but the main interior body chasis and mirror box, etc. are all metal (aluminum?). Thus, it's light but unless one bangs it around a lot, it'll probably be fairly durable. The viewfinder is a bit dimmer than regular newer Nikons though but not "dark." I would say for the money it's a good amateur camera, or even pro backup.

[manolis1]

Saurabh,

 

If you intent to use the camera (FM 10) as a HAMMER then let me tell you that it is not the right tool for that job. If you intent to take pictures and learn photography with the FM10, then let me tell you that it is the right tool for that.

The camera body is "the BOX that holds the film". It doesn't matter if it's made by plastic or by bulletproof metal. The important tools that you have to pay significant attention are: a) FILM and b) LENS.

Saurabh, as you said, you are a beginner, therefore, it is very risky for you to buy some used camera since you do not know what to expect from it.

The safest way for you is to go for brand new equipment.

If you have someone who has the knowledge and the ability to guide you... then... go for a used one (all bodies which were mentioned above are superb).

 

As an owner of a NIKON F100, FM10 and over than a dozen of NIKON prime and zoom lenses I can tell you honestly that FM10 is a GREAT cheap camera.

If I put each camera on tripods, load them with the same films, use the same lenses, measure the light with the same external light meter, photograph the same subject at the same time..I bet you... I will get exactly the same results from both cameras despite F100 is one of the best of the best professional camera and FM10 is one GREAT amateur camera.

Some people complain about the (dim) viewfinder of the FM10. Do me a favor and use a PRIME lens with that camera and let me know if the viewfinder is dim or bright.

Do me another favor, carry a "bulletproof metal" camera all day long around your neck, and let me know how you'll feel at the end of the day and the next day.

 

Saurabh, I have two lenses for my FM10: a) Nikon 50mm f/1.8 series E - with the silver aperture ring - (I bought it with a skylight filter for $20) and b) Nikon 105mm f/2.5 Ai (I bought it for $135) and if we talk about flashes... I use a SUNPAK 383 (new $70), a VIVITAR 285HV (new $85), or a VIVITAR 283 (new $70) with my FM10.

 

 

If you want more informations about the FM10 go to www.nikonians.com ... let me take you directly to the FM10 forum:

http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi.

 

A photo.net fellow wrote once the follow: "My Best Camera is My Brain and My Best Lenses are My Eyes".

[anupam]

Saurabh, <p><a href="http://blue.chem.psu.edu/~anupam/photography/equipment.html" target=_blank>This link</a> has a subjective comparison of various Nikon bodies. The FM-10 won't fall apart in your hands, but I'd prefer the FG, and the various FMs and FEs to it.

 

<p>-A

[jsbc]

I have a FE 10 which is about the same in terms of quality of construction. Of course, it has AE too.

 

I like my machine. Otoh, I can see the reasons for going for a used Nikon, such as a FM, FE etc. However, before you spring for a F80, F65 or whatever it is, think first. Do you want something that will enable you to focus manually? Do you want compatibility with AIS primes? If so, maybe the FM10 is better than a F50/65/80

[lajolla_photofan]

I would like to add my 2 cents on this topic. I have a FE-10 like Johnson, and it has survived quite heavy use over last 5 years and has survived admirably. It may not feel very solid but unless you drop your camera or bang it against a wall, it will survive all your adventures. Another positive of this camera is the light weight. When I travel with a light pack weight, I always prefer FE10 over F801s which is built like a tank. As you are new to photography, is there any particular reason that you want to buy a MF camera ?

[frank granovski]

Camera Quest is a Cosina distributor.

[lachaine]

If it's an FM10 you can afford and you want a camera that used Nikon lenses, a meter that works, etc., don't let comments like "plastic" fool you, nor that it's built by Cosina. In today's world, who knows who builds what, despite the name on it? Who cares? So many things are outsourced. If it's not the assembly of the camera, it's most of the parts. There are plenty more "plastic" cameras that are much higher-priced, so, plastic means nothing. That's the standard way of building SLR cameras nowadays. It's on a par with any other entry-level camera, plus it's manual (a big plus in my book). You buy it new, if something goes wrong, you have a warranty. Don't look at it as a lifetime purchase. No matter what you buy now, you will want something "better" later on. I would say go for it. Yes, I've bought used cameras, but I've known what I'm looking for. If it's an all-mechanical camera that is in good shape, Ok, but I don't trust used cameras that rely electronic parts. If you're not wedded to Nikon, another similar but I think better modern manual SLR is the Pentax MZ-M.

[raczoliver]

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0057im

[david_h._hartman]

A camera repairman friend tells me they are junk. Ive

held an FM-10 once as I was not impressed. FM-10 and

Quality do not belong in the same phrase. You can do

much better buying a used Nikon like a Nikon EL2 or Nikon FM.

Chrome bodies sell for less. I recommend a 50/1.8 AI or 50/2.0 AI

as your first lens. Avoid slow zooms like the lens that comes

with the Nikon FM-10. You wont have a flash to begin with

so you want a fast lens.<br>

<br>

Dont sink your money in a imitation ice milk, dont

buy a low end AF SLR. The viewfinders and AF are very substandard.

They dont deliver on the promise of AF. If you photograph

things that move youll have trouble.<br>

<br>

If a screw is stripped in a plastic camera it will be super-glued

in place. Im not kidding. Plastic in an econo SLR does mean

cheap. No amount of rationalizing changes this. Camera repairmen

call it Plastic C_ _ _. Low end plastic lenses

sometimes brake because of stress fractures in the plastic. The

AF will not work and some folks push the shutter release button

hard to try and force the camera to take a picture. My friend has

seen many Nikon N65(s) with a broken lens and a smashed shutter

release switch. The repair used to cost $65.00 plus labor. He

fond a switch from a Minolta P&S that can be modified to

repair the N65 for less and Nikon has recently upgraded the shutter

release switch on the N65.<br>

<br>

If you do buy a plastic econo box please buy the an all cause

warranty. Those who bought an N65 and smashed the shutter release

switch did not have this repair covered by Nikon as its called

customer abuse. My friend has seen cameras that appear to have

been placed on the driveway and run over by the customers. He has

to look at the pieces and say, Yup!, its not

economical to repair. If you drop the camera they replace

it. Im not recommending fraud but accidents do happen.

These are pretty much throw away cameras. Unless you have an

extended warranty that covers everything in including accidental

damage you throw them out. Even the N80 is semi-disposable. Why

pay $250.00 to repair a $300.00 camera?<br>

<br>

I started with a Nikkormat FTn which is much like a Nikon F100 in

comparison to a Nikon F6 in Nikons line up today. I dont

feel I was harmed in any way by starting with a professional

grade SLR.<br>

<br>

Check out KEH.com. Here are some examples...<br>

<br>

Nikon FE, Chrome, Excellent, $159.00<br>

Nikon EL2, Chrome, Excellent, $159.00<br>

Nikkormat FT3, Chrome, Excellent, $215.00<br>

<br>

Our 14 day no-hassle return policy and 60 day warranty on

all used equipment allows you to buy with confidence. Your

satisfaction is our primary goal. KEH.com.<br>

<br>

Im not associated with KEH.com but Im a satisfied

customers. I bought a Nikon F3 with MD-4, about a half dozen

lenses and many accessories.<br>

<br>

Best,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[james_b_cooper]

This is the junkiest camera ever made period... Shutter is liable to fail in 50% of all cases. Unrepairable by most technicians. Poor feel and dismal manufacturing control. I believe it was not produced in Japan rather a Chinese made product. Nikon should be ashamed to put its name on it. If you need cheap SLR get Pentax K1000 or any used Nikon FM. Final words : STAY AWAY !

[calvin_lee]

I had one of these and got rid of it. It felt very cheap and flimsy. The film advance lever felt like something you would find on a Fisher-Price toy camera. I couldn't even get the battery cover to stay on tight. I would rank the build quality about one step up from my Zenit 122 (2) and about 5.5 steps down from my F100 (8.5).