Just the Best
Written: Jul 05 '06
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Pros: MECHANICAL, indestructable so far, reliability, ease to use, small
Cons: not full frame viewfinder
The Bottom Line: I am terrified by the fact that they are not made anymore. Just the best at a reasonable price. Image quality will depends on the lens u use
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| truevine's Full Review: Nikon FM2N Film Camera |
Well quite a lot of tech stuff has already been said about this camera in previous reviews, and I am just going to had my bit.
I have been using these cameras for the last 17y.
The reasons for choosing it are quite simple.
I needed a robust camera, which was mechanical (ie can be used at all speeds without batteries). The reason behind this choice was the fact that I was going for a long period of time (4/5 months) travelling in very remote parts of the planet, where battery choices will be very limited. Also I didn't fancy walking 100km to the nearest city to buy batteries.
These bodies served me well, and as expected the batteries button used for the meter did fail at some point. I had spares but these were flat by the time I needed them. But then I knew my lighting condition reasonably well and carried on shooting with out a meter.
I like the fact that the body is small to carry, and even when I went in the very poor and dangerous corners of the big cities in 3rd world countries, the camera didn't attract much the attention of the people because of it old fashion look compare to the all automatics zoomy flashy cameras existing then. I often carry it under a jacket and it is almost invisible unless a big lens is mounted.
I personally prefer the chrome body, that wears a lot better than the black model. After many year of uses I still can't see any wears.
I don't want a camera, that is more precious than myself. I have dropped mine few times, put them on the ground all the time, in the sand, on a rock, and it seems that nothing is bothering it. Most of the time then I was living with tribes, and the last thing I wanted was to carry my bag with me. This camera has allowed me to take gr8 pics. Discrete, non-frightening to the "models" very easy to handle with no messy buttons all over.
I like the centre weight metering system. I found it accurate and sufficient for doing most readings. Again nothing like a bit of photography knowledge.
I prefer it to the FM3 mainly because of the meter with led, which allows one to check exposure in dark situation. I also use a Leica some times, but I prefer the SLR type.
If anything I don't like about this camera, it is the fact that the screen is not full frame. But then there is only few cameras that are.
I fully tape mines with electrician tape, hidings the so important brands, but also create sticky lips on the loading doors so that it capture the dirt before it gets in. It is a bit of work but it really makes a difference between a broken camera and a working one, and I do not need to worry about dirt any more.
I clean mines regularly, and it is all good.
Today i do some wedding photography. I shoot between 15 to 30 rolls a day.
I have 3 bodies, (probably owned 5 altogether) and none have given me any troubles. I purchase a FM3 once but returned it str8 away as there was a defect and never looked back.
Officially some knowledge of photography is recommended for using these cameras. But while wedding photography could be quite stressful (as you can't reproduce the event), this model is still my first choice. I trust them 100%. if any thing goes wrong on the day, I am in trouble, and may loose lots of money. So far so good. 80 or so weddings with the same gear, and not a single trouble (I let you calculate the number of rolls). And these are not new.
Officially I had some other cameras before, but found them so fragile. The worst case beeing the focusing screen been slightly shifted, with makes all the pics out of focus but you find out about it after process only.
Nothing of the sort here after far more usage.
During wedding I do a large range on images. From close-up to group to reportage type. For the close up, if I can I use a tripod and uses the timer, so that the mirror is locked before the actual picture is taken, avoiding camera shake.
I use flash on most my pictures for weddings, and while the setups are limited on the camera, I just play around with the flashgun.
Also this camera has a PC socket, as well as a hot shoe. So that provide you with a range of flashes that you can use.
I use mine with a Metz 45 but as well with some Bowen studio heads.
I hope this help you making a choice if you want to stick to the traditional photography at a fraction of the cost of a Leica. A great condition one-second hand should sell for around £250.00 but I got one on ebay for £125 and with a Polaroid back mounted. OK that was a bargain. Although I recommend you to check it well before giving your cash away.
As for image quality, it really depends how much you spend on your lenses ;-)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): £120 to £300
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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Epinions.com ID:
truevine
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Location: London uk
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
spent 4/5 month with Tuaregs betweeen 2000 & 3000m
same with Tarahumara
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