How do you beat a Nikon FE for value?

kivis · Apr 22, 2012

You can get them for under a $100. I like mine better than the Leica M7 I sold last year.

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EASmithV · Apr 22, 2012

Well, you could take a club of some sort, stuff the camera with money, and pound it on the sidewalk. If you put out a hat, you may even get donations or something. Then again, i've seen people buy tickets for dumber events, so perhaps you could sell those too.

In this manner, you'll acquire more value from the camera than a Leica, due to the annoying fashion in which Leica makes you load the film, and thus lacks space to stuff cash.

kivis · Apr 22, 2012

Some needs a hug.

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EASmithV · Apr 22, 2012

LOL :munch:

CGW · Apr 22, 2012

I'm parting company with most of my Nikon bodies. The FEs will be the last to go, if they go at all.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 22, 2012

It likes you found a high fashion woman , go out , buy expensive jewellery and when the money gone , go back to your ugly wife.

dehk · Apr 22, 2012

Its almost impossible, but you can, its called a Nikkormat EL2. lol. A little beefier, and with MLU.

kivis · Apr 22, 2012

Mustafa Umut Sarac said:
It likes you found a high fashion woman , go out , buy expensive jewellery and when the money gone , go back to your ugly wife.

That's why she will never leave you.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 22, 2012

Poor men cant love high fashion women as the reverse is true. I think best way to find a woman from your class , they will be honest.
Jumping from 5000 dollar camera to 70 dollars camera does not make sense , best way to be a Leicaphile , may be try all the LTM cameras and lenses from the row. Its fun , you dont lose single penny and you will love your 600 dollars buddy.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 23, 2012

kivis said:
You can get them for under a $100. I like mine better than the Leica M7 I sold last year.

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It's easy, with a Nikkormat Ftn. You'll be able to go on taking pics with the Ftn afterwards, too.

GKR1 · Apr 23, 2012

For $100 more, get a F3. 100% viewfinder, 1/2000 second shutter speed, manual mirror lockup, handle incorporated in body, better viewfinder, pro build and fit in small light package.

I've a FE, F3, F4 and F5, however, F3 is the one I use most.

dynachrome · Apr 23, 2012

There are many bargains in film cameras and accessories today. Yesterday I bought a very nice looking (from the auction page photos) 105/2.5 'K' Nikkor for $99. I happen to have two Nikon FE bodies, one chrome and one black. Both were bought for very little. I especially like the fact that it has interchangeable focusing screens. If you don't need a shutter speed higher than 1/1000 or interchangeable finders you can certainly do a lot with it. The AI tab flips up, allowing the use of pre-AI lenses. This feature is missing from many of the later Nikon cameras. The question of whether a $100 camera can take an nice a picture as a $5,000 camera is one which has come up many times. There are plenty of Nikon lenses which can produce images as high in quality as those which can be made with more expensive ones. Some people prefer an Rf camera. Others prefer medium format and large format equipment. If you like it and it works for you then that's all you need. If I put a 55/2.8 AIS Nikkor on an FE I have no reason to believe that a similar lens from Leica, Zeiss, Canon etc. will give me a higher quality result. They can all be good if they are in good condition and used with some care.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 23, 2012

you can get an fm for about$35.

rolleiman · Apr 23, 2012

The FM will probably have a longer life due to its all mechanical operation, Another excellent value older camera, if you can find one in good condition....the Canon Ftb, and the older Canon breechlock lenses are excellent value

Richard S. (rich815) · Apr 23, 2012

My story: Back in 1978 I was told I could use some of my Bar Mitzvah money from 2 years prior to buy an SLR since I was so interested in cameras and photography. My dad takes me to the city (San Francisco) to the strip of photo stores that used to line Kearny St. We go from shop to shop and finally decide on one that seems pretty honest. My budget only allowed a Pentax K1000 with a 55mm normal lens and a Vivitar 200mm lens (the latter of which was what I was going to use for all those tele shots I would get published in National Geographic!). However I remember lusting that day after the Nikons in the glass case and wishing...one day...one day.

I stuck with the Pentax for a spell until the early 80's when I finally made the switch to Nikon and got a decent used FM2. Though I REALLY wanted the F3 darn it! At $2000 or so for a new F3 body that was NOT going to happen for that 22 year old!

Anyway, years later (maybe 10 years ago?) I sold off my Nikons (FM2 and FE2) and went Contax for my SLR kit (RX, RTSII) loving the Zeiss glass which was going for a song then since so many peeps were going digital. Then a year or two back I saw a gorgeous brassed-up black F3HP for less than $200! I had to have it. Long story short (too late?): I still love my Contax system but have since obtained in addition to my F3HP a nice early FM2 (titanium honeycomb shutter!) and a whole slew of gorgeous 60's F glass, some gotten for as little as $15 each!

Now I'm trying to stop myself from buying an old F or FE which for some reason I still want! Classic Nikon glass with classic Nikon bodies is so terrfic for B&W work.

BrianShaw · Apr 23, 2012

rich815 said:
Now I'm trying to stop myself from buying an old F or FE which for some reason I still want! Classic Nikon glass with classic Nikon bodies is so terrfic for B&W work.

They are all rather affordable so stop trying to stop yourself! Also good for color work.

Ian Grant · Apr 23, 2012

As these aren't made by Nikon you might be better getting a Spotmatic, yesterday I could buy original Spotmatics, II's and SP1000's for £10/$17 in GWO

Ian

CGW · Apr 23, 2012

Sinking demand for Nikon film bodies seems to be counterbalanced by clamoring for fast MF primes. M4/3, video, and especially Sony NEX shooters are loving them.

arthurpolaroid · Apr 23, 2012

With a mint black FE-2 that was given to me by my father. The jewel of my collection.

Pumalite · Apr 24, 2012

I have 3 Nikon F's, 5 Nikkormats, 4 F2's
Any of those.
I have a D90 and a D200 too.

vfalendysh · Apr 30, 2012

About 2 years ago I got my first Nikon in a thrift store. I got amazing deal - F3HP with AI-S 50mm 1.4 for just $15.. The first thing that amazed me was F3's viewfinder - I have never ever seen anything like that after and before. I like OM1's one, but on F3 it's just unbeatable. Somebody wrote in other thread that it's almost 3-D, you can feel space with it and I'm completely agree with that. Unfortunately my F3 has some defects - light meter does not work and backup lever stuck but it does not make it less valuable for me - I have great 100% manual camera. Shutting with it is always adventure and joy for me... And yesterday on big auction site I got 2 other Nikon's I always wanted - FE and older FM2.. Can't wait now.. So exited...

djacobox372 · May 5, 2012

I would argue that a $150 f100 is a better value then a $60 Fe.

Although id also admt that the Fe is my fav camera of all time.

blockend · May 6, 2012

Nikkormats are absurdly cheap for their quality. The price of MF Nikkor lenses means everyone aims for pro bodies to hang them on. If you're lucky with your buys or are prepared to use third part lenses, a Nikkormat body is probably the best engineered lump you can get for £20.
If you're looking at a bargain system, Yashica beat Canon FD by a nose. The ML glass is better, at least in my tests, than Nikon and costs a fraction of the price.

AFenvy · May 6, 2012

I'd say that my Yashica FR-1 with an ML 50mm f1.7 for $30 and my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 with an ML 50mm f1.9 for $10 are the best bargains I have seen. Both of these were on eBay where they regularly go for that amount. The bodies aren't Nikon build quality but they are sturdy and fully featured. The ML lenses are comparable to the Contax Zeiss line in terms of imaging characteristics. For what a clean FE and a decent Nikkor cost you could have a tidy Yashica kit that will produce outstanding pictures.

Don't get me wrong, I love Nikon gear as much as the next guy, but my dirt cheap Yashicas really surprised me with their capability.

puderse · May 6, 2012

vfalendysh, send that F3 to Nikon in California. I sent them a basket case someone had modified and then dropped and it came back like new for about $200. It will last the rest of my life.

How do you beat a Nikon FE for value?

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