I just got a Nikkormat FTN with lens

[trondsi]

My father has been quite attached to it although he gave up on "serious" photography long ago (boating and cars are more his thing). He was very happy to see that the camera will come to use though.

First impression is that this camera is the mother of all tanks when it comes to 35mm. I was told that the Nikon FM (which is my other Nikon) is a tank, but this one could be used as a weapon. A bit too heavy perhaps? We'll see if I get used to it.

Some positives: I really like that there's a meter window that is visible on the outside, so not only through the lens. The meter seems to work accurately. I also like the shutter speed control being positioned differently from the FM, right next to the lens.

Mounting lenses is a bit more complicated than my other SLRs but this is something I am sure I'll get used to.

The shutter seems to work fine too, 1 sec and 1/2 sec seem to be dead on, but I will have to wait for my test roll which will come back tomorrow (I like testing new cameras with slide film, so we'll see)

It came with a Nikkor-H Auto 50mm f2 lens in nearly perfect condition. Do you guys like this one? I have another 50 mm that is a bit faster.

Any thoughts and tips are welcome!

 

[OptiKen]

I am an Olympus guy but from people I know and value their opinion, the Nikkormat FTN is one of the finest cameras you can get. And they are dirt cheap for all that you get. I do, however, use the Nikkor Auto 50mm f2 and love it....very sharp without roll-off

 

[mweintraub]

The FTN is nice. I also have an F with standard prism (non meter) and that's a brick. Not sure what's heavier, but the F is just solid.

 

[George Mann]

It came with a Nikkor-H Auto 50mm f2 lens in nearly perfect condition. Do you guys like this one?

Yes! It tends to render things most naturally.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Great camera. Enjoy.

 

[trondsi]

Thanks guys! The mirror seems to flip up and down a lot when taking a picture. Is this normal? I suspect that it happens mostly after the picture has been taken and the mirror folds down again.... so hopefully it doesn't matter?

 

[ac12]

It is a GREAT camera.
X sync, for electronic flash is 1/125, 2x faster than the 1/60 sync speed of the horizontal shutters of the day.
Yes aligning the metering prong is a bother, but one does get used to it. The trick is
- to have the lens you are going to mount be at f/5.6 and
- the coupling pin on the camera all the way over.
Be careful as you take off the lens. Depending on how you hold the lens when you remove it, you can hit the shutter speed tab with your finger and push the shutter speed to 1/1000. I did that . . . often.

If you want more flexibility, get the 35-105 zoom. It is not as fast as your 50-f/2 lens, but gives you great focal length flexibility in one lens, but at the cost of aperture speed. I used the predecessor, the 43-86 for YEARS as my "normal lens." The larger range 35-105 is my new 'normal lens' for my film cameras. The only time I really missed the speed of a 50-f/2 or f/1.4 was when shooting basketball in the high school gym.

 

[chip j]

I have a black one w/working meter--back is tight, no play in it like a F2.

 

[bdial]

The mirror is in front of the shutter, so it must flip up when you release the shutter, and comes down after the shutter closes. This is normal operation for most 35mm SLR's.
The Nikkormat was Nikon's "amateur" camera at the time it was made, but by most accounts constructed to near the quality level of the Nikon F models.
Note that the battery it uses for the meter is no longer available, so once your current one dies, you'll either need to look into using a hand-held meter or adapt a modern battery.

 

[trondsi]

What I mean about the mirror is that it seems to bounce up and down a bit when it comes down again. Or that is what it sounds like. Hopefully it's not a problem.

Oddly enough, the battery was not a problem (I think). I just went to the camera store and bought one that fit.

 

[mhanc]

congrats - best SLR imo... everything you need and nothing you don't. build quality is exceptional and it will serve you well for years.

the mirror does make quite a bit of noise, maybe that is what you are hearing? also, a common maintenance for these cameras is to have the mirror bumper replaced, along with the seals for the back -- might be something to look into.

in terms of the battery to power the light meter, if i remember correctly - the FTn uses a 1.35v mercury battery which is no longer available. so, you might check the voltage of the one you bought -- if its a 1.5v silver oxide battery, that might cause an error in metering. i understand there are fixes / work-arounds for the issue but i am not sure of the specifics.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

My father has been quite attached to it although he gave up on "serious" photography long ago (boating and cars are more his thing). He was very happy to see that the camera will come to use though.

First impression is that this camera is the mother of all tanks when it comes to 35mm. I was told that the Nikon FM (which is my other Nikon) is a tank, but this one could be used as a weapon. A bit too heavy perhaps? We'll see if I get used to it.

Some positives: I really like that there's a meter window that is visible on the outside, so not only through the lens. The meter seems to work accurately. I also like the shutter speed control being positioned differently from the FM, right next to the lens.

Mounting lenses is a bit more complicated than my other SLRs but this is something I am sure I'll get used to.

The shutter seems to work fine too, 1 sec and 1/2 sec seem to be dead on, but I will have to wait for my test roll which will come back tomorrow (I like testing new cameras with slide film, so we'll see)

It came with a Nikkor-H Auto 50mm f2 lens in nearly perfect condition. Do you guys like this one? I have another 50 mm that is a bit faster.

Any thoughts and tips are welcome!

Nice find. For the meter I use a zinc air cell with all but 1 of the airholes blocked off. I've had one last as long as 27 months. Use 675 hearing aid cell and an o-ring to center it in the compartment. Alkaline cells can start as high as 1.6~V, and have a lousy discharge curve. Silver oxide has a great discharge curve but too high voltage as well, however you can compensate for these with the ASA setting. Voltages higher than 1.35 will cause varying degrees of underexposure.

The 50/2 Nikkor H is my favorite Nikon 50, all the others (1.4, 1.2) went away and I now have four of the Hs, one for each Nikon. They're my only 50s. This lens, the 35/2.8, 28/3.5, all balance perfectly on the F, F2, and the Nikkormats.

You want a tank? Get a Nikon F with the Ftn finder and a Nikkor UD 21/3.5. IIRC, the Nikkormat Ftn is slightly heavier than a plain prism F.

 

[trondsi]

It is a GREAT camera.
X sync, for electronic flash is 1/125, 2x faster than the 1/60 sync speed of the horizontal shutters of the day.
Yes aligning the metering prong is a bother, but one does get used to it. The trick is
- to have the lens you are going to mount be at f/5.6 and
- the coupling pin on the camera all the way over.
Be careful as you take off the lens. Depending on how you hold the lens when you remove it, you can hit the shutter speed tab with your finger and push the shutter speed to 1/1000. I did that . . . often.

If you want more flexibility, get the 35-105 zoom. It is not as fast as your 50-f/2 lens, but gives you great focal length flexibility in one lens, but at the cost of aperture speed. I used the predecessor, the 43-86 for YEARS as my "normal lens." The larger range 35-105 is my new 'normal lens' for my film cameras. The only time I really missed the speed of a 50-f/2 or f/1.4 was when shooting basketball in the high school gym.

I actually have a 35-135 mm zoom. It is good but adds to the already considerable weight.

 

[Mackinaw]

What I mean about the mirror is that it seems to bounce up and down a bit when it comes down again. Or that is what it sounds like. Hopefully it's not a problem........

The mirror shouldn’t bounce repeatedly after the picture is taken. It should come down and stay down. If it is bouncing, something is amiss.

Jim B.

 

[George Mann]

congrats - best SLR imo... everything you need and nothing you don't.

Only if you stick to negative film!

 

[trondsi]

congrats - best SLR imo... everything you need and nothing you don't. build quality is exceptional and it will serve you well for years.

the mirror does make quite a bit of noise, maybe that is what you are hearing? also, a common maintenance for these cameras is to have the mirror bumper replaced, along with the seals for the back -- might be something to look into.

in terms of the battery to power the light meter, if i remember correctly - the FTn uses a 1.35v mercury battery which is no longer available. so, you might check the voltage of the one you bought -- if its a 1.5v silver oxide battery, that might cause an error in metering. i understand there are fixes / work-arounds for the issue but i am not sure of the specifics.

Thanks for the info! I'll check on the batteries. The meter seems to be dead on though.

 

[trondsi]

Only if you stick to negative film!

?
I have a Nikon FM that I use for slide film mostly (that's my favorite kind of film). What's the difference?

 

[George Mann]

?
I have a Nikon FM that I use for slide film mostly (that's my favorite kind of film). What's the difference?

The FM has more precise exposure compensation.

 

[tessar]

You'll like the Nikkormat. I bought the last model, the FT3, when it came out in 1977 and have been using it ever since with an increasing supply of lenses. Dependable and straightforward to use.

 

[trondsi]

I am starting to really like the shutter speed control on this as opposed to the normal knob on top. Why don't more manufacturers do it like the Nikkormat?

 

[Kodachromeguy]

I am starting to really like the shutter speed control on this as opposed to the normal knob on top. Why don't more manufacturers do it like the Nikkormat?

The Olympus OM-1 and the Hasselblad 200 series had the concentric (around the lens) shutter speed control. Were there any other examples? I like the design, too.

 

[trondsi]

Just got my roll of BW film back. Camera seems to be working

 

[ac12]

The shutter speed control around the base of the lens mount is typical of cameras with the vertical traveling Copal shutter.

 

[bdial]

Only if you stick to negative film!

?
I have a Nikon FM that I use for slide film mostly (that's my favorite kind of film). What's the difference?

At the time that camera was new, millions of frames of slide film got properly exposed by Nikkormats, and all the others without the fancy metering systems that have come since.

Assuming the meter is working correctly, any problems in exposure are "between the keyboard and the chair".

 

[RalphLambrecht]

My father has been quite attached to it although he gave up on "serious" photography long ago (boating and cars are more his thing). He was very happy to see that the camera will come to use though.

First impression is that this camera is the mother of all tanks when it comes to 35mm. I was told that the Nikon FM (which is my other Nikon) is a tank, but this one could be used as a weapon. A bit too heavy perhaps? We'll see if I get used to it.

Some positives: I really like that there's a meter window that is visible on the outside, so not only through the lens. The meter seems to work accurately. I also like the shutter speed control being positioned differently from the FM, right next to the lens.

Mounting lenses is a bit more complicated than my other SLRs but this is something I am sure I'll get used to.

The shutter seems to work fine too, 1 sec and 1/2 sec seem to be dead on, but I will have to wait for my test roll which will come back tomorrow (I like testing new cameras with slide film, so we'll see)

It came with a Nikkor-H Auto 50mm f2 lens in nearly perfect condition. Do you guys like this one? I have another 50 mm that is a bit faster.

Any thoughts and tips are welcome!

They are wonderful robust and reliable cameras; enjoy to the fullest.