Nikkormat (FT3) focusing screens

Recently I bought my girlfriend a black FT3 because she's been interested in learning film and I can't seem to deal with my F3 or F being on long-term loan. Budget was a concern and I wanted her to have something with a meter and AI, she wanted fully mechanical, and in the end I scored a nice, lightly brassed black Ft3 from ebay.

Except the camera (which the dickhead seller said was in excellent condition) had some problems, including a loose hotshoe (fixed by me), broken-off cable end in the PC synch port (fixed by my girlfriend), bad foam and seals (no light leaks and new foam on the way) and (worst of all) a scratched focusing screen.

While I realize that the conventional wisdom would be to just by another one, I'm inclined to replace the screen since the camera is otherwise good (no dents, working hotshoe, accurate meter, good shutter, etc) and it's quite likely that any Nikkormat could at this point benefit from a cleaning of all the viewfinder surfaces.

The problem is that I've been slightly struggling to figure out where to find either a donor screen or the replacement part. My impression is that the FT and FT2 screens are definite matches, but may not have the split image. I've seen conflicting reports of the ability of an F/F2 screen with the frame removed being able to fit, but it seems that this is not the case or would require some modification/induce focusing error. I'm also not entirely clear on the ability of Nikkormat EL screens to be used.
I've also heard that FT series prisms can be substituted for F plain prisms. If this is true I'd be more inclined to look for a parts body, as my F has a small spot of desilvering and I'd be happy to correct it.

What I'm hoping is that some of you could help me clarify which screens are 100%, A+ compatible and which are not.

I've already had the top plate off and we have a good set of tools, so I don't have any qualms dealing with the actual repair, just parts sourcing. I also have the original parts diagrams and a good tutorial as reference material, and we have a good set of skills for the job between us (I'm more mechanically inclined but she's far better with electronics).

I have repaired both the EL, FTN and the FT2 and the screens for both of them are identical. I havent opened up an FT3 but from the looks of it, the chassis seem to be similar to the previous ones. that being said, the screen has a big likelihood of being identical. the later FTNs come with a split screen if I recall it. I love the nikkormats but I hate working on the screen! good luck! I will see what I can find in my notes and share what I can. I am not sure if I have written something about the nikkormat in my richardhaw.com Nikon repair blog.

Stop!!!! I realize I must be Don Quixote jousting at windmills but if the camera was "not as described" file a claim. Then the seller will think twice before doing it again.

mgb74 said:

Stop!!!! I realize I must be Don Quixote jousting at windmills but if the camera was "not as described" file a claim. Then the seller will think twice before doing it again.

Click to expand...

You're not wrong. In fact, I would agree with you in general principle and in practice when dealing with professional photo resellers or big-ticket items.

Some doddering, clueless person trying to unload a family member's old camera still shouldn't lie, but I'm inclined to be a bit more forgiving, treating it more like a garage sale find than a pro transaction.

It was cheap enough, in this case, to be worth the fix, especially as I'd usually rather save than bin a serviceable 35mm camera of good quality.

Your choices, screen-wise are:

A, J, and K. Stock is the K screen. A screen is the split without microprism collar. J is the microprism spot found in the FS, FT, and FTn. Two different versions of that last screen. A coarser ground screen with no clear bottom edge for use with the FS and FT. The FTn uses the finer ground screen with the clear edge for the shutter speed index. Sometime around 1970, the A screen became an option, then, around 1973 or so, when the FT2 cosmetics FTn came out, the K screen became an option as well. The split-image screens are 1st generation screens, so they are kinda dark and tend to black out with lenses slower than f/3.5 or so. So, I tend to prefer the J screen, since there is no split-image. If you are either perfect vision, wearing glasses, or have the proper diopter for your eyes threaded into the eyepiece ring, it's very easy to tell when the image pops into focus with the J screen.

Replacing the screens is fairly straightfoward. Requires some disassembly, since the prism has to come out of its bucket, then the condenser lens, and finally the screen. You also have to deal with the shutter speed index strip, which is run on a string & pulley system inside the mirror box.

-J