Nikon F2 vs FM handling in use

snusmumriken · Nov 6, 2022

Madeleine Ostoja said:
Another thing I can't figure out, does the early model FM (with the shutter lock around the button) still require the advance lever to be pulled out to fire the shutter? That sounds pretty annoying and might turn me off the FE/FM

I am actually left-eye-dominant, so the lever in 'on' position poked me in the other eye. Still, one quickly gets used to it, and it is much better than a separate on/off switch.

When I was much younger and had an FE from new, I used to compare cameras with other young friends, and the Olympus OM-1 was the camera I always wished I had bought instead. Everything about the Olympus, including the lenses, is smaller. Nikon FE or FM use Nikon lenses designed for the larger Nikon cameras. The viewfinder on the Olympus is also brighter. The FE viewfinder lops off quite a big margin, supposedly for a slide mount. You can see both shutter speed and aperture in the viewfinder, but the aperture is literally a window on the lens barrel via a little prism, so in dim light you can't see it.

On the positive side, I sold my FE in full working order, nothing broke in the 20 years I had it, despite it being used mainly for work in challenging outdoor conditions, including north of the arctic circle.

Les Sarile · Nov 6, 2022

snusmumriken said:
I am actually left-eye-dominant, so the lever in 'on' position poked me in the other eye. Still, one quickly gets used to it, and it is much better than a separate on/off switch.

Complete opposite to that old saying about something is better than getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick . . .

I recall Herb Keppler's review of the FM and that after his wife got poked in the eye that she swore off it. I guess she didn't get used to it . . .

Madeleine Ostoja · Nov 6, 2022

Thanks for the input everyone! In the end I grabbed a Nikon F. It’s a touch smaller and quieter than the F2, and most importantly about half the price. I'll have to come around to the hard-edge aesthetics and I've already found a Nikon F4 screen I can transplant when I CLA it so it's nice and bright.

From what everyone has said the FM/FE's don't sound that different to the OM2 I already have access to, and if I want something really compact I can grab my beloved Leica iif. Also, after looking into lenses, having something designed for pre-ai glass will be a blessing on my budget. The Nikkor-HC 50/2 sounds equal or better to the summaron I just spent a small fortune on, and can be had for peanuts.

E. von Hoegh · Nov 7, 2022

Madeleine Ostoja said:
Thanks for the input everyone! In the end I grabbed a Nikon F. It’s a touch smaller and quieter than the F2, and most importantly about half the price. I'll have to come around to the hard-edge aesthetics and I've already found a Nikon F4 screen I can transplant when I CLA it so it's nice and bright.

From what everyone has said the FM/FE's don't sound that different to the OM2 I already have access to, and if I want something really compact I can grab my beloved Leica iif. Also, after looking into lenses, having something designed for pre-ai glass will be a blessing on my budget. The Nikkor-HC 50/2 sounds equal or better to the summaron I just spent a small fortune on, and can be had for peanuts.

Excellent choice, as long as it's a good one to start with, you'll have it for a very long time. The Nikkor H/ HC is absolutely first-rate, I have one for each of 5 bodies - a couple came free and the most expensive one, an HC, was thirty-something with shipping. Also, I used my '68 F semi-professionally until 1999-2000 or so, they're that reliable if taken care of.

If you get a chance for a bargain, an F2 handles very much like an F except for the shutter release, and having a modern battery housed in the body, not the meter head, is a nice improvement. Shutter speeds from 1/2000 down to 10 sec., a better mirror lockup, some other improvements. Just as reliable as an F, but the F2s usually need a cla to get an actual 1/2000, and the Fs might be better in the cold, again if clean and properly lubricated.
P.S. Just pop the finder off the F and the screen will come right out.

Nitroplait · Nov 7, 2022

It is the most beautiful camera of the last century, in a brutalist kind of way.

The 50/2.0 and the 35/2.0 rivals my Summicrons of same focal lengths. Good choice

E. von Hoegh · Nov 7, 2022

Nitroplait said:
It is the most beautiful camera of the last century, in a brutalist kind of way.

The 50/2.0 and the 35/2.0 rivals my Summicrons of same focal lengths. Good choice

And the 105/2.5 Sonnar is pretty damn nice too.
My 35/2 Nikkor-O came free, a friend sent it to Nikon for repair, Nikon had stopped servicing pre-AI lenses by then, maybe '92 or '3. The aperture was jammed by a floating screw, took me maybe 25 minutes to repair. The lens shows ~20 years of pro use, lots of naked aluminum, but the focus is smooth and tight, glass clean. The stuff is very durable with a bit of care.

Ariston · Nov 7, 2022

Madeleine Ostoja said:
Thanks for the input everyone! In the end I grabbed a Nikon F. It’s a touch smaller and quieter than the F2, and most importantly about half the price.

If price is a primary concern and, as you say, you don't care about the meter, you should find an FM with an inoperative meter and you'll get it for cheap. I think I paid $30 for mine. You can add it to your F as a (lighter) backup.

Nitroplait · Nov 7, 2022

E. von Hoegh said:
And the 105/2.5 Sonnar is pretty damn nice too.

...and inexpensive.
I have both versions of the 105/2.5 - and honestly, either one is great.
(Sonnar on the left)

snusmumriken · Nov 7, 2022

Antonioni's Blow Up must have sold a lot of Nikon Fs.

Les Sarile · Nov 7, 2022

It seems a popular myth that these only come well worn and beaten. However, those nice leather cases must've protected them quite a bit and likely prevented them from being used more often too! A plain prism F came up complete with leather case, lens and many other accessories as well as original receipt. Owner was a USAF pilot who bought it on a tour in Asia. Was on the lookout for a PP F2 when another PP F showed up also looking good. Not long after a PP F2 became available.

F_F2_F by Les DMess, on Flickr

Madeleine Ostoja · Nov 7, 2022

Yep the only blemish on the one I bought is a very small dent below the film advance. Unfortunately the prism has the tiniest hint of corrosion along the top edge, but that's why I got it for a good price. I'll clean out the offending foam gunk so it doesn't get worse and if I love it / it bugs me I'll swap out the prism one day

Nikon F2 vs FM handling in use

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