Nikon FM - Dead Light Meter, DoF Lever Broken

[Caleb Hauge]

A few weeks ago I bought a Nikon FM on eBay from a reputable seller that I've bought from before. They said the light seals were bad but the camera was otherwise good. When it arrived, I realized that wasn't the case.

- The DoF preview lever is broken (necessary for stop-down metering on non-AI lenses)
- The meter coupling lever was stuck in position and would not flip up for mounting non-AI lenses.
- The light meter, supposedly tested twice (and I do believe them), is non-functional.
- Ironically, the light seals are totally adequate in 90% of situations. Harsh sunlight at sunset at the perfect angle causes a faint light leak, but that's it.

None of these make the camera unusable. I'm good at guesstimating exposure accurately enough for Ektachrome (though apparently not for Velvia...), and I've got a light meter app on my phone that has never failed me. But all of my lenses are non-AI, and I'm not about to go buy more expensive AI versions of them with different characteristics just to use this camera. All of you will be cringing at this, but I ended up ripping the meter coupling lever off the camera.

That being said, I would heavily prefer for all of these to be working. The seller offered to ship me a new DoF preview lever (and it came today), but I don't have any idea how to mount it. I'd also like to get the light meter working. The seller said they tested it twice, and I do trust them. But I can't get it to do anything. The LEDs for the meter don't light up in any situation. What would you guys recommend?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

A few weeks ago I bought a Nikon FM on eBay from a reputable seller that I've bought from before. They said the light seals were bad but the camera was otherwise good. When it arrived, I realized that wasn't the case.

- The DoF preview lever is broken (necessary for stop-down metering on non-AI lenses)
- The meter coupling lever was stuck in position and would not flip up for mounting non-AI lenses.
- The light meter, supposedly tested twice (and I do believe them), is non-functional.
- Ironically, the light seals are totally adequate in 90% of situations. Harsh sunlight at sunset at the perfect angle causes a faint light leak, but that's it.

None of these make the camera unusable. I'm good at guesstimating exposure accurately enough for Ektachrome (though apparently not for Velvia...), and I've got a light meter app on my phone that has never failed me. But all of my lenses are non-AI, and I'm not about to go buy more expensive AI versions of them with different characteristics just to use this camera. All of you will be cringing at this, but I ended up ripping the meter coupling lever off the camera.

That being said, I would heavily prefer for all of these to be working. The seller offered to ship me a new DoF preview lever (and it came today), but I don't have any idea how to mount it. I'd also like to get the light meter working. The seller said they tested it twice, and I do trust them. But I can't get it to do anything. The LEDs for the meter don't light up in any situation. What would you guys recommend?

send it all back and ask for your money. not worth repairing. get another one and hope for the best.

 

[BrianShaw]

I recommend you do as Ralph suggests. File an eBay return request quickly. “Not as advertised”

 

[fstop]

send it all back and ask for your money. not worth repairing. get another one and hope for the best.

He ripped the meter coupling lever off the camera. Its all on him, no refund. Damaging goods is grounds for dismissal regardless of what was wrong to begin with.

 

[Chan Tran]

You can have my FM which the meter works perfectly and the coupling can be flipped out of the way. The DOF level is intact and work perfectly. But the shutter jammed. If you think you can fix it you have all the needed parts there.

 

[fstop]

You can have my FM which the meter works perfectly and the coupling can be flipped out of the way. The DOF level is intact and work perfectly. But the shutter jammed. If you think you can fix it you have all the needed parts there.

Your a good guy.

To the OP, do you have the film advance lever out? that turns on the meter. When I don't use Nikons for a while, I forget and spend 20 minutes cursing at the camera until I remember to pull the lever out.

 

[Caleb Hauge]

He ripped the meter coupling lever off the camera. Its all on him, no refund. Damaging goods is grounds for dismissal regardless of what was wrong to begin with.

Yup. With the price I paid, I was fine with some minor damage to a part I’d never use since the meter should’ve worked. It was from a reputable seller I’ve bought from before, so I trusted it.

 

[mshchem]

It makes a good door stop.

 

[Caleb Hauge]

Your a good guy.

To the OP, do you have the film advance lever out? that turns on the meter. When I don't use Nikons for a while, I forget and spend 20 minutes cursing at the camera until I remember to pull the lever out.

Yeah. I had a Nikkormat FTN before this, and it's all pretty similar. I only went for the FM because I wanted to stop using Wein cells.

 

[Caleb Hauge]

You can have my FM which the meter works perfectly and the coupling can be flipped out of the way. The DOF level is intact and work perfectly. But the shutter jammed. If you think you can fix it you have all the needed parts there.

I appreciate your offer, but I think I'd give myself more of a headache trying to jam the two together into one working unit than I would just dealing with the limits of my current camera. It's basically just a Nikon F the standard viewfinder prism right now. It's totally usable, just frustrating to receive a camera with these faults.

That said, I would never have considered returning it unless it was 100% non-functional. The price I got it at (under $100 in great cosmetic shape) was too good of a deal for eBay. I'd be paying more like $200 for one that fully works in this cosmetic condition. At that price, with everything else working, I was willing to damage the camera to mount my lenses.

 

[BrianShaw]

So your satisfied with your purchase; that’s great!