I just wanted to say that I love my FM10. I got it in 2007 and have never had a problem with it. It's never seen the inside of a repair shop. In my opinion this camera gets an undeservedly bad rap. Mine has been my primary body for years now, often in dangerous locations; I do a lot of adventure and nature work. It has gone down rivers and up mountains across several continents and it always gets the job done, whether it's below zero (F) and snowing in the Italian Alps or over a hundred and dry in the Mojave desert. After going on ten years of taking the FM10 with me wherever I go, I would absolutely describe it as rugged. Although this can be said of any fully mechanical camera, its most useful characteristic is that I can spend weeks in the wilderness and never have to worry about batteries. That, and the fact that it weighs less than a pound.
As for its durability, a couple of years back I slipped on an algae-covered rock in upstate New York and my FM10 ended up going down a waterfall. I fished it out of the pool at the bottom and it was fine. I just rewound the film, opened the body up to dry it out, and was shooting with it again later that day. It's experienced a couple of other drops over the years (including a hard one in Maine where it landed straight on a rock and broke the kit lens that came with it in half) but aside from a little cosmetic damage the body has always come out fine. I didn't expect it to last this long or to use it this much.
As to its professionalism, Galen Rowell used it for its light weight (see:
http://www.mountainlight.com/rowell/gr_camera_bag.html), which its aluminum/plastic construction, the very thing many people dislike about it, specifically allows. So it's absolutely up to the task if you are. I'm not saying anything groundbreaking here, but the quality of the lens definitely matters more.
As to the OP's original question, although I understand it's already been resolved, to anyone who reads this thread in the future and is thinking about getting an FM10, I would totally say go for it, just plan on getting some pro glass if you want to use it to make pro pictures. The kit lens is great for what it is. It served me well for a couple of years before it met its demise. It's definitely better than some lenses I've used but it isn't as sharp or fast as the really good ones. The camera itself, though, is equal to the limits of your skill and the quality of the lens you're using.
Also, since I've already written a long post, I'll indulge myself by sharing my 2 cents about buying new vs buying used. I have several used bodies. They're wonderful. The used marketplace is fantastic. But, and this concern has been raised by others on apug, other than the very few models still in production (basically the FM10 and F6, since we're talking 35mm here) the number of film bodies in circulation is finite. Every year it gets smaller as some are broken, scrapped for parts, or just wear out. If the new generation is to be able to choose film, they must be able to buy film bodies. Purchasing new shows the producers, in this case Nikon, that there is still a market for film cameras. They will only produce them if they believe there is a market. By buying my FM10 new, I "cast a vote," so to speak, for the continued production of film cameras. Besides this, you get a camera in literal mint condition, with a warranty.
I'd share some pictures I've made with it, but of course they could have just as easily been made with a different camera.
