What's wrong with this picture (Nikon FM) ?

BradS · Feb 28, 2018

I was poking around eBay just now and came across a nice looking Nikon FM....but wait, what the @!*$ ???

Can you spot the problem?

eBay item #323093668344

ronnies · Feb 28, 2018

Missing focussing scale and aperture numbers printed on the lens.

Ronnie

tezzasmall · Feb 28, 2018

Not being a Nikon owner, I'm not so up on the details of these cameras. But, I see a lack of a model number on the body itself and the lack of numbers of any sort on the lens....??? Am I close or is it something much smaller?

Terry S

Willyekerslike · Feb 28, 2018

The Nikon FM does not have the 'FM' printed on the front of the camera, neither does the FE. It is not a Nikkor lens.

choiliefan · Feb 28, 2018

If you go to the cited auction the 5th picture shows that the lens is mounted upside down on the body. Can that damage anything???
The model FM is printed on the back next to the serial number...

E. von Hoegh · Feb 28, 2018

choiliefan said:
If you go to the cited auction the 5th picture shows that the lens is mounted upside down on the body. Can that damage anything???
The model FM is printed on the back next to the serial number...

It could bend the aperture actuating lever in the body, I guess.
But, being a bayonet mount with three lugs it's hard to see how it could be 1800 off, also the aperture coupling (AE) tabs on the lens and body seem properly aligned

drkhalsa · Feb 28, 2018

The brochure is for the FM2

Arvee · Feb 28, 2018

Lens has been disassembled and reassembled with the lens mount oriented 180 out?

BAC1967 · Feb 28, 2018

Fred Aspen said:
Lens has been disassembled and reassembled with the lens mount oriented 180 out?

Probably a good sign that whoever serviced the lens didn't know what they were doing. That should raise a red flag.

choiliefan · Feb 28, 2018

If that's the case a lens element or two may be reversed.
Or left out entirely.

BrianShaw · Feb 28, 2018

“Nikon” is spelled incorrectly on the lens.

choiliefan · Feb 28, 2018

You mean "Kiron"?

BrianShaw · Feb 28, 2018

choiliefan said:
You mean "Kiron"?

No, I meant Nikon. That was a very dry joke. Sorry.

But now that you mention Kiron... it’s really wrong to put a Nikon lens cap on a Kiron!

ic-racer · Feb 28, 2018

Looks like the manual reads "FM2" whereas the camera is "FM."

BradS · Feb 28, 2018

choiliefan said:
If you go to the cited auction the 5th picture shows that the lens is mounted upside down on the body. Can that damage anything???
The model FM is printed on the back next to the serial number...

This is what I noticed too.The lens is mounted up-side-down! I tried (gently) with one of my nikons and I could not get the lens to mate any way other than the right way so, I wonder...How the Heck did that lens get mounted up-side-down?....and what got broken as a result. The shit ya see on eBay. Amazing.

Sirius Glass · Feb 28, 2018

Also Kiron may be the name of the filter manufacturer. There is something wrong with the lens. The fact that the camera model does not appear on the body is a concern.

BradS · Feb 28, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
Also Kiron may be the name of the filter manufacturer. There is something wrong with the lens. The fact that the camera model does not appear on the body is a concern.

There is a photo in the eBay listing showing the back of the camera body...it is an clearly a Nikon FM.....but, I'm still thinking that at this point either the lens or the body or both are dorked up.

jimjm · Feb 28, 2018

The FE and FMs did not have the model designation on the front, only as part of the serial # on the back. FE2/FM2 models changed this.

The lens does not match the appearance of any 28/2.0 made by Nikon, going by the design of the aperture ring ridges and the focus ring pattern. It probably is a Kiron. The lens does appear to be mounted incorrectly, which means possible damage to the body linkage.

Theo Sulphate · Feb 28, 2018

Also, this is a first-generation FM - identifiable by the knurled selector switch around the release.

A desirable trait of these first gen FM's is that you can release the shutter with the wind lever flush to the body (well, that's the way I like it).

drkhalsa · Feb 28, 2018

The FM2 goes up to 1/4000th shutter speed, too.

A google search showed that Kiron did make a 28mm f2 lens in Nikon F mount

John Koehrer · Mar 1, 2018

It's easy enough to mount a lens incorrectly, just force it a little.
The lens is now permanently attached to the body. Any screws to take the lens or body apart are between the lens and body mounts.

mdarnton · Mar 1, 2018

I see nothing there that can't be fixed with a hacksaw, a can of gasoline, and a match.

John Wiegerink · Mar 3, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
Also Kiron may be the name of the filter manufacturer. There is something wrong with the lens. The fact that the camera model does not appear on the body is a concern.

I don't believe Kiron made filters.

GarageBoy · Mar 19, 2018

The lens and the ai feeler are indexing properly, though

jimjm · Mar 19, 2018

That's not the lens's index tab in the photo. That's a different tab that would sit at about the nine o'clock position when the aperture is set to 5.6.on AI/AIS mount lenses. It shouldn't be touching the body's index lever.

What's wrong with this picture (Nikon FM) ?

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