Worth it to repair a Nikon FE with bad shutter speeds?

waynecrider · Feb 15, 2022

In reading another recent thread on Nikons FE, FM, FM2 etc, I remember reading a remark about the Nikon FE having problems with shutter speeds. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to repair my FE or just move on. I do like the extra long exposure capabilities but not at the expense of more problems.

Sirius Glass · Feb 15, 2022

waynecrider said:
In reading another recent thread on Nikons FE, FM, FM2 etc, I remember reading a remark about the Nikon FE having problems with shutter speeds. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to repair my FE or just move on. I do like the extra long exposure capabilities but not at the expense of more problems.

What is it worth to you?

Chan Tran · Feb 15, 2022

waynecrider said:
In reading another recent thread on Nikons FE, FM, FM2 etc, I remember reading a remark about the Nikon FE having problems with shutter speeds. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to repair my FE or just move on. I do like the extra long exposure capabilities but not at the expense of more problems.

What is wrong with the shutter speeds of your FE. Although you can use shutter speed longer than 8 sec in A but I wouldn't want to do that.

waynecrider · Feb 15, 2022

Chan Tran said:
What is wrong with the shutter speeds of your FE. Although you can use shutter speed longer than 8 sec in A but I wouldn't want to do that.

No variation in shutter speeds.

AZD · Feb 15, 2022

No variation makes it sound like the actual speed is rather fast? Does the meter indicate different shutter speeds at different apertures? Do M90 and B work normally, especially B since you can hold it down indefinitely? If so, there’s possibly something going on with the magnets which hold back the rear curtain. That or the circuit that controls them. Probably something that can be fixed.

Hard to say what it’s worth to you, but I paid $50 for my last FE. I might search for another and keep the bad one around just in case. Either it becomes a parts camera, or film camera prices someday increase enough to justify CLA on an FE.

Chan Tran · Feb 16, 2022

waynecrider said:
No variation in shutter speeds.

So if you set the camera for 1 sec it would do a much shorter time?

Nitroplait · Feb 16, 2022

I have noticed that FE and FE2 prices have risen sharply during the past two years. Just saying.

MartinCrabtree · Feb 16, 2022

While it may seem that they're everywhere it won't be that way forever. IMHO if you use it repair is always best.

AZD · Feb 16, 2022

Asking prices are certainly up. And to be fair the FE has been extremely under valued, so some correction is understandable. Still, if you look around, deals can be had. I certainly wouldn’t toss a broken one. Maybe it’s an easy fix, or maybe it extends the life of another FE.

I see the OP is in Georgia. Seems like there ought to be a Nikon service center in Atlanta. It might be worth calling around for prices. For what it’s worth, my FE has an older service sticker from Forster’s Camera Service in SLC. They still repair cameras and lenses.

I hope you can find a solution that makes financial sense. Once I got an FE it was like a switch flipped on. It works the way I want a camera to work. The FE2 is a noticeable refinement, and totally killed any desire for the FM3A. But the FE is all the camera you’ll ever need. I’ll always have one around.

Chan Tran · Feb 16, 2022

AZD said:
Asking prices are certainly up. And to be fair the FE has been extremely under valued, so some correction is understandable. Still, if you look around, deals can be had. I certainly wouldn’t toss a broken one. Maybe it’s an easy fix, or maybe it extends the life of another FE.

I see the OP is in Georgia. Seems like there ought to be a Nikon service center in Atlanta. It might be worth calling around for prices. For what it’s worth, my FE has an older service sticker from Forster’s Camera Service in SLC. They still repair cameras and lenses.

I hope you can find a solution that makes financial sense. Once I got an FE it was like a switch flipped on. It works the way I want a camera to work. The FE2 is a noticeable refinement, and totally killed any desire for the FM3A. But the FE is all the camera you’ll ever need. I’ll always have one around.

I don't think Nikon would work on the FE any more. I think their policy is 10 years after discontinuation.

beemermark · Feb 16, 2022

Have said it many times on this Forum, Nikon USA won't repair much of anything. But on their website you'll find dozens of Authorized Repair Centers that will pretty much repair any Nikon. Usually they even have parts for the older models. there are 6 in Georgia - https://www.service-center-locator.com/nikon/nikon-service-center.htm

Chan Tran · Feb 16, 2022

If I am in the OP shoes I just buy another one.

destroya · Feb 16, 2022

being in georgia, you can email/call KEH as they have a service dept and ask them how much the repair would cost. add a CLA in and you have a camera that will last a long time.

gone · Feb 16, 2022

Sell it and buy another one, that way you're back shooting the day the new one arrives. While the supply will end one day, there's apparently a lot of them now. Sending cameras such as this to be repaired seems to be the most expensive route, I know from experience.

A purely mechanical camera is one thing, but these older electronic cameras.....might end up fixing one thing after another, after another. I had one of these, and it just up and died one day, the FE's do seem to have reliability issues.

waynecrider · Feb 16, 2022

FE is working. Cleaned battery department and installed new batteries. (Should have done that first, doh. I’ll blame my age) Seals look good.
Going to find a telescope and use the FE.

halfaman · Feb 16, 2022

I tend to repair all my gear while the cost does not exceed its selling price by much. It is important to maintain "alive" as much gear as possible, would be good for us and for other future users yet to come.

BrianShaw · Feb 16, 2022

Sigh. Deep sigh.

Sirius Glass · Feb 16, 2022

destroya said:
being in georgia, you can email/call KEH as they have a service dept and ask them how much the repair would cost. add a CLA in and you have a camera that will last a long time.

I have nothing but great experiences with KEH. When I brought a lens from them and had a problem, they repaired it at no cost. The repair costs would have been much more than I paid for the lens. The lens is still a keeper.

Disconnekt · Feb 17, 2022

Email Garry's Camera Rapair, he should be able to fix it, he does CLA's of FE for $68 bucks. Here's his website: http://www.garryscamera.com/nikon.htm

Autonerd · Feb 18, 2022

waynecrider said:
In reading another recent thread on Nikons FE, FM, FM2 etc, I remember reading a remark about the Nikon FE having problems with shutter speeds. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to repair my FE or just move on. I do like the extra long exposure capabilities but not at the expense of more problems.

I had this issue with my FE and had it repaired -- but a year or two later it broke again (meter not working). Probably worth it if you love the FE, but I never fell in love with mine and have other cameras I like better. As of now I have no plans to repair it.

FWIW, the FG has turned out to be my favorite Nikon... go figure!

Aaron

snusmumriken · Feb 19, 2022

Have to say, I loved my FE when I first got it, and over a decade or so grew to hate it. So my answer would be ‘No’.

benveniste · Feb 25, 2022

A friend of mine recently asked me to sell his Nikon FE, which had been a closet queen for more than a decade. I warned him that the price of a CLA was likely equal to the going price for the camera, and that's how things went down. What it does mean is that someone will be enjoying the camera, and that makes it worth the $5-$10 we lost in shipping costs.

reddesert · Feb 26, 2022

Before angsting about whether a camera is worth the cost of repair, try new batteries. Post #15 says that new batteries and cleaning the battery compartment fixed it!

Sirius Glass · Feb 26, 2022

reddesert said:
Before angsting about whether a camera is worth the cost of repair, try new batteries. Post #15 says that new batteries and cleaning the battery compartment fixed it!

Make sure the contacts are clean before putting in the new battery.

Disappointed_Horse · Feb 27, 2022

The FE has a battery check light.

I just had my first FE (purchased about 13 years ago) serviced. Ironically, the service cost the exact same amount as I spent to purchase a second FE last year. The FE is my favorite camera, and honestly I don't think any of the newer and more expensive models in the series offer much beyond what the FE offers. I actually prefer the FE as the light meter does not time out and it doesn't have the ugly markings on the front of the body (the huge model designation that doesn't match the font of the Nikon logo on the prism housing).

Worth it to repair a Nikon FE with bad shutter speeds?

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