Nikon FE Camera. House Clearance Find. Will it work?

[@theoldfilmbloke]

YO !! Yes - it's the 'Infamous ' PETER ELGAR as mentioned ( thanks for the plug Roger ! ) I bought an FE outfit with 3 Nikkor lenses for Wife Eden years ago for £90 quids all in .. in 'mint condition' but she has 'dinged the 50mm and the 105mm f2.5 Nikkors. It needed all the foam seals renewed + mirror bumper so I got a sheet for 85P from 'Hobby Crafts' Romford and it has done LOADS of Cameras ! She won loads of awards at Brentwood & District Photographic Club with FE shots but now uses her blasted 'Gadget' same as our 2 Kids so I have 'taken it over' and give it a run out every so often. You didn't mention the 'M90' shutter setting which uses NO Battery .

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Ha ha ha..... I forgot That m90 shoots at 1/90

[@keimahane]

Found a very clean FE in a used shop this morning, was being sold for parts for around $15 US. I asked the guy why, what was wrong with it, he said the mirror is locked up, it wont advance or fire. Seeing it had no batteries in it, I set the shutter to M90 while he was helping another customer and of course the mirror came down, so I bought it. 2 LR44 batteries later, it works great :)

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Ha ha brilliant.

[@lensman5762]

The FE is a classic and a brilliant camera, an absolute gem. I had one in the late 70s. Still miss it even though, I have an FE2 and FM2. These are what cameras should be built like. One tip, the self timer is mechanical and is variable. What it does when activated is to raise the mirror first . The FE's mirror is well damped , but still to reduce vibration to zero. you can just set the self timer for 2s or so and activate the mirror lock up.

[@russellspeight5175]

Works without a battery on M90 speed. They often appear jammed and mirror stuck - change the speed to M90 and it'll fire then add new batteries (little switch rear top left as looking at it, is a battery indicator light). Like astrophotography or night photography and cant be bothered with working out the exposure - set the FE to AUTO and it'll do it for you - excellent long exposure capabilities. Want a mirror lock up feature to avoid mirror slap? Use it on self timer and it does by default.

[@guillermoperezsantos]

The FE is the best Nikon Manual Focus body money can buy, period!!! XD

[@serkanreis]

Push on the self timer lever towards the lens mount and you have your AE-L (Auto Exposure Lock) on your FE. 😊

[@tonyb2760]

I have an FM, which preceeded the FE. It's all mechanical with a functioning meter and is an absolute gem of a camera. I love it.

[@thedondeluxe6941]

Awesome little camera, that one. I was given one by my brother a couple of years ago. He hadn't used it for at least 15 years, probably more like 20. And it just sprung back to life immediately! Even the battery still worked! Seems like a really well built machine, and still works with the one M90 mechanical shutter speed even if the battery drains.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Solid aren't they Don

[@jimgraves4197]

The FE is a great camera, that one looks in fine shape and that lens is a beauty.

[@Netcom27]

Such a beauty! Love me FE2 and FM2

[@keimahane]

I have an FM2 and my wife has an FE2, always fun to go out together and get some shooting in. Of course, we only have one set of lenses, so that discussion is always fun :)

[@Netcom27]

@@keimahane we usually share these cameras the same you do. It's good to have different focal lengths so to get different perspectives of the same trip :) Cheers!

[@tomislavmiletic_]

You don't have to keep advancing leaver open if you have the MD12 motor drive attached to the camera, it will still work.

[@JonnyEnglish-gu1cs]

Nice looking camera won’t mind adding it to my collection 👍🏻

[@michaelprior7459]

A test that the curtains are opening and closing relatively accurately is as follows: remove the lens, open the film back and point the camera at a bright white wall. Fire the shutter at the fastest speed while looking through the film opening and make sure you have an evenly lit white rectangle burnt into your vision. If the light isn't even across the frame, it means the curtains are out of sync and need a service.

[@mtesh0094]

Got one myself that belonged to my uncle! Started shooting film on it a few years back. I recently upgraded to the FE2 mainly for the shutter speed. Also quick note, love the skit and edits!

[@IainHC1]

I have the FM, F, F2, N90s and love em all :-) Tanks all of em!! :-)

[@victorcarmelo8606]

Back in the sixties I owned a Minolta 16p. It was just a point and shoot camera using cartridges filled with 16mm film, hence the 16 etched on the body but can't remember what the P stood for. It was nothing like a subminiature Minnox Camera which used 8mm film I believe. That FE is a beauty, looks like it came out of a box brand new. Thanks for sharing.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I thought you meant the price for a moment ha ha

[@victorcarmelo8606]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Probably wasn't worth that much either but a collect might pay a bit more !!!

[@JanneRanta]

I like buying outlet boxes. Just got a box with 2 fed 3's in it. Both missing bits and bit broken but I sacrificed one as a donor and now got one hopefully working fed 3. Also at the moment testing a vitoret that was in the box and had to fix up to bring to life.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Great if you can fix old cameras Janne

[@JanneRanta]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss I wont touch the shutter mechanism but I can clean & lube and fix simpler things. It's fun as hell to see how they work.

[@johnpeschke7723]

i have 2...love 'em

[@kencarnley7101]

Great Introduction!

[@odukar2315]

Great little machine! I own three of them (1xsilver/2x black), in near mint condition :-) Never had any problem.

[@RickMahoney2013]

Beautiful camera

[@martinhensonphotography]

Top notch video again, lovely camera, I think they launched the FM around the same time, is the prism finder removable on them Roger, a key factor for the pro photographer, these were probably aimed at the keen amateur's or back up camera for professional guys, all the same superb SLR

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Thanks Martin. No this prism doesn't come off.

[@michaelwhiles5282]

YES - once called the 'compact Nikon' alongside the FM, the FE is a real classic - far more robust than Canons, Olympus or Contax of the same age - I KNOW I've OWNED plenty of them. Currently running an FE (my first silver as I'd always gone 'pro' black before) together with a Nikkormat FT2 (brick S house even better made) as well as several digital cameras.... ENJOY.

[@ifitworksproductions]

My oldest friend's dad sent me two of his old Nikon cameras a few weeks ago. A D70, and a beautiful FE. I have a roll of Fuji 400 in the FE right now!

[@ifitworksproductions]

Oh-- the FE will fire in M90 (and maybe Bulb) without the battery.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

That was a result!

[@brycepinson8641]

Steve! Another great photographer. Knows a thing or two about film as well.

[@mrstandfast2212]

I reckon that you should buy that camera if you can. The Nikon FE could quite reasonably be described as all the camera you'll ever need. They were the pinnacle of mechanical 35mm cameras before plastics and electronics took over. The Nikkor 50mm f1.8 is an absolutely splendid lens, and unless you're obsessed with bokeh, it's every bit as good as the faster and much more expensive Nikkor 50s, and the bokeh ain't bad at all. You could do a series of videos whereby you shoot in different situations with the discipline of using this camera and lens combination only. I notice that you don't crop much in the darkroom, with this camera and lens you could show how it could easily double as an 80mm or even 100mm by dint of cropping the image. For those taking up film photography, it would actually be a better idea to start with a camera of this quality. If you enjoy the results, ( and you really should ) you need never buy another camera, just upgrade with a couple of lenses and a flash. In the long term, it would work out better economically. I utterly love my own FE 2. The only camera I like as much is my Olympus OM-2N. Both are beautifully made, a joy to use and the engineering quality is superb. It's difficult to convey in words just what a pleasure it is to handle cameras such as these. It takes the whole process of taking pictures to another level. I can never decide which I like best so I'm keeping both.

[@bfs5113]

I have a FE2 that served as a backup to my F2A back then. The most noticeable shortcoming about the FE2 is that it isn't kind to left-eye dominant photographer and a MD-12 become a necessity.

[@rgssaurus930]

Great fun watching your video Roger. Great camera, I looked at it to replace my FG (too small) but the prices are going crazy

[@TheEPROM9]

My dad had a Nikon FE2 that he gave to me back in 2012. Amazing camera. Came with the sex on a stick 50mm f1.8 Series E lens. I have herd people prefer the FE to the FE2 so I can only imagen how amazing it is to use. My FE2 nails the exposure every time.

[@dynamotv]

One small issue I found with my FE that I got for $30 was the infinite advance issue that seemed to be common with these cameras back in the day. So I would advise trying to advance the film twice without firing off the shutter. If it continues to advance without firing the shutter, you will need to get that little issue fixed. I say "little" because it looks like a five minute fix if you know what you're doing.

[@giannidigirolamo8868]

Same tests that I run too when I see a camera at the flea market. Great video as usual 👍

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Thanks 👍

[@Nickporter17]

Your friend was super lucky! Just the lens on that thing is worth like $200 now. It's the Japanese specific 50 mm F1.8 pancake. Focuses down to 0.45 m. That's what makes it the collectors special.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

How I wish I'd bought it 🤦

[@andymiller4971]

My FE is a joy to use , my preference is aperture priority , the light meter is superb ...an eBay bargain of 80 quid .

[@GigiDAmico]

with lens?

[@andymiller4971]

@@GigiDAmico ...any of the af/d lenses in manual focus ,also the E type pancake lens .

[@funkyuk1]

FE fires without batteries on M90. (Or it should do). Belting little camera. I picked up a minter recently too 👍🏼

[@donaldharvey1000]

Great video, some brilliant tips. $435 in 1968 would now be around $3,300!

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Crikey!!

[@carlmcneill1139]

I have come across an FE on fb market for a decent price but the seller said the light meter only works in auto mode. Is it possible that the camera has to be setup up a certain way for the meter to work in manual mode and be doesn't know that? Maybe the light meter indicator isn't working but it still meters and that's why it still gets the exposure correct in auto mode. I've never seen an FE before let alone used one. I just picked up a Canon AE-1 recently at a thrift shop for $85 USD. It has the Canon squeal on the shutter. Nothing a few drops of oil in the right place can't fix.

[@terrywbreedlove]

I have had two FE cameras and loved them. Actually prefer them over my F3HP because of the meter. It is easier to see and use. But both broke in the same way and the winder gets stuck.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Damn!

[@statelypenguin]

I also have two FE's and prefer them over my F3HP because of the meter. The winder on my first FE broke, so I bought another, and then the winder on the first one started working before my new one even arrived. I hate the meter on the F3, so I mostly use the FE.

[@incredibleish7384]

I started shooting film with my dad's FE last year, great camera. I went the canon route when I bought my own camera because I have canon DSLR's and couldn't quite get used to the focusing and aperture being backwards.

[@TheManFrayBentos]

Recently got an FE to add to my small retro mostly manual Nikon collection, basically just to try it out. It needs light seals, but is mechanically sound although it shows signs of much use, unlike that hardly-used one of yours in that box. Hardly-used SLRs were fairly common, as most were bought as indulgences and only brought out during summer hols and maybe at Xmas.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Seals are easily DIY replaced. Hope you get it sorted

[@janhenkins]

I see that there is an old Olympus XA2 in there, complete with flash! If you can get that to work, it's lovely little range focus shooter.

[@monkeysausage2404]

Aren't most charity shops wise to the value of old camera and put them straight on eBay so finding gems like this is very rare.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

More than likely!

[@Taz6688]

I am gobsmacked to see one with no mould, working shutter and no light leaks, this looks like it was almost made yesterday.

[@eltinjones4542]

I have one in good condition. I bought it new in 1984 😱 I had a Nikon f2.8 28mm lens delivered today but I also have the original 50mm F1.8 kit lens It's loaded with Trix 400 ? . So ready to go after many years on the shelf The only problem is that my right eye is banjaxed so I can only use my left The winder handle will therefore Finnish off my right eye 🤣📷👍

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

😂😂😂

[@JohnTomasella]

That looks like Nikons answer to my Canon AE-1 program.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Cankon... Lol

[@nathanpeacock7651]

Great skit!! 😂

[@donyee8970]

Hope your camera fetches a nice price!

[@mathewrupp8568]

I have a couple FM's and a couple of FE's. I prefer the FM due to the FE seems to eat batteries. I ended up with the FE's due to the lenses that were on them, it's often cheaper to bid on a camera with the lens you want then to bid on a lenses by it's self. The FE's go pretty cheap here in the US at least they did a year ago. The thing you have to watch out for with these small Nikons is the film rewind, seems to be a weakness. One of my FM and FE's have film advance issues, not spacing correctly when advanced. They came out with these to compete with Olympus and appeared to be better built and more solid, however my OM-1's and OM-2 just keep going with zero problems. Now I stick to the pro class F2, F3 and soon F4. If you think shooting it is a pain with the shutter advance pulled out try shooting it left handed another reason I like the F3.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I did think of shooting left handed. Not sure I'd get used to it ha ha

[@SilntObsvr]

Oh! I got my first Minolta 16 forty years ago -- still got the 16II and 16Mg that I picked up at a pawn shop in 1981 (along with a bunch of additional cameras in the same format, including two from Russia). A bit more work getting those going than that FE, or one of your 120 film folders, but it's still possible. Right in the middle of the FE run (1981) I bought a used 1967 Mercury Caliente, perfect running condition with minor body damage (which was later fixed and painted by me, my dad, and my brother) for $400. It was something of a bargain, but not that exceptional (car was probably really worth $600 or so with the dented fender). So that $435 new retail was about the price of *an older used car in good condition*. Which explains why I never owned a Nikon back in the day... BTW, I see an Olympus XA with flash in the corner of that box, too -- those are excellent and extremely compact cameras, assuming the shutter release works (if not, it's repairable, but this is a known weak point for this family). I've got one around here somewhere (still in a box from my last move, I'm pretty sure).

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I was thinking I never heard of a mercury camera before ha ha, then read on its a car. There were a few point and shoots. They are cheap on ebay. Most about £10. Great story there

[@SilntObsvr]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Well, there was the Univex Mercury, a 35mm half frame with rotary disk focal plane shutter...

[@klofisch]

Actually there should be no issues with the shutter speed when it is an electronic camera.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Unless someone has hacked into it!

[@neilpiper9889]

I love my FE. I also like that it doesn't have the model number on the front, same as the FM. I can use all my old Nikon non AI lenses on it. It came with a 50mm f1. 8, but I use it with my old non ai 50mm f1.4 s-c and a non ai 105mm f2.5 because of the bokeh. You can't do that with the FE2.

[@jasongold6751]

All one needs is a single Neon light. No film, lens off, open back, look from left and right at light. From the back of camera. T fast speeds as single flash of light! If you see flash at high speeds 1/500, 1/1000 th. Repeat a fee times to see the light! Oh! Lots of repair folks do this! Only Neon tube light.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Interesting Jason!

[@donaldgenenavarro]

that is a sexy camera. love my k1000.

[@roybixby6135]

Nikon FE are Really great cameras - back in the day I had a couple as backups to my pro-level Nikons. Unbelievably reliable - even with more electronics than the FM. B.T.W. - I bought a shutter tester for AU$20 from vfmoto.com

[@arty2917]

I own a lot of Nikons. My FE gets the most use. You should buy it for yourself.

[@rorryl80]

Roger the reason you need a 35mm camera is.....as a photographer you always need just one more camera

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Ha ha like being in a pub

[@rorryl80]

Yes sir

[@Nickporter17]

😂😂😂

[@snapsnappist4529]

Crappy cameras? Oh, absolutely. That XA2 with attached flash is total rubbish. Send it to me and I'll make sure to dispose of it for you.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Ha ha... Couldn't tell him that

[@masahiroyamagami407]

NIKON FEにはAEロック機能が有るので、あなたは説明すべきだと思う。

[@mamiyapress]

" what do I want with another 35mm camera" I have five Nikon FE cameras alone, not to mention all the other cameras. You made a mistake by letting this fantastic camera go.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

It's still not ended.....