Nikon FM vs Nikon FM2 - Which to Choose?

[@thomasmoje5926]

Bought my FM with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AI lens back in 1980. When the FM2 came out: I thought great, I'll upgrade to the newer improved version. After I reviewed the changes, I decided I didn't need shutter top speed of 1/2000th of a second, didn't need the faster flash sync speed, didn't need the titanium shutter, didn't like the operation system for the light meter (prefer the simpler 'pull the film wind lever half way out' method to turn on the light meter on the FM). The FM2/FM3 are great cameras but for my purposes my trusty old FM serves me fine.

[@stefanol9272]

I just purchased a F3 and it just came to me. that when they made all these fantastic cameras they developed them for photographers. where today it more seems more about trends than anything else !

[@geradebowden3293]

You have two beauties there. Mine is a silver FM. Silver version is more nostalgic for these vintage machines, IMHO.

[@kultursender6507]

Both cameras are Nikon classics of the early 1980s. For a Nikon fan and collector both - the FM and the FM2 should be chosen.

[@trondsi]

Thanks so much for pointing out how to connect the older lenses to the FM! I had no idea.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

trondsi That's OK!

[@robertmcneill9056]

Nice to see you back again. I've very much enjoyed your informative reviews on the Nikon FM and FE line, and also the Nikon DF. A year ago, Nikon released a digital mirrorless version of the FM2, the Nikon Z fc. I recently bought the new all-black version with 28mm SE lens. I'd like to see your take on the camera if you review it - best regards. Rob

[@fingerluck]

Finally, i got myself a Nikon FM2n because of your video. I like it a lot! Thanks

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Congratulations!

[@Smaug1]

I had an FM2 back in the day. They're the same price today as they were 25 years ago. Good camera, but the fit & finish wasn't quite up to the level of the original FM. Still quite good, and I was willing to overlook it for the higher shutter speeds.

[@thomasmoje5926]

The entire Nikon FM/FE series are great cameras. The meter in my FM is very sensitive, very fast. And I love that the lens aperture and shutter speed is visible in the viewfinder. I learned to appreciate those features in comparison to my Ftn Photomic, which is a great camera but the lack of lens aperture visible in the view finder is a bit of an inconvenience: one has to take eye away from viewfinder to look to see what the lens aperture is set at. Then again, on my Nikon AI/AIS lenses the aperture ring always turns the same direction: largest lens opening all the way rotated to the left, smallest rotated to the right. I guess I can do that by 'feel' with experience. Nice cameras I enjoyed this video.

[@Smaug1]

Very nice comparison review. I think I prefer the simpler light meter switch of the FM. Any fellow who puts it away without tucking in thewind lever deserves a dead battery. ;-) Also, the ability to take pre-AI lenses is very nice. They're much less expensive and they have a special character. On the other hand, being able to shoot ASA 400 on a bright day without an ND filter is quite sweet.

[@_ArsNova]

Great comparison, and personally love the FM2. That high shutter speed is amazing on SLRs. Love the old flash unit you have too.

[@samsen3965]

Lovely lovely cameras. On the days, I had F3 but always my eyes were on FM2 for its 1/4000 shutter speed.

[@filmic1]

I loved my FM2n. Enjoy very much your comparisons. Thanks for explaining all the salient differences.

[@PhiggysDOTcom]

Enjoyed this review I have owned in the past and the present a number of these FM series cameras I have all the models you have mentioned in this review in both black and chrome versions plus the beautiful FM2n Titanum body has pride of place on my Display units. Thanks for all the excellent reviews your doing on all these classic cameras 👍

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Thanks!

[@nuthn2do]

Allways wanted one too but couldn't afford one so settled for the 301 as well, I have 2 oldies now the FM2 and FM3A

[@HarmFlo]

The answer is simple: Both ✌🏻

[@aaronwinter1092]

I have an FM and love it! I want to get an FM2n soon. Just to have the faster shutter speed. I shoot digitally on a regular basis, especially at family gatherings, etc. but when I want to challenge myself or get creative with exposure and different film stock, I shoot with the FM.

[@kultursender6507]

After decades of the introduction into the market this Nikon classic cameras are still working properly today! Most of the competitiors like Canon, Leica or Olympus doesn´t do this and they have a higher risk of malfunctions.

[@urwholefamilydied]

0:14 "new compact body type"... well the Olympus OM-1 started the compact body type and all manufactures followed suit. Surprised it took Nikon that long. The OM-1 came out in like 1972. And their lens lineup is superb. Weird they never really took over the market. Suppose Canon and Nikon and Pentax already had a stronghold.

[@martinhidalgo7055]

you have them in beautiful condition

[@ianhand5006]

I got my FM2n for free when Jessops went bust. It was missing it's focusing screen and I have only recently acquired one for it. I also replaced the light seals as they were gooey. The E Series lens, that came with it, was jammed too, so I had to sort that out. I loaded it with some Eastman 5231 (Plus X) last weekend and I am looking forward to seeing the results.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Ian Hand Great camera . . even better when it's free!

[@srfurley]

The FM2 has contacts inside for the MF-16 data back, the FM does not. Both cameras can use the older MF-12 data back which does not use these contacts, but is triggered by a short jumper cable to the pc flash terminal on the camera.

[@thevalleyofdisappointment]

Just bought an FM from japan with the close focussing 50mm F1.8 pancake lens. The 1/4000 second shutter speed for me was meaningless...

[@mamiyapress]

Great cameras, I have the FM,FM2,FE,FE2,FA,F3,F4,F5 but not the FM3a (yet).

[@TakeEveryChance8]

God damnit

[@matthewbirchmedia]

want to sell me one?

[@johnrflinn]

What's your favorite?

[@Smaug1]

Get yourself an N90s. (F90x outside the USA) Most people seem to prefer it over the slightly older F4. I got mine last week on ebay for $30 shipped. Deal of the century.

[@ghw7192]

Either would be great, but I've left F2's and F3's sitting on the shelf and taken a couple of F2n's on a shoot instead. My current film travel bag is an F4, an F4 with a data back and an FN2n as a backup. I'm older now and like the autofocus and focus assist of the F4's (have never liked my F5), but the FM2n is my when the going gets tough always ready camera.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

ghw7192 Thanks for your comments on my videos. You have much knowledge and wisdom!

[@ghw7192]

And thanks for the compliment, but you have done quite a job preparing your most excellent videos, so you have done the difficult part and I appreciate your efforts. Please keep up the great work!

[@robinj.9329]

Prices for both the FM and the FM2 are still climbing! If you can find an FM in great condition, at a price you can live with? BUY IT NOW! They are never going to go down in price!!

[@joemolinaro5316]

I have now two FM2n, one black, one chrome and three old FMs. What I will say about the FM and FM2n, specially the FM2n, this could be the best body ever built and why?. You need no battery to operate the camera. Everything works , except the meter and was a 1/4000 in 1982, when nobody else had that. Was very reliable, smooth beautiful, all metal, like the old FM. The only thing I ever missed in both the FM and FM2n was the NO mirror lock up, since I use that a lot for night photography with a tripod, so the F3, because of the mirror lock up, was my favorite for night pictures with a tripod. Also the Olympus OM1 which I own two, have mirror lock up and this two, also I use them for night photography. The OM1, another marvel from the old times, reliable, strong, metal and WITH AN ON/OFF SWITCH, not like the other Olympus, like the OM2s which was a mess with the consumption of battery power due to the lack of this switch....

[@sammyskelly]

thank you for making this video, it was very helpful.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Samantha Skelly Glad you liked it!

[@MrGranovski]

Why not include the later version of the Nikon FM2T?

[@yoichifranck3753]

man cool comparation nice review

[@simonm.1122]

Love the FM/FE cameras. Such a simple and perfect design. I think of them as the working man’s Leica. How dumb is Nikon for not releasing a full frame all manual digital FE, manual focus only, with a special edition 50 1.2 or 1.4 AIS lens? Why is Leica the only company catering to this market? I have the Df, since it is closest we’ve gotten, but it’s design really missed the mark.

[@manuelabella7760]

Love the finish

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Manuel Abella Thanks!

[@alessio71r18]

great video, but you didn't say that Nikon FM2 has a MirrorUp function. When self timer is activated mirror comes up before the shot. that's great for long exposures and macro

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Oops! Must have missed that in this video.

[@johnrflinn]

@@Samsung9alaxy Pretty thorough description otherwise. Love these cameras. Best for winter mountaineering.

[@Garacha222]

Very thorough. An enjoyable watch-

[@nktrs]

Hi, I'm curious to know how the nikon FM compares to the canon ftb?

[@christinebilby2335]

Ok..... Make that a FM2 and motor drive as well. How cool. Oh you have a FM3A. Wow, how many models do you have? I can't wait to see that review. Wish we lived in the same town, I'd so be at your house learning and drooling over your collection

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Oh you make me smile. I love your enthusiasm. I've had most of the Nikon's, but don't keep them all!

[@mohammadashrafkhokhar5678]

both great cameras.nikon is the best

[@minisla]

Lovely examples

[@jesseknobbe5678]

Very helpfull, thanks!

[@PeopleMakePictures]

I bought a (brand new) never used FM2n body a couple of years ago from a mad camera collector. I ran a roll through it. But decided it was too bulky so sold it. Then I processed the film and to this day, some of the shots are my best..........and now I wonder should I buy another. But would I ever get a never used body again... darn it.

[@johnrflinn]

The FM2n is the best manual camera I have ever used. I love it for astrophotography with the Nikkor 28mm F2 lens.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

They require a lens with an aperture ring, so not G lenses.

[@joemolinaro5316]

Joe Molinaro 1 second ago Oh, by the way, we gave the ART of film, just in exchange for the convenience of Digital and when you talk about convenience , then Film have no game here as Digital is developed as soon as you take the picture and even you can send that photo overseas in a matter of minutes...very practical for sure....but remember, film is still alive and can be for years to come, since there are millions and millions of film cameras around planet earth, so, it all depends if we use them or not....

[@Samsung9alaxy]

I still use mine!

[@shayamaddex996]

I (almost) only use film!

[@jazzman1626]

Hmm what to choose...FM or over priced FM2

[@frogspawwwn]

I'm stuck on the same decision. What did you choose a year ago?

[@jazzman1626]

@@frogspawwwn I decided not to bother getting either and redo the light seals on my Contax RTSII INSTEAD.

[@milodermick2981]

Excellent vidéo

[@satyayaya6716]

i need some advice..which one should i choose the nikon fe or nikon fm2 ?

[@Smaug1]

It depends on what kind of shooting you'll do. If you have more time to set things on your camera, get the FM2N. The FE has aperture-priority auto-exposure, which saves a lot of time for setting exposures, and you can also shoot it in manual mode. It's more likely to poop out on you though, as it has an electronic shutter.

[@christinebilby2335]

Now I'm going to have to get me a nice FM lol. Great review yet again. Enjoyed very much. Off to find a nice example. Wish me luck 😃

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Thanks for your comments Christine. They're great semi-pro cameras. Good luck finding a nice example. Look forward to seeing your photos!

[@Smaug1]

FMs are still a good deal, used. Around $100 fora decent one; maybe $150 like our man here. FM2Ns are $250+ and FM3A.... let's not even talk about them.

[@AbdulSalam-ek3vj]

hi there, can you explain how to use the hyper focal distance meter on the 50mm f.1.8 for the street photography? thanks.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

The aperture settings of 22, 16, 11 & 5.6 are colored on the aperture ring. These colors are shown as lines on the chrome ring in front of the aperture ring. To check the hyper focal range at f22 for example, align the center of the infinity mark on the focus ring to the leftmost mark (the blue one) on the chrome ring. Now read off the value at the rightmost mark (the other blue one). So the hyper focal range at f22 on the 50mm f1.8 lens is approximately infinity to 6 feet or 1.8 meters.

[@AbdulSalam-ek3vj]

+Samsung9alaxy thank you very much. So, anything between that 1.8 m to infinity will be in-focus, yes? Although when looking through the lens the object is not focus?

[@Samsung9alaxy]

+Abdul Salam Yes! You can use the stop down lever (or depth of field preview lever) to show what will be in focus at the working aperture.

[@liempulga9484]

@@Samsung9alaxyhow about f8,f4,f2.8 and f1.8?

[@Samsung9alaxy]

@@liempulga9484 You have to guess-timate! :)

[@shamiksanyaldop]

they work with new nikon lenses??

[@Smaug1]

Nothing newer than the AF-D lenses.

[@boqu9532]

Nikon FM3A

[@user-dv9os2hx1b]

這2台有何不同？

[@joemolinaro5316]

Joe Molinaro 1 second ago My new Nikon FM, chrome body, bought it in April, 1978, $169.00 plus tax. My new Nikon F2A,black body , bought it in March 1979, $649.00 plus tax. My new MD2 and MB1 for my F2A, bought it in August 1979, $366.00,both plus tax. My Nikon F-FTN, chrome body, got it free as a gift in 1974, upon arriving at Texas. My new Nikon FM2 ,chrome body , bought it in September 1984, for $224.00 plus tax. My second FM, chrome body , Demo, bought it in October 1984 for $159.00, plus tax. My Nikon F3, bought it used in April 1986 for $250.00, no tax. MD4 bought it in Christmas 1986 new for $276.00,tax included. My new 50 to 300 F4.5 ED, bought it in October 1988 for $1,949.00, no tax. My new 300mmF2.8 ED, bought it in October 1988 for 3,299.00, no tax. My used 400mmF3.5 ED bought it 2002 for $2,100, no tax. Anybody have to be as old as I am just to remember all of this talking of mine...just to remember. I still enjoy photography a lot, BUT NOT CLOSE AS IN THOSE DAYS. Even I enjoy today two D2H, two D2X and two D3, but the joy of photography in the 1970s and 80s have no equal...film was an ART, you either do it right, or you will be stuck with a CRAPPY photo and I did plenty of it and that is how I learned to do it right....TODAY, ALL THE CRAP THAT I TAKE WITH MY D2s AND D3s, I SIMPLY FIX IT IN MY COMPUTER RIGHT AWAY...NOT AN ART AFTER ALL....

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Interesting history, and so true!

[@joemolinaro5316]

I was looking at all the receipts of all my photo equipment at the same time I was writing the comment above, so, as I was remembering when I bought those items, was looking at the receipts and that is why I was writing the prices in my comment, but it was a pleasure remembering when I got all those pieces. Specially the 1980s, was an era of cameras ,that I guess will never come back.The industry sold millions of cameras in those days in the 1980s. I like digital, but for sure wont like to lose film one days...I guess we need to keep using film as much as digital...

[@EDHBlvd]

FM3a is better than both.

[@Samsung9alaxy]

Yes, I agree! Unless you have a lot of pre-AI lenses.

[@Smaug1]

@@Samsung9alaxy Or not a lot of disposable income! For the price of an FM3A, there are a LOT of more capable options.

[@joemolinaro5316]

The FM3 should not be the FM3, but the FE3 in mi opinion...i just said...I guess...

[@md-lc8gq]

Joe Molinaro The FA should've been the FE3 as a more advanced camera im the same way as the FM3 is a improvement over the FM2

[@Smaug1]

I agree with m d. It really has the best of both the FE and FM series'. FM was and is more popular, so they went with 'FM3' instead. ;-)

[@EC-ol8nz]

Most kids born after 1990 won’t use all the features, after their hipsters phase. But hey buy them anyway, great history and craftsmanship... let me translate that for u hipsters... craftspersonship 😎

[@stardarkroomequipment9495]

well that was a total boring why bother video