Last year, I surpassed the 200 camera mark in my film camera collection, and out of those, only one camera sported the name Nikon: My mother’s mid-1980s N2000 (known as the F-301 outside of North America), which I inherited when she passed a few years ago. It had been a gift to her from my father, and despite its simplicity, it was a little too much camera for her, and saw very little use. When I finally got around to using it, I came away relatively unimpressed. That was a few years ago, and while I need to give it a second chance, my sour opinion of it left me wondering why so many people are so enamored of Nikon cameras, and haven’t ever been able to shake the feeling that I was simply missing something. Recently, I seem to have gotten a glimpse of the reasons for all that Nikon Love among a certain subset of film camera enthusiasts.
The Back Story
Since roughly mid-2022, I’ve been on a bit of a 35mm SLR kick for reasons I can’t explain. Let’s be honest here: There’s just not that much difference between 35mm SLRs. Sure, one might have a broader range of speeds, or a mirror lock-up, or a self-timer, or a shutter release button on the front rather than the top, or be heavier (or lighter), or bigger (or smaller), or have a meter built-in (or not), or have some sort of auto mode, etc., etc. But with interchangeable lens cameras, like the vast majority of 35mm SLRs, as long as the camera functions properly, it’s little more than a light-tight box, and what really matters is the lens. That being said, the camera body is where most of the aesthetic aspects and user experience come from, so it’s not like it’s irrelevant. For whatever reason, I became fascinated with all the variation, and the evolution of SLRs from the earliest ones of the 1930s through the 50s, the 60s, 70s, 80s and into the “automatic everything” plasticky 90s, wanting to experience a broad swath of examples.
While Minoltas, Pentaxes, Canons, and myriad other 35mm SLRs can be had for relatively little money (unless a super-desirable model), for some reason, Nikons — even the entry-level Nikkormat models — command a premium over equivalent non-Nikon models, and that extends to the lenses as well. It’s purely empirical on my part, but it appears that the premium is between 25% and 50%, give or take (as of early 2023, anyway), and I never understood why. What could possibly be different between a typical Nikon and an equivalent typical-some-other-brand camera?
The opportunity to acquire my Nikon FE came from GoodwillFinds, one of the two e-commerce platforms used by independent Goodwill charities in the United States. GoodwillFinds launched in October 2022, and I found it only a month later, by chance. Unlike the other site (ShopGoodwill), GoodwillFinds is not an auction site, but a set-price sales platform. (ShopGoodwill has fixed price listings too, but the majority are auctions.) In December, I’d made a few purchases from GoodwillFinds, and had some bad experiences with it; in fact as I write this, their technology and customer service are still lacking. Search doesn’t work, even brand filtering has been broken for weeks now, and if you have a problem with an order, good luck getting a response from them.
But I digress; I got a form email in January from the site, apologizing for the rough launch and the issues they’ve been having — and offering a 40% discount on a future purchase. What better way to save some money than finding a Nikon on which to use the discount?
The site had one, listed by Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington. It was listed as having been tested, which was encouraging, as most cameras sold by either of the Goodwill sites are untested, and tested or not, are always sold as-is, all sales final — so some level of confidence the thing worked was a plus. It was listed at US$80, so with the 40% discount, it was still higher than I normally pay for cameras that are mostly just to pad the collection, but I bought it nevertheless.
When it arrived, it was a bit dirty, as most Goodwill purchases are; they do not clean or do anything to the donations they receive, and most have been sitting around in closets and attics and basements, I would guess. But putting a couple of silver oxide batteries into the bottom and giving it a basic test revealed that indeed, it was fully functional. Even the exposure meter on-board tested as operating perfectly, and accurately. Success! All it needed was a good clean, a new mirror damper, and new door seals — things I regularly do on my workbench.
The camera came with Series E 50mm f/1.8 “pancake” lens, a seeming cult classic that supposedly punches above its weight, and seems to command a price above its weight too. (Some would say that “pancake” is a bit of a stretch for this lens, but most users seem to see it as such.) Back in 2019, writer Josh Solomon wrote a treatise about it over at Casual Photophile (read it here). Since the Series E lens on my mom’s N2000 is one of the things I disliked about it (her camera also has a Series E 50mm f/1.8, but of the other style Nikon produced), I was concerned about what I might find on the FE, or how it’d perform. While I’ve not yet done enough shooting with it to really validate everything Mr. Solomon wrote, his experience excites me about what I might experience over time.
The Camera
The Nikon FE was produced for five years, beginning in 1978. Most sources indicate that the FE was positioned in the market as a mid-tier model, sitting between the entry-level Nikkormat line, and the top-tier, pro-level Nikons of the era. In today’s dollars, it sold originally for the equivalent of more than US$1,400, and that’s a body-only price; hardly an inexpensive purchase.
One of the most desirable aspects of the FE is its lens compatibility, able to use most F-mount lenses — unlike many Nikon models. Compatible lenses include Non-AI, AI, AI-Modified, AI-S, Series E and AF lenses, thanks in large part to the ability to fold-up the meter coupling lever on the body. Because the FE has no mirror lock-up, some specialized lenses won’t fit the camera, but its extremely wide compatibility otherwise makes it a great choice for many Nikon enthusiasts.
Able to be used fully manually, the camera also provides an aperture-priority automatic mode, which when it comes to automatic modes is my personal favorite, owing to its ease of use, and the fact that my first 35mm SLR (a Minolta XG-1) offered that mode as the only method of exposure metering. The Nikon FE implements the concept much better than my old XG-1, however, as it shows you everything you need in the viewfinder itself.
The aperture setting is displayed at the top of the viewfinder via an optical peep hole, while the shutter speed setting and meter needle are along the left. That left side shows all the speeds, along with A (for automatic), B (for bulb), and M (for mechanical fallback, more on that later). A green flag indicates the current speed setting, while the moving needle shows you what the camera thinks is the right answer for the shutter speed given the set aperture, using its center-weighted TTL metering. Activating the meter is a matter of simply popping-out the film advance lever from its resting position; a red dot printed on the body is then visible. (Push it back to turn the meter off.)
The FE has an electronically-controlled shutter. It’s not clear to me whether it’s an actual Copal Square shutter or not — I tend to like SLRs sporting one — but the concept is the same: a vertical travel, metal curtain shutter. Being electronically controlled, the camera does need working batteries for the shutter to function at its listed speeds. There is, however, a mechanical fallback speed of 1/90th of a second. You can manually choose this mechanical setting by moving the shutter speed dial to M90; the green flag in the viewfinder will move to the “M” position. In theory, flat (dead) batteries will force the camera to this mode, but I discovered that at least with my camera, it won’t actually function properly until or unless the shutter is actually set to M90. (With my camera, anyway, if it’s not, the mirror doesn’t return after the shutter is released.)
What I find I really like about the Nikon FE is the wide range of miscellaneous so-called “quality-of-life” features. They include:
- The presence of an on-board self-timer.
- The ability to do multiple exposures.
- Depth-of-field preview (stop-down) button.
- An interlock that prevents you from pulling the rewind knob up and opening the back door of the camera inadvertently.
- Interchangeable focusing screens.
- Stop-down metering for older Nikon lenses.
- Exposure lock (or what Nikon calls memory lock) to enable you to use aperture priority mode in mixed lighting situations by centering the view on the desired part of a subject to meter the scene, but then recompose afterward.
- A top speed of a fast 1/1000th of a second, with a low-end manually-settable speed of 8 seconds (along with 4, 2, and 1 second exposures). Automatic exposure is reported to work clear out to 1 minute.
- A self-timer, but one that’s cancellable.
- Easily settable exposure compensation from –2 to +2.
- The ability to use readily-available, modern batteries (rather than obsolete mercury ones), typically SR44 silver oxide, but LR44 alkaline batteries will work as well.
- Convenient battery check lever and LED on the back panel.
- An easily removable back door.
Simply put, it makes a great platform for 35mm photography.
The Experience
For me, much of my enjoyment of photography comes down to the gear, something that probably wouldn’t surprise anyone who regularly reads this website, or follows the site’s Instagram account. At times, I wonder if I’m even a photographer — or just a guy who’s crazy for cameras. Not shocking then that when the Nikon FE arrived, my ownership of it began the way it does for all my new acquisitions: Some extended time on the workbench, receiving an assessment, and a thorough cleaning — also referred to as my “bonding ritual.”
I was relieved when I discovered that the camera’s focusing screen was absolutely spotless. It’s no reflection on the camera itself of course, but it was encouraging that as the first SLR I’ve ever seen with a completely clean focusing screen, there was no need to disassemble the top housing and prism for cleaning. It did, however, need the usual careful exterior cleaning, as well as its mirror damper foam replaced, and door seals replaced as well; this is virtually always the case with old SLRs that have been sitting around for a few decades.
Once fully cleaned, loaded with fresh batteries, and ready to go, I next tested the light meter for accuracy. Compared to my modern Gossen light meter, it was dead-on in all the lighting situations I went through; a very good start indeed.
Even before loading my first roll of film, however, I found myself impressed by the fluidity and smoothness of the camera’s action. Releasing the shutter and flipping the film advance lever both operated perfectly, and felt good. In fact, the entire camera simply feels good in the hand. Cameras of its age (made in the late 70s / early 80s) seem to me to be a sweet spot in the SLR evolution, with the cameras neither too heavy (like the all-metal boat anchors of the 60s), nor too plasticky and light (like the ones from the late 80s and into the 90s and beyond). And with its relatively compact body, it strikes a nice balance in terms of handling and usability as well.
Once loaded with film, it was as good in practice as it was when I dry-fired it: smooth, and fluid; easy to handle, and enjoyable. As I mentioned earlier, the fact that all the information you need is in the viewfinder, once you can get your way around the lens by feel, you can set things up, meter, and compose without taking the camera from your eye.
When I shot the inaugural roll through the camera, I was pairing it up with a 1960s Petri V VI (no, that’s not a typo; call it a Petri V6 if you prefer). For each image, I photographed the scene with one camera, then immediately with the other. While a review of the Petri will come soon enough (and it’s a camera I really like as well), the Nikon FE had a noticeably brighter focusing screen, and of course, the ability to meter with the camera and see those settings clearly did make me always want to reach first for the Nikon.
So much of using a camera comes down to gut feel — a collection of hard-to-quantify combinations of usability, sound, feel, aesthetics, weight, balance, and all the niceties that one camera might have while another does not. It’s hard to describe, and it’s hard to defend; one simply reacts to a camera, making judgments and assessment in big ways and small that can come only from using something. And with the Nikon FE, it endeared itself to me almost from the beginning. It exudes quality construction, outstanding design and engineering, and I find myself just feeling good because I have it in my hands.
Most film cameras bring me joy just because they’re film cameras, and it’s the one I’m holding at the moment. But where things land on the continuum between “acceptable” and “impressive” can vary, and I have to say, the Nikon FE is already firmly and clearly among my favorite 35mm SLRs. The Yashica FR-1 and perhaps the Minolta X-700 both come out ahead for various reasons, but if the Nikon FE is representative of the average Nikon SLR, I finally understand what so many passionate Nikon owners see in them.
The Accessories
My Nikon FE didn’t come with any accessories, but among them are the MD-11 motor drive, SB-10 shoe-mount flash (although other Nikon speed lights work as well), and of course, various cases, lens hoods, etc. — not to mention a wide range of lenses as discussed earlier on.
The Results
As I finish this article, I’ll confess that I’ve only run a single roll of film through the Nikon FE at this point, but the results are pleasing. (I’ll update this review at a later date with additional shots, including [hopefully!] some in color.) All these images are taken on Ilford’s Kentmere 100, with the lens that came with the camera (described earlier), and utilized the FE’s on-board metering.
This roll was taken in parallel with a roll in my Petri V VI, meaning I took each subject twice, once with each camera and its respective standard lens. The Petri’s lens is 55mm; the Nikon’s 50mm. As a result, the framing is slightly different.
While I think both the Nikon and the much older Petri both performed quite well, I honestly feel that the Petri’s images are slightly better, with sharpness that’s comparable if not a bit better than the Nikon, and with contrast that to my eye has an edge. (I’ll note that both rolls of film were processed together, so the chemistry, agitation, temperature control, etc., were identical.)
This wasn’t the result I was expecting, quite frankly. But it’s not to say that the Nikon FE — or more accurately its Series E 50mm f/1.8 “pancake” lens — is anything to sneeze at. And everything I said in the narrative above holds true; in short, it’s a beautiful and very satisfying camera to use. But I do think that to get the “full Nikon experience,” it might take using one of Nikon’s more professional-grade lenses.
