A great second body...

Nikon FM3A Review
by Chris Groenhout

Back in 1987 I purchased my first Nikon - an FE2 to replace an increasingly frustrating Olympus OM10. By a sheer stroke of luck, I had moved from one of the worst (though most popular) cameras ever made to one of the best, and was hooked on it for the next 10 years. Unfortunately in 1989, Nikon ceased production of the FE2 and a highly successful 6 year production of this gem came to an end...

For the uninitiated, Nikon had and to some extent, has three designations on their cameras. The 'E' in FE2 stands for electronic, while the 'M' in FM2 is for, you guessed it - mechanical. The 'F' series of cameras (Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, F5) are referred to as the 'Professional' series, though often the only difference is the interchangeable prism and a 100% viewfinder.

So where does this leave the new FM3a? Some have likened the camera to the Nikon FM2 with its mechanical shutter enabling its use in cold and remote situations. I prefer to compare it to the FE2 with its TTL flash metering, aperture priority exposure and match-needle indication of correct exposure. Regardless of where you draw comparisons, the Nikon FM3a is a new camera in its own right which seems set to turn heads.

* What IS the FM3a???

For those born since the auto-focus revolution, this camera is manual focus only - yes, you have to focus on the subject yourself - bummer huh! Nikon is one of the few manufacturers that has stuck with manual focus, not only in the production of a handful of cameras (the FM2, FM10, FE10 and F3) but also the support of older manual focus lenses on currently available cameras - something that can't be said for Canon. Another technological advance missing is automatic film advance, or motor wind though this can be facilitated by the use of the MD12 motor drive (3.2 fps), an old favorite from the FE2/FM2 days. An added bonus is that this drive makes the camera easier to hold with large lenses and balances it when a Speedlight flash unit is attached on-top.

The 570g camera is small and elegant. Cast from aluminum, the chassis is finished off with brass top and bottom plates. As with the FE2 and FM2, the camera is available in chrome/black or all-black, so you won't see much of that brass until well into the camera's life when the edges start to get worn. Nikon's all-metal design is a refreshing change from recent moves toward plastic components which don't survive contact with hard objects quite as well as solid metal.

On top, you see the traditional shutter-speed dial with times from 1/4000 of a second to 1 second as well as 'B' (bulb) for longer, timed exposures. These are mechanical shutter speeds, unaffected by battery power. An obvious omission here is the lack of longer timed shutter speeds as in the case of the FE2 (up to 8 seconds), though this would be very difficult to implement with a mechanical shutter. Discretely placed one 'notch' after 1/4000 is 'A' or aperture priority and your gateway to the FM3a's electronic shutter. When the FM3a is set to 'A', stepless shutter speeds from 1/4000 to 8 seconds are possible as is TTL flash metering with various Speedlight flash units right up to the current SB28 and SB-50DX. Incidentally, there's also a PC flash socket on the camera's front plate for use with studio or off-camera flash units.

Film advance is very traditional - one turn of the lever and it's done! Those familiar with Nikon cameras of course know that nothing happens till the lever is slightly out from the body - something I should have mentioned to a friend who borrowed my FE2 many years ago and brought it back 3 days later unable to get it working. If the MD12 motor drive is used there is no need to leave the lever out from the body - the camera's meter is activated by depressing the MD12 shutter button slightly. Another interesting and quirky feature is the multiple exposure lever on the edge of the film advance lever. Hold it in and turn the lever and the shutter is wound, but not the film. Using the MD12 you can make multiple exposures on one frame of film effortlessly by just holding the lever down and applying the motor drive.

Moving right along, you'll find the film rewind crank on the opposite side, surrounded by a multi-use dial which not only adjusts the film's ISO rating but also exposure compensation from -2 to +2 stops. A small LED in the viewfinder reminds you that this feature is set, but no further information is given. To obtain automatic film speed setting (DX), rotate the ISO dial past the 12 ISO setting until 'DX' appears in the window. Electronic contacts inside the camera's film compartment will then set the film speed appropriately. In addition, there's a small identification window on the rear of the camera, so you don't forget what's inside! (gone are the days of tatty film box lids stuck to the camera back)

As previously mentioned, this camera uses match-needle metering, unlike the LED system of the FM2 camera. I've been a personal fan of this for many years as it shows you at one glance not only your current or selected shutter speed but also what the meter suggests and a visual indication of how far over or under exposed you are. The down-side of this is a lack of viewfinder illumination which makes shooting in low-light difficult (eg. band/theatre photography). A small exposure lock button on the rear of the camera can help by allowing you to meter, then 'freeze' the reading so that it can be interpreted in better light. This feature was available on the FE2 but was awkwardly placed on the self-timer dial. Apart from exposure details and a flash-ready indication LED, the viewfinder also has a small window which displays the current aperture directly off the lens. The camera uses interchangeable screens similar to those from the FE2/FM2 series - split image, matte, grid etc...


* A quick look through the specs...

The camera can use all virtually all Nikon F mount lenses with little or no modification. Early non-AI lenses may require some modification so the AI coupling lever doesn't jam against the aperture ring. On early FE and FM cameras, this lever could be retracted, but clearly the use of these 20 or 30 year old lenses is becoming less and less common. More importantly, the camera will work beautifully with all current AF lenses apart from the budget G series lenses which have no aperture ring.

Exposure metering is via Nikon's ever-reliable 60:40 centre weighted system. The absence of spot and matrix metering could be seen by some as a glaring omission, but to the dedicated FE/FM fan, the meter reading has only ever been seen as a 'starting point' anyway - why else would they include an exposure compensation dial?

As previously mentioned, this camera is unique in that it offers the user both a mechanical and electronic shutter, something seen in only a few cameras previously (eg. Canon F-1, Pentax LX). This is by far the biggest draw-card of the camera and allows the use of the camera in very low temperatures or without battery power, or both. In warmer climates, or when you remember to buy spare batteries, the electronic shutter offers extremely accurate and reliable exposures right down to 8 seconds and TTL exposure with flash - something not possible with the FM2 and much sought after by wedding and press photographers.

Unlike Nikon's 'Professional' series of cameras the viewfinder shows about 93% of the image, approximately the same as what you see when you mount a slide or get a minilab print done. This is generally ok, but for purists who print full-frame it is unacceptable.

Other features include a depth of field preview button, invaluable when trying to get all your subject in focus, and a mechanical self-timer which neither flattens the battery nor beeps! The self-timer can also be used to fire the shutter when a cable release isn't available and as the self-timer locks up the mirror prior to exposure, the results could even be sharper!


* Summary

I'd say Nikon is onto a winner here. The aesthetics, handling and construction are second to none despite the price-tag being a third of similar European cameras. Twenty years ago, few photographers treated the FM or FE cameras as classics but what we have here is destined to become one regardless of who buys it or for what. I can see it appealing to students, wedding photographers, press photographers, travelers, even dentists (if they have room in their collection for something not made by Leica). Let's just see how long Nikon chooses to produce the FM3a - maybe this time they'll realise they're on a good thing!

Chris Groenhout
http://www.chrisgroenhout.com