Does anyone have an old Nikkormat FTN ?

Mr Bump

Mr Bump

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I'm drawn to this old Nikon and have been considereing taking the plunge to add to my FE2 and FM2 as an older sibling.

anyone any experience?
 
I've got a few ;) solid, built like tanks but it's my goto camera if I want the basic 1960's film experience.
 
Well Nick its funny you say 60's and build as thats whats in my head.
I have seen a minter with the 50mm F2 for £140 delivered.

working light metre as well.
 
Yes... but I'm not selling it!! (or lending it or giving it away).

Have your current Nikkor lenses got the meter coupling prong on them?


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
Yes... but I'm not selling it!! (or lending it or giving it away).

Have your current Nikkor lenses got the meter coupling prong on them?


Steve.
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ha ha I have one in mid, whats your views on it?
 
Steve Smith said:
Yes... but I'm not selling it!! (or lending it or giving it away).

Have your current Nikkor lenses got the meter coupling prong on them?


Steve.
Click to expand...

Yes I have some with prongs but the camera i am looking at comes with a correct 50mm F2
 
Mr Bump said:
ha ha I have one in mid, whats your views on it?
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The FTn was my first Nikon SLR. As far as I remember, it was solid and reliable. Like an idiot, I traded it in for a Nikon FG. There's nothing wrong with the FG, but equally, there was nothing wrong with the FTn either. I just wanted the Nikon logo as it was cooler than Nikkormat (you think these things matter when you're young!).

I now have my father's FTn which I hope to use. The problem is, it has to compete for my attention with a couple of Fs, an FE2 and the FG which I have had now for about thirty years.


Steve.
 
How does the view through the finder compare with the FE2 for brightness?
 
My dad bought his new in 1972 with the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 and it's the camera I learned photography with. He gave it to me about 20 years ago and I still have it now, though admittedly don't use it much. They are real bargains now - it ought to be like new for £140.

They are basic but extremely durable cameras. I'd be careful spending a lot of money on one and would want some assurances that the meter is still accurate and not jumpy (as they often get, like my dads). There's a ring resistor inside which gets worn or dirty, and can't really be repaired if problematic (Miles Whitehead cleaned mine which made a big difference, but it's not perfect). Of course, the camera still functions without the meter (or batteries), being fully mechanical like the F, F2, FM2 etc.

My advice with Nikkormats would be to get a later one, FT2 or FT3 - they have better viewfinders with more normal split-image, unlike the FTn, and take regular SR44 batteries rather than needing adapters etc. Also have built in hotshoes, and the FT3 is an AI body, which means you can mount AF lenses too. They only cost a fraction more than an FTn too.

This is a pretty good summary of the differences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikkormat

Also quite nice is the EL or better still EL2, which are the precursors to the FE series (whereas the FTn, FT2 and FT3 are the precursors to the FM series). I had an EL2 which was in lovely nick and a lovely camera to use but nobody on here wanted it when I sold it as part of the cull, and it went on Ebay for about £50.

To be honest with you though, considering you already have an FM2 and FE2, I'm not sure there's any good reason to get one, other than GAS!
 
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A couple of other thoughts: you need to do the old Nikon shuffle to mount lenses, and the shutter speed selector is round the lens mount (like Olympus did back in the day), which is a bit quirky but actually very nice to use.

Built like a tank, just as good as the F/F2 in that regard (and probably better than anything that came after).
 
Really good hands on advice from the man above ^^^ I can't compare to the later FT2's and 3's as Ive never owned one yet. But it may well be worth considering.
 
TheGreatSoprendo said:
They are basic but extremely durable cameras. I'd be careful spending a lot of money on one and would want some assurances that the meter is still accurate and not jumpy (as they often get, like my dads). There's a ring resistor inside which gets worn or dirty, and can't really be repaired if problematic (Miles Whitehead cleaned mine which made a big difference, but it's not perfect). Of course, the camera still functions without the meter (or batteries), being fully mechanical like the F, F2, FM2 etc.

My advice with Nikkormats would be to get a later one, FT2 or FT3 - they have better viewfinders with more normal split-image, unlike the FTn, and take regular SR44 batteries rather than needing adapters etc. Also have built in hotshoes, and the FT3 is an AI body, which means you can mount AF lenses too. They only cost a fraction more than an FTn too.

Also quite nice is the EL or better still EL2, which are the precursors to the FE series (whereas the FTn, FT2 and FT3 are the precursors to the FM series). I had an EL2 which was in lovely nick and a lovely camera to use but nobody on here wanted it when I sold it as part of the cull, and it went on Ebay for about £50.

To be honest with you though, considering you already have an FM2 and FE2, I'm not sure there's any good reason to get one, other than GAS!
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This is generally good advice - I wouldn't spend any more than about £80 on one, because any more and you start looking at Nikon F/F2 money and they represent a much better purchase. FT3 bodies are rare and tend to go for as much money as clean FM bodies, so they don't necessarily represent a great purchase.

Bear in mind that EL bodies have electronics that are pushing 40 years now.

Nikkormat's were often touted to be the backup body for the working pro when their F/F2 broke, and they were believed to be just as durable in many regards. They were from the era where Nikon bodies were basically good for hammering nails, and also taking a decent picture in one package.
 
Also good advice above! True that FT3 bodies are rarer because they weren't made for very long, but I bought mine on Ebay for less than £50 with two lenses. They don't come up as often but there are still bargains out there. An FT2 is a better bet than an FTN anyway, if you can't get a good priced FT3.
 
@Mr Bump how do you normally shoot with your FE/FM2? I'm very much an aperture priority kinda person, so I barely shoot the SLRs that don't have aperture priority.

I have an F2 (because, let's be honest, it's a great camera) but it's not as good for having as a regular shooter compared to the FE2 bodies - for me.
 
I also think these are cameras that suit the odd ding and a bit of brassing...adds a bit of character. Plus a mint one might barely have been used over its lengthy lifetime, which is not always a good thing.

Paul - if you fancy one I'd suggest satisfying your curiosity with a cheapie off Ebay, can probably pay about £20-£30 and even if the meter doesn't work you can use your handheld. The meter on my dad's didn't work for much of its life so I had a real baptism of fire using it as a teenager with a little handheld incident meter. Probably took some of my favourite pics with it too.
 
Paul all good advice here. I recently acquired an FT2 (part of my 'let's buy all the cameras I longed for but couldn't afford in my youth odyssey') I wanted an FT3 but they proved a bit pricey, I picked up an excellent FT2 with a 50mm f2 for less than £20, works a treat other than a slow frame counter. Be patient and you'll find a bargain I am sure. Built like a tank, great for street shots as I feel 'proper tooled up' when I am carrying it:cool:
 
Ah the FT3 has the metering prong inside the camera instead of the rabbit ears?
 
No prong, just the same coupling ring as your FM2 and FE2. It's an AI body like them (and pretty much everything since). You can also fold down the coupling lever to use non-AI lenses if you want, just as with the FE, F3, F4 and others.
 
Basically, the lens communicates with the camera exactly like your FM2 and FE2 (the rabbit ears are not used at all).

On the older Nikon cameras, the communication is done via the rabbit ears.
 
Other advantages of the FT3 I'd say are a better viewfinder, proper hotshoe, and most importantly it takes normal SR44 batteries.

I also wouldn't be put off by dings and suchlike on one of these.

On the subject of meter coupling, the FTn won't couple with your Series E lenses as they don't have rabbit ears, so another important reason to get the FT3 if you want one of these.

Before taking the plunge I'd suggest asking if the meter needle is jumpy.
 
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freecom2 said:
@Mr Bump how do you normally shoot with your FE/FM2? I'm very much an aperture priority kinda person, so I barely shoot the SLRs that don't have aperture priority.

I have an F2 (because, let's be honest, it's a great camera) but it's not as good for having as a regular shooter compared to the FE2 bodies - for me.
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good point, just running a few rolls through my FE2 and its cracking having AP...
 
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