The Nikkormat Quirks: What are they?
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- The Nikkormat was the original "built like a tank" all metal all manual all mechanical 35mm SLR. They are utterly reliable and virtually indestructible, though they suffer from a few quirks which keep them cheap on the secondhand market.
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Thanks for giving the Nikkormats so much love that they deserve. They are still beautiful, solid cameras that soldier on to this day.
Solid indeed Tom.
I have only just received mine yesterday.
It is substantial, just as I imagined it would be.
Hahaha! I am soooo excited. My film stock comes next week, and since I am new to photography, they'll come just in time for spring and summer.
The camera really feels incredible. So now I have a well-built camera to learn on and a new hobby to indulge in.
Sold my leica and only have a Ft2 now wonderful camera for those who know what there doing, I was a professional photographer for thirty seven years and it's all I need.
I had an FTn and an FT2. Both solid, durable, accurate, no fail cameras. I never noticed the quirks, just the beautiful results when lesser brands owned by others took fuzzy pics and were in constant repair. I sold them and the beautiful Nikkor lenses while the gettin' was good, before digital got decent quality. Wish I had the lenses still for my D750.
Just purchased a Nikkormat FTN off eBay for $25 U.S. - absolutely pristine condition, with the cold flash adapter attached. Haven't tested it with film yet ( it just arrived today) as I wanted to watch your videos about this camera. I started in film photography back in the late 70s, but never owned one of these - what a thrill to "go back in time" with the split prism focusing, and like you, love the 60/40 weighting of the metering in these older cameras. Fingers crossed everything is working as it should, but so far so good! Thanks for these great videos!
I bought a new Nikomat FT2 in Japan in 1976. I used it exclusively until I bought a new FM shortly after they came out, later traded up to FMn and then FE2. I really liked the Nikkormat for its basic features and reliable function. I still have the FT2, and it still works fine. I recently bought a mint Nikkormat FT3 because all of my lenses have been modified or acquired in the AI mount. Although I rely now on an F100, it's fun to go retro.
11:30, the release mechanism. Damn right. This happened to me with my Minolta Dynax 404si just a couple of weeks ago in the Pyrenees, after shooting about 24 frames. Luckily the outer frames on the spool "dimmed out" quickly enough to stop the same happening to what I'd already shot, so I only lost 4 photos on the reel, but it's a design fault that hasn't been rectified by any manufacturer in 30 years.
something similar to that ASA setting method is relatively common on the fixed lens rangefinders of the 70s. They usually have some thin shim/lever sticking out of the bottom of the lens. My Konica Auto S3 and Yashica Electro 35 GL both have it.
very good video ! many thanks Brian
Like this a lot. Thank you for sharing.
Very helpful! Thanks.
They are BUILT LIKE TANKS, They were consider the FM models of the time.. And I have 3 of these models, One Ftn, and 2 EL's, However YOU Can Use Non Ai Lenses if you do this on the FT3 is by on the metal lens ring that there is a small button that you press it, in which it will allowed to raise the Ai Cam pin upward, and then place your Non Ai Lens onto the mount ring, and then by using the Depth of Preview button along with the meter on that you can use it on Stop Down Metering, It's WORKS, and that I use it on my FM, and ELW...
Loved your quirks. :) Let me share my little story. This was my second camera, the first being the Canon AT-1. I got my FTN in the late 70s from a vietnam military journalist. It saw action. I will never sell or give my copy away. The battery thing pisses me off, but I learned with a hand held meter, so, oh well. As for the memo holder thingie, I never used it as a roll of film never lasted very long. I kept B&W TRI-X in the Nikon and Kodachrome ( I miss that film ) or kodacolor 100 or 400 in the Canon.
To wrap up, both cameras just came out of storage as I got the film itch. I bought wein batteries ( 1.35 V ). The meters in both still work, agree with each other and with my westin. Woo hoo!
Yes, the mercury battery issue is a bit of a headache, but these are still great old cameras.
@@BriansPhotoShow The PX625 1.35 volt mercury cell is still produced in Russia & can be ordered from there.
Not quirky for me. The FT2 was my first camera and I still use it today
Some cameras do have the battery voltage difference issue while others don’t. The nikkormat FTn DEFINITELY has that issue while a zenit 19/18 does not
Excellent info. I had a a recent revelation, I love the look of pre-AI lenses and the Nikkormat bodies look like the way to go instead of stopped down metering with newer bodies! Have an EL Nikkormat on the way to accompany my F body. Any thoughts on the EL?
I've never owned an EL. They have a reputation for unreliable electronics, though plenty of people love them.
One odd quirk about the clip-on accessory shoe for the FT, FS and FTn. It is actually two shoes in one. On top it is a standard ISO shoe, but underneath this there is a groove along each side which will directly take devices made for the F and F2, such as the BC-7, SB-7 and SB7e without needing a AS-2 coupler. Unlike the F and F2 this is also a cold shoe, and so a separate sync cable is required.
I had no idea. Thanks for the info!
I had 3 Nikkormats back in the day and they all had one critical defect. The contacts between the shutter speed dial and the resister in the ring around the camera's aperture was intermediate, so your meter needle would jump around when adjusting shutter speed. That defect that would appear after a good deal of use, but it was very annoying and suggested cheap construction. If you are looking at uses Nikkormats, watch out for it. (Try jiggling the shutter speed stem.) I also had one whose shutter jammed open, ruining a whole roll at rewind. This camera was a low end entry to the Nikon system which kept costs down by using non-Nikon parts, particularly the Copal shutter. It was a pleasant camera to use, until things started going bad. In today's market, you could snag a very clean F or the highly praised F2, for very little more money than a clean 'Mat'. Both are built to professional standards and are totally mechanical except for the meters. (If the meter goes bad, just shop for a good replacement.) These cameras are 'forever' tools. In comparison, the 'Mat' is a toy.
@@Koji-888 I also (still) have an F and an F2 which are in good shape. I don't know why the Mat has been so troublesome to me. Of course I am talking about decades ago. But I still have a Mat and the meter is funky on it too. I loved those cameras but I'm a digital guy now. I find full frame to be wonderful.
I recently got a Nikkormat FT and it has yet another quirky way to set the ASA haha
There's no hassle on the so called quirks Thanks for the explaination
You should have dealth with the Nikomat FT.
Is there any way to tell if an FTN was voltage converted? I bought an FTN at an antique shop and I can’t tell if it’s been converted. The battery in it only says “625A” on it and no voltage stamp. It still has charge, so I assume it’s a new battery?
The only way to know for certain if the camera is voltage converted is to open it up and look for the resistor.
The addition of a diode will alter the 1.5 v to 1.35 v to the light meter. The 1.35 v was needed for accurate light metering. 1.5 v would over expose 1.25 would under expose.
What are the "additional quirks" of the FT that the FTN doesn't have? I only ask as I recently found my Fathers FT that he purchased in Vietnam during the war and I am learning how to use it.
Thanks!
Hi, thanks for video. What about Nikkormat EL?
Personally, I avoid first-generation electronic cameras such as the EL. The technology was immature and the mechanism is unreliable.
@@BriansPhotoShow Why I have 2 EL's with Winders works for me... And as you said, Technology was immature, this is coming from a person that probably did not visit Japan at the time when I went there in 1985 through 2019....
_"people who did _*_not_*_ understand photography did not buy Nikkormats, they bought K1000s"_
Sure, but that's arguably a point in favor of the K1000 in this case. There was absolutely no fiddling around with a K1000, you just mount the lens, set the film speed, and go on your merry way shooting. The meter works flawlessly, and the lens selection was on par with what Nikon had to offer other than some *_extremely_* niche lenses, as was the performance of the lenses. Someone learning photography could buy a K1000 kit and focus on learning photography instead of having to worry about whether the door would pop open, the light meter was properly indexed, so on. Literally zero bs, just shoot. That's a _clear_ win for the K1000 in my book.
Nikomat...for real?
What's the story behind the different spelling? Nikomat as opposed to Nikkormat....
"Nikomat" was the branding for the Japanese home market. Everywhere else, it's "Nikkormat".