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Nikon Nikomat FTN 35mm SLR Film Camera Body w/ New Battery, excellent condition
06 Sep, 2017
A Reliable, No-nonsense Classic
1 of 1 found this helpful Nikon's Nikkormat series of enthusiast cameras from the 1970s and 80s are an excellent choice for those wanting a classic 35mm SLR, but without spending more money on a FM or FE. The Nikkormat, or Nikomat if sold in Japan, as was this FTN I bought recently, is a rugged, muscular camera that works fine without batteries (other than the match-needle meter) and uses the excellent Nikon F lenses. The Nikormat FTN can mount either the original F lenses, coupling to the meter with the prong, or AI lenses, also using the prong. Other Nikkormats are AI mount, and while they can mount pre-AI lenses, its a little bit fiddly, and the metering is stop-down, rather than full aperture. I like the FTNs, since I can just snap a lens on and start shooting.
This FTN I bought recently is in excellent shape, looks very lightly used, and has a functional meter. (It uses mercury cells, hard to obtain in the US, or the more expensive Wein zinc-air batteries.) Most Nikkormats I've met, and I own several, have unreliable or disfunctional meters -- the result of maybe four decades of use. But who cares? Forget the meter and the hard-to-get batteries, buy a handheld meter and just shoot. I use incident-light measurement when possible, and my pictures are better exposed than with the built-in meter.
I heartily recommend any NIkkormat for those wanting to master traditional film photography. Find one in good shape, don't worry about the meter, buy some inexpensive non-AI Nikkors, and have some fun.