First film camera

Ejazzle · Aug 25, 2008

I am looking into getting my first Film SLR. I want a nikon Fe or FA something along those lines.
any suggestions? i have researched these cameras and a few other ones, but any other info you can help me with would be appreciated!

thanks!!

Battou · Aug 25, 2008

How dedicated to Nikon are you? I ask because Canon has some good bang for the buck and I know more about Canon than I do about Nikon.

bhop · Aug 25, 2008

I have an FE and it's a great camera. I love using it. What kind of info are you looking for?

edit:
this site can tell you all you need to know about the FE
http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfeseries/fe/index.htm

and the FA
http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfa/index.htm

compur · Aug 25, 2008

Ejazzle said:
I am looking into getting my first Film SLR. I want a nikon Fe or FA something along those lines.
any suggestions? i have researched these cameras and a few other ones, but any other info you can help me with would be appreciated!

thanks!!

The FE and FA are both fine cameras. There is a later model of the FE called
the FE2 with higher shutter speed range and a few other improvements. I
prefer the FE/FE2 over the FA because they have an analog meter needle
display in the viewfinder. The FA has a digital (numbers) display. All 3
have Manual mode + Aperture Priority Auto modes. The FA also has Program
mode. The FE2 and FA both have TTL flash automation.

sarallyn · Aug 25, 2008

I second the Canon comment -- though I'm a little biased. You may want to try the Canon AE-1 Program.

djacobox372 · Aug 26, 2008

Ejazzle said:
I am looking into getting my first Film SLR. I want a nikon Fe or FA something along those lines.
any suggestions? i have researched these cameras and a few other ones, but any other info you can help me with would be appreciated!

thanks!!

FE and FM are my favs, but the FA has the most options.

Check out my ad in the buy/sell forum, I have a couple fe's, fa's and an FM for sale, along with lots of lenses.

I even have an F3 for sale, for just a bit more.

If I had to recommend one, I'd say the FE--gotta love that analog meter! the digital +- meters are just too vauge by comparison.

Ejazzle · Aug 26, 2008

Its my first Film SLR so NIkon or canon it doesnt matter. i am open to anything.

I am gonna keep looking into the FE and FE2. are there that many bid differences.

bhop, thanks for those sites. ill check when i get home.

Ejazzle · Aug 26, 2008

or the FA this is so hard!!!!

djacobox372, i am most likley gonna be buying it from you.

djacobox372 · Aug 27, 2008

Ejazzle said:
Its my first Film SLR so NIkon or canon it doesnt matter. i am open to anything.

I am gonna keep looking into the FE and FE2. are there that many bid differences.

bhop, thanks for those sites. ill check when i get home.

Differences between the FE and the FE2

FE2 has up to 1/4000 shutter speed, FE only goes up to 1/1000--nice but it's rare that you'll ever want shoot over 1/1000 shutter speed.

FE2 is supposedly TTL flash compatible; I've never tried it though.

The FA has many more "auto" features... along with aperture priority mode which the FE/FE have, it also has shutter priority, and program (full auto) mode.

I also have an F90 for sale, which isn't nearly as retro as the FE or FA, but it is a lot more advance (autofocus, matrix metering, etc)

Ejazzle · Aug 28, 2008

ahhh, this just got even harder. how much better is the F90? will it use the same lenses as my D300??

i want everything!!!

Ejazzle · Sep 11, 2008

i just picked up a nikon FE thats in amazing condition, but I am stuck in a dilemma and desperately wanna start shooting... i loaded the film and put it on the other spool* wound it around about one time, closed the case and tightened the film up but i cant advance the film to take a picture, the thumb thing that you press, wont let me push it. it just stops, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ejazzle · Sep 11, 2008

please?

bhop · Sep 12, 2008

What 'thumb thing that you press' are you talking about? The wind lever? Did you put the film leader inside the slot in the spool before you started winding it? Once you get it attached to the spool and close the door, you wind it, and snap the shutter button. Repeat until you get to the dot on the counter that represents the first frame.

Ejazzle · Sep 12, 2008

sorry, the i guess its called the film advancer. i put the film leader inside the spool slot and spun the wheel with my thumb until it wrapped around one time. then i closed the door and tried to advance the film, and the film advancer wouldnt budge. I couldnt push the shutter down, and i couldnt spin the whell on the top right to change the camera mode off "auto". I took off the lens, and the mirror is almost all the way up. is there a way to reset it?

Helen B · Sep 12, 2008

Try putting a new battery in, if you haven't already. The FE has only one mechanical shutter speed (M90, 1/90th second) the others are electromechanical. Releasing the shutter with a low battery when set to an electromechanical speed will lock the camera until the battery is replaced.

Great cameras. I still have an FE2 I bought new just after they came out.

Best,
Helen