resurrecting a Nikon FA

[Samenderya]

Hello everyone,
I am planning to learn photography. So I have started reading up on some photography terms and concepts, like exposures, aperture settings etc.
Now coming to the actual problem I have. Well I have a camera that was used by my father. It is the Nikon FA. I have a few of its lenses. Now my problem is that most of the people I have talked to advise me to just sell it or simply discard it and buy a new one. I don’t want to sell this camera or send it to a museum. I want to use it. But does this camera have any worth in all this digital age. Would it be practical of me to use this camera? I might buy a newer camera but not until I can master this old one. I can easily get the films developed at a very normal cost, so that is not a problem.
Can you guys help me?

 

[aerialphoto]

The FA was...no, is a very good camera. It was the first of the Nikons to have multi-segmented metering. It has all the "auto" features you could want, but more importantly it's a perfect all "manual" camera too. Why would anyone tell you to just ditch it for a new one?

If your goal is to shoot film, the camera is in good shape, and you want to learn then the FA offers everything you'll need. If your goal is to go digital then you'll have to decide whether the lenses you have are good ones and worth keeping, then investigate a Nikon digital camera that you can use the lenses on. Obviously you aren't going to get digital images from the FA but you can always scan the film.

But...just discard it? I guess I've got too much of a soft-spot for the FA for that option

 

[dinodan]

Those people are right, that camera's almost worthless, and you should dump it as soon as possible. Oh, and be sure to PM me if you decide to do so.

 

[Samenderya]

oh the camera is in very good condition. Infact i had planned to take it to a local photography shop to get a service , to get the battery changed and may be get the lenses cleaned , even though i have a kit but i would let a professional do it for the first time.
The lenses that I have are
Nikon Lens Series E
Nikon Nikkor 35~70mm
and one hanimex 35~200 mm

have one 52mm UV
one filter whihc is half pink and half transparent .....( i don't know what it is called ... yes i am a little un-informed... ok u got me ,,i am really dumb)

I have a tripod as well an original nikon bag ( i am boasting )

 

[dinodan]

Which Series E lens? The 50mm f/1.8? The 35-70 f/3.3-4.5 zoom is a nice little lens. I have one and use it from time to time for "walking around". I don't know anything about the Hanimex, but as I recall they were pretty cheap, so I wouldn't expect too much from it, especially with such a long zoom range.

I also can't help you with the half pink filter. You might be on your own with that one!

Seriously, that's a really nice camera that you should hang onto. Lots of older non-AF Nikkor lenses are available at bargain prices.

 

[cooltouch]

As the above folks have already mentioned, the FA is a very capable camera. Probably the most capable Nikon of its era. If you have the instruction manual that came with it, I'd recommend you study it. If you don't, you can d/l a copy of it from this site (consider giving Mr. Butkis a donation for his helpful service):

Nikon FA instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals

As you will find when you read through the manual, the FA can do just about anything you can think of when it comes to manual focus photography. Yet it is still a very capable camera when used in manual mode.

I consider the latter to be very important to folks who want to learn photography. Some cameras work better in manual mode than others, and you want to use one that works well.

The manual will also provide a list of accessories that will work with the FA, such as interchangeable focusing screens, a motor drive option, TTL (through the lens) metered flashes, etc. Great little camera.