Now, more than ever, the number of people who like film is growing. It’s so much easier to buy the stuff now and once you get your digital camera, it’s easy to wonder just what all the fuss is about. The fact is, if you get a film camera, chances are, there’s a lot of history to it and when you hold such a machine, it’s like you’re part of that history already. In time, digital cameras will be like that. The problem is that many people get caught up in the megapixel race that they forget sometimes that a camera is really only as good as the person wielding it and that even if it shot at “just” three megapixels, it would still be good for almost 95% of what you’d like to shoot anyway.

If truth be told though, one camera brand has been a favorite among many purists, professionals, and amateurs for such a long time that even Hollywood has made sure that people who use cameras in movies will, more often than not, be using this brand. That is, of course, Nikon. One memorable scene in Jurassic Park II was when Julianne Moore’s character asked Vince Vaughn’s Nick Van Owen, “Is that a Nikon?” in an effort to swap lenses. He was, of course, toting one as well. Those of you who like crime shows will also notice that programs like CSI, CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami all use various Nikon cameras with Canon making an appearance once in a little while.

One very distinct feature with Nikon cameras in general, except maybe the FM10/FE10 because it really was a Cosina creation with a Nikon F-mount, is that they are very robust in their feel. Even the relatively low-cost models feel really at home in your hands and give you the feeling that this is a camera that will really last long. The newer Nikons really benefit a lot from this and it’s really a good idea to try and figure out why.

One story goes that when photojournalists were shooting with a Leica camera, Nikon decided to send each of these photojournalists their camera. These guys figured that instead of endangering their more expensive gear, they’d just use the Nikon since it was free anyway. This resulted in their learning of just how reliable the camera was and how they could really stake their name and reputation on the brand. This started the fame of the Nikon F-line, the F, F2, F3 (still one of the best-looking cameras ever as far as I’m concerned), F4, F5 and Nikon’s film swan song, the F6 which seemed to borrow a Canon idea – have a body that can take a power booster attachment rather than having it built in as in the F4 and F5.

Please note that the there were two designations for Nikon cameras at the time. Cameras sold in the States had the N designation (N80, N60, N8008, N90, N90s) while those for the rest of the world were also F designated (F80, F60, F801, F90, F90x). Canon, Nikon, and even Minolta did this but in different ways. Canon, for example, called the American-released EOS Elan IIe the EOS 50e in other territories. Minolta called its cameras the Maxxums in the States but Dynaxes everywhere else. Why? Heck if I knew. Those days seem to be all behind us now though.

Probably one of the best reasons to get a Nikon now is the fact that the higher-end cameras will make use of the older, manual focus lenses. This is such a great thing because the company has really been making excellent lenses for decades and there’s a really nostalgic feel when you use an old lens on your DSLR. Take note also that there are some differences when it comes to using older lenses. For example, yes, you can mount a manual focus lens but the exposure meter of cameras like the D40 will not work so you better have a good sense of exposure or at least be willing to carry around a handheld meter. Relatively new auto focus lenses will work but the first generation of AF lenses won’t. Will older Nikon cameras take the newer lenses? Yes, they will but there are some details we can’t deal with here. For more on this, please go to http://www.nikonlinks.com/unklbil/bodylens.htm.

There is a lot of similarities and consistency among manual focus Nikons and this serves users very well. No problem with moving from one model to another. This seemed to be a little different with AF models especially the N70/F70 which, in Nikon’s attempt to make things so easy for users, ended up being more difficult to use than was intended.

The Nikon FM2 shown here is the property of a friend-photographer, Cocoy Sarmenta who also sells older cameras. He makes sure that his stock is really in pristine condition so you know that your money is well-spent.

The FM2 is a personal favorite and one that many Nikon and even non-Nikon users really appreciate. It had a center-weighted meter and one hell of a body. It works without a battery so as long as you are willing and able to determine exposure on your own, you’re fine. This should be the back-up of choice of Nikon users – even digital shooters. If any of your other battery-operated cameras die on you for one reason or another but especially because you aren’t anywhere near an outlet, bring out the FM2 and you’re all set.

Remember what we said about history and the whole CSI thing? Take a look at the red sticker found on the bottom of the FM2. It reads: Property of Metropolitan Las Vegas Police Department. Yes, this is a special unit, one that was used to document crimes and possibly put some dirtbags behind bars.
More on Nikons next week. Can anybody please lend me a Nikon F? Please?