Nikon FM3a Camera Review

by Chris Groenhout

Back in 1987, I purchased my first Nikon--an FE2--to replace my increasingly frustrating Olympus OM10. By a sheer stroke of luck, I moved from one of the worst (though most popular) cameras ever made to one of the best, and I was hooked on it for the next ten years. Unfortunately, in 1989, Nikon abandoned the FE2, and the highly successful six-year production of this gem came to an end...

For the uninitiated, Nikon had, and to some extent has, three designations on their cameras. The “e” in FE2 stands for “electronic,” while the “m” in FM2 is for (you guessed it!) “mechanical.” The “f” series of cameras (Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, F5) is referred to as the “professional” series, although often the only distinction is the interchangeable prism and a 100% viewfinder.

So, where does this leave the new FM3a? Some have likened it to the Nikon FM2 with its mechanical shutter that enables use in cold and remote situations. I prefer to compare it to the FE2 with its TTL flash metering, aperture priority exposure, and match-needle indication of correct exposure. Regardless of where you draw the comparisons, the Nikon FM3a is a new camera in its own right that seems destined to turn heads.

What IS the FM3a?

For those born since the auto-focus revolution, this camera is manual focus only. Yes, you have to focus on the subject yourself. Nikon is one of the few manufacturers that has stuck with manual focus, not only in the production of a handful of cameras (the FM2, FM10, FE10 and F3) but also in the support of older manual focus lenses on currently available cameras--something that can't be said for Canon. Another technological advance that’s missing is automatic film advance or motor wind, although this can be facilitated by the use of the MD12 motor drive (3.2 fps), an old favorite from the FE2/FM2 days. An added bonus is that this drive makes the camera easier to hold with large lenses and balances it when a speedlight flash unit is attached on top.

The 570 gram camera is small and elegant. Cast from aluminum, the chassis is finished off with brass top and bottom plates. As with the FE2 and FM2, the camera is available in chrome/black or all black, so you won't see much of the brass until well into the camera's life when the edges start to wear. Nikon's all-metal design is a refreshing change from recent moves toward plastic components, which don't survive contact with hard objects as well as solid metal.

On top, you see the traditional shutter-speed dial with times from 1/4000 of a second to one second, as well as “B” (bulb) for longer, timed exposures. These are mechanical shutter speeds, unaffected by battery power. An obvious omission here is the lack of longer timed shutter speeds as in the case of the FE2 (up to eight seconds), although this would be very difficult to implement with a mechanical shutter. Discretely placed one “notch” after 1/4000 is “A” or aperture priority and your gateway to the FM3a's electronic shutter. When the FM3a is set to “A,” stepless shutter speeds from 1/4000 to eight seconds are possible, as is TTL flash metering with various speedlight flash units right up to the current SB28 and SB-50DX. Incidentally, there's also a PC flash socket on the camera's front plate for use with studio or off-camera flash units.

Film advance is very traditional. One turn of the lever and it's done! Those familiar with Nikon cameras know, of course, that nothing happens until the lever is slightly out from the body—a characteristic I should have mentioned to a friend who borrowed my FE2 many years ago and brought it back three days later unable to get it working. If the MD12 motor drive is used, there’s no need to leave the lever out from the body. Depressing the MD12 shutter button slightly activates the camera’s meter. Another interesting and quirky feature is the multiple exposure lever on the edge of the film advance lever. Hold it in and turn the lever, and the shutter is wound but not the film. Using the MD12, you can make multiple exposures on one frame of film effortlessly by simply holding the lever down and applying the motor drive.

You'll find the film rewind crank on the opposite side, surrounded by a multi-use dial that not only adjusts the film's ISO rating, but also adjusts exposure compensation from -2 to +2 stops. A small LED in the viewfinder reminds you that this feature is set, but no further information is given. To obtain automatic film speed setting (DX), rotate the ISO dial past the 12 ISO setting until “DX” appears in the window. Electronic contacts inside the camera's film compartment will then set the film speed appropriately. In addition, there's a small identification window on the rear of the camera, so you don't forget what's inside! (Gone are the days of tatty film box lids stuck to the back of the camera.)

As previously mentioned, this camera uses match-needle metering, unlike the LED system of the FM2 camera. I've been a personal fan of this for many years, as it shows you at one glance not only your current or selected shutter speed but also what the meter suggests and a visual indication of how far over- or under-exposed you are. The downside of this is a lack of viewfinder illumination, which makes shooting in low light difficult (e.g. band/theatre photography). A small exposure lock button on the rear of the camera can help by allowing you to meter, then “freeze” the reading, so that it can be interpreted in better light. This feature was available on the FE2 but was awkwardly placed on the self-timer dial. Apart from exposure details and a flash-ready indication LED, the viewfinder also has a small window that displays the current aperture directly off the lens. The camera uses interchangeable screens from the FE2/FM2 series--split image, matte, grid, etc.

A quick look through the specs...

The FM3a camera can use all virtually all Nikon F-mount lenses with little or no modification. However, early non-AI lenses may require some modification, so the AI coupling lever doesn't jam against the aperture ring. On early FE and FM cameras, this lever could be retracted, but clearly the use of these twenty or thirty-year-old lenses is becoming less and less common. More importantly, the camera will work beautifully with all current AF lenses--apart from the budget G-series lenses which have no aperture ring.

Exposure metering is via Nikon's ever-reliable 60:40 center-weighted system. The absence of spot and matrix metering could be seen by some as a glaring omission, but to the dedicated FE/FM fan, the meter reading has always been only a “starting point,” anyway. Why else would they include an exposure compensation dial?

As previously mentioned, this camera is unique in that it offers the user both a mechanical and an electronic shutter, something seen in only a few cameras previously (e.g. Canon F-1, Pentax LX). This is, by far, the biggest draw-card of the camera and allows the use of the camera in very low temperatures or without battery power or both. In warmer climates, or when you remember to buy spare batteries, the electronic shutter offers extremely accurate and reliable exposures right down to eight seconds and TTL exposure with flash, something not possible with the FM2 and much sought after by wedding and press photographers.

Unlike Nikon's “professional” series of cameras, the viewfinder in the FM3a shows only about 93% of the image, approximately the same as what you see when you mount a slide or get a mini-lab print done. This is generally okay, but for purists who print full-frame, it is unacceptable.

Other features include a depth of field preview button, invaluable when trying to get all of your subject in focus, and a mechanical self-timer, which neither flattens the battery nor beeps! The self-timer can also be used to fire the shutter when a cable release isn't available. And, as the self-timer locks the mirror prior to exposure, the results could be sharper!

Summary

I'd say Nikon is onto a winner here. The aesthetics, handling, and construction are second to none, despite the price tag being a third of similar European cameras. Twenty years ago, few photographers treated the FM or FE cameras as classics, but what we have here is destined to become one, regardless of who buys it or for what purpose. I can see it appealing to students, wedding photographers, press photographers, travelers, even dentists (if they have room in their collection for something not made by Leica). Let's wait to see how long Nikon chooses to produce the FM3a. Maybe this time, they'll realize they have a good thing!

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* Specifications

Type of camera: 35mm single-lens reflex with electronically and mechanically controlled focal-plane shutter
Applicable film: 35mm film in a cartridge
Frame size: 24x36mm
Lens mount: Nikon F mount
Shutter: Vertical-travel, metal focal-plane aluminum bladed shutter
Shutter-speed settings: A (aperture-priority auto): 8 to 1/4000 sec.; electronic stepless control (indications are 1 to 1/4000) Manual: Bulb, 1 to 1/4000 sec., mechanical control
Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism
Eye point 14mm (at -1.0m-1)
Focusing screen: K3 type (Split prism-image micro-prism type, Clear Matte Screen II) standard, B3 type and E3 type optional
Viewfinder frame coverage: approximately 93% (objective screen)
Viewfinder magnification: approximately 0.80x with 50mm lens set to infinity
Viewfinder information: Shutter speed, exposure meter indication, shutter indication, direct aperture value, exposure compensation mark, ready light
Depth-of-field preview: Via lever
Reflex Mirror: Quick-return type
Exposure meter sync: Ai type (automatic compensation at full-aperture f-stop)
Metering system: TTL center-weighted, full-aperture exposure metering system, approx. 60% of the meter's sensitivity concentrated on a 12mm diameter circle
Metering range: EV 1 to EV 20 at ISO 100 (with a 50mm f/1/4 lens)
Film-sensitivity settings: DX system or manual. With DX: ISO 25 to 5000 Manual: ISO 12 to 6400
Exposure compensation: Exposure compensated to ±2 EV in units to 1/3 EV (compensation to the + side not possible with ISO 12, and that to the - side not possible with ISO 6400
Auto Exposure Lock: Enabled by pressing the AE lock button
Film Advance Lever provided, 30-degree standoff angle and 135-degree winding angle
Automatic film advance enabled with MD-12 Motor Drive (sold separately)
Frame Counter: Additive type (S, 1 to 36), automatic reset

Film rewinding: Film rest button and rewind crank provided
Self-timer: Mechanically controlled, countdown time of approx 4 to 10 seconds, cancellation possible
Lens aperture: Instant-return system, with aperture lever
Multiple Exposure: Activated with multiple exposure lever
Sync contact: X-contact only; synchronized with the flash at a low speed of less than 1/250 sec.
Flash control: TTL flash: Enabled by using SB-27, SB-26 etc in combination TTL flash compensation: Compensation to -1 EV activated with the TTL flash compensation button of the camera Film speed synchronization in TTL flash: ISO 12 to 1000
Sync Terminal: JIS sync terminal provided as standard, with lock screws
Accessory Shoe: Hot-shoe contact (sync contact, ready-light contact, monitor contact, stop-signal contact for TTL flash) with a lock hole to prevent accidental dropping
Ready Light: Lights when the flash is fully charged with SB-27, SB-26, etc.; blinks for full-output warning or shutter-speed settings from 1/500 to 1/4000 sec.
Camera Back: Detachable hinged back; MF-16 Data Back can be attached in place.
Camera-back opening Achieved with the film-rewind lever
Power source: One 3V lithium battery (CR-1/3N type), two 1.55V silver-oxide batteries (SR44 type), or two 1.5V alkaline batteries (LR44 type)
Meter-on timer: To turn the camera on when the shutter-release button is pressed lightly, turning it off 16 seconds after your finder leaves the button. With the MD-12 Motor Drive, the camera is turned on when the shutter release button of the MD-12 is pressed lightly, and it turns off approx 66 seconds after your finger leaves the button.
Battery power check: Displayed for 16 seconds with the meter-on timer. The exposure meter does not work if the batteries are exhausted
Dimensions: (W x H x D) Approx. 142.5 x 90 x 58mm (camera body only)
Weight: Approx. 570 g (camera body only, including battery)