Nikkormat and (Nikomat) are probably the best built Japanese camera body's of there time. To mount a lens with "rabbit ears" indexing fork the aperture must be set at 5.6 and the meter ring set fully to the right facing the camera. The lens will line up perfectly and follow your manual to index the meter. This should clear up trying to mount the lens out of alignment.
Then turn the aperture ring on the len’s fully left then right and on the side of the len’s mount on the camera is a gauge that will indicate the maximum aperture so you know it’s properly registered.
Nikkormat was my first camera. Got it from my mom. It was a beast, I travelled with it to many places. I loved the speed ring, it was so easy to choose aperture and with one finger you could slide the speed ring. After some time it was second nature to get the exposure you wanted for specific moods. I actually never got used to adjusting aperture and exposure with dials like on modern cameras. Thanks for the video!
The appeal of these cameras back in the day was that you could tap into the Nikon lens system for a more affordable price than buying an F or F2. (and it still is.) I have a Nikkormat FT, FT2 and an EL, along with a Nikon F and F2, as well as a set of fixed Nikon lenses ranging from 24mm to 200mm. These are a lot of fun to use and still take outstanding pictures.
All of the Nikkormat cameras 📷 are still worth saving! I've only three in my collection. But, trying them out with that first "Test Roll" of film is always an adventure! If you are using the "correct voltage" with a meter that still works, your going to be surprised at your results. But, if only the meter has died and everything else still works; KEEP THE CAMERA ! A very accurate and reasonably priced portable "Light Meter" is only a few clicks away! And more then one of my favorite old cameras 📷 is always used in concert with the "external" meter! CHEERS 🍻
A couple of things: 1) that back and forth with the aperture ring is often called "the Nikon shuffle" and was required on those late 60's and early 70's cameras using the prong and rabbit ear meter coupling. 2) The "Nikkormat" was released as the "Nikomat" for the Japanese market. Same camera, different name for some reason. I used a Nikkormat FTN in high school (early 90's). I still have it, but dropped it so it doesn't really work any longer. I also have a Nkomat which I still use when I am on my ship.
My father bought a Nikkormat Ftn in 1978. He travelled all over the world with it, took tens of thousands of photos and passed it on to me at 17, back in 1997. I used it extensively throughout high school and Art college.. and now some 45 years after its purchase, it is the ONLY slr camera I have from that era (and trust me I have a few), that hasn't failed on me ONCE. the curtain is like new, the shutter fires smooth like butter.. its pure bliss! (And mind you, the shutter button fell off years ago and I had "temporarily" stuck it back on with tape and it still fires smoothly.) I have far better film and digital camera, of "professional" level and yet I always come back to my trusty ol' Nikkormat. And personally, I *LOVE* that the shutter speeds are located around the lens mount as opposed to on top of the body, like most slr's. Oh, and let's not forget the infamous *"Nikon shuffle"* ..it's like you're part of a secret division within the Nikon film camera community. ❤
A few points! With the vertical travel metal Copal shutter you have 1/125 sec. flash sync vs 1/90 with horizontal of the F/F2. Much easier to crush the background whilst using flash rather than stacking on ND filters! Also,unique to this Nikon, is the ability to use a Speedlite & Flasfbulb together for some creative shots by playing with the shutter slit when the Speedlite fires. The one to look for is the last production with plastic tips, the ones with the optional K[microprism] screen. These had an orange sticker atop the winding lever; probable now gone! CHRIS [Zener clamping diode] adapters are available to use modern 1.5v cells rather than the long gone 1.35v Hg cells! Bought mine in 1970, schlepped it round Oz, SA & Europe; still works a treat! It would survive the Apocalypse!! You want heavy?!! Try a F5 or F4E [E for 'ernia] or a modern DSLR with a vertical grip!! Light weight?! Check out a Nikon FA!
Wow, thanks for all the facts William. You seem to have a wealth of Nikon knowledge my friend haha! I agree on the weight of the F5.. I had a copy, and that thing is a beast no doubt.
Nice overview of an under-apprieciated camera. Lugging one of these around will make you feel like you are really suffering for your art. I love mine amyway. You are correct that the shutter is not good for stealth photography.....
most slr camera models made before the 1980s don’t have an “automatic” metering feature. this is standard in most of the cameras i’ve used (: to change the asa/iso you have to pull out on the edge of the shutter speed ring & move the slider with your finger! set the aperture to 5.6 when changing lenses, and make sure to twist from lowest to highest aperture after mounting a lens. nikkormat cameras are my favorite, they’re so much cooler than other slr’s. i love the all-metal body too, no matter how heavy it is!
Way back in late 1970's I was shopping for my first 35 mm film SLR camera. Laboriously studied specs and reviews and talked to a lot of people about SLR cameras. Settled on Nikon. The Nikkormat FT3 was my prospective camera of choice then the FM came out and that's what I bought in 1980. I love my FM and it has taken many beautiful photographs over the years. A week ago I ran into a Nikkormat FT2 for sale on the used camera shelf of a local camera store. Always had an affinity for the older Nikon/Nikkormat mechanical SLR's so I may take the plunge and buy the FT2 if it's in good shape and the price is right 'just because'. Just a good solid tank of a camera. All my AI lenses will work on the FT2 as they have the meter coupling 'fork' except one: an 'E' series 28mm f/2.8 wide angle lens, which does not have the meter coupling fork. Not a deal breaker, as I have a 35-70 Nikkor AI zoom lens which will suffice to cover the 'wide angle' spectrum for me. Just like the mechanical solidarity and 'look and feel' of the Nikkormats.
@@filmismorefun Nope..missed it by one day..a photography student bought it later in the day that I looked at it. Worked out OK I ended up with an F with Ftn Photomic meter head which I purchased on-line last month. It too is a tank of a camera.
@@filmismorefun And my daughter presented me with an Easter present: a treasure trove of photography equipment I had left behind at my former house (now hers..I deeded it over to her several years ago) that I had forgot about: a Nikon right-angle viewing attachment (which screws into the eyepiece of my FM and the Ftn), a macro focusing rail, a Cokin filter kit, Nikon flash cords which allow for off-camera flash usage, and a bunch of other goodies. All of which I used to use years ago now I plan to use again. The Easter bunny was good to me!
@@filmismorefun It's an easy cameras to figure out, but you should be able to either find a manual on e-bay, or find what you need on U-Tube, The FT2 is a very straightforward manual camera, so you should be up and running pretty quickly.
I hiked around the Canary Islands with FT2, but I had a cross body sling. It'll make you feel like shoulders will fall off if you just hang this heavy camera around your neck ...
Precisely. While solidly built, my EL doesn't scream "I'm a big and heavy bruiser" like my pro-class Nikon and Canon DSLRs. Perfect with my 50mm, 55mm, and 90mm primes.
Nikon's 'amateur/hobbyist' level cameras from back in the era of the Nikkormats I daresay were built as well or better than 'top level' film cameras from the tail end of the film camera heyday. My brother in law has a Nikkormat FT2 which is a solid tank of a camera.
I know, right? They were straight up monsters. I particularly love the sound that the shutter makes on these old tanks. It's a definitive 'thwack!'. The old Minolta SRT series was the same way.
Film Camera Reviews Thanks! It's not a bad camera at all if you catch one cheap. Actually reminds me of old Pentax Spotmatics a little. I ended up selling it though, because the controls layout were a bit more fiddly then I cared for.
filmismorefun , I had a look on eBay but prices are higher than I remmember them being even 12 months ago... So I'll wait and see if I snap one up at thrift store or car boot sale. Nikon gear on eBay does look to have really gone up of late.
Film Camera Reviews That's funny you say that- I was just telling someone prices of most film related gear has really gone up lately. I buy/sell on there sometimes, and its a lot harder for me to find decent deals on most of the main names. And what's a car boot sale?
The name Nikon is on the back side by the rewind lever. Never knew why the put Nikkormat on the front. Was it to keep the professionals Nikon F and the accessories separate since most do not work with both.
@@danc2014 yes it was the budget line ... essentially. So they wanted to make it different ...so it doesn't dilute the brand...like fender and squire for guitars..
Ok, the Nikkormat is lighter and smaller than its contemporary, the Nikon F. Also lighter than the F2, the best mechanical slr ever built. In the days when these were made, these were considered a bit compact until the really small Olympus OM series appeared. The fatal flaw in these Nikkormats is that the meter sensor contacts in the shutter setting ring go bad pretty quickly, giving intermittent readings on the meter. I've had three of these and they were all funky. It's really not true that these were equal to the Nikon F which is built like a tank. The Nikkormats were a fine economical introduction to the amazing and long lived Nikon system. It was my first Nikon and the lenses I bought for that camera still do service on My D750.
You're mistaken Richard. In many ways the Nikomat was built to be even MORE robust than the Nikon F. The most notable improvement over the F is the legendary Copal Square shutter mechanism in the Nikomat. I got my first camera in 1971, a Canon FTb, another nice camera, but the Nikomat at that time commanded a premium price(equivalent to $2,000+) and was considered a professional/advanced amateur comoanion to the flagship Nikon F/F2 cameras.
Hi! I don't have the camera any longer, so I can't check the flash shoe. However, I found this thread recommending old Vivitar 283 flashes: www.photo.net/discuss/threads/what-kind-of-flash-to-use-with-nikkormat-ftn.287215/ Hope that helps! 🙂
@@filmismorefun Any flash that has a seperate cord that can be plugged into the "X" terminal on the side since it doesn't have a hot shoe. The Nikkormat FT2 (circa 1975) is the same camera but with a hot shoe. It also takes modern batteries.
It can take flashbulbs using the "M" terminal and electronic flashes on the "X" terminal. You need either a PC synch cord, or a PC cord to hotshoe adapter to use the cold shoe. TBH any larger flash will lean over as the cold shoe doesn't stay vertical too well on the prism. You can do manual GN calculations with a manual flash, but when this was my main camera, I used an "auto flash" which had a sensor on the flash to cut out the exposure after you set the shutter speed, film speed, and aperture.
Very hard to do on a nikkormat. On the F, there was a dot on the shutter button that allowed you to precisely rewind the frame to do a double exposure. The Nikkormat lacks this indicator, so it is hard to rewind the film exactly.
Nikkormat and (Nikomat) are probably the best built Japanese camera body's of there time. To mount a lens with "rabbit ears" indexing fork the aperture must be set at 5.6 and the meter ring set fully to the right facing the camera. The lens will line up perfectly and follow your manual to index the meter. This should clear up trying to mount the lens out of alignment.
Thanks for the tip!
Then turn the aperture ring on the len’s fully left then right and on the side of the len’s mount on the camera is a gauge that will indicate the maximum aperture so you know it’s properly registered.
At least with my Nikomat EL it should be @5.6. Otherwise the famous or rather infamous “Nikon shuffle “ won’t work.
I believe aperture needs to be set at 5.6 to load your lens to line it up well
Nikkormat was my first camera. Got it from my mom. It was a beast, I travelled with it to many places. I loved the speed ring, it was so easy to choose aperture and with one finger you could slide the speed ring. After some time it was second nature to get the exposure you wanted for specific moods. I actually never got used to adjusting aperture and exposure with dials like on modern cameras. Thanks for the video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! That's pretty cool you were able to use your mom's Nikkormat. I'm sure she was happy to see you make use of it. 🙂
The appeal of these cameras back in the day was that you could tap into the Nikon lens system for a more affordable price than buying an F or F2. (and it still is.) I have a Nikkormat FT, FT2 and an EL, along with a Nikon F and F2, as well as a set of fixed Nikon lenses ranging from 24mm to 200mm. These are a lot of fun to use and still take outstanding pictures.
It's amazing to me how many still work flawlessly and you can find these at a bargain fairly often.
All of the Nikkormat cameras 📷 are still worth saving! I've only three in my collection. But, trying them out with that first "Test Roll" of film is always an adventure!
If you are using the "correct voltage" with a meter that still works, your going to be surprised at your results.
But, if only the meter has died and everything else still works; KEEP THE CAMERA !
A very accurate and reasonably priced portable "Light Meter" is only a few clicks away!
And more then one of my favorite old cameras 📷 is always used in concert with the "external" meter!
CHEERS 🍻
A couple of things: 1) that back and forth with the aperture ring is often called "the Nikon shuffle" and was required on those late 60's and early 70's cameras using the prong and rabbit ear meter coupling. 2) The "Nikkormat" was released as the "Nikomat" for the Japanese market. Same camera, different name for some reason. I used a Nikkormat FTN in high school (early 90's). I still have it, but dropped it so it doesn't really work any longer. I also have a Nkomat which I still use when I am on my ship.
I have an all black Nikkormat ft2 with a 50mm 1.4 lens. I love it. Hot shoe and it takes lr44 batteries. Perfect.
I actually prefer the black ones over the silver/ black style. Looks more beastly lol.
My father bought a Nikkormat Ftn in 1978. He travelled all over the world with it, took tens of thousands of photos and passed it on to me at 17, back in 1997. I used it extensively throughout high school and Art college.. and now some 45 years after its purchase, it is the ONLY slr camera I have from that era (and trust me I have a few), that hasn't failed on me ONCE. the curtain is like new, the shutter fires smooth like butter.. its pure bliss! (And mind you, the shutter button fell off years ago and I had "temporarily" stuck it back on with tape and it still fires smoothly.) I have far better film and digital camera, of "professional" level and yet I always come back to my trusty ol' Nikkormat. And personally, I *LOVE* that the shutter speeds are located around the lens mount as opposed to on top of the body, like most slr's. Oh, and let's not forget the infamous *"Nikon shuffle"* ..it's like you're part of a secret division within the Nikon film camera community. ❤
It sounds like you have a lot of great history with your Nikkormat! The camera is definitely a beast.
A few points! With the vertical travel metal Copal shutter you have 1/125 sec. flash sync vs 1/90 with horizontal of the F/F2. Much easier to crush the background whilst using flash rather than stacking on ND filters! Also,unique to this Nikon, is the ability to use a Speedlite & Flasfbulb together for some creative shots by playing with the shutter slit when the Speedlite fires. The one to look for is the last production with plastic tips, the ones with the optional K[microprism] screen. These had an orange sticker atop the winding lever; probable now gone! CHRIS [Zener clamping diode] adapters are available to use modern 1.5v cells rather than the long gone 1.35v Hg cells! Bought mine in 1970, schlepped it round Oz, SA & Europe; still works a treat! It would survive the Apocalypse!! You want heavy?!! Try a F5 or F4E [E for 'ernia] or a modern DSLR with a vertical grip!! Light weight?! Check out a Nikon FA!
Wow, thanks for all the facts William. You seem to have a wealth of Nikon knowledge my friend haha! I agree on the weight of the F5.. I had a copy, and that thing is a beast no doubt.
It’s basically an F with build in metering and non changeable screens. Same quality and heft. Very very good camera if in good condition.
I'll second the heft! Definitely more than I would want to carry around daily though.
filmismorefun it’s about the same as a F3. I depends on how you carry it around I guess.
Nice overview of an under-apprieciated camera. Lugging one of these around will make you feel like you are really suffering for your art. I love mine amyway. You are correct that the shutter is not good for stealth photography.....
jon campo Yeah, and if it has a strap there is no better weapon. Major damage haha.
most slr camera models made before the 1980s don’t have an “automatic” metering feature. this is standard in most of the cameras i’ve used (:
to change the asa/iso you have to pull out on the edge of the shutter speed ring & move the slider with your finger!
set the aperture to 5.6 when changing lenses, and make sure to twist from lowest to highest aperture after mounting a lens.
nikkormat cameras are my favorite, they’re so much cooler than other slr’s. i love the all-metal body too, no matter how heavy it is!
Thanks for your insight 🙂
The FE has an auto feature
Way back in late 1970's I was shopping for my first 35 mm film SLR camera. Laboriously studied specs and reviews and talked to a lot of people about SLR cameras. Settled on Nikon. The Nikkormat FT3 was my prospective camera of choice then the FM came out and that's what I bought in 1980. I love my FM and it has taken many beautiful photographs over the years. A week ago I ran into a Nikkormat FT2 for sale on the used camera shelf of a local camera store. Always had an affinity for the older Nikon/Nikkormat mechanical SLR's so I may take the plunge and buy the FT2 if it's in good shape and the price is right 'just because'. Just a good solid tank of a camera. All my AI lenses will work on the FT2 as they have the meter coupling 'fork' except one: an 'E' series 28mm f/2.8 wide angle lens, which does not have the meter coupling fork. Not a deal breaker, as I have a 35-70 Nikkor AI zoom lens which will suffice to cover the 'wide angle' spectrum for me. Just like the mechanical solidarity and 'look and feel' of the Nikkormats.
Sorry for the late reply- did you end up picking the FT2 from the store?
@@filmismorefun Nope..missed it by one day..a photography student bought it later in the day that I looked at it. Worked out OK I ended up with an F with Ftn Photomic meter head which I purchased on-line last month. It too is a tank of a camera.
Oh cool! Yeah, there are plenty of deals on line (even with the prices of everything creeping up!)
@@filmismorefun And my daughter presented me with an Easter present: a treasure trove of photography equipment I had left behind at my former house (now hers..I deeded it over to her several years ago) that I had forgot about: a Nikon right-angle viewing attachment (which screws into the eyepiece of my FM and the Ftn), a macro focusing rail, a Cokin filter kit, Nikon flash cords which allow for off-camera flash usage, and a bunch of other goodies. All of which I used to use years ago now I plan to use again. The Easter bunny was good to me!
Oh wow! That's like Christmas in April haha. 🙂
Thank you from your colony france. I just got a Nikkormat Ft2, and I miss the user's manual, so....
Have fun!
@@filmismorefun It's an easy cameras to figure out, but you should be able to either find a manual on e-bay, or find what you need on U-Tube, The FT2 is a very straightforward manual camera, so you should be up and running pretty quickly.
Mines got shutter prob,wind on prob,it has 3 repair labels inside,not bad for made in 72,1972.
It was my rain camera.
3? Geez haha. What a beast! It's like the Energizer Bunny... it just keeps on going.
I love these videos even though I don't have this one!
Thanks Sara!
Thankssssss for video❤❤❤😊
🙂
I hiked around the Canary Islands with FT2, but I had a cross body sling. It'll make you feel like shoulders will fall off if you just hang this heavy camera around your neck ...
Precisely. While solidly built, my EL doesn't scream "I'm a big and heavy bruiser" like my pro-class Nikon and Canon DSLRs. Perfect with my 50mm, 55mm, and 90mm primes.
1:00 “it’s all metal” but it plays a blues riff hahaha
Metal is Blues, man! Just more distortion hahah 😜
Nikon's 'amateur/hobbyist' level cameras from back in the era of the Nikkormats I daresay were built as well or better than 'top level' film cameras from the tail end of the film camera heyday. My brother in law has a Nikkormat FT2 which is a solid tank of a camera.
I know, right? They were straight up monsters. I particularly love the sound that the shutter makes on these old tanks. It's a definitive 'thwack!'. The old Minolta SRT series was the same way.
Great Video,I like it ,fun and Information...Greetings from Munich
Hi! I'm glad you liked the video. Cheers! 🙂
Good info. Thank You
You're welcome! :)
I'm not sure why maybe it's because it's not branded "Nikon" but I've just never picked up a Nikkormat. I probably should though. Great review
Film Camera Reviews Thanks! It's not a bad camera at all if you catch one cheap. Actually reminds me of old Pentax Spotmatics a little. I ended up selling it though, because the controls layout were a bit more fiddly then I cared for.
filmismorefun , I had a look on eBay but prices are higher than I remmember them being even 12 months ago... So I'll wait and see if I snap one up at thrift store or car boot sale.
Nikon gear on eBay does look to have really gone up of late.
Film Camera Reviews That's funny you say that- I was just telling someone prices of most film related gear has really gone up lately. I buy/sell on there sometimes, and its a lot harder for me to find decent deals on most of the main names. And what's a car boot sale?
The name Nikon is on the back side by the rewind lever. Never knew why the put Nikkormat on the front. Was it to keep the professionals Nikon F and the accessories separate since most do not work with both.
@@danc2014 yes it was the budget line ... essentially. So they wanted to make it different ...so it doesn't dilute the brand...like fender and squire for guitars..
Ok, the Nikkormat is lighter and smaller than its contemporary, the Nikon F. Also lighter than the F2, the best mechanical slr ever built. In the days when these were made, these were considered a bit compact until the really small Olympus OM series appeared. The fatal flaw in these Nikkormats is that the meter sensor contacts in the shutter setting ring go bad pretty quickly, giving intermittent readings on the meter. I've had three of these and they were all funky. It's really not true that these were equal to the Nikon F which is built like a tank. The Nikkormats were a fine economical introduction to the amazing and long lived Nikon system. It was my first Nikon and the lenses I bought for that camera still do service on My D750.
Thanks for the additional info, Richard! :)
You're mistaken Richard. In many ways the Nikomat was built to be even MORE robust than the Nikon F. The most notable improvement over the F is the legendary Copal Square shutter mechanism in the Nikomat. I got my first camera in 1971, a Canon FTb, another nice camera, but the Nikomat at that time commanded a premium price(equivalent to $2,000+) and was considered a professional/advanced amateur comoanion to the flagship Nikon F/F2 cameras.
🎶he’s not heavy, he’s my brother🎶
Oh no, he's definitely heavy 😂
It may not be pro but hell I can defend myself with it.
That's for sure! 😂
What flash device works with this camera??
Hi! I don't have the camera any longer, so I can't check the flash shoe. However, I found this thread recommending old Vivitar 283 flashes: www.photo.net/discuss/threads/what-kind-of-flash-to-use-with-nikkormat-ftn.287215/
Hope that helps! 🙂
@@filmismorefun Any flash that has a seperate cord that can be plugged into the "X" terminal on the side since it doesn't have a hot shoe. The Nikkormat FT2 (circa 1975) is the same camera but with a hot shoe. It also takes modern batteries.
Thanks for the info 🙂
It can take flashbulbs using the "M" terminal and electronic flashes on the "X" terminal. You need either a PC synch cord, or a PC cord to hotshoe adapter to use the cold shoe. TBH any larger flash will lean over as the cold shoe doesn't stay vertical too well on the prism. You can do manual GN calculations with a manual flash, but when this was my main camera, I used an "auto flash" which had a sensor on the flash to cut out the exposure after you set the shutter speed, film speed, and aperture.
can this grandpa do double exposure?
If you use the rewind button trick, but I don't recall it having any dedicated controls for double exposures.
Very hard to do on a nikkormat. On the F, there was a dot on the shutter button that allowed you to precisely rewind the frame to do a double exposure. The Nikkormat lacks this indicator, so it is hard to rewind the film exactly.
It's only inferior because it is not a "system camera"
Henry Rollins?
Haha yeah Rollins is totally a diesel Grandpa.
@@filmismorefun Absolutely.