I have the Japanese version called Nikomat. My camera have an all metal winding crank and does not have split focus screen. Maybe it is older. Very good camera. I fitted a diode to reduce the battery voltage to use 1.5V batteries.
Hi Yat, I'd spotted that some earlier versions don't have the extra plastic bit on the film advancing lever - I guess my FTN is quite a late model if I'm right and it dates from 1973. I suspect the original owner of my Nikkormat bought a few optional extras with his camera, there were various bits like a genuine Nikon filter, lenshood, cold shoe, extension tubes and so on with the camera, so it's entirely possible that he ordered the camera with the split image focusing aid as an optional extra too.
I’m blown away by the Nikkomats. Solid and beautifully made. I ignored them for years until finally trying one, very good cameras. In the leagues of the Canon FTB, Pentax K1000, even equal in mechanical reliability as the Nikon F and Canon F1
Hi Flowermaze, the Nikkormat was definitely a camera that I'd completely ignored, I was aware that it existed but that was as far as it went - very glad I've got one now! My brother has a Canon FTB, that's a lovely camera, I'm quite envious of him having that one.
That was a great review/report. The Nikkormats are so nice to use, you can feel the precision and quality throughout. Even the case was of a quality rarely if ever, found today. Ive got the FT2, and its a real pleasure winding the film advance. Thanks for the video.
Cheers Gunther, they really are a beautifully engineered piece of equipment, no wonder Nikon gained such a good reputation back then. Cheers for watching.
Nice video and ditto camera and lens! It's quite a coincidence that I looked at this same camera (only with an f1.8 lens) on the 'Dutch E-bay' a few days ago. I passed on it though as they're not cheap, and I only buy extreme bargains when it comes to vintage stuff :)
Hi ohjajohh, I'm much the same, unless there's a particular camera that I want, I wait until I see something interesting at a bargain price before I spend my hard earned cash.
thanks for the brief walk-through on this camera... i just picked up a Nikomat with pre-ai 55mm f3.5 lens locally.... i used to have one but gave out to a friend years ago. what a nice re-union! have to say it fits nicely in hand - simple, solid, and satisfied. Got a quick question - what battery do you get for the meter in the current market?
"Just want it gone.." prices are awesome. Was at a flea market couple weeks ago and there were a Nikkormat and F sitting on a table. How much? Five dollars. I grabbed the F and the guy next to me took the Nikkormat. Each for five bucks. There will be another rash of good deals when I croak, and my wife "just want it gone...". Cheers!
Wow Ray, that makes my Nikkormat seem expensive!!! In reality it works for everyone, the folks wanting to clear stuff get rid of it without either having to throw it away, or worse still, having to pay someone to remove the stuff, and for us enthusiasts/collectors/hoarders (select whichever applies) it's like Christmas has come early.
Excellent review. I've had two Nikkormat cameras for many years, an FT2 and FT3 with black bodies. They have taken thousands of photographs in all kinds of harsh conditions and have been absolutely reliable, not a single malfunction. Both of these versions take 1.5V batteries and the FT3 is designed for Ai lenses with an index lug that can be folded back for pre-Ai lenses, like the FM that replaced it. Very robust and beautifully engineered cameras that I still use. '""
@@GrumpyTim The FT2 went over to silver oxide battery rather than the older mercury type. It also added a hot shoe. The FT3 was identical to the FT2 except that it used the. Ew ai indexing system. The ai coupling tab could be folded back to allow non-converted pre-a lenses to be fitted, and used with stop down metering. The FT3 was only in production for a few months, until the FM was ready for release. There were three cameras with electronic shutters, the Nikkormat el and elw, the latter could take a power winder. The final camera in the range was the Nikon el2. They had dropped the Nikkormat name but it was basically a Nikkormat Elwood but iththe new ai indexing system. Like the FT3 it was short-lived until the FE wa released. There were two versions of the cold shoe for the FS/FT/FTn. Both had the standard ISO shoe on top, butone version had a sort of groove running front to back on each side below this. These could take a flash designed to be used with the special shoe on the F and F2 without an adapter. These were the SN7e electronic flash and a bulb flash with a folding reflector and a special holder which could take three different types of bulb. I can’t remember the name of that one. Since the Nikkormat shoe was a cold shoe a sconces cord had to be used with these flashes when fitted to the Nikkormat, unlike on the F and F2.
Hi Stephen, it was quite an exciting time for camera development around then, lots of interesting developments. I'd heard about the Ai coupling tab that could be folded out of the way when using pre Ai lenses - a definite Gold star for Nikon by accommodating the use of older lenses on the next generation of camera. I had wondered what the additional groove and tension spring were for on the cold shoe, just below the standard shoe bit - clearly it was there to mount something, but I didn't know what......and now I do, cheers.
@@GrumpyTim The ability to mount pre-ai lenses was continued with the FM, both early and later versions, and the Fe, but was removed on the FM2, FE2 and later cameras. It was provided on some of the professional models, but I’m not sure which ones. It could be provided as an option on the F6, and was actually a standard feature on the Df.
Congrats on your bargain find and on putting out the best scripted and produced film camera review I have seen. For some reason, the Nikkormats seem to stay out of the limelight compared with other brands but I believe they cannot be beaten for quality and usability for 35mm work. I have an FT2 which was bought new in the '70's, an EL bought used in 1980 and an FT3 which I bought mint for £99 about 4 years ago. They are all regularly used and look like and work like new. I would always recommend one over anything else in the genre. For interest, a Nikkormat is slightly heavier than a Nikon F with plain prism, so the build quality is right up there with the F. It's just that you don't get all the F's interchangeability of viewfinders, backs, etc. They are a better bet than the posh rangefinder cameras (you know who I mean), in my opinion, and for a fraction of the cost. Likewise the Nikon lenses.
Hi Michael, I'm still blown away by the quality and feel of the Nikkormat, I was expecting it to be good, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. There does seem to be a bit of snobbery surrounding certain cameras and brands, which may well be justified, but it slightly puts me off ownership in case I found myself looking down at mere mortals with their cheaper cameras - or maybe I'm just jealous/envious!!!
Really nicely done video - we'll structured, paced, and a pleasing aesthetic. I bought an Auto-Q 200 last year and one of these came on the back of it. It's been neglected by me and gathering dust at the back of the shelf... until now. Thanks very much for the impetus. Cheers from NZ.
Hi Luzr, quite a few of my film cameras were bought for their lenses, initially so I could use the lenses on digital bodies, but the attached cameras felt so great that I eventually drifted back into film photography, and it's definitely bought back the fun that I used to have taking photos.
@@GrumpyTim A very similar story to mine, and it's such a shame to not put such well-made gear to use. I'm not that far down the rabbit hole yet, but i am aware of the danger. Have a good one and Cheers!
This particular model was the first Nikon camera I bought and came with the 50 mm F2 standard lens.I paid £80 for mine in 1982 añd still have it as it is too much of a gem to sell. I still think it has all the necessary features and nothing unnecessary to complicate matters. I always wind on before taking a shot so the meter was always ready when I took a picture. Just a shame about the mercury battrey but that is not the fault of the camera.
Hi Jeremy, coo I'd have loved to have one of these in 1982, mind you I probably could have bought one by the mid 80s, but by then I thought that new was best and headed off looking for a shiny new camera... Glad you've still got your Nikkormat. It's a pity there isn't an exact replacement for the old mercury batteries, they had a very stable discharge curve and lasted for ages, whereas most of the current solutions have some sort of compromise.
@@GrumpyTim Thanks for the reply. I got an F3 in the end and it has proved itself although not as precious as my Nikkormat. I have moved on to a D800 now which is on another planet!
@@GrumpyTim Hi there, there is an almost exact replacement battery produced by a German or Austrian company called Wein. I can't put a link up because UA-cam won't allow it, but you can Google them up. As opposed to 1.3V, they're 1.35 which is as close as dammit.
Hi Eddy, I did look at the Wein cells, but they were pretty expensive compared to the hearing aid batteries that I use and they're exactly the same technology being Zinc/Air batteries with a pull tab to activate the battery. In some cameras the Zinc Air batteries do last quite well, that being cameras that have a proper off switch, but on cameras with no off switch (Topcon IC-1 Auto for instance) I'm forever replacing batteries. I haven't actually tried a Wein cell, hopefully they're a pretty good example of a Zinc Air battery - I've noticed a big difference between some makes of Zinc Air hearing aid batteries.
I have a few Nikkormat's, including the FTN, but also I have 2 of the rare close to mint and working, black FT3. Only 60,000 of them were made in black and 140,000 in silver, so there couldn't be very many good working examples left world wide out of those original 60,000 in black because the FE came out the same year of production. These cameras were well built.
Great video, Tim! I have a black FT3 with a pancake 50mm that somehow always ends up with film it, despite my having way more Canon FD and Pentax SLRS!
Cheers Zed John, it's funny how you end up gravitating towards certain cameras, in my case there are some cameras that just make me happy when I'm using them, so those ones are rarely without film. Thanks for watching.
Hi Lars, I tend to buy the occasional old camera magazine to use for reference purposes, it can help finding prices and other details such as when a particular camera was on sale and so on. I haven't got a magazine for every year yet, but even the few that I do have really help.
Ah, you're a local bloke then. I recognised a lot of those shots. I'm betting I know where that fair was. I once picked up a bag containing a Canon A1 with four lenses there for £10.00. Sadly I've not been able to repeat that sort of luck. Although, I have found some good ones.
Hi Neville, I bet you can guess where one of my regular vintage camera hunting grounds is if you recognise some of the locations in the photos - the shots on the old bridge were taken about two days before it fell down!!! Your Canon bundle was a bit of a bargain, as you say, unlikely to be repeated, but there are still some little gems to be found from time to time.
How much was that film out of date? The colours look pretty spot on. I just rescued a Nikkormat FTn, and I love it to bits. It's built like a tank, and it's heavy enough to keep my daughter's prying fingers away!
Hi Eddy, the expiry date on that roll of Colour Plus was 2009, so I guess it was bought somewhere around 2005/2006. It spent it's time in a drawer in a centrally heated room that stays at around 18 - 22 degrees C most of the year, with the exception of the odd summer day when the temperature goes a bit higher. When you look at the negatives you'd be amazed that any colour came out at all, they're just a muddy brownish mush.
Wow! Well for a muddy brownish mush, the positives came out pretty well. Congratulations! I've had some really good experiences with out of date black and white films, and I mean seriously out of date - like 20 years! I just put in two rolls of colour ISO 100 films that were dated 2009, so I'll see what happens. I develop my own b&w, but I don't have the gear for colour, so I've had to leave them in the hands of my local studio. 🤞🏻
I'll put it down to the guy who develops and scans my films, he does a really good job and takes much more time on the scanning than you might get from the bigger labs. One day I'll get round to doing my own b&w developing - used to do it years ago but I'll need to gather some equipment before I get back into it again.
I have the Japanese version called Nikomat. My camera have an all metal winding crank and does not have split focus screen. Maybe it is older. Very good camera. I fitted a diode to reduce the battery voltage to use 1.5V batteries.
Hi Yat, I'd spotted that some earlier versions don't have the extra plastic bit on the film advancing lever - I guess my FTN is quite a late model if I'm right and it dates from 1973. I suspect the original owner of my Nikkormat bought a few optional extras with his camera, there were various bits like a genuine Nikon filter, lenshood, cold shoe, extension tubes and so on with the camera, so it's entirely possible that he ordered the camera with the split image focusing aid as an optional extra too.
I’m blown away by the Nikkomats. Solid and beautifully made.
I ignored them for years until finally trying one, very good cameras. In the leagues of the Canon FTB, Pentax K1000, even equal in mechanical reliability as the Nikon F and Canon F1
Hi Flowermaze, the Nikkormat was definitely a camera that I'd completely ignored, I was aware that it existed but that was as far as it went - very glad I've got one now! My brother has a Canon FTB, that's a lovely camera, I'm quite envious of him having that one.
This camera is a hidden gem! I love its shutter.
Hi J.C,F. yep, that shutter is rather good - the Konica Autoreflex uses more or less the same shutter and it's similarly nice to use.
That was a great review/report. The Nikkormats are so nice to use, you can feel the precision and quality throughout. Even the case was of a quality rarely if ever, found today. Ive got the FT2, and its a real pleasure winding the film advance. Thanks for the video.
Cheers Gunther, they really are a beautifully engineered piece of equipment, no wonder Nikon gained such a good reputation back then. Cheers for watching.
Nice video and ditto camera and lens! It's quite a coincidence that I looked at this same camera (only with an f1.8 lens) on the 'Dutch E-bay' a few days ago. I passed on it though as they're not cheap, and I only buy extreme bargains when it comes to vintage stuff :)
Hi ohjajohh, I'm much the same, unless there's a particular camera that I want, I wait until I see something interesting at a bargain price before I spend my hard earned cash.
thanks for the brief walk-through on this camera... i just picked up a Nikomat with pre-ai 55mm f3.5 lens locally.... i used to have one but gave out to a friend years ago. what a nice re-union! have to say it fits nicely in hand - simple, solid, and satisfied. Got a quick question - what battery do you get for the meter in the current market?
"Just want it gone.." prices are awesome. Was at a flea market couple weeks ago and there were a Nikkormat and F sitting on a table. How much? Five dollars. I grabbed the F and the guy next to me took the Nikkormat. Each for five bucks. There will be another rash of good deals when I croak, and my wife "just want it gone...". Cheers!
Wow Ray, that makes my Nikkormat seem expensive!!! In reality it works for everyone, the folks wanting to clear stuff get rid of it without either having to throw it away, or worse still, having to pay someone to remove the stuff, and for us enthusiasts/collectors/hoarders (select whichever applies) it's like Christmas has come early.
I have a nikkormat ft3 and all I can say about it is I think it's brilliant !
Hi Marc, I bet the FT3 is good, by that time it will have a few enhancements over my version yet retain that amazing build quality.
Excellent review. I've had two Nikkormat cameras for many years, an FT2 and FT3 with black bodies. They have taken thousands of photographs in all kinds of harsh conditions and have been absolutely reliable, not a single malfunction. Both of these versions take 1.5V batteries and the FT3 is designed for Ai lenses with an index lug that can be folded back for pre-Ai lenses, like the FM that replaced it. Very robust and beautifully engineered cameras that I still use.
'""
Hi Paul, I'd spotted that the FT3 has the Ai indexing lug, that would be really handy being able to use all those later lenses.
@@GrumpyTim
The FT2 went over to silver oxide battery rather than the older mercury type. It also added a hot shoe. The FT3 was identical to the FT2 except that it used the. Ew ai indexing system. The ai coupling tab could be folded back to allow non-converted pre-a lenses to be fitted, and used with stop down metering. The FT3 was only in production for a few months, until the FM was ready for release.
There were three cameras with electronic shutters, the Nikkormat el and elw, the latter could take a power winder. The final camera in the range was the Nikon el2. They had dropped the Nikkormat name but it was basically a Nikkormat Elwood but iththe new ai indexing system. Like the FT3 it was short-lived until the FE wa released.
There were two versions of the cold shoe for the FS/FT/FTn. Both had the standard ISO shoe on top, butone version had a sort of groove running front to back on each side below this. These could take a flash designed to be used with the special shoe on the F and F2 without an adapter. These were the SN7e electronic flash and a bulb flash with a folding reflector and a special holder which could take three different types of bulb. I can’t remember the name of that one. Since the Nikkormat shoe was a cold shoe a sconces cord had to be used with these flashes when fitted to the Nikkormat, unlike on the F and F2.
Hi Stephen, it was quite an exciting time for camera development around then, lots of interesting developments. I'd heard about the Ai coupling tab that could be folded out of the way when using pre Ai lenses - a definite Gold star for Nikon by accommodating the use of older lenses on the next generation of camera.
I had wondered what the additional groove and tension spring were for on the cold shoe, just below the standard shoe bit - clearly it was there to mount something, but I didn't know what......and now I do, cheers.
@@GrumpyTim
The ability to mount pre-ai lenses was continued with the FM, both early and later versions, and the Fe, but was removed on the FM2, FE2 and later cameras. It was provided on some of the professional models, but I’m not sure which ones. It could be provided as an option on the F6, and was actually a standard feature on the Df.
Congrats on your bargain find and on putting out the best scripted and produced film camera review I have seen. For some reason, the Nikkormats seem to stay out of the limelight compared with other brands but I believe they cannot be beaten for quality and usability for 35mm work. I have an FT2 which was bought new in the '70's, an EL bought used in 1980 and an FT3 which I bought mint for £99 about 4 years ago. They are all regularly used and look like and work like new. I would always recommend one over anything else in the genre. For interest, a Nikkormat is slightly heavier than a Nikon F with plain prism, so the build quality is right up there with the F. It's just that you don't get all the F's interchangeability of viewfinders, backs, etc. They are a better bet than the posh rangefinder cameras (you know who I mean), in my opinion, and for a fraction of the cost. Likewise the Nikon lenses.
Hi Michael, I'm still blown away by the quality and feel of the Nikkormat, I was expecting it to be good, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. There does seem to be a bit of snobbery surrounding certain cameras and brands, which may well be justified, but it slightly puts me off ownership in case I found myself looking down at mere mortals with their cheaper cameras - or maybe I'm just jealous/envious!!!
Really nicely done video - we'll structured, paced, and a pleasing aesthetic. I bought an Auto-Q 200 last year and one of these came on the back of it. It's been neglected by me and gathering dust at the back of the shelf... until now. Thanks very much for the impetus. Cheers from NZ.
Hi Luzr, quite a few of my film cameras were bought for their lenses, initially so I could use the lenses on digital bodies, but the attached cameras felt so great that I eventually drifted back into film photography, and it's definitely bought back the fun that I used to have taking photos.
@@GrumpyTim A very similar story to mine, and it's such a shame to not put such well-made gear to use. I'm not that far down the rabbit hole yet, but i am aware of the danger. Have a good one and Cheers!
Hi Luzr, yep it's a dangerous rabbit hole and I've fallen right into it, no turning back now!!!
This particular model was the first Nikon camera I bought and came with the 50 mm F2 standard lens.I paid £80 for mine in 1982 añd still have it as it is too much of a gem to sell.
I still think it has all the necessary features and nothing unnecessary to complicate matters.
I always wind on before taking a shot so the meter was always ready when I took a picture.
Just a shame about the mercury battrey but that is not the fault of the camera.
Hi Jeremy, coo I'd have loved to have one of these in 1982, mind you I probably could have bought one by the mid 80s, but by then I thought that new was best and headed off looking for a shiny new camera... Glad you've still got your Nikkormat.
It's a pity there isn't an exact replacement for the old mercury batteries, they had a very stable discharge curve and lasted for ages, whereas most of the current solutions have some sort of compromise.
@@GrumpyTim Thanks for the reply.
I got an F3 in the end and it has proved itself although not as precious as my Nikkormat.
I have moved on to a D800 now which is on another planet!
@@GrumpyTim Hi there, there is an almost exact replacement battery produced by a German or Austrian company called Wein. I can't put a link up because UA-cam won't allow it, but you can Google them up. As opposed to 1.3V, they're 1.35 which is as close as dammit.
Hi Eddy, I did look at the Wein cells, but they were pretty expensive compared to the hearing aid batteries that I use and they're exactly the same technology being Zinc/Air batteries with a pull tab to activate the battery. In some cameras the Zinc Air batteries do last quite well, that being cameras that have a proper off switch, but on cameras with no off switch (Topcon IC-1 Auto for instance) I'm forever replacing batteries. I haven't actually tried a Wein cell, hopefully they're a pretty good example of a Zinc Air battery - I've noticed a big difference between some makes of Zinc Air hearing aid batteries.
I have a few Nikkormat's, including the FTN, but also I have 2 of the rare close to mint and working, black FT3. Only 60,000 of them were made in black and 140,000 in silver, so there couldn't be very many good working examples left world wide out of those original 60,000 in black because the FE came out the same year of production. These cameras were well built.
Hi Gary, that sounds like a nice collection, do you have a favourite one to use?
Great video, Tim! I have a black FT3 with a pancake 50mm that somehow always ends up with film it, despite my having way more Canon FD and Pentax SLRS!
Cheers Zed John, it's funny how you end up gravitating towards certain cameras, in my case there are some cameras that just make me happy when I'm using them, so those ones are rarely without film. Thanks for watching.
Nice work. Sorry I missed this when it was released!
Don't worry Ben, you shouldn't feel obliged to watch, but always appreciated, thanks.
PS. Thanks for the magazine screenshots.
It's hard to find historical prices from that era.
Hi Lars, I tend to buy the occasional old camera magazine to use for reference purposes, it can help finding prices and other details such as when a particular camera was on sale and so on. I haven't got a magazine for every year yet, but even the few that I do have really help.
Ah, you're a local bloke then. I recognised a lot of those shots. I'm betting I know where that fair was. I once picked up a bag containing a Canon A1 with four lenses there for £10.00. Sadly I've not been able to repeat that sort of luck. Although, I have found some good ones.
Hi Neville, I bet you can guess where one of my regular vintage camera hunting grounds is if you recognise some of the locations in the photos - the shots on the old bridge were taken about two days before it fell down!!! Your Canon bundle was a bit of a bargain, as you say, unlikely to be repeated, but there are still some little gems to be found from time to time.
I have several Nkkormats and Nikonmats in my collection.
Excellent Mamiyapress, we do like a good collection.
How much was that film out of date? The colours look pretty spot on. I just rescued a Nikkormat FTn, and I love it to bits. It's built like a tank, and it's heavy enough to keep my daughter's prying fingers away!
Hi Eddy, the expiry date on that roll of Colour Plus was 2009, so I guess it was bought somewhere around 2005/2006. It spent it's time in a drawer in a centrally heated room that stays at around 18 - 22 degrees C most of the year, with the exception of the odd summer day when the temperature goes a bit higher. When you look at the negatives you'd be amazed that any colour came out at all, they're just a muddy brownish mush.
Wow! Well for a muddy brownish mush, the positives came out pretty well. Congratulations! I've had some really good experiences with out of date black and white films, and I mean seriously out of date - like 20 years! I just put in two rolls of colour ISO 100 films that were dated 2009, so I'll see what happens. I develop my own b&w, but I don't have the gear for colour, so I've had to leave them in the hands of my local studio. 🤞🏻
I'll put it down to the guy who develops and scans my films, he does a really good job and takes much more time on the scanning than you might get from the bigger labs. One day I'll get round to doing my own b&w developing - used to do it years ago but I'll need to gather some equipment before I get back into it again.
@@GrumpyTim I keep my film in a fridge.
The camera looks competent rather than beautiful.
Hi Ian, yeah, it's competent and purposeful, and I think it could definitely stand up for itself in a fight!!!
@@GrumpyTim 😀😀😀😇
@@GrumpyTim I'm pretty sure a Nikkormat swung by its strap like a medieval mace would take down any number of large, wild animals.