Rating Reviewed by: Bart Van Caelenberg(Unregistered User)
(Casual)
Review Date December 14, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 2.40 of 5,
5 votes
Review 1 of 36
Price Paid:
$200.00
from RSA and Belgium
Summary:
I bought my first FE, while tourguiding Southern Africa, with a 80-200mm f:4.5 lens. A year later I bought a second body, an FE again, with a 28mm f:2 lens and I replaced the f.4.5 lens with a 80-200 mm f:4...
Eversince, the 2 body's are my companions and I use them almost daily in sometimes harsh conditions (heat, moisture, rain, dust...).
Strengths:
Durability, reliability, lightweight, can do with little maintenance. "AUTO" feature, B,...
Cheap! Excellent starters camera, capable of good to very good results.
Excellent back-up camera for Pro's, I would suggest.
Weaknesses:
Sometimes you wish the camera had a higher shutterspeed.
Rating Reviewed by: andrew lee(Unregistered User)
(Intermediate)
Review Date September 15, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 3.20 of 5,
5 votes
Review 2 of 36
Price Paid:
$150.00
from used
Summary:
i will start with this statement... its my baby, its what i learned photography upon and for those reasons i love it.
I am a professional tv news cameraman and look through a lens daily, yet despite all my options i always come back to my nikon when travel calls or simply to go out for a relaxing day with a lens.
I can't say its never let me down, but i must also say i am abusive and live in one of the coldest climates in Canada and the nikon fe is horrible in cold temperatures due to its battery.
What i love about it is its simplicity, its laid out how a camera should be with simple aperature control, a quick auto function for ae over-ride for fast composition, its a metal camera which doesn't mind a scratch or bump or two or three.
I just returned from syria, lebanon.. have travelled north africa, india etc...
AND this is its major strength as far as i'm concerned is its simple appearance. It doesn't attract attention. As a travel camera that cannot be overemphasized. I feel comfortable with it anywhere due to its humble looks.
Strengths:
simplicity
ergonomics (hate that word)
and simple humble appearance
durability... with regular maintenance
price (a real steal compared to similar fm3a, and how often do you need that 4000 shutter speed really?)
Weaknesses:
battery reliance... score one for the fm3a
cold weather its is horrible... and not water proof in the least bit.
would be a five star camera with better battery
Similar Products Used:
nikon f
nikon fm
hasselblad 500cm
yashicamat
Television cameras too many to mention.
Customer Service:
never really used nikon but any camera fixit shop can repair one... advantages of a common non exotic camera.
About 7 years ago,I bought the Nikon FE as a backup to my Nikon F601. However, the FE is the camera I use most. It is a reliable workhorse, and very durable. It will take AF lenses, and works with my Nikon F-22 speedlite,so I didn't have to purchases any lenses or buy a new flash .It goes everywhere with me.
Strengths:
Durable, batteries are inexpensive and last a very long time. It is compatible with AF lenses. DOF, multiple exposure button.
Can't remember the exact price. I have two 20 year old FEs, one black and one silver, both still going strong. Had a third one but dropped it in the ocean near Monterey, CA. Recovered it and kept it for spare parts. Replaced this one with blackie. Blackie fell out of my car onto the pavement one time, but otherwise kept on working. Only one repair: replaced the film rewind knob on the silver one. These are great and simple to use tools for the purist who dabbles in auto mode. Great learners camera and would make a good spare camera as well. Mine have been in the field all over the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Strengths:
Tough as nails. Easy to use. Screen lock up, timer, depth of field preview, and double exposure capability.
Weaknesses:
Exposure range limited at fast end by todays standards. Aperture priority auto mode only.
The Nikon FE is my favorite of all the cameras I've owned and used. Although it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of today's modern SLRs like advanced metering systems, it does have some great features of yesteryear being the first in Nikon's line of automated SLRs. I find that the center weighted metering of this camera is suitable for most applications, although spot and matrix metering would be nice to have sometimes. A couple of features make this camera stand out from others I've used and own. First off, it's the only camera in the Nikon line which is compatable with most all of Nikon's lenses: AI, pre AI, AI'd AIS, and even auto focus lenses all work fine with this camera. So you can buy and use the great old Nikkor prime lenses cheap. Also, the mirror lockup and self timer are wonderful features along with double exposure capability, DOF preview, and aperture priority auto mode. If you preffer a manual focus SLR (as I do) and don't want to get soaked for a new camera without features this camera offers this is the one. I'll never part with mine!
Strengths:
Lens compatability, DOF preview, Aperure priority "AUTO" mode, double exposure capability, durability, exposure lock lever, mirror lockup and self timer, match needle meter, smoothness of operation.
Weaknesses:
Shutter speed to 1/1000th sec., no TTL flash, parts (I hear) are scarce. Dim view finder compared to today's cameras.
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