What should I say... Master of it''''s class. Good lenses available, good quality, good (nearly) everything, fine handling. Has more to offer if you know it well (A, S, P progamm overide like the minolta XD-family), TTL Flash, Fast shutterspeed... you name it. Fit''''s in the systemconcept of Nikon. Complete finder information.

Minor detail... but sometimes they are annoying... It lacks AEL (autoexposure lock) because the engineers truly believed their matrix meter didn''''t need it... The viewfinderscreen is quit dark compared to the new AF camera''''s. Viewfinder LCD has no light and is sometimes too dark. The led''''s for M (like the FM2) would be nice. Batteries, FM3/a shutter would make it perfect.. (Remake of the FA with this shutter would have been the best!) Spot meter would have been nice.

The best MF Nikon ever made? Maybe... It has a lot of nice feature for the freak (matrix, multi mode, TTL flash,...) Probably this camera didnt got the place it deserved, "outranked" by the AF-wave shortly after it was released... But it''''s a very fine camera which does an excellent job on macro and outperformes it''''s newest AF brothers! Takes nearly all Nikon lenses as they are. Well built, durable and reliable! I can use it anytime, anywhere where I wouldn''''t take any AF camera with me, only the FM2 is better on this point....

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Contax rangefinder, several SLR (Minolta AF, Pentax MF, Canon MF/ AF) and Nikon FG, FM2, F80, F100

Accurate, reliable, many features including matrix metering, dof, mirror lock-up with self-timer, TTL OTF flash. Removeable drive (quieter w/o it, lighter w/o it), attach it if only if you need it.

Can't think of any besides the fact they are no longer made.

The best manual focus camera in the Nikon line but unfortunately no longer mfg'd (since "89).

Customer Service

Excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta X-700, Contax 139Q, Nikon FE-2, Nikon F2AS and more.

- Manual focus
- Mulit mode (PSAM)
- Accepts standard release cord
- Accepts AF lenses
- Full manual control
- Nice motor drive accessory
- Flash mounts directly above lens (unlike F3)
-Comfortable and well balanced
- Has DOF preview

- Flash metering seems to take some skill to execute well.
- No mirror lock up (but the self timer can be used as a substitute)
- Longest shutter speed is 1 second, to short for some situations

A truly great MF camera. It would be unfair to rate it with AF cameras, as they are a different tool. For my work I prefer MF. It has more bells and whistles than the F3, like P and S mode, as well as a choice of 2 meters. The AMP meterning has given very consistent meterings, even in difficult situations. I use it with both manual and auto-focus lenses with excellent results. I always use it for snapshots, I prefer the F3 on the tripd, as it has longer shutter settings, and removing the finder can really help to compose a shot without fatigue. Overall, I am very happy with it for travelling, and shooting hand held pictures of people.

Customer Service

Haven't needed any.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F3HP

All the indicators are neatly arranged at the top of the viewfinder, where they can be used or ignored at will. Perfect! The indications for over/under in manual mode are similar to the FM2/T (+/±/-), but not significantly worse. At any rate, I find the FA in manual mode easier to use than the FM-series bodies.

Having the option of two metering modes is nice, although I wish there were a spot metering option. The matrix metering works amazingly well. Polar bears are white. Black bears are black (or brown, if they're brown-colored black bears). Why, it's nearly as accurate as using an incident meter.

It's like having every Nikon camera, in one! Put it on center-weighted, manual mode, and it's an FM2n. Put it in center-weighted, aperture-priority mode, and it's an FE2. It's one of the few classic-style Nikon bodies to offer shutter-priority. And, there's matrix metering and a full program mode with AI and AIS lenses, like the F4.

Program shift with the aperture ring!

Excellent feel in the hand, with the handgrip. All the controls are just where you'd expect them. Even the DOF preview lever works easier and more-intuitively than the push-button on my F3/T.

There are times (rarely) when I wish it had mirror lock-up.

The early matrix metering is somewhat less reliable in the vertical position.

What a camera body! Light, compact, and just jam-packed with features. Did you know the top plate is plastic?My FA is worn through the black paint, through the copper-colored plating, all the way down to the gray-colored plastic. No matter; it's rugged and reliable. I also have the MF-16 back, which provides a nice little alarm clock when traveling. The FA is my absolute favorite of the manual Nikon bodies, edging out even the F3/T.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

N8008s, N90s, FG, FG-20, EM.

In another league: F, F3/T, FM2/T, FM.

Durable, Durable, and it is also Durable.Multi-matrix metering system. Shoots in all Modes P,S,A, & Manual. If your batteries die you can still shoot in a manual mode. Shutter speed up to 1/8000. This is the best camera for someone who is serious in learning about Photography and doesn't have a lot of money to spend. Mine two have been from the base of Matterhorn to the swamps of Louisiana to the beachs of the Virgin Islands. In the swamps would be more like it, turned the canoe over in the middle to the night photographing alligator's, but that is another story

They quit making it.

The best over all camera Nikon ever made. Durable. I own two of them. If you can find one snatch it up. I don't leave home without it. One stays in my car all the time. Ready to shoot. You never know when that pic of a life time comes and goes.

Customer Service

Parts are getting hard to get and have had to replace two chips in it.

Similar Products Used:

F3HP F4 AE-1 EOS-1 FG FM FE

AMP metering, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Program, Manual, X synch 1/250, top shutter speed 1/4000, TTL flash, depth-of-field preview.

LCD not illuminated cannot not see information in low light conditions, not a true MLU.

A well made multi-mode camera. Highly recommended for beginner's to serious amateurs. Not as popular as the FE-2 or FM-2, but offers "more bang for the buck" in the used camera market.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

OM-2S, OM-1n, Pentax ME Super, F-3T, FE-2

Built like a tank, extremely reliable metering, 4 different shooting modes. Good styling/control layout. Need I go on..?

LCD not illuminated, parts can be tricky to find (though it shares many with the FE/FM2) eyepiece cover can be a pain (shutting on it's own)

An excellent camera for an amateur or pro. Has all features needed for both. Takes consistantly excellent pictures with the matrix metering. It may be old, but they got it right.
It's just a shame they dont make it anymore.

Customer Service

Good. Nikon dealers tend to be serious about it.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus OM2n, Minolta X300, Nikon FE/F301.

Substantial body with many options

As with 2 FE models I have had, this FA has been subject to sudden and unexplained shutter hangup. Very annoying, as of course always happens in midst of shooting session. Also, the rewind know decides to fall apart now and then.

I have puzzled again and again why of three separate Nikons and two diff. models they have all been prone to intermittent shutter lockup. It just frees when it decides to, after a period of time, and twice had to take it for repair. If it were not for this I would probably give it a 5 Star rating. If you can get a good used one without this problem you should be very happy.

Customer Service

Happened after warranty expired, took to authorized factory service but problem reoccured at least five times.

Similar Products Used:

Two Nikon FE's

Perfect flash exposure, simple to understand and use, excellent quality; feels rugged and dependable without being crude.

Not as comfortable to grip as my Contax, doesn't feel as refined either.

I had a chance to shoot a few rolls with this one, indoor flash photography of stuntman I know and some students of his. I had borrowed the Nikon from a friend and didn't have a manual, so I just stuck the flash onto the camera and started. All the shots were correctly exposed.

This camera did the job. It's not as comfortable to hold as my Contax 167MT, but it's comfortable enough. It feels extremely well built, tough but not crude. If I ever were to change camera, the Nikon FA might well be it.

Similar Products Used:

Contax 167MT. Minolta SRT 100b.

Great all around camera.

None

Great Value, Great Camera.

Similar Products Used:

None