A "state of art" mechanical camera, superb brightness of viewfinder (with B matte),
excellent full-metal built,
compatibility with all Nikkors (AF too),
semispot metering.

A bit heavy with MD-12 motor drive,
no TTL flash.

A very good camera; I use it for all purposes photography (fashon stages, outdoor, studio, landscapes).
The viewfinder is the best I've seen, an evident advantage in lowlight situations (night and astronomical photography).
FM2 shutter doesn't need batteries to work.
If this camera had TTL flash, it would be perfect.

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F90, F70, F-601m

use at all speeds without batteries, made from metal, very simple layout

no ttl flash
no spotmeter

i take most of my photographs up mountains in extreme weather my fm2n has never let me down its been banged around quite a bit.
i find the metering very good also i have only been serious about photography for 3 years and having a fully manual camera has slowed me down and improved me as a photographer.i would reccomend this camera to old pro's and beginners its a great camera im buying another.

Customer Service

never needed to use them

Similar Products Used:

f70

Very solid and works well under extreme conditions, smooth operation, easy-to-read LED, fast shutter, bright viewfinder...

A bit expensive, but you can always find used ones at good price.

It's probably the best manual camera ever produced. It's built to last forever and is an excellent choice for beginners or even professionals.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

FM-10, F3HP

Accurate Metering,Like 1/250 flash sync, Exposure is easy to set in low light because of LED's It has about everything needed for photographing.

Hard to grip, but solved this by buying an excellent accessory grip "NF-Grip" $65US. Also would like longer speeds than one sec. Spot Meter would be excellent.

I have both Nikon FM2 and a FE. Like them both. Totally trouble free and they perform excellent. Probably replace the FE with an AUTO-FOCUS. (Maybe with a NIKON 95???)

Customer Service

No Problems at all.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME, MX, Super Program, Nikon FE. Was interested in Nikon 80 but no way after seeing it. Can't use manual lenses on the 80

Rock solid body, fast shutter speeds, 1/250 flash sync. Light weight for a mechanical camera and works without batterys

Pricey, compared to modern cameras but then again like an automatic watch it is a mechanical beauty and no TTL flash.

This is a first rate camera and has put the joy of photography back into this great hobby. This camera is a classic which will around a lot longer than some of the plastic SLR 'junk' being produced today.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MZ-M

probably the BEST NIKON manual todate. if you take care of this machine, it will OUTLAST you , too.

mm, oh, ok, sb 28, and
other ttl type of intelligent flashes wont do their magic, you do REALLY NEED THE RUBBER EYECUP, and few Minor minor things..

this is ONE GREAT CAMERA, and i dont mean big.
it is a GOOD , almost excellent piece of TRUE
old fashioned back in the 60s style NIKON engineering at THIS PRICE! thats, the key,
VALUE, and it does its share in aiding you to take
Good pix. VERY Sensitive built in lightmeter,
good prism, brightness,etc to aid focus, and
in case of emergency, even if batteries, die,
you can go on clicking.
TRUE MANUAL, GOOD speeds , B, and, check this
out, 1/250 FLASH SYNC!
take care of it, use it a LOT, and you will
really re learn true photography again.
get a USED (but clean) 50mm lens, or a very clean
(harder nowadays to find decent optics, no ?),
and you can play all year long, experimenting
the things you can do with such a free minded
manual. i cant give out my trade secrets, but
youw ill be amazed at what it can really do,
if you have imagination, and can make certain
types of adapters for all sorts of photography,
from microscopic to the cosmos tothe still,
to the very fast.
almost no limits.
have fun !

Customer Service

??

Similar Products Used:

nikon f70, f2sb, f3, etc.

I had the FM2/T, the titanium version of this camera.

Astonishing mechanical shutter, with speeds up to 1/4000 and maximum flash sync at 1/250. Wow!

When all else fails, your FM2n won't. It's the ultimate back-up to any Nikon system.

The viewfinder is less than optimal if you wear glasses; it's like an Easter egg hunt looking for the various indicators. Shutter speed dial on the far left, aperture at the top, meter LEDs on the right. The meter is not especially informative, showing just red +/o/- lights. So, for correct exposure within 1/3-stop you get a red o, for 1/3-stop over you get a +o, for more than a third stop over you get just +. Match needle is easier to interpret, but harder to see in dim light. The best manual metering display I've worked with is the Pentax MX's line of 5 LEDs in red, yellow, and green adjacent to a dial showing the selected shutter speed.

The FM2/T is tough and lightweight, although the titanium finish shows wear quickly. My FM2/T had smoother-operating controls than any FM2n I've handled. I just wish the viewfinder were better organized and friendlier to eyeglass wearers. I eventually sold the FM2/T because the FA in manual mode is easier for me to use. It's the same +/o/- display, but the aperture and shutter speed are more-quickly found without having to change my eye centering. I notice I'm the only reviewer marking this camera down for the viewfinder, so my comments may tell you more about my eyesight (or lack of it) than the camera body.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

FM, F, F3/T.

Also, FA, N8008s, N90s.

Strength/ Durability
Compactness
Reliability
AF lens can be used

None. oh alright, if you must, Just a little bit pricey for whats on offer but thats quality for you!

I would never have changed from my OM1 had it nor died the death. There is NO other camera of comparable quality at an affordable price. Lord only knows why Olympus ceased support or developement of the OM series. The OM4ti is superb but who can afford it.

The Pentax MZM was a crap body (But good std zoom lens)

So I did a super deal with Jessops in Altrincham (Cheshire) Combined the FM2N with a new 28mm - 105mm AF zoom lens (Cracking lens, fits perfectly and razor sharp) and a Mint second hand Nikor AIS 24mm f2.8 Wide Angle (My favourite mountaineering lens). Mountaineers / Outdoors need no other lens combination in my opinion.

I am absolutely delighted with my new set up (and it looks very sexy in black!!!)

Customer Service

Not required really

Similar Products Used:

Olympus OM1N
Pentax MZM

Feels like a solid piece of metal and has gone through about everything without letting me down. Functions without batteries.

The viewfinder! You can´t see all if you wear glasses, the focussing screen is grainy and hard to use in a darker environment, and the viewfinder info is spread around 3 sides.

You can´t get more camera for that price, and it functions and functions and functions. But the viewfinder drives me nuts! If you can live with one that seems to have come straight from the 1950ies, the camera is an excellent backup to any Nikon equipment, and can stand by itself as well. I do not miss autoexposure and autofocus in it.

Customer Service

Huh? Does a FM2 ever need that?

Similar Products Used:

Rolleiflex, Leica R6, Leica M4-P

- metal body
- accurate center-weighted metering
- compatibility with new AF lenses (minus the AF and matrix metering features--duh)
- camera weight is just right--not too heavy but not too light

- doesn't balance well with heavy AF lenses
- viewfinder not 100%
- no spot meter
- body grip, anyone?

My F5 was currently in service for a faulty DP-30 for more than a month now (!) so I was in a market for a back-up camera.

I wanted another F5 (or at least an F100)--but I remembered I wasn't Donald Trump--so the only realistic alternative was anything below $600.

I seriously looked at the Nikon N80/F80. It's a fine piece of electronic equipment; it even has features the F5 doesn't (on-demand grid lines, red active focusing points...and...eherm...built-in flash) but since the body is mostly electronic like the F5, it would have problems that plagues every electronic SLRs...and the plastic body really turned me off! I know a lot of owners swear that N80s are very sturdy...but come on, you would really wish that N80 has a metal chassis each time it falls from your hands...

So the REAL alternative was a MANUAL SLR that can use my AF lenses. So I started doing research and ended up deciding to buy a used FE2 (since it's no longer in production)

I started browsing but the prices for this piece is just ridiculously high even at ugly condition! That's when I decided to just buy a NEW FM2n...i figured it would be more practical.

Before ordering from B&H, I tried it first on a local store. Man, this IS one great-looking camera! metal body, bright viewfinder, very few plastic pieces.

The meter reading is kinda weird; it only has 3 indicators: +, o, -; so there is a little guessing that you have to do when you want to depend on the indicators when doing exposure compensation.

A number of reviewers here find a lack of TTL FLASH metering as a weakness...I don't blame them but it's not applicable in my case; coupled with an SB-28 it's quite easy to do flash photography with the FM2n. What bugs me more is the lack of spot meter. It's really difficult it a number of situations when you really need one; I don't have a light meter, a spot meter is a lot more convenient than carrying a grey card with me.

I have mostly AF lenses, I don't have AI or AIS lenses so trying to handle this body with an 70-210 f4 (fixed aperture) aperture takes a lot of getting used to. I imagine that it would be harder to use this with an 80-200 f2.8 lens!

I never regret buying this body. In fact, i would say my photography has improved a lot since i don't have to rely on matrix-metering in order to expose properly.

Customer Service

Nikon Service in NY sucks...

Similar Products Used:

N/A