My Nikon Compact SLR Trilogy is Complete

A good experience with a camera will often lead me down the path of trying other cameras in the same family. My wonderful Leica R4s MOD-P was the catalyst to try the R5, R6, R7 and even took me back to the roots of the R series Leica SLRs; the Leicaflex SL2.

I loved my little Olympus OM-2n so much that it started an itch to try the original OM, the OM-1. I wasn’t disappointed. Both of these jewel-like SLRs are competent, fun-to-use cameras that mount an amazing arsenal of Zuiko lenses.

I’ve had two Nikon FM2n cameras. The first one was purchased brand new at Tempe Camera in the mid 1990s. I sold it during my divorce to pay some bill that was past due. I can’t remember what bill it was that required the sale of my Nikon, but the pleasant memories of shooting that manual-everything SLR were fresh enough for me to go looking for another one twenty years later. Bellamy Hunt (aka Japan Camera Hunter) sourced my second FM2n, a minty black body that I’ve used consistently ever since.

The FM2n was one of a series of very popular Nikon bodies that were in production between 1977 and 2001. Those cameras (FM, FM2, FM2n, FE, FE2, FA and FM3a) were aimed at the advanced amateur market. Nikon’s pro bodies during this time were the F2, F3, F4 and F5. During the F2/F3 era, many pros carried the FM or FE as a back up to their pro body cameras.

I love shooting my FM2n and it’s never let me down, but deep down inside I am an aperture-priority guy. When all is said and done, I really like a little bit of automation in my photography and aperture-priority cameras just hit the sweet spot for me. Needless to say, the FM2n got me searching for the FE2 which is essentially the same camera with aperture-priority automation. One of the things I just love about the FE2 is its wonderfully simple analog metering display along the left side of the viewfinder which shows the camera’s selected shutter speed if your are in automatic mode or a match needle read out if you are in manual mode. I have always thought that if the Nikon F3 had the FE2’s metering display, it would be the perfect SLR.

As was the case with Leica and Olympus, I just had to try the Nikon FE. The FE, produced from 1978 to 1983, is the predecessor to the FE2. It offers shutter speeds to 1/1000th of a second (the FE2 goes to 1/4000th). The FE came out around the time that Nikon introduced automatic indexing lenses, so it features a flip down aperture coupling pin allowing the use of non-AI lenses with stop down metering.

I bought my serviced FE from Holman Camera. Jim Holman recently serviced my FE2 and did a fine job, earning my repeat business.

The FE completes my personal compact Nikon SLR trilogy…FM2n/FE/FE2. Looking forward to getting out soon to shoot a test roll.

Footnote: I’ve been shooting a lot less during the pandemic but have just sent off a roll of Agfa APX 100, a roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 and a roll of ColorPlus to Boutique Film Lab. It feels good to get some work flow going again!