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| Photograph Quality | 10/10  |
|---|---|
| Features | 9.1/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9.2/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.4/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 9.2/10 |
| Overall Rating | 9.3/10 |
| Nikon F75 35mm Film Camera |  | £213.22Free P&P |
| Nikon B3 Screen For Fm3A | | £20.94Free P&P |
| Nikon FM3A Type E3 Focusing Screen | | £16.46Free P&P |
| Nikon -2.0 Dptr Eyepiece Correction Lens Fm3A | | £12.67P&P: £3.23 |
| Nikon -3.0 Dptr Eyepiece Correction Lens Fm3A | | £12.42P&P: £3.23 |
Full review by
deerekit
expert review 
on 5th Mar 2008
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Good Points: The overwhelming brilliant feature of this camera is its encouragement towards the complete consideration and control in the making of a photograph, as with its older cousin the Nikon FM2. In purely operational terms, the FM3a provides capability and reliability in flash photography, especially by way of the flash suppression button. The build and strength and durability of the body makes this camera a work horse, not a show pony. For someone who wants to take time and care and responsibility in the making of a photograph, this manually-operated camera (especially when used mechanically) will continue to teach and perform and deliver, which is what any serious photographer should wish for in the pursuit of the craft.
Bad Points: The absence of a of a spot-metering setting and the absence of a lock on the film-rewind lever are the only two serious operational failings of this otherwise excellent camera, which in longevity and professional photographic regard will surely outlast many other film and digital cameras, no matter their seeming superiority in other aspects of picture-making capability.
General comments: The Nikon FM3a is my second Nikon camera; my first was a (Millennium Edition) FM2 which I bought as soon as I realised that the model had been discontinued - so, I bought the added advantage of a collector's-item camera and 50 mm lens with matching serial numbers. I eventually bought the FM3a in preference to an F5 because I wanted to be sure of the camera's ability to operate in all conditions and without power, and because I wanted to use manual rather than auto-focus lenses to make my photographs. I now regard the FM3a as my main body and the FM2 as my second body, although I often use them together to split and share my four fixed focal-length manual lenses (28, 50, 135 and 200 mm). As a journalist who shoots all of his own pictures, as a photo-journalist who sometimes finds himself in rough situations, and as a documentary photographer who values the depth and density and sheer quality of film, I can only say that these two Nikon bodies and their brilliant lenses are probably all that I will ever need (or wish for) in the making of photographs that matter to me, and that I try to make matter to others. I know that the F6 is the last film camera that Nikon will manufacture, but for me the two best mechanical cameras are a better choice: they speak of the purity and seriousness of the craft and vocation of photography, and remind me of its long history. I first picked up a camera more than twenty years ago - it was a Minolta X-700, an ideal camera for learning the basics - and my wish to always be entirely responsible for composition and exposure in the making of a photograph eventually led me towards the Nikon mechanical models with the sharpest and clearest lenses. Unless I one day decide to convert to a Leica MP rangefinder outfit, I will stay with Nikon and its mechanical sense and dependability.
deerekit's review and ratings | 508 words
Review by
Goldbach
on 21st Jan 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
If you are lucky to get one of these camera's, cannon lover or not, I suggest keeping it long enough to give to the grandkids so they have a nest egg when they put it on the antique road show or some other show where they auction classic items.
Goldbach's full review | 196 words
Review by
Guest.
on 8th Jan 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
A fitting companion to the FM2n as the two together , with the appropriate accessories , will meet any and all photographic requirements. No other 35mm camera made by Nikon or anyone else will produce photographs which are technically better . Just point it at the right object/scene .
Guest.'s full review | 79 words
Review by
John Chia
on 28th Mar 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
The Nikon FM3a 35mm SLR is a beautiful classic camera. It's got everything you will ever need from a camera, and it's got aperture priority, which gives it a bit more ease of handling, especially when taking quick candid shots. It uses all the Nikon lenses, except for the DX range, but the best lenses are the old ones. It is also lightweight, uses virtually no batteries (I've had mine for 4 years and have not had to change them). So it is a great travel camera.
John Chia's full review | 110 words
Review by
Perry Munson
on 23rd Jan 2006
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
The Nikon FM3a 35mm SLR camera has been a fabulous replacement for my old Fujica 701, which, incidentally, still works perfectly. I bought it because it may well be the last high-quality manual SLR on this planet. I expect it to last me long enough so that one of you will be able to buy it in great shape when I am gone.
Perry Munson's full review | 295 words
Review by
Charley.
on 19th Jun 2003
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+15
I bought this camera when it first came out, and soon discovered that, like its forbearers, it is an exceptional shooting machine. It's been dropped, taken on a river rafting expedition (everyone else had disposable cameras), used in swamps, blowing sand deserts and extreme temperatures (hot and cold) without incident or problem.
I'd like to add that this camera is perhaps the only SLR available that's still built to older standard. What makes it cost what it does is not on the surface - ...
Charley.'s full review | 288 words
Review by
Barry Campfield.
on 13th Jun 2003
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+13
Now that I've owned my FM3a for a while now, I've come to enjoy it more than any other camera I've ever owned. It's a true combination of two of the best cameras Nikon ever manufactured, the FM2 and the FE-2. You get the best features of both combined with a handy fill-flash compensation button and DX film coding. With the optional matte B2 screen the viewfinder is extremely bright and easy to focus. I use a diopter correction lens for my eyes and it works great for focusing without having t ...
Barry Campfield.'s full review | 306 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
Stanley Wong.
expert review
on 27th May 2003
User Rating : 9
Respect :
+14
Introduction
The Nikon FM3a is a manual focus camera that has a tough metal body. It has Aperture Priority (AE) mode for situations where you need it. Just like the predecessor, the FM2n, it can work fully mechanically without battery (just that the metering, and hence the AE mode will not work without the battery). It also has a bevy of features you would usually associate with a high-end manual focus camera such as a self-timer (with which you can have mirror lockup), DOF preview button ...
Stanley Wong.'s full review | 1115 words | 2 comments added.
Review by
Garland.
on 24th Nov 2002
User Rating : 6
Respect :
-17
Owned an FM3A for about three weeks before I sold it and picked up an F100. I loved the camera's size, features, and capability overall, but could not reconcile the lack of a spot meter. I shoot a great deal of transparency film under difficult conditions and was quickly frustrated with not being able to accurately meter specific distant areas, particularly in landscapes. Alas, I then soon sold the F100 for its battery-hungry disposition, poor film chamber isolation, and plethora of unnecessary ...
Garland.'s full review | 356 words | 9 comments added.
Review by
Paul.
on 24th May 2002
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+5
Nikon FM3a 35mm SLR camera.
Can't say anymore than what I have said in the strong points. It gives you a feeling of power and independence from batteries in that in cannot manage 1/4000 shutter speed completely mechanically.
Again, BUY THIS CAMERA!!
Paul.'s full review | 177 words
Review by
malcolm.
on 25th Apr 2002
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+7
After years of using more and more advanced AF cameras I have intentionally regressed to this manual Nikon FM3a 35mm SLR camera. Why? Because I never used all those "modes", all those gizmos and add-ons. Taking a photo is so simple. You set the focus, set the exposure and press a button. The important thing is to set the right focus and the right exposure. We have become used to "ultrasonic motors" whizzing focusing rings around - now I have rediscovered my eyes and my fingers. We are used to di ...
malcolm.'s full review | 213 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
Hugh.
on 13th Apr 2002
User Rating : 7
Respect :
-17
The Nikon FM3a is a good 35mm SLR camera that could have been better. I'm a nikon fan but I don't go around all rosey-eyed and scorn the competition just because it says nikon on the front. For a start, why no spot-metering? Olympus did it in the mechanical om3 18 years ago.
Good camera if you want to start a manual nikon outfit, but I won't be changing my fm2 and fe2 for it. It's not worth it.
Hugh.'s full review | 94 words | 2 comments added.
Review by
finlay.
on 19th Mar 2002
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+8
This Nikon FM3a is a beauty of a camera. Unlike the previous reviewer this is in the FM series not the FE series. It offers mechanical shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/4000 of a second so cannot be considered as fully automatic depending on battery power.It is definitely FM3a in catagory and you can consider the automation as a bonus.After having used autofocus cameras I was getting fed up with the batteries packing in in cold winter conditions and the shutter locking.
I was looking for a came ...
finlay.'s full review | 214 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
Elson75.
expert review
on 23rd Sep 2001
User Rating : 9
Respect :
+16
INTRODUCTION
Nikon FM3a, a design that many assume will end the 2 decades of existences for the well-accepted FM2 and FM2n. I am not very sure how it will take over the heart of so many strong believer of the FM2n, which include myself.
I am no fan of the FM3a, as I strongly feel it should be registered as a FE3 instead because of the extra electronic control that the FE series provides. In my personal opinion, the inclusion of the Aperture Priority AE into the FM series, which make the discus ...
Elson75.'s full review | 1068 words | 6 comments added.
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