rugged body
fantastic controls
intutive

none

camera for life

Similar Products Used:

nikon fm2
nikon f50
canon eos50

Best manual camera I could find. Many great lenses to choose from. I bought it when I out grew my Pentax K1000. Flash synch of 1/250, accepts motor drive, easy to load, TTL flash, titanium shutter, exposure compensation, timer, DOF preview. Split image viewfinder, interchangeable viewfinder. Bright viewfinder IMHO.

None

I love this camera.

Customer Service

Never had to use it.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax K1000

Rugged construction; excellent functionality for manual focus camera; fast 1/4000 sec shutter and 1/250 sec sync; TTL flash

No matrix or spot metering; lacks handgrip; mechanical speed of 1/250 sec too fast -- prefer 1/60 or 1/125; no "film advanced" indicator; no mirror lockup and interchangeable finders like F3

One of the best compact manual focus camera Nikon has ever made besides the FA. Has more features than the FM2/FM2n. Excellent beginner/intermediate camera or backup camera to F4/F90x/F100/F5

Similar Products Used:

Nikkormat FT2, Nikon FE/F3/FM2/FA; Pentax LX and MX

Has nearly everything you need to exert complete control over your photography (minus a spot meter and mirror lock-up). Depth of Field Preview, 1/250th Flash Synch, and Match Needle Metering are big plusses. Compatible with nearly all Nikon lenses.

No spot meter.

The black version is harder to find and more expensive. Camera store wanted $450, but I managed to get it for $325.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N70, F70

Rugged, simple, strong, accurate meter, built to outlast the user.
Good choice for beginner. Inexpensive.

None really.

Very good choice for a beginner now.

Customer Service

None needed ever

Similar Products Used:

Nikkormat Fs, FT2, Nikon FM2, N4004, N6006, N8008s, NF4s

Has mirror lock-up automatically engaged when using timer, 1/250 flash sync, ease of handling, depth of field preview

No spot meter, difficult to use viewfinder in low light.

I've had the camera for 17 years without any problems. Reliable and accurate but could use a spot meter. The automatic mirror lock up during timer operation is a plus. Only the current F5 has mirror lock-up.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus, Cannon 35mm's

The FE2 is very simple, predictable and quick to operate. It's packed with useful features such as TTL flash, 1/250 sync, mirror lock via the self timer, and accepts a motor drive. A big strength is its compatibility with all the latest lenses and flashes from Nikon. It has titanium shutter curtains and will probably outlast me. The light meter will shut off by itself after around 15 seconds to save the batteries.

I'm not sure what the parts availability is anymore. So many FE2's were manufactured that parts shouldn't be much of an issue. It sounds like a spring is vibrating just after shutter release but functions very well. It's hard to see what the shutter speed is that the camera has selected in dim light while in aperture priority mode. In such cases, I'm usually using a tripod or a flash anyway so it hasn't been as serious a problem as focussing in dim light. The eyepiece needs to be tightened periodically to keep it from falling off.

I have more advanced, more sophisticated cameras at my disposal than the FE2, but I still like to use it for the same reason that old cars are fun to drive.

Customer Service

I've had good experiences with Nikon so far.

Similar Products Used:

F100, N8008s, N70, FM2, FE

Exceptional piece of equipment, light weight and compact.

Needle meter indicator difficult to see in low light.

Not as dependable as the FM2 but not too bad as a beginners camera. I personally would opt for the FM2n or the F3.

Customer Service

depends where you go for service, not everyone is knowledgable.

Similar Products Used:

F2, F3, FM2n, F4s, Leica M4, M6TTl

The Nikon FE2 is one great camera. Compact, full of features that are hard to find in current cameras.

None.

Reliable mechanical construction, high shutter speed and flash sync, TTL flash exposure, easy to use, full creative control, and a dream to use. I have used a lot of cameras and checked their features. You'll be hard pressed to match this for value and the great Nikkor line of optics available!

Customer Service

Excellent ... but rarely needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F, Nikkormat, Pentax, Hasselblad

The FE2 is a sturdy workhorse and a great backup camera. I like the MD 12 winder also.

The main problem I've had is the dark view finder. In low light situations it becomes a guessing game as to whether your in focus or not.

The FE 2 is a great camera. The M250 shutter setting is great if the batteries die in the middle of a shoot and in cold weather. With sharp lenses it will product professional quality photos. It lacks a bright view finder and a good spot meter, but all other features are great including the 1/250 flash sync.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

N90, N50, N8008, Pentax K1000, Program plus, Canon EOS Elan IIE, Mamiya 645