Classic, beautiful, solid and rugged body Aperture Priority TTL Auto Flash

It is addictive.I have to play with it everyday

This is one of best SLRs in the market. I had bought N65 and gave it to my sister.I then decided to go digital and purchased Olympus C5050. I returned it within a week. FM3a has brought me back to photography. It brings joy, happiness and confidence to my picture taking. It feels so cool just to hang it around your neck. I don't mind if i may look conservative just because it is manual. If you are reading these reviews to make a dicision over buying A camera, this gem from Nikon will make you fall head over heals in love with it and will never disappoint you in any way. Or you can go get one of AF bodies and let it take pictures on your behalf and be proud.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Fm2 N65

Made in Japan build quality, size and feel, Nikon lens compatibility etc. etc. etc.

None, except that it won't be around for too long.

I own a Nikon 2100 digital, autofocus F100 but I couldn't resist going back to a manual focus film camera. It's considered ancient by today's standards but a classic never goes out of style. This is what creates a photographer. Use your mind to take better pictures and not computer chips. Yes autofocus is better for action shots and digital is fantastic for most situations but if you enjoy the art of photography, the FM3a is for you. My 20 adult years have allowed me to appreciate sitting by an open fire, fishing quietly on a small rowboat, taking a walk in the country and enjoying a glass of wine. Owning and using the FM3a adds a similar dimension to my life from a photography perspective. I also owned an FM2/T and it was almost as good as my FM3a but surprisingly, the new kid on the block feels much better. I know they share most parts and are made in Japan, but the shutter speed dial and most other parts are a bit nicer to use.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1P, Canon T90, Nikon N4004s, Nikon FM2/T, Nikon F100, Pentax K1000, Nikon Coolpix 2000 and 2100.

Light weight Small size Features - nearly all you need

No mirror lock-up. Work-around: use self-timer. No spot light-meter. Work-around: use a longer lens (or zoom in).

Back to the future... Is everyone you know buying a digital camera? I have decided to go against the trend, and bought a FM3A. A light-weight and nearly manual camera. I decided to make the switch to Nikon because I wanted better built quality. Something that lasts. This baby has nearly all the pro-features you are looking for in a camera. Built-in light meter, TTL flash, DX ISO, 1/4000 to 1 second, plus B. I usually use the semi-automatic mode. As such, this camera is perfect for landscape photography. If you are like nature, and enjoy bush-walking or mountaineering, this Nikon is great. You can get away with using a light-weight tripod - if you don't mount big glass. And it does not take much space. Good for travelling as well. With this film camera, I have the best of all worlds. I have the quality (and low cost!) of film, the convenience of (slide) projection, but I can still scan the images into the computer if I need them digitally. And should I decide to buy a digital body one day, I can use the same set of lenses. This is a simple to use semi-automatic camera - yet you can get find many accessories for it (Nikon and third party) - including a motor-drive and flash. Classic camera. I love it. Highly recommended.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS and Canon A1

Puts life back into your photography.

Takes all the fun out of spending a fortune on the latest 12-360 AF-S G VR ASPH ED lens. Ruins any attempt to salivate over the latest, greatest computerized wondercamera..

I waited a very long time to get this camera. I went through several other camera bodies and lens combinations. I suffered for years in autofocus hell. I played the letters game with the lenses (AF, AF-S, D, VR, G) and spent plenty of money trying to convince myself that I was getting better photos. I wasn't. All the life had been sucked out of my photography. This camera, the FM3a, puts it back. I am done buying new cameras.ƒ

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FE2 (way back when) Nikon FM2 N70 N80 F100 F5 D1

-very good build quality -easy to use

-view finder is only approx. 92% -lacks a view finder blind, like my FA (same applies for F100)

In the early 80's I owned an FE2. The camera was easy to use and produced very good results. In the mid 80's I traded it in on an FA, which I still own today. I regretted parting with the FE2. The FA is a fine camera, but is much more automated and lacks the solid mechanical feel of the FE2. To me the FM3a is an improved FE2 with the advantage of mechanical operation. It has a brighter view finder than the FE2, and has automatic film read with a film info window on the back. The build quality of the FM3a is very good but the FE2 was somehow more solid. I have used the FM3a with an MD12 for several months and have obtained surprisingly good results. My other camera (in addition to the FA) is an F100, which I find a pleasure to hold but complicated to use. I enjoy using the FM3a with manual lenses very much, especially with the MD12, and this combination is what I use almost all the time. I'm thinking I might split up my F100 autofocus equipment and give it to my two children.

Customer Service

Nikon Canada service is always very good, although I have used it very little.

Similar Products Used:

FA, F100

- Pro quality small rugged all metal body - Shutter speed up to 1/4000s - TTL flash - Clear bright viewfinder - Positive feel on all controls - Auto DX coding - Vast choice of Nikon lenses and accessories - Predicted reliability - Film window - Match needle system - Hybrid mechanical/electronic shutter - Aperture priority

- No spot metering - Only 93% view in viewfinder

The FM3a is a throwback to the classic/traditional manual SLR design with some modern touches. This camera does not give you all the bells and whistles that current auto focus designs give you BUT does give you all the essential tools to make great photographs. The body is of professional quality along with the Nikon F5, D1x, and D1h. All other Nikon bodies are not up to the standards of the above 4 cameras... not even the more expensive F100. For most photographers that know how to use a camera, the FM3a will provide everything they need 98% of the time. All in all, a beautiful pro level camera that is destined to be a classic much like the FE and FM line of Nikons.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Numerous Nikon and Canon

Mechanical shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/4000 sec. Battery only needed for light meter in manual mode. Aperture priority auto for those times when you need speed. High quality build. Lovely line of lenses. The DX coding is great, even though I don't use it. The little window in the back door so you can see the film type is a good feature. Just about everything is great with this camera!

The match-needle meter can be hard to see in dim light or with dark backgrounds, I tend to overcome this by either using the AE Lock and moving to a brightscene to read it, or putting it in aperture priority so I don't have to look at the meter, just select aperture and shoot. Also it has no spot meter, if it had a spot meter it would be perfect, to me anyway.

This is a wonderful camera. Not only is it very durable (trust me, it's been dropped a few times), it's a beautiful piece of equipment. Full manual and Aperture Priority. In manual mode the only thing the battery does is power the light meter, what a wonderful idea to have both in one camera! You are also buying into the Nikon system when you buy this body, you have a huge selection of new auto-focus lenses (as long as its non "G") and a whole slew of older manual focus lenses to choose from, all made in great Nikon quality. This camera along with a Nikkor 50 f1.4 goes with me everywhere, literally. You will not be disappointed with this camera! I suggest the MD-12, for people with big hands it can help a little, also helps balance long lenses.

Customer Service

Never been needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FE2, FM & FM2n, F2S & AS, F3 HP, and quite a few others.

Simple, high quality construction, beautifull pictures, correct exposure, TTL flash, feels good, nice viewfinder, easy to get manual exposure correct, quite small with 50mm lense and no flash.

None that I can think of

This camera takes beautifull pictures with a bit of thought, it is simple and very high quality construction. I have an SB-22S flash and 50mm lense, the TTL flash control is fantastic. This camera will last for many years, I'm sure, it's a pitty other camera manufactures don't build cameras like this, I don't like the feel of light plastic, it's nice to have no electric motors going either, it's really a pleasure to go out taking pictures, cause if you do the right thing, you know you will have perfect pictures.

Customer Service

None required yet

Similar Products Used:

Pentax P30N

Real metal body, rugged traditional covering across the mid-portion, metal dials, wonderfully smooth winder, a metering system that you can figure out rather than an arcane computer-based matrix system, changeable back (plain or data), user-changeable focussing screens, ease of use (as long as you know the basics of photography, you won't need the manual, and you definitely won't need to buy an extra third-party manual or eBook), pro-like features are all there (fast flash sync speed, X-sync terminal, mirror-prefire, etc.), very intuitive match needle system in the view finder.

You may not be able to stop holding it and looking at it, and it may become a fixture in your living room. It's really not suitable for use with eyeglasses on, so if you're nearsighted or farsighted, be prepared to buy a diopter correction eyepiece.

This is the camera I would have wanted in 1976 but had to settle for a Pentax SP1000. I initially came home a few months ago with a Nikon F80, but I didn't like having to refer to a manual so much, and I found that autofocus is not all it's cracked up to be. So I managed to get rid of the F80 and get an FM3a instead. Taking pictures with this camera is a totally different experience than with a plastic autofocus SLR. First, there's the wonderful tactile feel of the traditional metal body and the simple controls. Just holding it alone is a great pleasure, let alone photographing with it. Then there's the thinking about what you're photographing part. Once you're done, the film is processed, and you have the prints in hand, you know that you did more than just compose the picture. You created it, you had to give some thought to the exposure, to the aperture and to the shutter speed. You had to have some knowledge of what you were doing. Without a zoom, you also had to get to exactly the right spot to compose the picture you wanted, and/or think about which lens to use. In short, you relied on yourself and your skill and knowledge, not on a computer that looks like a camera. The next day, you didn't worry about Nikon announcing a new model with more segments in its matrix meter, or faster autofocus, because these things don't matter to you. This camera can't become obsolete and it can't be superceded, because it's already in a different world. You don't have to worry about the built-in Speedlight being useless except for the most basic snapshots, because there isn't one. You don't even have to pay much attention to the digital world, because your camera does more than give you photographs. It gives you a photographic experience, and it frees you from menus, command dials, sub-command dials, function buttons, LCD screens that may or may not work 3 years from now, plastic knobs that will likely fall off at some point, auto-loading and winding that may scratch your film, etc. All you have is a wonderful light-tight box made out of substantial metal, and on it you have simple controls for the shutter speed and the aperture. There's nothing else between you and your photograph. This is what using an FM3a is like. There's a certain Zen-like experience to it, and it does work beautifully.

Customer Service

Can't comment, not needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax SP1000, Pentax K2, Pentax MX, Pentax K1000. Nikon F80.

Solid Construction Mechanical shutter speeds from 1s to 1/4000s Aperture-priority auto can be selected. Classic look. Looks awesome with 45mm f/2.8P.

If Nikon added a spot meter, this would be one of the best cameras in the world. However, the classic 60/40 center-weighted meter works very well.

I love this camera. Too bad Nikon doesn't build all their cameras this way. The FM3a is practically indestructable. The ultimate manual camera with aperture-priority autoexposure thrown in. Access to all shutter speeds (1s to 1/4000) without batteries. Try that with any AF camera! Maintains the beautiful classic look. Definately a keeper!

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

FE2, F100