My Father's Camera

[Loupey]

It's been 2 weeks today since my father's unexpected death. My mother presented me today with his camera of his younger days. Based on when he used it, I believe it is at least 35 years old.

Everything appears to work well (actually silkly smooth). Like my Bronica medium format stuff, it is fully functional in manual mode without batteries. I look forward to putting some film through it in his memory.

Can anyone give me more information on this model/series of Nikon equipment? Dad obviously took great care of it and to me it's priceless. But I would appreciate a history on its lineage.

[jorgemonkey]

Sorry to hear about your Father, My grandfather passed away last December. I did a quick check on Yahoo about the camera, and I came up with this
link about it. I think its the same camera.

[Loupey]

Thanks for the info, Jorgemonkey. I'm surprised how many models make up the Nikomat series.

From the film advance lever, it appears to be more like one of the early models (FT, FS, or FTn). These production years also appear to correspond to when I think he purchased and used it.

However, the hot shoe and pentaprism shape resembles the later models (FT2 or FT3) but the film advance lever doesn't match. The production years also do not match as we had already moved to the "states" by 1973 and I'm fairly certain that he bought his camera while we were in Japan.

Perhaps his is a modified FTn with a hot shoe. Will have to look into it later.

[another view]

Sorry to hear about your father's death.

Going from memory (not always a good idea...), I think the Nikkormat cameras are basically a predecessor of the Nikon FE and FM series from the early/mid 70's. Can you post a shot of the top and back of the camera as well? I've got a book called The Nikon Compendium, and might be able to help with it later.

[Spec A!]

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography...omat/index.htm

[Loupey]

Spec-A, yeah Jorgemonkey sent this page also. But, as you can see, dad's camera doesn't quite fit neatly with the models listed.

Steve, thanks for the help. I'm on the road this week but I will try to take some more views of the camera over the weekend.

Thanks, guys!

[almo]

Wow Loupey, I am sorry to hear about your dad. It sounds like you had a good relationship with him. Me and my father are also very close, and I know I would be devistated if he was gone. It certainly does look as though your old man took supurbe care of his camera. Can't say that I know anything about it, but it certainly looks beautiful. Cameras of that era are so damn sexy. I was lucky enough to recieve my dad's old Pentax a few years ago, and I have always treasured it eversince.

[Loupey]

OK, took some more views below.

Almo, yeah I was fortunate to have had a good relationship with both my mother and father for the past 38 years. Dad was always a strict disciplinarian but never drank (or at least never got drunk), never smoked, and always worked hard. He had a classic "Type A" personality - always thinking, always working, always on the go.

I am the youngest of 3 sons and the only one to live in close proximity to my parents. My wife and I took it upon ourselves to take care of them in their old age. No one ever expected that his old age would be only 68. How does one deliver a eulogy for a person with so much more life to live?

I joined PR just as dad was admitted to the hospital. This has been my haven, a place to shed the worries and sadness of the day. As my call sign indicates, I'm typically a fun-loving, spontaneous guy. But having finished the funeral arrangements and in the midst of changing over titles, accounts, and caring for my mother, the world seems quite a bit more serious now. I imagine it will take me some time to come to terms with what had just happened.

[another view]

I'll look tonight and see what I can find to help you out.

I'm glad you found this place - there are some really nice people here. It's always good to have a place to find refuge. I also find that getting out and making some photographs helps too even though I haven't been doing enough of that myself lately. We must be pretty close in age but I haven't been through what you're going thru now. I'm sure you were a big help to your dad, and that your mom really appreciates you being there. Take care!

[another view]

Looking at the Nikon Compendium, I see no mention of the word "Nikomat". Looks like mine is first edition, copyright 1993 so it's old enough not to even have the F5 in it. I used to have Moose Peterson's guide too, but I think that got ebayed awhile back. Maybe Nikomat was made for different markets (countries) but this is just a guess.

So - what is it? It's either an FT or an FTN. Can't be an FS because it has mirror lockup (slider on the side near the lens mount). If you can see the shutter speed in the viewfinder then it's an FTN, but there are some other minor differences as well. If there are microprisms and a split image on the focusing screen then it's one of the later FTN's. If it has one or the other, it could be either an FT or an FTN though.

The FTN was very popular, so there's a good chance that this is what it is. Galen Rowell made one of his most famous photographs with one of them, btw. It's not an FT2 because it doesn't have a hotshoe (that's technically a cold shoe because there are no electrical contacts, maybe an added accessory). It's also not an FT3 because of the meter coupling (the pin that connects to the fork on the lens aperture ring. And it's not an EL, ELW or EL2 because those cameras had an Auto mode.

So, if it is in fact an FTN, then it was current between about 1967 and 1975. This was pretty much the predecessor of the extremely popular FE/FM series, and the FM3a is the last of that group. It will be discontinued this year when Nikon stops building film cameras, but I've seen plenty of them still out there working just fine. I could copy some of the pages I'm looking at and mail them to you, just send me a Private Message if you want it. Hope this helps!

[Loupey]

Steve, thanks for the info. Based on this data, it must be an FTN as the shutter speeds are visible in the viewfinder and the focusing screen has a split image.

Really cool camera. Completely mechanical: mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview, and mechanical self-timer. The best part is that it has the wonderfully simple match-needle metering. My Bronica doesn't even have a light meter nor a mirror lock-up.

I put in a new battery yesterday and the meter still works. I also bought some new film to run through it. I am eager to shoot some rolls with it

Ironic that if my father had given me this camera 23 years ago when I first starting using an SLR, I would most likely have gone down the Nikon path instead of the Canon one.

[another view]

Cool - now go out and enjoy it!

[Loupey]

Just got back my first roll of E-6. Strange; having only 24 exposures in the camera was, on one hand, warmly familiar, yet on the other hand, slightly unnerving. I guess like going into a gun fight with lots of targets but only one clip of bullets. Gotta pick your targets carefully

Anyway, thought you might like to see what comes out of that beautiful camera.

[Loupey]

and a few more...

[another view]

Nice! Since you used E6 and your exposure was good, you can tell that the camera is working just fine. Sometimes mechanical cameras need an occasional adjustment, but looks like you're in good shape.

[Loupey]

Nice! Since you used E6 and your exposure was good, you can tell that the camera is working just fine. Sometimes mechanical cameras need an occasional adjustment, but looks like you're in good shape.

Thanks. Before heading out, I noticed that the metering was about 1/2 stop underexposed. I adjusted for it with the ASA setting.

Funny how, on this old model, the shutter/mirror release mechanism is quieter and smoother than on the current crop of digital SLR's. Maybe its the increased mass, but the vibrations seem better dampened. The only way to describe it is, velvety.

As for my Bronica, whenever I release the shutter, nearby birds take flight ;) I actually boxed up my Bronica gear this past weekend (yes, I kept those boxes from years past). I'll keep it for my kids to play with someday, but with scanning issues and cost of medium format film and the improvement in digital technology, I think it's time to put it out of service

[PhotoRon286]

I have a similar shot of proof of beavers in the area. I'll have to find that.