 | This week I got my hand on a Nikon FM3A. I did not even knew that it existed! In my (short) experience in shooting film again, in terms of SLR I stared with a Nikon F3 HP which worked perfectly but was a bit heavy, then I got a Nikon FE and almost never used the F3 again. The main benefits of the FE for me are that it is smaller, lighter and I much prefer the needle-based meter. The only problem with my Nikon FE is that the aperture priority mode does not work... that is not a big deal since the meter works and I am shooting manual 99% of the time when using film. |
It turns out that the FM3A is very similar to the Nikon FE but a much more recent design. It was released in 2001 while the Nikon FE dates back to 1978! Despite this big age difference, they are very similar in their features and usage. The buttons, dials and meter "needles display " are almost the same and the FM3A is still a fully mechanical camera: all shutter speeds can be used (up to 1/4000s) without battery, that is amazing for a camera for a 21st century camera!
The two main features which are unique to the FM3A compared to the other Nikon manual camera are its shutter which goes up to 1/4000s and its support for modern TTL flashes. I can use it with my Nikon SB-910 spedlight in TTL mode and bounce the flash, great!
The two main features which are unique to the FM3A compared to the other Nikon manual camera are its shutter which goes up to 1/4000s and its support for modern TTL flashes. I can use it with my Nikon SB-910 spedlight in TTL mode and bounce the flash, great!
Sample Images (Kodak Gold 200)
 |  |
Sample Images (Ilford HP5+)
  |  |
Conclusion
This is now my main SLR, I really like it and have yet to find any down side to it. At the time of writing this I have shot 10 rolls of film with it, 6 in black and white and 4 in colors. I have used only the manual mode but I am fully relying on the camera meter. It seems to be very accurate and I have not had any surprises with exposure.