Camera Store Find

I am always delighted to find a bargain at my local camera store. Even happier when the bargain is in such nice condition. I paid $75 for this nearly scratch and blemish-free Nikomat FTn after giving it a look over and running its shutter through its range of speeds. Everything seemed to work and when I popped a 1.5v battery into the corrosion-free battery chamber, the meter came to life. I asked the salesperson to wrap it up.

Nikomat is the name Nikon used for Nikkormat cameras sold in Japan. My camera is around 50 years old and appears lightly used. Many of these cameras were sold to amateur photographers and some spent more time on a closet shelf than out in the field. It appears that is the case with this one. I know this camera was near the end of the FTn production run because it has a plastic tipped film advance and self-timer lever (from the Nikon F2). It also has a split image focusing screen making this a very fine shooter.

I’ve written several times before about these FTn cameras. I really like shooting them. They are simple, very well built and of course, take the full range of Nikon lenses. I wanted to see how well this camera still worked so I loaded up some Kodak TMAX 400 and installed a silver oxide 386 battery into a MR-9 battery adapter, giving me the proper 1.35v for the meter, mounted a 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor Ais lens out front and took a little photo walk.

And a few shots around the house.

And finished off the roll during a trip we made to the Oregon coast.

There is a whole range of Nikkormat cameras — FT, FTN, FT2, FT3, EL — and for the most part, all of them fly well under the radar of the current retro camera craze, keeping acquisition cost low. I was pleased but not surprised that this camera’s meter was pretty much still spot on and that everything on the camera worked as designed. I own three FTn bodies and each one works flawlessly. And even if they do require a CLA (clean-lube-adjust) there are several shops that work on them and they are easy to fix. I also can say that the build quality of these cameras is on par with the F and F2 pro bodies. At this time, Nikon just made cameras to last and last.

I finished the roll back home with a mirror selfie. I do this, not because I like talking pictures of myself, but to identify which camera I used when I get the film back from the lab.

Want a nice 35mm SLR for under a hundred bucks? Check out a Nikkormat/Nikomat.