It was a week before Christmas back in 2006- I’d had a few pints and was in a panic to buy my wife a Christmas present- something that wasn’t perfume for once. I then remembered that her beloved Olympus OM1 – a beaten up old thing from her art college days- had stopped working, so I rushed to a camera store, and reeking of Guinness and Old Holborn, announced that I wanted to buy the best 35mm SLR they had. Despite their attempts to sell me a digital camera, I insisted on film and came away with a brand new Nikon FM3A with a second hand 28mm f2.8 Series E lens. In the end she hardly used it, and so it slowly made its way back into my hands (…YES!).
It’s a gorgeous, solidly made camera – I believe it was Nikon’s last fully manual film SLR, made to incredibly high standards and capable of shooting at 1/4000 of a second without batteries. If it wasn’t a tiny bit noisier – and a little bit bigger and a bit more imposing than my Leica M7, it would certainly be my main go-to street photography camera. there are a number of well written homages to the FM3A online, worth searching out if you fancy geeking out for a while. The camera comes in silver or black- I chose the black version because everybody knows that black cameras take better pictures.
About a year ago I bought the Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS lens- a heavy, all metal beast that is just awesome for portraits . I’d read great things about it online so I finally made the jump and got one off the Bay. It’s magnificent. I was using it a lot on my Nikon D750 for headshots , and decided to take it for a spin on the FM3A and went out shooting street portraits, leaving the Leica M7 on the shelf for once. I wasn’t disappointed.
I’d forgotten how easy it was to use this camera- if I’m honest with myself, I find the Nikon easier to focus with quickly than the Leica. It is a bit front-heavy with the bulky 50mm on the front- I reckon that’s nearly half a kilo of glass- but the combined weight of camera and lens is reassuring, and helps to keep it steady when shooting portraits. The shots I have presented were captured with Fuji Neopan 400 and Kodak Portra 400- two of my favourite portrait film stocks- and the results speak for themselves.
This camera has never metered incorrectly. EVER. There are lots of great Nikon cameras out there, but the unique history and build quality of the FM3A- and the fact that it is one of the newest Nikon SLR’s you can find- make it a worthwhile purchase.
If I could only have one camera and lens combination, this would be it.
I would never recommend buying a camera whilst drunk to anyone, but this one worked out for me.
Anil Mistry is a creative director and photographer.
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Website: http://www.anilmistryphoto.com
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George Appletree on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/01/2018
I say that because people smile while you shoot them.
And, that's a very good thing.
Comment posted: 04/01/2018
jojonas on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
glad to hear the camera is so easy to focus with. I've had problems with getting f: 1.4 lenses to focus right so I haven't been brave enough to try 1.2
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
Adam Laws on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
Neil on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
Comment posted: 05/01/2018
jeremy north on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 06/01/2018
These are really good pictures Anil. Thank you for the interesting article
Comment posted: 06/01/2018
Comment posted: 06/01/2018
David Hill on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 11/04/2018
Comment posted: 11/04/2018
Karl Valentin on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 23/05/2018
Hard to hit the point when it comes to explain why to use this old glass
while newer constructions seem to be sharper and easier to handle
with their autofocus - there is also no need for such fast lenses in a time
the sensitivity of digital goes up to 25 600 ASA right ?
But taking pictures is not just the technical side
also emotions while taking them
and I love to focus by hand and feel the sharpness
on the subject - for this the Nikkor 1,2/50 is just perfect !
@David Hill
I really understand your wife I wouldnt trade my old Nikons too
MCF on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 26/08/2018
Great portraits btw, everyone looks very comfortable.
Graham Line on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 20/12/2018
Shubroto Bhattacharjee on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 30/07/2020
The FM3A was a remarkable machine, not least for its masterful implementation of electronically-controlled aperture-priority auto exposure *and* mechanically controlled manual exposure with a full range of mechanical shutter speeds.
This link should help:
https://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle/history-fm3a/index.htm#id08
See the Section "Implementation of a hybrid shutter".
Enjoy your FM3A.
Cheers!
Shubroto
Stewart Waller on 5 Frames with a Nikon FM3A and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 18/10/2020
I also have some Portra 400 film, but I bought it more than a year ago when I started the process of putting together the ideal street film camera, so maybe I need a fresh batch?