a stupid question...is the nikon FE a good camera...?

[dynachrome]

I have three of these. I prefer it to the FM because it has interchangeable focusing screens. The FE had an undeserved reputation of being a battery eater. If you leave the advance lever pushed in when you are not using it, the battery can have a normal lifespan. The FE replaced the Nikon EL-2 in 1978. The may have overlapped for a short time. The electronic components of the FE have aged well. Most of the ones I see are still working. The FE was an early AI [Automatic Indexing] Nikon. The AI tab can be flipped back so that pre-AI lenses will fit.

[bobwysiwyg]

I also like shooting with my FE which I've had since, God knows when and it works fine. The only problem I have with it, and it just may be mine, is that it is sensitive to long exposure (of the camera that is) to really cold temps as found in winter shooting. Things tend to shut down electronically.

[peters8]

thanks for your answer,guys!

I can confirm that the FE doesn't eat the battery...
In my other FE(not the black one that I've bought some days ago) the battery is duryng one year.I use it
very often...and the battery still works ...it is almost at half of the original power.
It's almost one year that I'm working with this model...and it`s so simple that it looks like a toy-camera but i know it isn't so!...the constrution of this camera is excellent and of an highter class than the others cameras.Metallic body with some classic part of plastic,as in the leicas or contax bodies.Even the superexpensive "tank" Canon F-1new,camera desi[FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=#666666]gned only for a professional users had several plastic partes of the body!
[/COLOR][/FONT]I saw an old catalogue with the prices of the reflex cameras of that time...it's incredible the price of the Nikon FE/FM...they cost the doble of the Canon ae-1...and almost the same price of superavant-garde canon A1,at the time the most completed and sophisticated body in the market...everyone,at any rate,knows that today this camera (Canon A-1) presents often or always serious problems,unfotunately:above of all the problem of the magnets of the shutter that eventually will consume up to be useless.
This Canon has been an authentic failure!
the only problem in the FE could be the mirror look up very loud...but it's not at all a problem... and I would explaine why it's is not a problem at all.

his aspect frightened me very much, for me the main feature of any reflex must be the damping of the vibrations induced by the movement of the mirror.
but an old technician who knows very well the nikon fm and fe told me that the very loud mirror look up in the FE doesn't

oduces no vibration, because the photo was already impressed when the mirror returns! ... wait a minute ... I'm getting confused ... I do not remember how it worked ... but I was assured that the movement of the mirror can 'make vibrations to photography ... I repeat do not remember the mechanism by which I mean' ... but we should not worry about this.
he told me that in the FE2 the mirror look up works in an other way...y and that camera there's many vibrations that can affect the photo!
I hope someone explaine to us how it works!

[pbromaghin]

The mirror goes up, the shutter fires, and the mirror goes down. Only the upward movement would affect the picture because the downward movement happens after the shutter has closed.

[Chan Tran]

I saw an old catalogue with the prices of the reflex cameras of that time...it's incredible the price of the Nikon FE/FM...they cost the doble of the Canon ae-1...and almost the same price of superavant-garde canon A1,at the time the most completed and sophisticated body in the market...everyone,at any rate,knows that today this camera (Canon A-1) presents often or always serious problems,unfotunately:above of all the problem of the magnets of the shutter that eventually will consume up to be useless.
This Canon has been an authentic failure!

The Canon AE-1 and A1 are actually an achievement by Canon. They managed to offer about the same features as the FE for much less and with the A-1 they could offer a lot more features for about the same price. Canon sold a lot of cameras because of these. The AE-1 was the best seller.

[fstop]

The Canon was not in the same league as the FE with its cloth shutter.Cost wise this is where the Nikon justified the higher price.

The AE-1 did introduce a lot of people to 35mm SLRs, the A-1 was praised with its multimode functions. I've owned and used both,sold both and kept my Nikons and Minoltas fwiw.I do have a Canon F-1 though...

The only problem I know of the plagues the A-1 and AE-1/AE-1 Program is the Canon "cough" with the mirror damper squealing. A simple lube job solves the problem but requires disassembling quite a bit to do the job correctly, the needle through the bottom plate works but can also "oil" the cloth shutter.No magnet issues that I know of.

[Nige]

The mirror slap is really loud

bolt on a MD12 and you won't hear the mirror

My FE was my 2nd SLR after breaking my 1st (a Ricoh) when my tripod fell over with the camera on it.. ouch! Dad claimed the Ricoh on household insurance, gave me the $$$ to which I added my paper round savings to and I trotted off to buy the FE. I must say there was a lot of agonising over whether to get it or the newly released FM2. Bought it with the 50/1.8 Series E lens cause that was all I could afford! Still have both but don't get much/any use due to other cameras purchased over the years. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's got a half exposed roll of slide film in it still.

[Chan Tran]

The Canon was not in the same league as the FE with its cloth shutter.Cost wise this is where the Nikon justified the higher price.

The AE-1 did introduce a lot of people to 35mm SLRs, the A-1 was praised with its multimode functions. I've owned and used both,sold both and kept my Nikons and Minoltas fwiw.I do have a Canon F-1 though...

The only problem I know of the plagues the A-1 and AE-1/AE-1 Program is the Canon "cough" with the mirror damper squealing. A simple lube job solves the problem but requires disassembling quite a bit to do the job correctly, the needle through the bottom plate works but can also "oil" the cloth shutter.No magnet issues that I know of.

I meant Canon achievement is that they could make the consumers thought they get good value for their money and thus selling a lot of cameras. Back then I wouldn't want either the AE-1 or the A-1 but today I am kind of curious.

[fstop]

I meant Canon achievement is that they could make the consumers thought they get good value for their money and thus selling a lot of cameras. Back then I wouldn't want either the AE-1 or the A-1 but today I am kind of curious.

I understand that.

One word of caution, if you are used to Nikon's or Minolta's aperture priority control you won't like the A-1.

[peters8]

Nooooooooooo!!!Are you sure???...I don't understand much about these things...but the guy,
the old technician did explaine to me why in the Nikon FE the broblem of the vibrations doesn't exist,while in the FE2 it can affect the photo.
what do you want say?...may be that there're vibrations?...The sound of the mirror i is very very loud...for this razon I had left from this camera until the day that I went to the shop of an old technician (who worked in an official Nikon repair laboratory 20 years) who encouraged me to use it because didn't exis tthe problem of the vibrations, in spite of the horrible noise terible!...so don't you think so?
Regards