Why I love the Nikon FE2
I don't really write reviews (maybe I should), but the Nikon FE2 is probably one of my favourite 35mm film cameras I have shot with so far, why? Heres why.
Firstly its just so easy to use, simply pull out the film wind handle slightly & push the shutter button half way and your camera is already telling you what your recommended shutter speed is. The view finder is also really bright when your looking through the eye piece, almost crystal clear so its really easy to frame your shots. Want to push your exposure up by 1 stop? Easy, there is a small button which you hold down and clearly labelled -2 up to +2 on the ASA/ISO wheel which you simply just spin round. I also found the film really easy load with this camera less fiddly than other 35mm's I have used in the past and always seemed to hold on the spindle.
Most of all this camera just looks good, its covered in a somewhat faux leather materiel, almost as though the designers back in the 1983 were trying to impress a pimp. Its size is also nice, fits in the hand well and not to heavy, a bonus for any street photographers. Its construction feels really solid also, I bet I could drop this camera several times and not have many problems after.
Mostly what I love abut this camera is that the shutter speed goes up to 1/4000. Particularly useful if you wish to shoot wide open and take advantage of the shallow depth of field in the outdoors on a sunny day. When using a 400 speed film, most of the time I find with my other 35mm cameras like my Olympus OM10 it only shoots up to a speed of 1/1000 sec, you will have to use apertures of up to f/8 to stop any over exposure. With the Fe2 I would be able to safely shoot at f/4 as it shoots 2 stops faster. Only disadvantage to this of course is that it uses the batteries a lot faster.
I purchased the camera for just £33 (camera only) from Ebay and so far Im so happy I bought it. I develop black and white film myself and have put some of the results below. These were the two first rolls of film I shot with the FE2. They are shot with a mix of Kodak Tmax 100 & Tri-X 400 on a Nikon 50mm 1.8D lens. A few Images Below :)
