Nikon FE

I personally buy from Ritz, Adorama and Amazon. I can't vouch for any other ads.

The FE is one of the most flexible and most perfect cameras ever made. The FE just lets me make great photos and never gets in the way. That's critical, but not something you'll ever read off a data sheet.

I LOVE the FE. If you are thinking about getting one, JUST DO IT. If you already have one, you know how great it is.

FEs are awesome. I prefer this older FE to the newer FE2 because the older FE can use every lens since 1959, while the newer FE2 can't use non-AI lenses.

They go for around $69 and up, the deal of the century. I've never seen one break, either. FE2s cost more, because they have TTL flash.

The worst I've seen happen to an FE is that the foam on top of the mirror box turns to goo and needs to be replaced.

The only thing the FE can't do is work well with circular fisheyes. You can't see the transparent shutter speed indications on the left of the finder because circular fisheye images are black on the sides! Of course the FE works perfectly with all 16mm fisheyes. The FE does work with circular fisheyes like the 8mm f/5.6 and 6mm f/5.6, but it drives me crazy not being able to see the shutter speeds. Forget the ancient fisheyes that poke into the camera; the FE has no full-time mirror lock-up.

The FE has an automatic mirror-lock-up for use on a tripod. Any time you use the self timer, the mirror locks up at the beginning of the interval.

The FE is ideal for night photography. Bulb mode is mechanical, but better still is that the FE automatically times long automatic night exposures even hours long. It's not rated to do it, but try it and you'll be surprised how well it works.

This page will become very detailed, but since Nikon introduced the D3 about a week after I excitedly got my recent FE I'll be busy reviewing all the lenses instead of the FE for much of 2008.

I get my goodies at Ritz, Amazon and Adorama. It helps me keep adding to this site when you get yours from those links, too.

Flash set to TTL mode (the FE doesn't do TTL Flash, you need the FE2 for that) rapid blink, 3 Hz.

In Auto, a flash on top and turned on sets shutter to 1/125. Shutter stays at 125 even if flash not recycled. If you want slow sync, set shutter diasl as you want, looking at meter.

SB-600 goes to sleep in sby and won't wake up when camera comes back on. Use ON, not SBY.

SB-22 goes to sleep, to wake it up you must shoot off a frame (slow shutter, no flash, no ready light) after which SB-22 wakes back up.

Weight: 20.355 oz. (577.1 g), measured with LR44 alkaline battteries, big rubber eyecup and strap lugs, but without strap, without lens and without body cap.

OK to shoot on leader; unlike newer cameras it doesn't default the shutter speed to the flash sync speen on frames before frame 1. The downside is if you leave thhe lens cap on and the FE set to Auto, in which case the shutter opens indefinately for a dark time exposure. If you do this, close the shutter by pushing the wind lever forwards to turn off the FE or rotate the the shutter dial to 1/1,000.

mirror can flip up, but shuuter not release at 1/500 up, even if turn off. Set to M90 to resolve,

Long Exposures; The FE has always been able to clock off correctly metered long time exposures in Auto mode. I've never had the patience to wait around and see just how long it will expose. The electronics of the FE are analog, meaning there is no preset long-time limit to 30 seconds as there is in most modern digitally controlled cameras, like the cameras of the 1980s and newer.

OUt of curiosity, I loaded fresh A76 cells into an FE and pressed the shutter in Auto with the lens caps on, no lens. After 1:03 (an hour) it closed at ISo 50. (4125413) Btty chk light works during long exposure.

If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

Caveat: The all the ads below come from third parties. I don't see them before they appear on your screen. See more at my Buying Advice page. Personally I get my goodies at Ritz (the store, not the hotel gift shop), Amazon and Adorama.