Nikon F80

Forgive me, Nikon gods, for the cat hair which I only now see is on my camera...

Seriously though... there has been a serious lack of Nikon content on my blog. I don't really have a leaning either direction in the Canon/Nikon debate, since I use both pretty regularly. That being said, Nikon has done a lot to deserve the respect and fierce loyalty that its fans give it.

Take the F80, for example. Automatic film SLRs don't necessarily need a lot of bells and whistles. For some, all you really need is something that will be easy to use and have a good meter.

I am not a professional and was not using SLRs until the digital revolution, so I didn't follow the changes from model to model. However, I have used both manual and automatic SLRs, both heavy metal and lighter plastic camera bodies, and both Nikon and Canon SLRs of all kinds, for consumer/hobby-level photography.

The F80 compares to other cameras I've used as one of the most pleasant and easy SLRs to operate. I used it exclusively in AE/AF mode, using a Nikkor 28-80mm 1:3.3-5.6 zoom. The exposure and focus all turned out perfect every time, which of course you should expect but every camera is different. I really enjoyed taking it to Edmonton last summer because I could just hand it off to other people to take pictures and I wouldn't have to give them a 5-minute lecture on how to use it. It looks just like a DSLR and on fully auto it works like a point and shoot but one with a much better lens.

In short, for someone who wants a fairly good, but light and simple-to-use camera, the F80 is a solid choice. It would probably be disappointing for big-time pros, but for me it did what it needed to do, and  did it exceedingly well. The advantage of using an automatic SLR over a point and shoot is, of course, a wide array of beautiful Nikon glass to choose from, and you'll still have your other modes if you need more creative freedom.

Ken Rockwell reviewed the F80 (aka the N80) and has all the juice on it from when I was too young to appreciate the finer points of serious photography: please read the review here!

These were taken in Edmonton in the summer of 2012. I forget which film I used... but I will add it on here the next time I dig out the negatives.

Nikon EM

Here it is, as promised! The first real update in a very long time.


Today's featured camera is the Nikon EM.

This camera was produced from the late 70s until the early 80s. I've been told that the letter "E" on Nikon gear indicates that it is for beginners. As such, the EM I believe is the novice's counterpart to the Nikon FM and FM2. (On a side note I've been looking for a cheap FM2, so if you have any leads let me know!)

The EM is a fun little camera. When it works, it works really well. I think it was even criticized when it came out for making taking good pictures too easy for people who didn't know anything about photography. If only those critics could have seen how far digital photography has come!

Basically, it is entirely automatic. You choose your f-stop and it chooses the shutter speed by itself. If the exposure is over 1/30 of a second or if the shutter would be way too fast to expose properly it emits a little beep to tell you that something's wrong (or to grab a tripod). 

My only issue with it is that sometimes it just doesn't expose correctly. I suspect it's due to the battery, although it uses the same batteries that are available today so the voltage shouldn't be a problem. It might be a wiring issue which is a pain because this camera does NOT have a manual function (except for M90). It is completely dependent on the light meter and so cannot work without a battery.

I bought this model at the Vancouver flea market for $40 (haggled down from $50). It was missing the shutter rewind knob, so I bought a replacement off ebay and fixed it myself. It came with the 50mm E series lens which has some dust trapped inside and doesn't have any caps, but otherwise the camera is in pretty okay condition. The foam could be in better shape. Overall I'd give it a B.

Last but not least, here are some photos! I don't remember what film I used but I'm pretty sure it's 400ISO.

xoxo Caity Brown