The Nikon FM2 is one of those cameras that just "goes." It has all the necessary manual controls and functions, with nothing extra to clutter the experience. It is a simple camera to use, even if you've never picked one up. The essential "rightness" of the FM2's design saw Nikon continue to evolve this camera chassis all the way through the 2001 FM3A. ⁠

The original Nikon 20mm f3.5 Nikkor-UD lens was an incredible piece of optical engineering when it was first introduced all the way back in 1967.  This lens did two remarkable things.  First, it inched even closer to the 100° (field of view) barrier than any other Nikon non-fisheye lens to that point.  The 20mm f3.5 Nikkor-UD wasn't quite there, but at 94° it was a hair closer than the previous Nikon 2.1cm f4 lens achieved (92°).  ⁠

⁠The second impressive feat by this lens was that it did this without the need for an accessory viewfinder - maintaining through-the-lens viewing that SLR cameras are prized for.  That aforementioned 2.1cm lens required the camera's mirror to be locked up since the rear element of the lens had to sit incredibly close to the film plane.  The 20mm f3.5 UD on the other hand used an elegant 11 elements in 9 groups design that worked with the camera's mirror in the down position.⁠

⁠But this lens isn't just wide, it is also really good.  It is known for being sharp, having few chromatic aberrations and fairly little barrel distortion - all making it prized by Nikon vintage lens enthusiasts even still today.  While Nikon would go on to update this lens with later versions, most of the gains were simply reducing the lens' size and improving its ergonomics.  The original Nikon 20mm f3.5 UD holds up performance-wise even to its later replacements.⁠

⁠While it was originally manufactured solely with the Non-AI lens mount, this version has been home-modified to work on Nikon AI cameras, like the FM2 pictured here.  It isn't a pretty modification but a very functionally effective one.⁠

All sample images made with Silberra Pan 50 film with a Nikon FM2n by staff member, Zeb Andrews.

Sample images made on Kodak Pro Image 100 with a Nikon FM2n by staff member, Zeb Andrews.

...now how to press the shutter release?

It may or may not be overly sentimental to think of a good camera as a member of the family. But why not think that way? After all, that Nikon FM2 was built nearly 40 years ago. It still works as well as ever. It was made to last that long. It was made to last even longer. That means the two of you could spend many years together, grow old together, share memories and adventures. Get the scars of those adventures together. It is an amazing thing really, when you stop to think about it. Especially in this day and age when we recycle our phones and computers and other gadgets every couple of years. Our cameras don't have to follow that path, nor us as long as we have our trusty FM2 cameras (feel free to insert your camera of choice here, by the way).

za/js

These three cameras devoured that cinnamon roll.

There is no such thing as bad weather, but if there was, then bad weather makes the best photos.  Caring for the cameras is easy.  Get a rain jacket for your camera, or build your own out of a large freezer bag, or just go out with a sturdy, mechanical SLR that is oblivious to the weather, like the Nikon FM2.  Taking care of yourself on these wet, drizzly days is trickier.  A miserable photographer doesn't make the best photos.  So get those waterproof boots, a good coat, gloves, etc. A hot drink of choice and a really delicious chocolate chip cookie don't hurt either.  Today is your chance to try it out!

za/js

One often overlooked aspect of owning cameras, particularly film cameras, is the depth of the bond you can develop with your camera.  For example, how emotionally attached do you feel to your phone or even your DSLR?  Maybe a lot, maybe a modest amount, but likely not a great deal.  And that is natural, how long will you own it, after all?  Film cameras are a bit different in this regard (unless you are committed to disposable cameras).  With a camera like this FM2, you might be working with it for ten years, twenty, or even forty!  You can look at the dent in the filter ring and remember that time, under the waterfall, when the lens fell out of your pocket and into the river.  Or the last time it was serviced and the tech said the camera was full of sand; how that immediately transported you back to all the different beaches you have been to together.  This camera has been to Rome, Paris, Costa Rica, Germany, Hawaii, and San Francisco...  A trusty, stalwart companion, there to share and help record those memories with you.  The camera's weight, it's feel, these are second nature now after over a decade of companionship.  That one repair tech said the camera could be replaced by one in better cosmetic condition but you objected.  And, here it is, five years later, still working wonderfully and heading out on another adventure.  You know that it's not far fetched that your nine year old son might get to use this camera in a decade or two. That is, if you can part with it.  It is a rich experience to have a camera you know, love, and trust so deeply.  The ability to do so, to a greater extent than practically any piece of modern digital equipment out there could ever allow, is one of the many reasons we love our film cameras. 

za/sd

It's not the camera so much as what's in it.  We just got more of the JCH Street Pan 400 film in.  Made somewhere in Belgium, it is an ex-surveillance film that has infrared sensitivity on par with Rollei IR or Ilford SFX.  Here we have a roll in a trusty Nikon FM2 with an orange filter. 

za/sd