Nikkormat EL / Nikomat EL
The Nikkormat EL of 1972 was a camera ahead of its time. The innovations and design advancements within this camera are clever enough to impress photographers today! The EL earns its name by being the first electronic Nikon SLR camera, with a shutter powered by a 6v battery, hidden beneath the reflex mirror. This hidden battery feature can confuse a photographer new to the camera, who is accustomed to looking for the battery compartment in the base of the body. The Nikkormat EL's electronics allow the camera to be capable of aperture priority exposure metering, in addition to the usual manual modes. This once-newfangled electronic system is housed in a body as rugged and solid as any previous Nikon SLR, and you can feel that when you pick it up.
The Nikkormat EL has several other, less dramatic but nonetheless nifty, innovations built into it. It was the first Nikon SLR to introduce back door unlatching, via pulling up of the rewind arm. This is a feature that became standard moving forward, but it was unknown before the Nikkormat EL. The camera also includes an exposure lock feature, somewhat hidden in the self-timer arm. By pushing the self-timer arm toward the lens mount you can lock the automatic exposure for re-composing. The range of shutter speeds goes as slow as 4 seconds, as opposed to the typical 1 second lower limit. Finally, the Nikkormat EL locks the shutter by pushing in the film advance lever; inversely, it unlocks it by popping it back out. This also became common on later Nikon SLRs and tends to be a divisive feature that is either much appreciated or found to be quite annoying. Many a left-eyed photographer is pained by the popped-out film advance lever poking them in their other eye, or the forgetful photographer trying to fire a locked shutter button because they forgot to pop that arm out before bringing it up to their face. However, many photographers have also found this feature to be a quick and convenient way to lock the shutter and turn off the meter, preventing both unwanted, accidental exposures, as well as undue battery drain. Niftily enough, the Nikkormat EL allows the user to either make use of this feature or bypass it, so you can have the best of either method.
When compared to later, more advanced Nikon cameras such as the FM and FE, the Nikkormat EL holds its own and still makes for a solid choice of 35mm SLR. In North America and Europe, this camera was marketed under the Nikkormat name, while it was known as the Nikomat in Japan.
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