The Nikon F-301
The Nikon F-301 was the first SLR camera I purchased when I got back into photography. It's a manual focus camera from 1985 that takes Nikon F mount lenses.

The Nikon F-301, the N2000 in North America, was the first SLR camera I purchased when I got back into photography. It is a manual focus camera from 1985 that takes Nikon F mount lenses. The body is a mix of plastic and metal but feels very solid. It takes four AAA batteries and features a motor drive that winds the film on automatically once a picture is taken, so no multiple exposure ability on this one.

In 2012, before the resurgence in popularity of film this camera cost me $200 NZD for a copy in excellent condition with a 35-70 zoom lens (I forget which cheap model) in decent condition. This lens wasn’t technically that great but I didn’t mind and got many pictures that I still like with it. I used it as my only lens until I got a new 50mm prime lens.
I owned this camera until 2024 when I sold it to someone buying their first film camera. While they paid more than I did for it in 2012, due to the rise in popularity of film photography amongst gen-z, they got a good deal as this is still a very good and underrated film camera. It can do almost everything a new film shooter would want with the exception of being multiple exposure photography. It is is more comfortable to hold in the hand than my old Nikon Fe2 was, the fastest shutter speed is 1/2000 which is fine for most situations, and the viewfinder is good. In addition to the light meter being accurate, reliable, and very easy to see how many stops over or under you are. The best light meter I’ve used was on my Fe2 but I’ve heard on some copies of the Fe2 can be the meter can be broken given the needle mechanism is 40 odd years old now. The f-301 isn’t any younger but the display seems to be very reliable. I miss the F-301 light meter some times when using my Nikon F3, the plus/minus display on that camera just isn’t as intuitive to me as the F-301s display where you can easily see how under or overexposed your image will be.
These are some of the reasons I think it is a great camera for someone who wants to start film photography. It has great ergonomics in the hand, it takes the F mount lens made by Nikon or a third party, you can put a professional film stock in it and you’ve got the ability to make pro quality pictures with a camera that cost about $100 on eBay. I’m not sure what material the F-301 is made out of, it seems like a mixture of plastics which feel solid and well built. Over the years I bought a 50mm, 55mm macro lens, and 35mm prime lens for it and the pictures were no different than my much more expensive F3, and the camera more reliable than my copy of the FE2.

I can only think of a couple of downsides to this camera. The first one isn’t a big deal in my opinion. The shutter speed "only" goes up to 1/2000 of a second. The F3 has the same fastest shutter speed, and that was instagrams most popular film camera not so long ago. My FE2 did 1/4000 but I can’t actually remember using it, maybe shooting outdoors on a very bright day it might be good peace of mind but I think it was uncommon for me to use it. If you are not going to be taking pictures in bright midday blue sky sun all the time then I’m confident in saying 1/4000 shutter speed is a luxury.
The other downside is the noise. The F-301s motor drive auto winds the film on to the next frame. This is convenient but the drive in the F-301 is quite noisy. If you are just getting into film, taking outdoor shots or finding your style then this is probably not a big deal. It might be a big deal if you are taking portraits in a studio or you are taking pictures of models in an otherwise quiet environment. In this situation the noisy camera could be quite distracting. I never found this noise annoying when taking landscape shots, or when taking one or two portrait pictures of people. But when doing a studio session with a model or customer and taking many pictures in a session it would bother me and I prefer to use a quieter camera.
These are the only downsides I can think of writing about the Nikon F301. If you’re looking to get into film photography and won’t be shooting longer sessions in a studio or indoor space with clients then the Nikon F-301/N2000 is a camera I’d recommend. It’s still relatively cheap, reliable, has a good and intuitive light meter, and can take most F-Mount lenses (not the Nikon G-lenses), and runs on AAA batteries that can be found in any supermarket. Perfect for a beginner or someone who wants a low cost film camera.
