Gear

The Nikon FE2

My thoughts on the Nikon FE2 camera, it's pros & cons, and why it has a great built in light meter.

The Nikon FE2 has become a popular film camera during the analog renaissance of recent years. This may be because it looks a bit retro but it's an option genuinely worth considering if you're in the market for a manual film SLR. I owned one from 2014 to about 2022. Let me tell you about some of its features, and what I think are some of its pros & cons.

It features the Nikon F-mount and can take most F-mount lenses as long as the lens has an aperture ring and is not a pre-ai lens.

Nikon FE2 Facts:

Manual focus 35mm SLR
Released in 1983
1/4000 to 8 second shutter
I paid $120 for an average secondhand copy way back in 2014. Probably closer to $250 now.

Pre AI(S) lenses that are unconverted can not be used on the Nikon FE2 as it lacks the flip up tab on the mount that the F3, FE, and FM all have.

Mapua Wharf picture taken on the Nikon FE2 with Tri-x film. — Mapua wharf area shot on Kodak tri-x film using my old Nikon Fe2.

Nikon FE2 features

Despite lacking the flip up tab that its predecessor, the Nikon FE, has the FE2 comes with a much higher maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second. The camera also features the best light meter display I’ve ever used, match needle metering. The viewfinder is bright, clear, and large - making it easy to manually focus. The viewfinder displays shutter speed with two notches. One displays your selected shutter speed and the other displays what the light meter thinks the speed should be in order to get correct exposure.

This metering display gives you an immediate visual showing how many stops over or under you are. You can see immediately how you are exposing your film. I wish the Nikon F3 had this type of metering as it is the best I’ve come across as far as being intuitive to read. I much prefer this style of light meter than the one the just tells you if you are over, under, or on point.

When you are composing an image you may not want the frame to be ‘accurately’ exposed. You might want it to be under or over exposed for artistic reasons. The Nikon FE2 light meter makes that easy.

If if want my frame to be underexposed, for arts sake, and the FE2 meter is telling me 1/125 in I can just imagine how I want the center of the frame to look and adjust my exposure by eye to 1/250 or 1/500 easily.

On the other hand, if I am using my F3's +/- style meter I need to put the subject in the center of the frame, get accurate exposure, then adjust up or down depending on what I want. It's another step. In real life I would probably use an external light meter during any important photo session but I might wing it with the FE2's match needle meter in more situations than with other cameras.

Mapua Wharf, Nikon FE2, 35-105mm len, Tri-x film pushed one stop. — Mapua wharf. Picture taken on Kodak Tri-x pushed one stop in development. Camera: Nikon Fe2. Lens: Nikon 35-105mm zoom.

How the camera handles

The Nikon FE2 is well built without being overly heavy. It's easy to carry around due to the light weight but if you have larger hands it is not the most ergonomic camera. Holding it for longer periods with a heavier lens attached isn't the most comfortable. It’s not that the FE2 is bad, it’s just not as comfortable to hold as the F3, F301 or another SLR with a grip built into the body. This is of course personal preference, it depends on hand size, and even how you like to hold the camera.

A great thing for photographers thinking about picking up this camera is how simple it is to use. There is no auto-focus to think about just an ISO dial, a knob for shutter speed, then you set your aperture on the lens. This is one of the reasons the FE2 is a great choice for a beginner film photographer. It’s really simple to use, it’s a well built, and has all the features you'd ever need from a manual focus SLR.

Autumn in Hanmer springs. Nikon FE2, 50mm 1.8 lens, Kodak Ektar 100. — Autumn. Film: Kodak Ektar 100. Camera: Nikon FE2.

Why I bought and sold my FE2

The FE2 I bought was the second SLR I bought for myself after the F-301. The advantages it had over that camera were 1/4000 shutter speed versus 1/2000, it could do multiple exposures, and it looked more hipster! I’m not sure if that last one is a pro or a con?

I kept mine a few years then on-sold it. Why? It had an issue with the battery connection and the camera would drain its battery really hard. Fresh batteries would work great for a session, then if the camera was left for a month or two I’d pick it up, fire the shutter, and it would lock up. This happened on a lot of occasions. Someone was willing to take the risk and send it to get serviced so I sold them my FE2 for a fair price.

Would I have kept my FE2 if it didn’t have these problems? Yeah, I probably would have. It’s something I considered when I was buying my F3 last year. Should I spend the money on a better condition FE2 or FM3a in the hopes of getting a copy without issues? The FE2 is a camera with many positives. Ultimately my deciding factor was the F3HP viewfinder. I will post about why this was important to me soon. But I think an FE2 in good condition is a great option that photographers in the market for a 35mm SLR should consider.

Pros and cons of the Nikon FE2:

Pros