The Nikon FM3A
So, I sold my “for life” camera, a Leica M6 and bought a Nikon FM3a.
Everyone, literally, everyone I told about my decision to sell my Leica said it was a crazy decision. The M6 is arguably the high point of one of the best 35mm camera manufacturers, and somehow, some way, I convinced myself that the legendary M6 wasn’t good enough for me.
A bit like if I decided that despite my mediocre looks, very average intelligence and ever expanding beer belly, that I can do better than Miranda Kerr. But the thing is, I can and I did.
The Leica M6 is a wonderful camera. Sleek lines, reliable, wonderful quality with some of the best glass you can put in front of film emulsion. Everything about it, from the buttery smooth film advance, to the click of the shutter dial just oozes quality and pedigree. But after using it for 2 years, I decided that if I wanted one camera to use for the rest of my life, it had to fit me.
Those little nice touches on the Leica mattered less than what the camera can actually do.
The slow flash sync speed was a bit of an issue for me. The M6’s top sync speed of 1/60 meant that no flash work would be practical in daylight. And the viewfinder, whilst large and bright, became tiny when I put a 90 or 135mm lens on the camera. And critical focussing on a portrait subject up close when shooting f1.4 lenses wide open is a bit of a crap shoot on a rangefinder.
Well then I shouldn’t have got a rangefinder then should I, say all the Leica warriors. And they’re probably right.
I love the small form factor and quiet shutter noise of rangefinders, but they don’t suit my most of photography. I’m not taking sneaky photos of strangers on public transport.
Finally it was just a bit too nice. I wouldn’t take it to a lot of places for fear that it would get damaged. A camera is a tool, not an ornament.
So I bit the bullet and sold it. I got a great deal when I bought it, so I sold it for plenty over the price I paid. And the lenses I had for it were snapped up quickly too. And with those funds I’ve bought another camera and 3 legendary pro quality lenses, and I still have enough left over for an overseas holiday.
The camera I chose? A Nikon FM3a, with a Nikkor 85/1.4 AIS, a Nikkor 105/2.5 AIS, and a Voitlander Ultron 40/2.0. Still hunting for a quality wide lens, but thats not a priority at the moment.
The FM3a is a great camera. Small, but rugged and with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a final generation SLR. A high sync speed of 1/250th of a second, a top shutter speed of 1/4000th, and a wide range of high quality lenses. The big benefit of this camera though is that it can be use without batteries, just like the M6. It doesn’t have the luxury feel in general use like the M6 does. It’s more like driving a Hilux opposed to a Porsche…but when you’re driving down dirt roads who needs a Porsche?
The FM3a isn’t perfect. My biggest issue with it is that the shutter lever needs to be swung out from the body before the shutter can be released. A good feature that prevents accidental misfires in a camera bag, but a pain for us left eye dominant photographers as it wants to poke us in the right eye. If that feature could be disabled it would be the perfect camera for me.
The results from it have been fantastic though. The Nikkor and Voitlander lenses are the equal of the Leica lenses I had, in my humble opinion. And in the end, it’s the results that matter.
