Nikon FM10 - A Disappointing 'NIKON'. Review on Nikon FM10

INTRODUCTION

It was only recently when I got the chance to try the Nikon FM10. One of the new members in my photography club bought a new Nikon FM10 to start off his new hobby. I have been discouraging people from buying this Nikon baby FM ever since it was release years ago, but I have never used it before until recently. But after using it, I am glad I did make the right recommendation as to reject it, just too lousy to be a Nikon.

BUILD

The build of the FM10 is horrible. Build completely with plastic. The camera is very light, and it feels very weak and fragile. The plastic body is also very prong to scratches due to the type of finishing.

The grip of the camera is very poor, due to the small size and also the smooth surface of the body.

FOCUSING

The Nikon FM10 comes with a fixed split image micro prism with matte field. Focusing is manual, and considerably easy.

EXPOSURE

The exposure metering for the Nikon FM10 is by TTL Centre-Weighted, with an EV range of 2 to 19 for ISO 100.

It will definitely not comparable with modern day AF Nikon with multi segment matrix metering, but is still accurate for most application. But in tricky situation, a bit of experience is needed to ensure proper exposure.

FEATURES

Multiple Exposure capability is available for creative photography. For flash application, it has an X sync only speed of 1/125 or slower, which is slower than the 1/250 for most modern camera.

LENS

The Nikon FM10 used the old Nikon F Mount, which mean it will accept all older Nikkor lenses, as well as modern Nikkor AF Lenses (but in manual mode). There are also a wide range of good quality third party lenses maker like the popular low cost Sigma, Tokina, Tamron... etc., which can be used on the Nikon FM10, both manual and auto focus lenses.

To achieve high picture quality and most important sharpness, none of this cheap lenses maker is comparable to the original Nikkor lenses. I always believe that that extra cost spent on the optics is worthy.

There is a wide selection of old reliable manual focus Nikkor lenses in the used market. With a bit of hunting, you will be able to get some good bargain.

QUALITY TEST

The Nikon FM10 was tested at the Singapore Zoo in early November.

The shutter is noisy, and it is quite annoying to me. The film advance lever is very weak, and doesn’t feel strong enough. It gives me the impression that it might break somehow if I do it hard.

The LCD metering switched off the very moment you release you finger from the shutter. It does not remain lighted for a few seconds like the Nikon FM2n while you do exposure adjustment. It is very inconvenience for the user when you have to keep pressing the shutter button to keep the LCD light meter on while doing exposure adjustment.

The number of shutter speeds available is really limited for any good uses. You are not able to do much with this sort of range. The Nikon FM2n definitely do a better job in this case.

Focusing is rather easy with the split-image micro prism. I am used to such focusing technique, so I have no trouble with it. But for beginner, like the new member who owned this Nikon FM10, he is experiencing difficulty to get it right. But after a while, he seems to be getting used to it. Therefore, I am convinced it is an easy to adapt to for any user.

We tested the Nikon FM10 with a roll of Kodak Supra 100 Colour Film, and a roll of Kodakchrome 100. Exposure is okay, but not perfect, due to the lack of adjusting range of the shutter speed. With colour negative, the exposure is still acceptable due to the fact that it can be corrected during developing. But for positive film, it is clear that the exposure is not as good as the same shot done on another member’s FM2n. In general, the exposure metering is still acceptable for general uses. I am not sure if it can handle tricky situations, as we did not managed to find such opportunities.

SUMMARY

Based on an average street price of about $220, which include a Nikon 35-70mm f3.5-4.8 lens, it might sound like a good buy. But I would strongly recommend not to buy it, as it does not worth the money.

Try searching for a good condition Nikon FM or Nikon FE, which will set you back for a range from $150 - $180. Although the Nikon FM and Nikon FE have been around for nearly two decades, but I would not bet against them still staying functionally good for another decade or more. Whereas for the Nikon FM10, I just have the feeling that it will break down any time.