I have a Nikon FG which I purchased for my wife back in 1985. She took an interest in photography but didn't want to have to fiddle with exposure settings so the 'full program' exposure mode was ideal for her. Plus the 'TTL auto flash' capability (with the Nikon SB-15 flash unit I bought with the camera) made for fool-proof flash exposures. I already had a Nikon FM with a couple of lenses so she could use my lenses on her FG. Her and I were in a photography club some years ago and she took some excellent photos with her FG..some of her photos won awards in our club shows. Later on I bought a Nikon E series 28mm f/2.8 lens it's a nice lens the E series lenses don't have quite the build quality of the regular Nikkor lenses but it's fine optically. My wife passed away but I still have the camera it's one of my treasured possessions.
Hi Thomas, thanks for sharing your story! It shows that a camera like these old Nikons can be a life-long companion. It is so nice that many photographers are rediscovering analog again so many of these great cameras are still being used today. And in your case, surely that Nikon FG is a treasured possession!
I cut my teeth on a Nikon FG that my parents bought in 1982 (with the 2nd generation E-Series 50mm f/1.8 standard lens). It served as our family's primary camera for many years until I splurged nearly 30 years ago and got a used F3. Both are a joy to use. I went on a lens buying spree 20 years ago and got the E-Series 100mm f/2.8 along with the E-Series 28mm f/2.8. Like you, I've never been super impressed with the 28mm E-Series lens, but the 100mm E-Series has a much larger rear element. I've always been pleased with the portraits it has produced. The FG combined with a set of E-Series lenses must be one of the greatest bargains in the marketplace for a new photographer wanting to started.
I used the Nikon 28mm E lens to photograph a RC Church on Fuji slide film, the resulting image was used for the front cover of a book of which 5,000 copies were printed.
Hi Tom. Enjoy your videos as always. The FG was my first Nikon as a teenager and gave me a wonderful entry in the Nikkor world before I sold it for the F3. My FG was black and yes, it DID come in black and was a beauty. What eventually killed it for me was the absence of AE lock on the FG, all other "proper" Nikons had AE lock.
Thanks for pointing out the missing AE lock! I totally forgot about that cause I once used to shoot an Olympus OM-2 which, due to its off-the-film metering, also didn't offer AE lock. So I'm more the guy who uses the exposure comp. dial. But you're absolutely right. F3 has AE lock, FE / FE2 have it ...
The Series E 100/2.8mm was my concert lens for years. The Series E 75-150/3.5 is one of my favorite lenses and I lied it so much that I had the AI rabbit ears put on it so it could be used with an F2. Excellent review.
Friend, I have very good Nikon's but by looking this video I started to remember 1977 when my grandpa give me my first Nikon. as a high school graduation gift (the FM)... I because this video, I have decided to get me a Nikon FG, I already have a good collection of Old Nikkor AI and Nikon series E lenses.... That way I can satisfy my nostalgia for Film Photography.... I do enjoy very much manual focusing even with my Z50, D500 and D750.
Well done! I doubt that I could cover this under appreciated Nikon camera and five E series lenses in under 14 minutes. When I bought mine several years back no one wanted the FG. They were selling at thrift store prices.
Many thanks for your comment! I agree that the EM / FG series cameras are underrated still, but people are starting to appreciate them and prices are going up. About the lenses: I very personally still prefer the regular Nikkor lenses mainly because of their higher mechanical quality. But the optics of some of the E series lenses are so nice!
So true, and still not getting much retro love. Maybe five or six years ago, I purchased a three-camera bundle (EM, FG, and a Canon 10S) for $25 dollars. The Nikons were advertised as "not working" and only firing at M90. A fresh set of batteries were all that was needed, and both were up and running. All three are still with me.
Nikon E serie was not so popular, but the lenses had good glasses ,they were Ai-S, offering P mode on some camera, they were compact and cheap. I own the 28 mm f2,8. It is in good conditions and works very very well😁👍👏very interesting review boy!👍👍
Many thanks for your feedback! The thing about E series lenses is their mechanics, not the glass! But if you find one that’s in a good shape mechanically and use it like most of us use analog equipment today, they are a great option. Today most of us don’t use analog gear as heavily as back in the day … because film is expensive and it takes some time. Having said all that, while I liked the Series E 28/2.8, the standard Nikkor 28/2.8 AI and especially the AI-s with the 8 element design are better in the corners.
@@tomscameras I have a small collection of cameras, F and D, and lenses, mf and af. I really, really like the 100mm E Series, but I already have the 105 mm f.2.8 Ai and the AF 105 mm f2.8 d micro. I would never use it, except for some tests. thanks again for the video. very interesting. I didn't know there was also a 135mm E Series
I've been using the 100mm serie e with a fuji xe3 for some time and love the results... recently bought an FE2 body, which is my first srl camera (analog) 🙂
Life is not complete if one has never shot film in his/her life😎 the sound of film camera shutter is absolutely breath taking and this camera you’re holding has just that magic sound👍. I do notice that the price of film camera is going up but not down😲
Oh yes ... shooting film is magic! ❤️️ There are still inexpensive cameras and lenses, which is why I made this video! But even these "cheap" Nikon Series E lenses are going up in price by now!
I still have my FG-20, the third model in the Nikon entry-level series. I used it for almost 20 years before going digital. Normally I used mine in manual shutter-priority mode; when it's on manual a red M appears in the viewfinder. I set my shutter speed, usually 1/500 to freeze motion, then the aperture to whatever value the meter indicated was needed for that speed. I most often fed it Kodachrome 64 @ 1/500 on a sunny day, usually @ f/5.6, extrapolated from the "sunny 16" rule (shutter speed 1/ASA @ f/16 on a sunny day). For flash I used the M90 setting and whatever aperture the calculator on my flash (not a Nikon dedicated one) recommended for a given ASA and distance. Usually, I used the standard Series E 50 mm f/1.8 lens, but sometimes a Series E 36-72 mm f/3.5 zoom. I keep a UV filter (52 mm ø) and a hood on both lenses.
Many thanks for your comment. And also for the hints how you set up your camera, I guess that might be helpful for others as well who uses these cameras today! Actually I also always put my camera on M / flash sync speed when using a flash. The old „auto“ flashes with the little photo cell in them actually do a very good job in terms of correct exposure, especially when shooting negative film!
I would not describe the mechanical backup speed as "over-engineering." It is a feature that I wish other manufacturers had put in their lower end cameras. I really could have used it on a Canon A-1 I used to have. I have the 28mm f2.8 Series E lens. It is a decent lens, with its main deficiency being its tendency to flare. I know your review is limited to E Series primes but to me the 75mm to 150mm zoom is a real standout.
Thanks for your comment. I didn’t intend to criticize the EM for being over-engineered as well because I also love the mechanical backup speed a lot. Just wanted to point out that this is a feature that other manufacturers would maybe have removed on such an entry-level camera. I guess my main gripe with the Series E 28 is that the standard Nikkor-AI 28 is just better. And many thanks for pointing me towards the 75-150 zoom! Seems I should give that one a try!
The 75-150 is a little gem. I did a bunch of travel stories in the 90s, and that was the tele zoom that I took with me on trips around the world. Only downside is the looseness of the zoom ring.
I have to give some of the classic zoom lenses a try, it seems. Even though most think that old zooms suck, especially some of those short telephoto zooms seem to be pretty good. About the zoom ring: I have to admit that I feel the build quality of most Series E lenses is a bit compromised compared to the AI / AI-s lineup. On the other hand, several old Nikkor zooms often have extremely loose rings. I remember I had a 80-200/4.5 AI that was actually very good, but the zoom ring was so loose that it was moving back and forth all the time by itself.
@@tomscameras Yeah, you had to be aware of that problem. I just remembered that Galen Rowell's famous Rainbow Over The Potala Palace was shot with the 75-150.
I also ignored these bodies when I was young and concentrated on the "heavy duty" ones like F series or even Nikkormat. Today I really like that they are smaller and more light-weight ... But I guess I should get a half case very soon cause the plastic finishes scratch much more easily, and scratched plastic never looks great! 🙃
I have two black versions. Also have two silver bodies. Besides that good job. Love my FG's. I have 150+ vintage cameras. FG ranks up there probably because I bought one new when they came out and always had at least one. Stiff focus is a minor issue. Lubrication has dried up. CLA on the lens will fix it.
Thanks for your comment! Actually it seems to me that stiff focus is mainly an issue with Swries E lenses today, whereas all the outer vintage Nikkors rather suffer from too loose focus … in the case of the latter, it’s how the lubricants deteriorate that Nikon used at the time. In the case of Series E lenses and the too stiff focus, it also could be because of the simpler and less hard-wearing materials that the lenses itself were made of. Most lenses that are 40+ years old will profit from a CLA. That’s understandable! Having said that I sometimes come across „ancient“ lenses that never had a CLA and yet their focus still is buttery smooth. Especially Pentax Takumar lenses of the 1960s are sometimes like that. It’s just amazing! I don’t think they deliberately used „better“ lubricants back then … maybe it’s just luck that they went for some material that is so utterly long-lasting!
In recent years the series e lenses have went up in price especially the 35mm, any I've tried to buy you could expect to twice the price of the 28mm. The 50mm has another 2 Nikkor cousins as well as the 50mm f1.8 standard, both are pancakes, but with the better Nikkon built or better rather materials. The first came out in 1980 for the Japanese only market and with a close focus of 45cm, then in 1982 it was released to the rest of the world but with a close focus of only 60cm the same as the series e. The Japanese market one seems to have a better build quality than the 1982 model but the optics seems to be the same or there supposed to be the same. And I have all 3 pancake as well as the standard one (ok I've several standard one's and a few of the 82 pancakes and one 1980 pancake). Great video and yes the FG does come in black, I have one in each colour in my Nikon collection.
Thanks for all your detailed extra information, very appreciated! I actually didn't know there is a 50/1.8 "pancake" with 45cm close focus that is still smaller than the normal 50/1.8 AIs (which isn't big anyway)! And yes: It seems that prices for Series E lenses in good condition are going up which makes it hard to recommend them, because when you shop around a bit, you can also still find good deals on the Nikkor lenses (especially the very common 50/1.8's of course) instead.
Unfortunately prices on the FG are creeping up and they are not much cheaper than an FA, but the FA is a much better camera. I love the FA. I have lots of Zeiss classic lenses in F mount, but I do love that these old Nikkors and Nikon E are so much lighter than the all metal Zeiss lenses. Personally I prefer more use of plastic in lenses - it makes them so much lighter.
It seems prices on basically any camera are creeping up. The FA is a super interesting camera, even though for me personally it's already too much electronics. But it was super innovative back in the day and it is based on the legendary FE / FM chassis. About lenses - it depends. I find that there are many SLR lenses that are pretty light-weight despite being made from metal. With Nikon, a lot of AI-s lenses tend to be more compact than their older AI counterparts.
Great video and camera! Bought one new in '82. Now have three in my collection. "A" setting is Aperture Priority not shutter priority as you stated at 3:13. Thhere is a black version available 4:57. I have one.
Thanks for your feedback! And yes you are absolutely right. I tend to confuse "shutter priority" and "aperture priority". It's a bit like confusing left and right. Maybe it also shows here that I'm not a native English speaker. We Germans call "aperture priority" = "Zeitautomatic" which translates as "automatic shutter time". About the black Nikon FG; some others already pointed out that I was wrong here as well. As I have a black EM, I definitely can say that I'd prefer the FG in black as well. With all-metal bodies, I tend to favor the chromed finishes. Kind regards, Thomas
Compared to today's standards even the Nikon Series E lenses have a wonderful build quality. Prices increased after everybody started adapting older lenses to mirrorless cameras.
I do have to say that some modern Voigtländer and even TT Artisan or 7Artisans manual lenses have a nicer build quality than the Series E ... but the typical "kit zoom" lens often feels less well made than Series E Nikon lenses, yes! I agree about the prices going upwards because all the old lenses are so easy to adapt these days!
Tom, what's worth a mention is that the programme mode, which makes setting the aperture value from the camera, requires Ai-S connection and specifications. While a lens has to look like Ai to begin with, the presence of a small milled depression - looks like a tiny coin slot - on the back surface of the lens mount indicates it to be Ai-S.
Thanks for your feedback! I do think though that AI lenses also will work in P mode, but it might be a little bit less accurate. Of course, you have to set the aperture to the smallest setting (biggest number like f/16 or f/22) so that P mode will work at all.
Hello Tom, Thank you for another excellent video, on a great camera. Have you ever considered carrying out a review on a 'B' series Praktica?. The thinking behind the two cameras is somewhat similar, in as much as they both have full electronic control of shutter speeds, with exposure compensation control, and a mechanical shutter speed of 1/90th. The 'B' series Praktica shutter covers a range of 1/1000 to 40 seconds, steplessly, and automatically, (apart from the B100 model), and in addition to the LED shutter speed information in the viewfinder, the aperture selected is also reflected into the viewfinder as well. The lenses, particularly the Zeiss examples, are second to none in quality. It could be said that these cameras perhaps lack the ultimate quality of a Nikon, but I have been very satisfied with my own BCX model during the last 30+ plus years that I have owned it!.
Hi Peter! Thanks for your suggestion! The last of the B series, the BX20s, even survived the end of the GDR and as such it's the final piece of a HUGE history of East German cameras! Also there are some interesting lenses like the Zeiss Jena-made 50 f/1.4. So a B series Praktica is definitely on my bucket list, but "sadly" there are many other cameras on that list as well!
@@tomscameras To the horror of many of my fellow professionals, the B-series was my work kit since the mid 1980s until digital became firmly mainstream in the publishing business workflow, but the results were uniformly excellent. I had - and still have - almost a complete collection of lenses, and a fair few bodies, it's just too bad that soon after the Treuhandanstalt sold the Carl Zeiss Group of Jena to its namesake at Oberkochen, the latter committed what was probably the worst case of industrial vandalism imaginable: all the stock, parts, documents, etc, were deliberately destroyed, meaning the cameras would have no more parts to sustain them. In fact most of the bodies are not working well, and the dreaded German grease had rendered several of the lenses well stuck.
Awesome video I actually just picked up a Nikon FG-20 and i can’t wait to go out and shoot. Your video was great help thank you. Also what is the name of the song in the beginning of the video if you don’t mind me asking?
Hey! Thanks for your feedback! I wish you a lot of fun with your new Nikon! The song is called Smart and it’s from Liqwid & Carl Storm! Just check my video description, at the end I always mention the songs that I am using for my videos!
I don’t have a huge experience with fisheye lenses but that’s not because they’re bad, more because I am maybe not the hugest fisheye lens photographer! But for which camera do you want to get a fisheye lens? I’m asking because you have very different lens options depending on whether you’re shooting full frame / APS-C / MFT and also SLR or mirrorless!
The FG may be the most underappreciated Nikon body ever produced. It does it all. It has proven to be very durable. The Series E lenses were cheaply designed by Nikon standards and were intentionally link in advertising as the "cheapo" lenses of the cheapo EM body. They are plastic builds, less refined optics. None of them are multi-coated at a time when any quality lens was multi-coated. Overall, they were a bargain compared to Nikkors. Except for the 28mm, which has to be the worst 28mm Nikon ever sold, and the 100mm, which is nearly as good as the legendary 105mm 2.5 Nikkor, the rest as average performers. Okay at the right price. Today, with prices on th 105mm falling and on the 100mm being hyped up, they cost about the same used, so buy the 105mm.
Yes, you are right! Also the Nikon EM is a very durable camera it seems. Much more than you would think when looking at it! I totally love the results of the 100mm lens but the build quality is much worse than the usual Nikkor lenses. Prices for the Series E lenses can be crazy today ...
Yes There was a Black Version, Why I own one alone with the Motor Drive, and also does your FG after the shutter is fired, does it seems that the mirror tends to sound that it is bouncing inside the Mirror box? Really enjoyed your videos.... As now I am using the Praktina, and the Pentacon SLR's 35mm just to test the Zeiss Jena lenses....
Hi Alex, my FG and EM sound pretty "solid" actually, given the fact that they are such light-weight cameras. I can't say that the shutter / mirror mechanism feels any more flimsy than, say, my Nikon FM2, for example! I hope you have a lot of fun with the Praktina. That's a very special camera, it was extremely advanced when it was new, and I hope I'll be shooting it one day as well!
Yes, I am really sorry for that mistake! Especially as I think that the EM already looks much better in black, so a black FG is maybe also more beautiful than the silver one! But that's, of course, just a matter of taste :)
Tom, I had to laugh when you said you were a "zoom snob". In the Series E lens line-up, you owe it to yourself to try the 75-150 f3.5 zoom. It is small and light and optically very good, and is available for less than 40 Euros. Look up the late Galen Rowell's iconic photo "Rainbow Over The Potala Palace", taken in Tibet, if you haven't seen it. Thousand of prints continue to be sold of this image long after his death. He shot it with the Nikon 75-150mm Series E. The E lenses are all good, with in my opinion, the 28mm being the weakest. But the lens is plenty sharp, it is just that all the Series E lenses are single coated, so if you point it toward the sun, it flares rather badly because it's a wideangle. For only a few dollars more, I'd buy the Nikkor 28mm f3.5 AI version, and did. Some of the early black Series E lenses were made with plastic focusing helicoids, so over time with hard use they won't focus quite a smoothly as Nikkors, but for amateur use as intended they were just fine. I smiled at seeing the FG again. 20 years ago I took one and went walking in one of the many ghettos of metro Manila. I chose the FG because at the time there was a huge problem with "snatchers" who would run past and grab anything that looked like it was of value. I was out all day, and the people I encountered in hundreds of little shacks, who obviously had nothing, came up to talk, pose for pictures, and even ask me to sit and eat with them. I made some of the best street images of my life with the FG. Thanks for the memory!
Thanks Tom for your comment and also sharing the great memories. I am sure that trip to Manila must have been amazing and adventurous! And I realize I should give certain old zoom lenses a closer look 😀
