Nikon FE Film Camera Review

Nikon FE is an SLR with a delicate balance of features to accommodate portability, practicality, build quality, speed, and price. This camera is built with exceptional attention to detail.

The FE departs from the philosophy of compromising quality and materials for mid-range models. Unlike Canon’s AE-1s, which introduced cheaper components across the board and fewer mechanical parts in favour of microchip controllers, the FE is just as dependable as its pro-level counterpart, the F2 — only in a smaller package with trimmed features most modern film photographers won’t miss.

In this review, I’ll examine Nikon FE’s features, build quality, ergonomics, practicality, and how it weathers daily use nearly fifty years after production.

In this review: Technical specifications. A brief history of the Nikon FE film SLR. Build quality. Design, ergonomics, and how to use Nikon FE. Known issues. The Nikon F mount. Is Nikon FE a good camera for beginners? How much does a Nikon FE cost, and where to find one. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Technical specifications.

Nikon FE is an F-mount SLR.

The FE needs two LR44 batteries to operate its shutter between 8s and 1/1000s, plus Bulb. It also has an M90 mode — a 1/90s mechanical shutter speed that works without a battery. The flash sync speed is 1/250s.

The camera uses a center-weighted TTL (through-the-lens) light meter with 60% weight given to the center prism circle. It uses an ISO range of 12-4000 (with ⅓-stops) and exposure compensation (with half-stops) of up to -2 and +2. The self-timer lever doubles as an exposure lock when pushed and held towards the lens (the exposure meter will still output current/not locked readings).

The viewfinder is a fixed pentaprism with 0.86x magnification and 93% coverage.

Nikon FE weighs 590g (21oz) and measures 142mm × 89.5mm × 57.5mm (5.6” × 3.52” × 2.26”).

A brief history of the Nikon FE film SLR.

Nikon FE, introduced in 1978 and produced until 1983, was the follow-up to the mid-range Nikkormat SLRs.

The FE was an electronic shutter camera with an aperture priority mode that complemented Nikon FM, a mechanical shutter mid-range option. Both cameras were sold as affordable, high-quality alternatives to the professional F2/F3 Nikon SLRs.

The origins of the company that made those cameras date back to 1917 when it was called Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha (日本光学工業株式会社 “Japan Optical Industries Corporation”). Nippon Kōgaku was actually a result of a merger of three smaller companies, which were aided in their research by German engineers shortly after founding. The times were nearing World War II, which, as might’ve guessed, compelled the firm to produce optics for the military.

The military was important but not the only customer of Nippon Kōgaku, as the corporation also made numerous lenses and optical components for microscopes and film cameras. Canon’s early models, made between 1937 and 1947, used Nippon Kōgaku (Nikon) lenses.

After the war, Nippon Kōgaku was reduced to a single factory (from 14) and converted to a civilian business. Their first international success came with Nikon I, a high-quality rangefinder design that underwent many iterations between 1948 and 1960 (returning briefly in 2000 as Nikon S3 Y2k Edition). However, the product that had put the company on the path to becoming one of the biggest camera manufacturers in the world for decades to come was the Nikon F, introduced in 1959.

The F-series SLRs were some of the best-made cameras in the world, earning the admiration and daily use of renowned photographers of the time. Still, they were heavy with many switches and features and also very expensive. To appeal to photographers who didn’t need all that, Nikon sold simplified Nikkormat SLRs until 1978. Nikon FE picked up where Nikkormat left off while also upgrading the F-mount to AI (auto indexing) meter coupling.

The FE was Nikon’s answer to Canon’s AE-1, a massively popular and affordable SLR with full electronic shutter control. Though it never sold as well as the AE-1, the FE used better components and was a more durable camera. Its next iteration, the FE2, was a centrepiece in the 2024 movie Civil War.

Build quality.

Nikon FE is an exceptionally reliable camera with zero apparent compromise when it comes to tolerances, assembly, and materials.

Surely, it can be made fancier with even more metal parts (like painted brass) and a flashier design, like that of Voigtlaänder Vitessa A, but that’s not the purpose of the FE. It is a camera designed to be taken anywhere in the world and perform at its best no matter the climate. Its chassis is made from duralumin — a light, ultra-hard aluminum-copper alloy — and its internal mechanics are largely assembled by hand without skimping on quality with hardened metal gear, ball bearing joints, and point-to-point gold-plated wiring.

Design, ergonomics, and how to use Nikon FE.

Nikon FE is one of the lightest and most compact SLRs in my collection. It’s reminiscent of an earlier (1972) Olympus OM-1 — a streamlined, no-frills camera of high quality and minimalist design. Of course, OM-1 is a different beast: a fully mechanical SLR with even fewer features. The OM has its appeal, but of the two, the FE is a little more comfortable to use.

The viewfinder eyepiece on FE is fairly large, inviting, and comfortable. It’s usable with glasses on, though you’d have to push your spectacles up your nose to get a complete view. My copy came with an extra protective screw-on piece that has a rubber ring to avoid scratching my glasses and keep the finder glass safe.

The eyepiece on FE has a coating to prevent flaring; however, there’s no internal illumination — just the needle that points to the estimated ideal shutter speed for the light meter’s middle-grey value. In manual mode, a second (thicker) needle will point toward your selected shutter speed, which you must match with the meter if you want to go with the camera’s suggested exposure.

In aperture priority (shutter set to “AUTO”) mode, the light meter needle points to the shutter speed the camera automatically selects (unless you are using exposure locking).

A helpful window above the viewfinder’s frame inside the eyepiece shows the selected lens aperture.

The camera’s shutter and the shutter release button are well-balanced, which ensures minimal shake once fired. With steady hands, you can safely expose your film without a tripod at shutter speeds that match or exceed your lens’ focal length. For example, with a 28mm lens, it’s safe to shoot at shutter speeds of 1/30s and faster without adding a camera shake blur.

The shutter button on the FE does not have a half-press action; however, you can push and hold the timer lever (the one with a white line on the front plate) towards the lens to lock the exposure. This is useful if you want to meter for one part of the scene (e.x., the shadows) but intend to recompose the shot for the final picture. Note that locking the exposure won’t affect the light meter needle which will continue to move if the light changes (I found this part confusing as this is the only time the needle may not match the shutter speed the camera will fire at).

Next to the timer/exposure lock lever is a DOF preview button that lets you see the scene through your selected aperture. On the opposite side of the lens is the round mount unlock button. The bayonet F-mount requires you to rotate the lens clockwise to detach.

There’s no “ON” button on this camera. Instead, you pull the film winder lever out until it uncovers the painted red dot to turn the FE on and push it back in to turn it off. Voigtländer Bessa rangefinders use the same system: it’s helpful for eliminating buttons and creating a cleaner design. Unfortunately, even after weeks of testing, I still occasionally forgot to turn my camera on before the shot, so it takes some getting used to.

The shutter dial locks if you set it to the “AUTO” mode. You can release it by holding the tiny silver button on top of the dial while rotating it. It will not rotate clockwise past the “AUTO” — you must twist it all the way around to reach Bulb. The “M90” just before Bulb is the single mechanical speed that doesn’t need batteries to operate (at 1/90s).

Underneath the film winder is a small tab that lets you take double exposures. To activate it, pull the tab toward yourself as you turn the winder lever; your camera will cock the shutter, but the film will not advance.

On the other side of the top plate, you can set your film’s ISO by pressing and holding the small silver button next to the dial while rotating it until you align your chosen ISO value with a red dot on the left. You can also quickly adjust your exposure compensation by lifting the silver ring and placing the red dot anywhere between +2 and -2. I was worried that I would forget about the previously set exposure compensation, but that was never the case.

The exposure compensation dial is also helpful for extending the camera’s film speed compatibility. Earlier, I pushed Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow film to EI 6,400, which is beyond FE’s top ISO of 4,000. To circumvent that limitation, I’ve set the dial to ISO 3,200 and the exposure compensation dial to -1. This way, your FE can work with films rated between ISO 4 and 12,800!

Below the ISO dial on the back of the camera is a small black battery-check lever. Pushing it down should make the bulb inside the lever glow red — indicating that your batteries are good. To replace the batteries, you should use a small coin to unscrew a round compartment next to the tripod hole (on the bottom plate). You will need to place LR44s in it for this camera to work.

Once you’ve reached the end of your roll, a silver button on the bottom plate (directly underneath the film advance lever) will unlock the film rewinder lever (which is on top of the ISO dial — you’ll need to unfold it). Having finished rewinding the film, you’ll need to pull a small black tab underneath the rewinder lever towards you and pull the rewinder knob up until the film door unlocks. If you aren’t sure how to load film, refer to this guide.

The FE has two flash ports: the PC socket (front plate, underneath ISO dial) and the hot shoe. This guide should help you get started with flash photography on film.

Lastly, a film reminder frame on the film door. To remember which film is in your camera, you can cut a square piece from the package and insert it there. However, not all film canisters come in a carton, and it’s a fiddly process. Instead, I use this app to track all my film across my cameras.

As you can probably tell, there’s hardly a missing feature on the Nikon FE, even for professional applications. You can even find a motorized film winder for it! The only practical piece I find missing is an ergonomic grip; however, that, too, can be added as a custom attachment.

Known issues.

Without batteries, you won’t be able to press the shutter button (unless it’s set to M90 or Bulb). If you try to advance the film without the battery or with a dead battery, the camera won’t let you fire or advance any further. Naturally, the solution is to replace the batteries. Some sellers erroneously list their cameras as “locked up,” possibly due to missing power.

Light seals — thin pieces of foam across the perimeter of the film door and near the mirror box — deteriorate on all film cameras of this age. Thankfully, you can replace them at home (many/all good copies of this camera will already have new light seals). A good sign that yours may need a refresh is light leaks across your images, which can appear as streaks of red or white.

Another issue I’ve seen described during my research is a stuck mirror, which can be resolved by gently releasing it (after detaching the lens) and very gently touching the shutter curtain. However, this is much less common, an issue that may arise due to the lack of mechanical exercise.

There are a few repair manuals available online specifically for this camera. I recommend reading this general vintage film camera repair and maintenance guide before attempting to fix your FE or sending it out for an expensive repair.

The Nikon F mount.

Nikon FE (along with FM) has the best compatibility with Nikon F-mount lenses. Unlike the later FE2, the original FE accepts older A lenses and most newer ones, except G, VR, and lenses that don’t have an aperture ring. The A lenses must have their meter coupling lever raised and unlocked, and the exposure must be measured in stopped-down mode (by pressing down the depth of field lever).

Avoid IX Nikkor lenses and vintage Nikkor fisheye lenses, as FE does not have enough clearance (mounting these lenses can damage the shutter).

The FE takes the A, AI, AI-S, Series E (← its native lenses with the best compatibility), AF, AF-S, AF-I, and AF-D.

The Nikon F is the longest-living SLR mount, but it’s also one of the most confusing when it comes to compatibility. Various modifications were introduced over the years, which is why it may be difficult to tell whether the lens is compatible with the camera — even if it fits. On the plus side, there are over 400 lenses to choose from, and the quality of Nikon optics is considered to be one of the highest on the market.

My FE came with a Nikkor 28mm 𝒇3.5 AI-S. It’s very sharp, has excellent flare resistance, is great for close-up photography, and is made with superb materials/build standards. But I had a tough time getting used to the focus ring rotating counterclockwise for close-ups, which is the opposite of how all my other cameras work.

Is Nikon FE a good camera for beginners?

I certainly think so. It’s relatively affordable, durable, accurate, and easy to use in the AUTO (aperture priority) mode. As long as you know how to read the internal light meter (see above) and load/unload film, you’re good to go. Just remember that the batteries go into the compartment on the bottom plate (you can open it with a dime or a small coin by untwisting it like a screw).

How much does a Nikon FE cost, and where to find one.

Given its build quality, ergonomics, and the lenses available for the mount, the Nikon FE is a great deal. As of this writing, these cameras sell for around $100-250, depending on the condition and whether they include a lens.

As always, read the listing description and check all product photos before making a purchase. See this guide if it’s your first time buying a vintage film camera.

❤ By the way: Please consider making your Nikon FE camera purchase using this link so that this website may get a small percentage of that sale — at no extra charge for you — thanks!