Nikon FM10
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The Nikon FM10 is a
manual focus In the field of photography, a manual focus camera is one in which the user has to adjust the focus of the lens by hand. Before the advent of autofocus, all cameras had manually adjusted focusing; thus, the term is a retronym. The focus itself ...
35 mm film
camera A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
sold by
Nikon Corporation (, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group. Nikon's products include cameras, cam ...
. It is of SLR design and was first available in 1995. It is normally sold in a kit that includes a Zoom Nikkor 35–70 mm f/3.5-4.8 zoom lens, although a Zoom Nikkor 70–210 mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens is also available. An electronic companion model known as the FE10 was also sold at one stage. The FM10 is not manufactured by Nikon, and is not a true member of the Nikon compact F-series SLRs, as the name implies. It is manufactured by
Cosina is a manufacturer of high-end optical glass, optical precision equipment, cameras, video and electronic related equipment, based in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. History Cosina is the successor to Nikō (or "Nikoh"), a company set up as ...
in JapanPhotography in Malaysia – Nikon FM10
/ref> (as are both the lenses), and is derived from the
Cosina CT-1 The Cosina CT-1 is a 35mm film SLR camera from Cosina Co. In addition to being sold in its own right, the CT-1 chassis also forms the basis (with variations) of several SLR bodies including the Nikon FM10, the Canon T60, the Olympus OM-2000 ...
chassis. Following Nikon's decision to concentrate on digital cameras, the FM10 and the high-end F6 became the sole remaining film SLRs to carry the Nikon name. However, by mid-2022 the FM10 had been marked as "discontinued" across multiple Nikon sites. The FM10 has a shutter speed range of 1 to 1/2000th second plus bulb and flash
X-sync In photography, flash synchronization or flash sync is the synchronizing the firing of a photographic flash with the opening of the shutter admitting light to photographic film or electronic image sensor. In cameras with mechanical (clockwor ...
of 1/125th second. Its dimensions are 139 x 86 x 53 mm, and it weighs 420g. The camera is finished in black with champagne chrome trim. The FM10 was originally intended for sale in developing Asian markets, but was later sold in Western countries too.


Features


Operation

The FM10 is a mechanically (springs, gears, levers) controlled manual focus SLR with manual exposure control. It is operable without batteries, which are only required (two S76 or A76, or one 1/3N) for the light metering information system. This consists of an internal 60/40 percent centerweighted, silicon photodiode light meter linked to a center-the-LED exposure control system using vertically arranged +/•/– light emitting diodes (LEDs) on the left side of the viewfinder to indicate the readings of the meter versus the actual camera settings. The focusing screen also has 3 mm split image rangefinder and 1 mm microprism collar focusing aids. Overall, the FM10 has the features of a typical late 1970s SLR.


Lens compatibility

The FM10 accepts any lens with the Nikon F bayonet mount supporting the Aperture Indexing (AI) feature (introduced in 1977), and thus the majority of Nikon lenses manufactured in recent decades. The modern Nikon-made AI lenses are the AF-S Nikkor, AF-I Nikkor, AF Nikkor D and Nikkor AI-S types. The discontinued Nikkor AI and Nikon Series E lenses are also AI types. Many third-party Nikon-mount lenses will also mount and function correctly on the FM10. Many of the newest Nikon and third-party F-mount lenses, and some older designs, will mount on the FM10, but will not function properly. Nikon’s most recent 35 mm film/full-frame FX digital SLR lenses, the AF Nikkor G type (introduced in 2000) lack an aperture control ring, without which there is no way to set aperture using the FM10. AF Nikkor DX type (2003) lack an aperture ring as well, and have a smaller image circles sized for the smaller sensors on Nikon's DX digital SLRs, thus projecting a black
vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
circle onto the FM10 film plane. Nikon's Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization system, available on some newer lenses since 2000, does not function on the FM10. Both IX Nikkor lenses (1996), for Nikon's
Advanced Photo System Advanced Photo System (APS) is a discontinued film format for still photography first produced in 1996. It was marketed by Eastman Kodak under the brand name Advantix, by FujiFilm under the name Nexia, by Agfa under the name Futura and by ...
(APS) film SLRs and very old "invasive" Nikkor 35 mm fisheye lenses must not be mounted on the FM10, as their rear elements will intrude far enough into the mirror box to cause damage.


Flash

The Nikon SB-M dedicated flash is designed specifically for the FM10, but it will also accept any other nondedicated hot shoe mounted flash for guide number manual or flash mounted sensor automatic exposure control – the venerable Vivitar 283 (guide number 120, ASA 100/feet; 37, DIN 21/meters) was still available new a quarter century after its introduction in 1975. The FM10 does not accept a
motor drive Motor drive means a system that includes a motor. An adjustable speed motor drive means a system that includes a motor that has multiple operating speeds. A variable speed motor drive is a system that includes a motor and is continuously variabl ...
; film is only advanced manually via a thumb lever.


Design history


Chassis

The aluminum alloy chassis used in the FM10 can be traced back more than twenty-five years to the
Cosina CT-1 The Cosina CT-1 is a 35mm film SLR camera from Cosina Co. In addition to being sold in its own right, the CT-1 chassis also forms the basis (with variations) of several SLR bodies including the Nikon FM10, the Canon T60, the Olympus OM-2000 ...
. Cosina has a long history of producing equipment to specification for other camera companies. Other famous name SLR cameras that were built around the CT-1 chassis include the Canon T60, Nikon FE10, Olympus OM2000, Ricoh KR-5 Super II and
Yashica FX-3 Yashica was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, originally active from 1949 until 2005 when its then-owner, Kyocera, ceased production. In 2008, the Yashica name reappeared on cameras produced by the Hong Kong-based MF Jebsen Group. In 2015, tr ...
. They differ primarily in their outer cosmetic plastic body panels, lens mounts and nameplates. This chassis is also used, in heavily reworked form, as the basis for the recent Rollei 35RF,
Zeiss Ikon Carl Zeiss AG (), branded as ZEISS, is a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics, founded in Jena, Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) he laid the ...
and Cosina's own
Voigtländer Voigtländer () was a significant long-established company within the optics and photographic industry, headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, and today continues as a trademark for a range of photographic products. History Voigtländer was f ...
branded Bessa R series of 35 mm film rangefinder (RF) cameras as well as the unique
Epson R-D1 The original R-D1, announced by Epson in March 2004 and discontinued in 2007, was the first digital rangefinder camera. Subsequently, three modifications of the original ''R-D1'' were produced - ''R-D1s'', ''R-D1x'', and ''R-D1xG''. R-D1 ''R-D1 ...
digital rangefinder camera in magnesium alloy.


Target markets and criticism

The Nikon FM10 fills the very bottom of the Nikon SLR line, and was introduced to meet the needs of the burgeoning South and East Asian amateur photographic markets. Until then, Nikon cameras were world-renowned for their very high quality and durability, but were also expensive. Despite the emergence of an increasingly prosperous middle-class in these countries, their income had not yet reached Western standards, so even the cheapest Nikons were generally beyond their means. The FM10's deliberately limited features and use of relatively dated technology were intended to keep production costs- and therefore price- as low as possible for these markets. However, the FM10 has been criticised by some for perceived low quality, attributed to its targeting of the brand-conscious
nouveau riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...
in developing countries. It is claimed that the FM10 was intended for those who desired affordable ownership of a famous brand name, regardless of the actual quality of the camera itself. Nevertheless, when news of the FM10 reached Western photographers, a clamor arose and Nikon decided to offer it worldwide. While there have been mixed opinions, with some expressing reservations about its durability, it has proved popular as an entry level beginner's camera, and for photography students needing or wanting to use film and fully manual, mechanical SLR cameras. The Nikon FM10 sells steadily because of the prominent Nikon brand on its pentaprism, and for its compatibility with a wide range of new and used Nikon and third-party lenses. It is also a fairly popular backup camera among traditionalist photographers using more sophisticated Nikon bodies.


Discontinuation

In January 2006, Nikon announced that they were discontinuing the majority of their film-based camera bodies. Along with Nikon's flagship model, the F6, the FM10 was one of only two to remain in production, lasting until October 2020. However, by November 2020, Nikon USA had marked the FM10 as "archived" and by mid-2022 it had been marked "discontinued" across multiple Nikon sites.


References


Inline


Other


"Cosina: And you thought Rodney Dangerfield got no respect!"
retrieved 6 January 2009. Archived fro



retrieved 3 January 2006

retrieved 4 January 2009

retrieved 29 September 2006
"Reshaping Nikon's Film Camera Assortment" (press release)
retrieved 30 September 2006
Various. Opinions taken from camerareview.com website
retrieved 30 September 2006 * Anonymous. "Yashica's FX-3: Basic, Black, And Beautiful" pp 111–113. Modern Photography's Photo Buying Guide '85. reprint from Modern Photography, January 1980. * Anonymous. "Camera Test: Olympus OM2000: It's not exactly an OM-1, but …" pp 82–85. Popular Photography, Volume 62 Number 4; April 1998. * Anonymous. "Lens Test: Olympus 35-70 mm f/3.5-4.8: Fine performance in a short zoom" p 92. Popular Photography, Volume 62 Number 4; April 1998. * Anonymous. "Camera Test: Voigtländer Bessa-R: What do you get when you take a pleasant scale-focusing retro 35 and add a multiframe range/viewfinder? An instant cult classic!" pp 112–115, 164. Popular Photography, Volume 64 Number 7; July 2000. * Anonymous. Nikon: Full Line Product Guide. Volume 8. Melville, NY: Nikon Inc., 2002 * Herbert Keppler, Keppler, Herbert. "SLR: Mysterious SLRs that you can't buy" pp 18. Popular Photography, Volume 60, Number 3; March 1996. * Keppler, Herbert. "Review: Voigtländer Bessa R3A: Frogs Into Princes? These rangefinders climb the royalty ladder." pp 58–59. Popular Photography & Imaging, Volume 69 Number 5; May 2005. * McNamara, Michael J. "Test: Epson R-D1: Time Traveler: A 6MP rangefinder for the film purist? An oxymoron, anyone?" pp 38–40. Popular Photography & Imaging, Volume 69 Number 3; March 2005. * Stafford, Simon and Rudi Hillebrand & Hans-Joachim Hauschild. The New Nikon Compendium: Cameras, Lenses & Accessories since 1917. 2004 Updated North American Edition. Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 2003.


External links

{{Nikon 35mm Film SLR Cameras FM10 FM10