Nikon FA

This is one of my fetish cameras, there I said it right from the beginning.

 

I have this weakness for oddballs and misfits and the FA is that sort of camera. First, it was meant to be an FE-2, not a new model. That did not happen because the Matrix metering system wasn't ready on time. Yes, this is the world's first Auto Multi Pattern (AMP) camera, vulgo Matrix. This the camera that changed the world of photography forever. Launched in 1983, it won the camera of the year award because of the Matrix system. There is clearly an age before the FA and after its release.Yet, strangely, the FA is underrated and forgotten these days. It was camera of the year in 1983 and it was introduced to an astonished photo world who would never expect anything revolutionary from Nikon. To my eyes, there is only one explanation, the timing was all wrong, the manual focus SLR was dying and with it, little brilliant cameras like this Nikon or its closest rival the Olympus OM-4 Ti never got the attention they deserved.

 

 

 

Lets stay focused on this little jewel. Although the chassis is the same of the FM/FE series, the body is not the same, being more chunky, with a larger prism housing, much better looking. Also, the viewfinder is big and bright, better then my FE. There are very nice touches concerning the viewfinder info. The LCD (backlit) is similar to the one used in the F3, it shows the speed and error messages. When switching to aperture priority, voilá, as by magic, the aperture chosen appears directly read from the lens barrel. Choose shutter priority and again, that window disappears giving place to another window showing the speed chosen. Please note that none of this is electronic. Of course, the main attraction is that this is a multi-mode camera, the first Nikon to do it. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the only manual focusing Nikon with the PASM modes and Matrix metering, there was the Nikon F-601 M, that lacked AF but was similar to the F-601, bar the flash. However, it also lacked charm and in technical specs for its day.

 

 

 

The FA had a rough life. First, it had to deal with all the detractors of the Matrix system, namely, the competition and the so called Pros, who didn't realize the technological breakthrough that the Matrix system meant. Next, within Nikon fans, it did not go well to have a camera that was far more sophisticated, versatile than the F3, that instantly fell from flagship to Jurassic relic in terms of specification. Last and most important, it opened a new market segment for Nikon, the expert/ enthusiast/ smart pro, who did not need or want the bulk of the F3, hence the F-801/F-90/100 were born.

 

 

 

Although the FA is a joy of a camera, it is by no means perfect. It lacks spot metering and this is a serious omission since there is no memory lock. People say that this showed Nikon's confidence in the Matrix system, I rather suspect that this was a limitation of the system at that time.

 

 

 

As for the myths of unreliability, I am unable to agree or disagree, although I have yet to find a Nikon model prone to serious problems. Another myth is that vertical framed pictures are not correctly exposed, again, I don't see any evidence of that, but I don't shoot much in the vertical format anyway.

 

 

 

What I like in the FA:

 

- Styling

 

- Technology

 

- Viewfinder

 

- Mechanical build

 

- Size

 

- Virtually endless exposure time in auto modes

 

- Mechanical B and 1/250 th settings

 

- It is a NIKON!

 

 

 

What I don´t like in the FA:

 

- Lack of exposure lock

 

- Lack of spot metering

 

- Selection beteween Matrix and center weighted metering is not clearly labelled

 

 

Done