View allAll Photos Tagged Insignificant
the last moments of the sunset when the sun itself becomes insignificant....and all that matters is the color...
Have a great Labor Day everyone...
Berner Oberland (Switzerland)
Olympus AF-1
Fujifilm Neopan Acros II 100 dev&scan www.meinfilmlab.de
"Staubbach Falls (German: Staubbachfall (sing.), lit.: dust creek fall) is a waterfall in Switzerland, located just west of Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Highlands. The waterfall drops 297 metres (974 feet) from a hanging valley that ends in overhanging cliffs above the Weisse Lütschine
The stream, on reaching the verge of the rocky walls of the valley, forms a cascade so high that it is almost lost in spray before it reaches the level of the valley. After rain, and early in the season when fed by melting snow, Staubbach Falls is very striking. The force of the stream above the fall at such times is sufficient to carry the water clear of the precipice, and the whole mass descends in a condition of liquid dust, between spray and cloud, that sways to-and-fro with the gentlest breeze. In a dry summer, when the supply of water is much reduced, the effect is comparatively insignificant" (wikipedia.org)
"The Unexceptional" series
Hasselblad + Carl Zeiss Planar T* 80mm f2.8 + Arista EDU Ultra 100 + D76 1:1 @ 10 minutes
140/365
Most days I have no faith in humanity. I feel myself wondering how it is that we have survived for so long when we are so cruel, selfish and destructive. But there are some days - and these days are few and far between - when something happens, an act of kindness, and for those brief few moments, my hope is restored. That happened twice today. My heart clenched twice in gratefulness.
I have spent a lot of time over the past few days sketching out concepts for photos that are going to be difficult to pull off, but I want to give them ago. I have a whole series of four planned out at the moment, and I have a couple more ideas, but there are a couple of things I need first, like an articulated skeleton (adult-sized ones are not cheap - I might have to try and borrow one for a week or so). I think I might wait until the weather becomes slightly more reliable and possibly even until I have finally saved enough for a new camera, but at this rate that will be this time next year...
Did you know that if we compressed the whole existence of the earth into one year, the oldest direct human ancestor is born on the 31st of December at 11:02 pm and the first anatomically modern human appears at 11:36 pm? The Roman empire falls at 11:59:50 pm and the industrial revolution occurs at 11:59:58 pm. We have not been around all that long, really. We are quite insignificant.
(1 in a multiple picture album)
This picture was recently used on the website OnBeing.org, a national public radio program and media project. You can read the very well written article here:
www.onbeing.org/blog/jackson-culpepper-we-have-lost-the-m...
The piece of writing has to do with how we see glory when we are looking at the masterpieces of nature.
As I wrote on my own blog: Whenever you feel full of yourself, a trip to one of the national parks in Utah will help you with your perspective. Stand within one of the arches and know that you are really quite tiny. Robert Service wrote 'your life is but a single beat within the heart of time.'
The ignorance and arrogance of humans is such that we think we are bigger than everything and everyone, especially than our fellow human beings!
But, if we takes a step back and observes the world around us, it doesn't take long for us to realise as to how insignificantly small we are in the grand scheme of things!
One such place which inspired a thought like that was in Dubrovnik Old Town and this surreal view I was fortunate enough to experience.
This image is a stitched panorama consisting of about 30 - 40 degree field of view. I took about 7 or 8 exposures in portrait orientation to get the detail right, however, still couldn't keep the distortion out!
This was captured using a £26 Plastic Nikkor 28-80mm G Film era autofocus lens.
I thought it would be interesting to photograph Big Ben in such a way as to make it look insignificant. In no way a political statement about Brexit........
Click here to see other 'iconic' travel shots : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157627723675162
From Wikipedia : "The Elizabeth Tower (previously called the Clock Tower), more popularly known as Big Ben, was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834. The new parliament was built in a neo-gothic style. Although Barry was the chief architect of the palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the clock tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire. The design for the tower was Pugin's last design before his final descent into madness and death, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower & it is beautiful." The tower is designed in Pugin's celebrated Gothic Revival style, and is 315 feet (96.0 m) high.
The bottom 200 feet (61.0 m) of the tower's structure consists of brickwork with sand-coloured Anston limestone cladding. The remainder of the tower's height is a framed spire of cast iron. The tower is founded on a 50 feet (15.2 m) square raft, made of 10 feet (3.0 m) thick concrete, at a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) below ground level. The four clock dials are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground. The interior volume of the tower is 164,200 cubic feet (4,650 cubic metres).
Despite being one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, the interior of the tower is not open to overseas visitors, though United Kingdom residents are able to arrange tours (well in advance) through their Member of Parliament. However, the tower currently has no lift, though one is planned, so those escorted must climb the 334 limestone stairs to the top."
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© D.Godliman
In reality the cottage was a decent size but looked rather insignificant beside the mountains and rolling moorland.
Glencoe, Highlands, Scotland
I had about an hour of non-work time to head over to Point Lobos to catch the sunset. The sound and the power of the ocean crashing against the rocks made me feel completely insignificant. It was amazing! Wish I had more time. I found myself mesmerized by the scenery that I missed the dramatic red/pink sunset after the sun fell below the horizon. At least I have the vision in my mind....sorry I don't have it to share.
Everyone has ideals. From the most insignificant aspect in our life, such as the perfect meal, to the most important, perhaps the perfect family, the perfect society, we all have ideals. We must all be idealists if we are to build a fairer sustainable society, and in our own small way follow the example of the heroes of social progress and evolution, idealists such as Abraham Lincoln or Dr. Martin Luther King, who showed society the way. We must hope for political leaders who have the strength to be the idealists of the future.
The little fishing boat looks so insignificant in this dramatic setting. I guess that's how I was feeling as well--a tiny minnow immersed in the immensity of it all.
Somewhere along the Inner Passage in Alaska
"Prendi alla leggera
ciò che ritieni importante.
prendi seriamente
ciò che ritieni insignificante"
N. Mitsushige
"Take it lightly
what you think is important.
take it seriously
what you consider insignificant "
N. Mitsushige
Posting feels so insignificant in the face of our current...our current reminder that the US is an incredibly broken country.
I have a little story all teed up, me and Nettie, thirteen years ago, doing a "photo shoot". It's taken days for me to feel like posting is at all worth it, thinking through Why Should I Post, only coming up with a reason several days after the massacre in Texas.
I need the escapism. The relief of just thinking about photos, simpler times, strange encounters with people.
I want to remember picking up Nettie from Koreatown, where she was staying with someone deep in the throes of drug addiction. I asked her if she felt safe, she said it wasn't a problem, and then we got down to taking pictures.
It was one of the rare occasions I paid a model just to shoot them, but Nettie was such a big deal in the Internet Modeling world, felt like an opportunity I couldn't pass by. But, as is true for each of those other occasions, I regretted it, after the fact. It made the whole shoot too transactional. Set a firm limit on how long we could shoot, so I always heard the clock ticking in the back of my head. Made it difficult to just relax and hit the note.
But we had a good conversation, though I wouldn't be able to tell you the specifics, now. I just remember the vibe, how relaxed she was, despite traveling all over the country. How at ease she seemed to be in her own skin.
I look at the photos now, of course I could've done better, but I'm not disappointed, and, most importantly, I'm glad I got to meet her...so maybe it Was worth it, after all.
We start to walk from the church to the sea. First, the grass vanished, then a furious wind tried to stop our path. Finally, an endless sandy desert swallowed us.
We were very small. An insignificant spot in the Nature.
Beauty doesn’t necessarily lie in the things that we constantly keep focussing on. At times we need to blur our lenses to experience the vibrant hues of life that we consider as insignificant.
"The Unexceptional" series
Olympus OM-2Sp + Zuiko 28mm f3.5 + Legacy Pro 400 @ 1250 iso + D-76 1:1 @ 16 minutes
Middle Point, Northern Territory, Australia.
In the Kakadu region, the appearance of flowers on the Turkey Bush around May signals the end of the season of Banggereng and the beginning of Yegge. The flowering is spectacular, masking the insignificant leaves and giving the plants an overall pink appearance until about August (although, in other parts of northern Australia, it flowers earlier and later in the year).
It grows in dense groups, attaining heights of 2-4m, and providing a vivid splash of colour in the woodlands and margins of grasslands in which it occurs.
It is found from the Gulf Country of Queensland, through the tropical Northern Territory to the Kimberley in Western Australia. Although fairly uniform in its characteristics throughout most of its range, the Kimberley plants are more variable in their floral structure and leaf arrangement which might indicate that these are different (and new) species of Calytrix.
It is thought that the Turkey Bush is so named because the Plains Turkey (Ardeotis australis) would seek refuge amongst its foliage when pursued by hunters. The Turkey Bush is also a favoured shade-plant of wallabies.
When the flower is developing (before the long purplish petals spread open), it is protected by a structure called the 'calyx'. The calyx has long, stiff hairs that are almost as long as the petals. After the petals fall, the pink-red calyx remains. It was for this special calyx that the genus, Calytrix, was named by the French botanist, Jacques Labillardière, referring to the hairs ('thrix' in Greek) on the calyx. Calytrix is found only in Australia with most of its 70 or so species occurring in Western Australia. It belongs to the family Myrtaceae, which includes the eucalypts, bottlebrushes and paperbarks. Like other members of that family, the leaves of Calytrix exstipulata contains oil with therapeutic properties. Indigenous people use the plant for pain-relief. Commercial producers of the oil say that it enhances creativity.
Although C. exstipulata makes a great garden plant requiring little attention, the only species that is used widely in gardens is Calytrix tetragona, which occurs naturally in southern Australia, from Western Australia through to southern Queensland.
Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.
Carl Sagan
An O/T Trident approaches Rosthwaite n the Borrowdale valley viewed from the top of my Father in Law's garden.
Middle Point, Northern Territory, Australia.
In the Kakadu region, the appearance of flowers on the Turkey Bush around May signals the end of the season of Banggereng and the beginning of Yegge. The flowering is spectacular, masking the insignificant leaves and giving the plants an overall pink appearance until about August (although, in other parts of northern Australia, it flowers earlier and later in the year).
It grows in dense groups, attaining heights of 2-4m, and providing a vivid splash of colour in the woodlands and margins of grasslands in which it occurs.
It is found from the Gulf Country of Queensland, through the tropical Northern Territory to the Kimberley in Western Australia. Although fairly uniform in its characteristics throughout most of its range, the Kimberley plants are more variable in their floral structure and leaf arrangement which might indicate that these are different (and new) species of Calytrix.
It is thought that the Turkey Bush is so named because the Plains Turkey (Ardeotis australis) would seek refuge amongst its foliage when pursued by hunters. The Turkey Bush is also a favoured shade-plant of wallabies.
When the flower is developing (before the long purplish petals spread open), it is protected by a structure called the 'calyx'. The calyx has long, stiff hairs that are almost as long as the petals. After the petals fall, the pink-red calyx remains. It was for this special calyx that the genus, Calytrix, was named by the French botanist, Jacques Labillardière, referring to the hairs ('thrix' in Greek) on the calyx. Calytrix is found only in Australia with most of its 70 or so species occurring in Western Australia. It belongs to the family Myrtaceae, which includes the eucalypts, bottlebrushes and paperbarks. Like other members of that family, the leaves of Calytrix exstipulata contains oil with therapeutic properties. Indigenous people use the plant for pain-relief. Commercial producers of the oil say that it enhances creativity.
Although C. exstipulata makes a great garden plant requiring little attention, the only species that is used widely in gardens is Calytrix tetragona, which occurs naturally in southern Australia, from Western Australia through to southern Queensland.
“As a result of trying to solve the big problems we face in life, many of us end up sacrificing individual relationships by doing things that we may consider as being small or insignificant at the time. This reminds us of the George and Gracie routine where George asks Gracie, How do you cook a pot roast? She replied, I put both a big pot roast and a small pot roast in the oven. When the small one is burnt, the big one is done just right!”
I was considering walking up to this homeless man today and asking for a close up, then I thought, how disrespectful that would sound, "hey sir do you mind if I shove my expensive camera in you're face for a second" at least that's how I assume he would take it. I don't know maybe there's nothing wrong with that, it just seemed insignificant at the time.
So if I had to give advice to anyone still reading this it would be this: Step outside you're world before you say something, consider how that person may perceive what you are saying...
Side note... This was truly the worst photo I've ever edited, I wanted to get it perfect but still couldn't achieve that, I gave up on this one for a while partly because of computer crashes and my short temperament but then I though if this is the worst thing that happened to me all week, life's pretty good.
Thank you all for the support.
Photo from mountain river that runs usually in mountains, in narrow, deep valley with steep banks, rocky stream bed, and accumulated rock debris. Mountain rivers are characterized by high slope and flow velocity, insignificant depth, frequent rapids and waterfalls, dominated washed out processes.
The Nikon FA is the most sophisticated member of the FM/FE series of medium compact Nikon semi-pro 35mm cameras. It was released slightly after the FE2 came to the market. It is similar to the FE/FM series in that it is built on the same chassis and is approximately the same size and weight. However, while the FE2 was an incremental improvement over the FE with a traditional Nikon design, the FA was a test bed for two major new technologies: (1) multi-segment exposure metering (called Automatic Multi-Pattern ("AMP") in the FA, but Matrix Metering on later bodies); and (2) multiple exposure modes including Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, and Program (High and Low), known as "PASM"). The FA was developed to take advantage of the new AiS series of manual focus Nikkor lenses that supported linear aperture control and more communication with the camera body. The FA is the only Nikon camera body ever made that can support both multi-segment exposure metering and all four PASM exposure modes with manual focus Ai or better Nikkor lenses. While the Nikon F4 and F6, as well as some Nikon digital SLRs, can support multi-pattern metering with Ai or better lenses, they don't support full PASM but only Manual and Aperture Priority modes. As such, the FA offers more functionality with Ai or better lenses than any camera ever made by Nikon. The FA was in production from 1983 to 1987, after which Nikon replaced both the FE2 and FA with the N8008 (F801) and the advent of auto focus and built-in automatic film winders. Thus, the FA is important even today as both a historical landmark for Nikon, and also as an excellent choice for users of manual focus lenses when shooting film.
The FA was available in silver chrome and black. Although the chassis of the FA is metal like the rest of the FM/FE series, the top and bottom covers are made out of composite material. I have the silver version. On superficial inspection, the top and bottom covers almost appear to be metal and look very nice. However, if you look very closely and tap the covers, you can tell that they are not metal. Although it is somewhat disconcerting to hold a non-metallic body for the first time after having used all-metal bodies for so long in prior generations, as a practical matter, you can hardly tell the difference. Anyway, today virtually all cameras are covered in some type of composite material, so from a modern standpoint, the FA's cover material seems completely normal. My FA has been to the shop a few times for regular maintenance, but it has thankfully never experienced any breakdowns. I have heard that early samples of the FA had problems with electrical interference affecting exposure accuracy. However, Nikon quickly fixed this problem on future production and also repaired defective early models under warranty. Naturally, the sophisticated functionality of the FA requires more electronic circuitry that its predecessors in the FM/FE series. Since new replacement electronic components are no longer available, should a critical part break down, your repair tech may need to cannibalize another FA sample, or else the FA might become a paperweight.
Just like the cameras of the related FE/FM series, the FA uses either a 3V lithium battery, two 1.55V silver oxide batteries, or two 1.5V alkalines. Quite standard for Nikon bodies of the that era. I usually prefer to just go with a single 3V lithium to enjoy the long shelf life, but of course the other two types work fine too. Even though the small batteries control both the light meter and electronic shutter (but obviously not film advance or any autofocus), they still seem to last forever. On the FA, like the FE2, the only way to check the batteries is to pull out the wind lever to turn on the camera and look through the viewfinder to see if the LCD display is activated.
The FA is built with a copper-aluminum-silicon (copper-silumin) alloy body, the same as the the other members of the FM/FA series, even though the top and bottom covers are composite material. I find the size and weight of the FA to be excellent, especially with wide-angle through medium telephoto Nikkor manual focus prime lenses. The body size is not too big or too small. Its size is large enough to hold securely, but still smaller than full size professional bodies like the F2AS or F3HP. It is not as small as the (mechanical) Contax S2, Pentax MX, or even the Olympus OM-3, which are considered small compact bodies and sometimes feel a bit too small to get a good grip. The FA is available with a small removable grip that screws onto the front right of the body. The grip is just the right size to catch your third and fourth fingers and makes it easy to grab the camera securely. The FA weighs in at only 625g, without lens, slightly more than the FE2's 550g, but still less than the F3HP's 715g and certainly less than later all-automatic film and digital SLRs. When holding the camera, it is easy to imagine that Nikon chose to use composite material for the top and bottom covers to keep the weight down to as close to the FE2 as possible. Of course the weight of the batteries is insignificant, compared with the multiple AA batteries or other larger batteries in future electronic bodies. You can still hang the FA with a small lens around your neck or shoulder for extended periods, but the increase in weight over the FE2 is noticeable. The FE2 fits great into a dedicated case, or a spongy snug-fit case, or a small camera bag with a few lenses. Like the other members of the related FM/FE series, the FA is an excellent size for travel use.
The FA, with its slightly increased heft, does not feel as insubstantial as the FM/FE when held without a lens attached. However, even when a lens is attached in the wide-angle to medium telephoto size range, especially those AiS Nikkor manual focus primes, the lens/camera combination still has excellent balance, with a very reasonable size and weight. Even with the composite top and bottom covers, the FA has a highly luxurious and precision feel and sound when held in your hands and used, although the sound is definitely not as pleasing as that of the FM2n or even the FE/FE2. In addition to the sound of the electronic shutter and mirror movement, there is also a mechanical sound that I guess may be attributable to the mechanism required to communicate between the camera and lenses for the PASM exposure modes. I most often use AiS primes from 20/2.8 to 200/4 and the system is wonderful to operate with all of those lenses. However, once you start getting into bigger and heavier lenses such as, for example, the 80-200/2.8, the camera feels a bit too light and out of balance. Also, on fatter lenses, you may need to use a rubber tripod filler ring to keep the lens rings from touching the tripod head.
Operation of the FA is really smooth. The shutter speed ring is large and has an easy to turn knurled grip, although it is not quite as tall as that on the FM2n. However, the shutter speed dial, shutter release button and exposure mode switch sit on top of a slightly raised platform that makes it a bit easier to reach those controls. The shutter speed dial on the FA, like the FE2, offers noticeably more resistance than the dial on the FE due to the more robust click stops on the FA. But still, it is easy to grab the shutter speed dial with your thumb and forefinger when the film advance lever is pulled out to turn on the camera. There is no "Auto" position on the FA's shutter speed dial. Since the FA supports all four PASM exposure modes, there is a separate switch attached to the spindle of the shutter speed dial to pick your mode. For safety purposes, a release button is still needed to turn the shutter speed dial onto M250 and B. However, on the FA, the release button is on the back of the camera just below the dial instead of in the middle of the dial itself like the FE/FE2. Actually, this position is not as convenient as the release button on the FE/FE2 because you need to use two hands to adjust the FA, whereas you can use the release button with only one hand on the FE/FE2. Like all Nikons, the film advance lever motion is amazingly smooth, although the lever is single-stroke only, unlike the levers on the F, F2 and F3. But the stroke is not very big, so a quick easy stroke quickly winds to the next frame. ASA/ISO setting is set by a ring that surrounds the rewind lever. You lift and turn the ring to set the ISO. The exposure compensation setting is located on the same ring as the ASA/ISO setting, and has a range from -2 to +2 EV in one-third stop increments, just like the FE2. Shutter speed and ISO markings are clear and easy to read. The ISO range of the FA (and also the FE/FE2) is 12 - 4000, wide enough to handle virtually all situations, though slightly narrower than the FM2n, which reaches up to 6400. The small multiple-exposure lever is still located under the film advance lever, out of the way but easy to turn when you need it. The shutter release button is located at just the right location near the front of the body. It takes a standard mechanical cable release. The shutter release button on the FA (and FE2/FM2n) is a more modern, wider design compared with the relatively narrower release on the FE. The shutter release button on the older FE seems to have a slightly shorter travel than the FE2 and FM2n, and therefore feels slightly more instantaneous. The shutter release on the FA is kind of the opposite, and you need to push it part way down to activate the exposure meter, then further down to release the shutter. (The throw of the shutter release is even further when using the mechanical shutter speed M250). I ultimately purchased a soft shutter release button to screw into the cable release socket on the shutter release button and improve the perceived responsiveness of the shutter release action. The film counter is just in front of release crank and is easy to read.
One of the biggest advantages of the Nikon film SLR lens mount (the "F mount") is that it is the only SLR camera mount that has stayed virtually the same from the time of the first Nikon F and Nikkormat FS/FT through to the most current small and full frame Nikon digital SLRs. Except for the requirement that relatively newer Nikon film SLRs require Ai or Ai-converted lenses, all manual focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on autofocus bodies, and most full-frame auto-focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on all old manual focus bodies. I don't know of any other manufacturer that can make such a claim. Thus, it is convenient to use the FA together with a modern Nikon autofocus film or digital SLR because you can often use the same lenses on both bodies (except for the newest G-type lenses). By the way, you can find lots of used manual focus Nikkor lenses. But if you want to buy your manual focus lenses new, Nikon still manufactures some of their most popular Ai-S manual focus lenses, or you can select the new Carl Zeiss manual focus prime lenses in Nikon F mount.
The FE and FM were the last bodies in that line to directly accept unmodified pre-Ai lenses because they included a retractable meter coupling lever. Of course, with pre-Ai lenses, you still need to use stop-down exposure metering. Still there are many excellent pre-Ai lenses on the market, and to use any such lenses that have not been converted to Ai, the FE and FM cameras would be a better choice than the FA, FE2 or FM2n. Alternatively, you can probably still get an independent camera technician to convert any pre-Ai lens to Ai using scavenged parts, although Nikon itself presumably long ago stopped providing such service.
Loading Nikkor lenses onto the FA, or any FM/FE series body, is quick and positive. Just line up the black dot on the lens with the dot on the camera body and twist the lens counter-clockwise. Of course, their is no need to line up the claw on Ai Nikkor aperture rings with an exposure meter pin on the body; this old system became obsolete after the Nikkormat FT2/EL-W generation. To remove a lens, just press the lens release button on the left front of the body and twist clockwise.
Of course the most unique benefit of the Nikon FA lens mount is the camera's ability to do multi-segment metering (and center-weighted metering) as well as all four PASM exposure modes with manual focus Ai lenses and better. The FA performs even better with AiS and better lenses. AiS lenses, which were released in 1981, have even better performance with the FA. According to the FA user manual, AiS lenses, when used in Program mode, provide either normal or high-speed program depending on the focal length of the lens in use. Furthermore, in Program and Shutter Priority mode, AiS lenses give uniform exposure control in any lighting situation due to their linear aperture control. One very important step to remember is that you must set the aperture on your lens to the smallest available aperture when you are in Shutter Speed Priority or Program exposure mode. If you don't do this, the camera won't have access to the full aperture range of the lens. However, even if you forget to stop down the lens, the exposure meter will attempt to compensate by adjusting the shutter speed if a proper exposure can be achieved within the available range of apertures and shutter speeds.
To load or unload film, twist the back opening lever counter-clockwise and put the rewind crank upwards to open the camera back. Film loading is traditional style and almost foolproof. Like many Nikon and other cameras of this generation, you need to stick the film leader into a slot on the take-up spool and insure that the sprocket in the spool engages a film perforation. In my experience, this system is slower but more reliable than that on newer Nikon bodies where you simply lay the film leader flat next to an index line. Similar to the FE2, the FA prevents you from accidentally loading the film with the exposure mode set to one of the automatic modes and ending up with very long shutter activations if you try to wind to the first frame with the lens cap on. I can't count how many times I ran into this problem on my old FE. The FA defaults to M250 until the first official frame is reached. The slight downside is that you are unable to squeeze a few extra exposures off the beginning of the role (unless you use 1/250 sec. and Sunny 16 or an external exposure meter!).
The focusing screens of the FM/FE Series were improved and brightened with the release of the FM2/FE2/FA. The original screens on the FE are about 1 stop dimmer than the later second generation. (Note: first and generation screens are interchangeable with exposure compensation). A slight disadvantage of the FM/FE series viewfinders is that, unlike the 100% frame coverage of a pro-level Nikon F series camera, the FA's frame coverage is only 93%. This is not unusual in a prosumer level camera, but you need to be aware that objects that are outside the field of view in the viewfinder will be captured on your film. The viewfinder contains all of the information that you need for convenient camera setting. In fact, the FA was only the second Nikon after the F3 to use an LCD readout in the viewfinder. Thus, the FA has a completely different viewfinder display compared with earlier Nikons (except the F3). The display configuration changes slightly depending on what exposure mode you are using. In Manual mode, you see the aperture setting in the ADR window, just like on other cameras in the FM/FE series. However, the selected shutter speed appears in the LCD. Also appearing in the LCD are the selected shutter speed and various combinations of the - and + symbols depending on the exposure setting. The exposure is set properly when both -+ are visible at the same time, just like on the F3. Also in Manual mode, an "M" appears just below the -+ indicators. In aperture priority mode, you see the aperture setting in the same ADR, and the automatically selected shutter speed in the LCD. The LCD displays HI or LO if the light conditions are outside the available range. In Shutter priority mode, the ADR is covered up and you see the selected shutter speed as a mechanical numerical display in the top right of the viewfinder. The LCD indicates "F" followed by the selected aperture in whole stop increments (even though the exact aperture is selected steplessly). Finally, in Program mode, the LCD displays the automatically selected shutter speed; there is no indication of the selected aperture. Note that the FA has lost the red LED that used to light up on the right side of the FE2's viewfinder when exposure compensation is set to other than "0". You will need to remind yourself to turn off exposure compensation when it is no longer needed.
The FA, like the FE, FE2, FM2 and FM2n exposure meters, uses a pair of silicon photodiodes (SPDs) for exposure measurement. This is the latest generation of exposure meter technology, after Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) technology in the Nikkormat FT (1965) through the FT3 (1977) and gallium-arsenide-phosphide photodiodes in the FM (1977). Silicon photodiodes provide quick response and stability, and apparently lower manufacturing cost for Nikon, compared with the prior generation. Exposure measurement range of the FA is different from the other FM/FE series cameras. In AMP metering, the EV range is 1-16, while in centerweighted metering, the EV range is a wider 1-20 at ASA/ISO 100 and with a 50mm f/1.4 lens (compared to EV 1-18 on other FM/FE series cameras). The FA is still not not as sensitive as the EV -2 to EV +17 range on the F2 Photomic AS, or the EV 0 to EV 21 range of the later Nikon F4. By the way, unlike the FE and FE2, the FA incorporates an eyepiece shutter, which can be used to keep extraneous light from affecting the SPDs when remotely using the FA in the automatic exposure modes.
The center of the viewfinder display, with the standard K-Type focusing screen, contains a small central horizontal split image, surrounded by a microprism donut, which is further surrounded by a large matte donut and a 12mm diameter circle. But utilizing both the split-image and microprism collar, you can manually focus on almost any subject very quickly. Turn the camera at a slight angle when focusing if necessary to find a straight line. I can't resist pointing out that with well-maintained manual focus Nikkor primes, such as AiS lenses, focusing ring operation is buttery smooth, with just the right amount of viscous resistance. With the no-slip knurled focusing rings on the AiS lenses, focusing is quick and accurate. The FA provides three different interchangeable focusing screen types for various applications. There screens are the same ones that are designed for the FE2. I never needed to use any except the standard K2-Type screen. The B2 type screen removes the split image and microprism focusing aids, while the E2 type is the same as the B2, except with horizontal and vertical etched lines. As indicated previously, FM/FE series focusing screens were improved (from the "K" series to the "K2" series) to provide a brighter viewfinder image starting with the FM2/FE2/FA generation.
As mentioned already, the FA is the first SLR in the world to offer a multi-segment exposure metering system. The pattern includes a segment in each of the four quadrants, as well as a central segment, for a total of five segments. The FA uses specially developed software to analyze the scene and pick the best exposure setting for the situation. The AMP system works better than mindless use of the traditional centerweighted exposure system, but is still not perfect. After all, the FA incorporated the very first version of multi-segment exposure metering software. In addition, the FA does not incorporate a mercury switch to determine whether the camera is held horizontally or vertically. Thus, for example, the FA could fail to compensate properly for a bright sky in a vertically framed photograph. An additional shortcoming of the FA's design is that it does not include an exposure lock lever. Nikon would argue that exposure lock is not needed since the newly developed AMP system is so accurate. One must be impressed with Nikon's faith in their new multi-pattern system, but it was certainly premature to remove exposure compensation in this early version of a multi-pattern system. Still, we should not be so hard on Nikon as we look back on the deficiencies of their very first "Matrix" exposure system in 1983. Although Nikon's multi-segment exposure meters and their software have steadily improved with successive generations of film and digital SLRs, the system did not reach its pinnacle until the introduction of the F5, F6 and later digital SLRs with their color matrix meters.
The FA can be switched from AMP exposure metering to traditional centerweighted metering by operating the Metering Control Button on the bottom right of the lens mount. Push the button in and turn clockwise to set centerweighted metering. Turn the button counterclockwise and allow it to pop out to select AMP metering. The Metering Control Button is not as convenient to operate as modern exposure metering selector switches, especially if you have wide fingers. But it works fine. As with centerweighted metering in other FM/FE series cameras, the outer circle in the viewfinder encloses the central area which carries a 60% exposure meter weight, with the area outside the circle comprising the remaining 40%. The most important thing to know about a centerweighted exposure measurement system is how it weights various areas of the viewfinder image so that you can determine how to use it in each situation. The 60/40 system works fine for most situations. It is vast improvement over the classic full-frame averaging system, which was used on a Pentax Spotmatic models, the earliest Nikkormat FT, and other cameras. For these averaging systems, if you wanted a proper exposure, you could not include a bright light or big sky in any area of the frame. Still, with the 60/40 system, you need to determine where to point the camera when manually setting the exposure. Find an areas that is representative of the subject, but which is not overly influenced by a bright light, a bright sky, a dark background, etc. Also make sure to select an area that approximates 18% gray, such as a dense area of green trees in a landscape image. If you cannot find an area that is equivalent to 18% gray that fills the 12mm circle, for example, inside the Haleakala volcano crater on Maui, HI, or a bright snowscape, then you need to compensate the exposure by appropriately changing the aperture or shutter speed in Manual mode, or by changing the exposure compensation dial in Auto mode. Note again that multi-segment metering was conceived to automatically adjust for these difficult exposure situations, although you can not rely on it 100% in this first generation AMP system.
Note that the contemporaneous Nikon F3HP had a different exposure metering pattern. The F3HP, with its 80/20 heavy centerweight, makes it easier to find an area that is 18% gray, without surrounding high-contrast areas influencing the exposure reading too much. The F3HP's strong centerweight was probably the better way to go to obtain accurate exposures in the days before multi-segment metering became sufficiently advanced. However, the F3HP's 80/20 weight could be difficult for amateurs to use properly if they just point and shoot. Modern Nikon bodies generally use a default 75/25 weight in their center-weight metering modes.
Note, by the way, that the FA did not offer spot exposure metering, but only AMP and centerweighted. The successor body to the FA, the N8008 (F801), which came out in 1988, had essentially the same exposure metering system as the FA. Finally, in 1991, the N8008s (F801s), which was an update to the N8008, added a spot metering mode, in addition to multi-segment and centerweighted metering.
The FA incorporates a vertical-travel, metal focal plane shutter with honeycomb titanium or, later, aluminum curtains. Shutter speed range on the FA is not as wide as that of the FE2. The FA can only operate from 1 sec. to 1/4000 sec., while the FE2 operates over an expanded 8 sec. through 1/4000 sec. Of course, like the FE and FE2, the FA's electronic shutter can select any intermediate shutter speed in Aperture Priority or Program exposure mode. In Manual and Shutter Priority mode, you can only select the standard shutter speeds that are indicated on the shutter speed dial. The FA has one mechanical shutter speed, 1/250 sec., which is a separate selection on the shutter speed dial. Given the FA's great reliability and long battery life, I have never had a need to use the 1/250 sec. mechanical shutter speed.
There are just a few more features that I want to mention. On the right front side of the body are located a depth-of-field preview lever and a self timer lever. Like many other cameras, you can check actual depth of field at the set aperture by pressing the depth-of-field lever. The image darkens if the lens is not set for maximum aperture, but you can get a good idea of the expected DOF with your lens/aperture combination. Actually, this lever is not really required with manual focus Nikkor lenses, because such lenses include an easy to read DOF index on the lens barrel. Many AF Nikkor lenses also have DOF index marks. The FA bodies have a mechanical self-timer with a delay of up to approximately 10 seconds. While these cameras do not have a mirror lock-up switch per se, you can simulate MLU by using the self-timer lever. When the shutter release button is pressed after the self-timer is set, the mirror swings up at the start of the timer count.
Finally, a hot-shoe contact is installed on top of the prism housing for flash photography. The FA supports automatic TTL flash control with a four-contact hot shoe and has the same flash capabilities as the FE2. The FA's maximum flash synch speed is 1/250 sec. This maximum synch speed is still current today. On the FA, like the FE and FE2, one of the flash contacts communicates the flash charging status to the camera and lights a red diode "ready light" in the viewfinder when the flash is ready to shoot. Of course, the FA works with any Nikon flash unit. I use my SB-24 and SB-26 and they work great.
In addition to the vast selection of Nikkor and third-party lenses that are available for the Nikon F mount, the FA also accepts various other useful Nikon accessories. One of the most useful is the MD-15 motor drive (and also the MD-12 and earlier MD-11). The MD-15 has the advantage that its battery can also power the camera itself, while the MD-12 and MD-11 cannot. These motor drive units allow rapid fire or remote shooting up to 3.2 frames per second. In my youth, I used to keep the MD-12 attached to my FE and carried it around much of the time. However, the MD-12 (like the MD-15) is quite heavy, especially when loaded with the eight required AA batteries. These days, it would obviously be better to use a more modern camera is you want portable and higher-speed motor drive. Other useful optional accessories (which work with all FM, FE and FA bodies) are the MF-16 data back, the DB-2 Anti-Cold Battery Pack, the DR-3 and DG-2 viewfinder eyepieces, and various eyepiece correction lenses.
Copyright © 2016 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.
(DSC_6071fin1)
have a good day toaday and Thank You for your visit!!
I haven't noticed it while taking the phtot but there is someone hidden in there... ;-)
The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.
Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)
January view of the snow-covered hills of Knoydart and Loch Hourn from the path to Leitir Fura. Beinn Sgritheall can be seen towering above making the one lonely fishing boat in the Sound of Sleat seem very insignificant!
I haven't shot or posted very much lately (winter's uninspiring, short-lived light), but have been going over a few shots I did last year...I'm messing with some effects to give this image a painterly quality, circa 1500's.
Sincere thanks for the group invites, but without comments, these are insignificant.
"Apartment" series
Bessa R3a + Nokton 40mm f1.4 SC + HP5+ @ 400 + D-76 1:1 @ 12.5 minutes (agitation every 1 minute)
Two cloud formations colliding, while a plane insignificant to their massive size passes through.
[in-camera b/w conversion with contrast++ and snapseed 'fine-art' preset]
Due to illness I have not been able to keep up with my schedule, but I'm back again and I think this is a good one to start it all off with.
I have chosen not to title this shot with the normal method or 'artistic' titling, instead this time I am leaving the meaning of this image and the title to this image to your imagination. A mellowed life small and insignificant, is boldly emphasised when all the life has been drained. Taken with a Canon EOS 400D Digital.
"Apartment" series
Bessa R3a + Nokton 40mm f1.4 SC + HP5+ @ 400 + D-76 1:1 @ 12.5 minutes (agitation every 1 minute)
The Nikon FE2 is a significant upgrade to its predecessor, the Nikon FE. The FE2 came out in 1983, about five years after the release of the FE in 1978. Like the FM2N, the design of the FE2 was highly refined over two generations and various other upgrades. The FE2 is a great travel camera for film. It is relatively small and light, compared with both large fully-automated film SLR cameras and large full-frame FX or even crop sensor DX digital SLR cameras. However, the quality of the images it can produce are the same or better than those of a full-frame digital camera, especially when the film is scanned with a commercial-grade scanner. You can fit the camera with two or three small prime lenses and an electronic flash in a regular size fanny pack. The FE2 has most of the advantages of the FE and then some. The main improvements in the FE2 over the FE, which will be discussed in more detail below, are (1) TTL flash metering capability, (2) maximum shutter speed increased from 1/1000 sec. to 1/4000 sec., (3) 1/3 stop exposure compensation instead of only 1/2 stop, (3) brighter viewfinder than the FE, with improved focusing screens, and (4) flash synch speed and mechanical shutter speed both increased to 1/250 sec. from 1/90 sec. for mechanical shutter speed and 1/125 sec. maximum flash synch speed on the FE.
I became a constant user of the original FE soon after it came out in 1978 as a backup body to my pro-level Nikon F2 Photomic AS. Then, for a long time, I variously used an F3HP, F4 and F90X together with an FM2N for a second body. Of course, after that, digital SLRs started to take off and film became obsolete for most applications. However, for travel, especially in the modern age of restrictions on flight check-in and carry-on baggage, I like to keep my travel camera system as small as possible but still keep maximum image quality. The fully mechanical FM2N itself is almost the perfect travel camera. However, may people like to use flash with film lots of in addition to shooting landscapes and street images, may shooters like to take pictures of my friends and family, sometimes inside a building or at night. So the ability of the FE2 to support TTL flash is a big advantage over the FE or FM2N.
The FE2 was in production from 1983 to 1987, concurrent actually with the experimental and more high-tech FA. Finally, in 1988, both the FE2 and FA were replaced with the new style F801 (N8008), which had the metering system of the FA plus autofocus and built-in auto-wind. There was actually one additional major upgrade to the FM2N/FE3, and that is the FM3A, which was released much later (2001-2006; 1991). The FM3A is the most advanced of the FM/FE Series, with a hybrid mechanical/electronic shutter, an FE2 style metering indicator, and all of the other features of the FE2.
The FE2 was available in silver chrome and black paint. I have the black paint version, and the finish still looks great today, with only a bit of very minor wear and tear. When I compare the black finishes on the FE and FE2, the finish on the FE's black metal plates and dials is significantly more matte than the relatively shiny finish on the FE2. Comparing side by side, the matte finish on the older FE is definitely cooler. I have not looked closely at a chrome FE and FE2, but I have read that the chrome FE's finish is also slightly nicer than the chrome finish on the FE2. Anyway, the black FE2 also looks great. Although my FE2 has been to the shop a few times for regular maintenance, it has thankfully never had any breakdown. Some might argue that the all mechanical FM series is more repairable than an electronic camera like the FE2 over a multi-decade lifespan, and that may be true. But the FE2 is relatively simple compared with later advanced electronic cameras, so I am hopeful that my favorite camera technician will be able to keep my FE2 running for a long time to come.
All FM/FE-style bodies work great today with a wide variety of old and modern Nikon F mount lenses. Some people prefer the FE over the FE2 due to its ability to shoot more images per roll, slightly more convenient battery check, and most importantly, ability to mount pre-Ai lenses with the camera’s retractable meter coupling lever.
Unlike the single large 6 volt battery in the older Nikon EL-2, the FE and FE2 alike take either a 3V lithium battery, two 1.55V silver oxide batteries, or two 1.5V alkalines. This was standard for Nikon bodies of that era. I usually prefer to just go with a single 3V lithium to enjoy the long shelf life, but of course the other two types work fine too. Even though the small batteries control both the light meter and electronic shutter (but obviously not film advance or any autofocus), they still seem to last forever. I really liked the battery check lever on the back left of the FE, which is missing on the FE2. On the FE, you just need to push the lever down with your left thumb, and if the batteries are good, the red diode will light; no need to look through the viewfinder to check the batteries. On the FE2; you have to check battery power by movement of the viewfinder needle instead.
The FM/FE series is built with a copper-aluminum-silicon (copper-silumin) alloy body. I find the size and weight of the FE2 to be perfect, especially with wide-angle through medium telephoto Nikkor manual focus prime lenses. The body size is not too big or too small. Its size is large enough to hold securely, but still smaller than full size professional bodies like the F2AS or F3HP. It is not as small as the (mechanical) Contax S2, Pentax MX, or even the Olympus OM-3, which are considered small compact bodies and sometimes feel a bit too small to get a good grip. The FE2 weighs in at only 550g, without lens, even less than the FE's 590g. Of course, the weight of the batteries is insignificant, compared with the multiple AA batteries or other larger batteries in future electronic bodies. You can actually hang the FE2 with a small lens around your neck or shoulder and almost not notice the weight. The FE2 fits great into a dedicated case, or a spongy snug-fit case, or a small camera bag with a few lenses.
The FE2 body, like all cameras in the FM/FE series, feels a bit light and even insubstantial when held without a lens attached (The FE2 weighs virtually the same as the FM2N, which is only 10g lighter at 540g). However, once a lens is attached in the wide-angle to medium telephoto size range, especially any Nikkor manual focus primes, the lens/camera combination has the perfect balance, size and weight. It has a highly luxurious and precision feel and sound when held in your hands and used, although the sound is perhaps not as pleasing as that of the FM2N. I most often use Ai-S primes from 20/2.8 to 200/4 and the system is wonderful to operate with all of those lenses. However, once you start getting into bigger and heavier lenses such as, for example, the 80-200/2.8, the camera feels a big too light and out of balance. Also, on fatter lenses, you may need to use a rubber tripod spacer ring to keep the lens rings from touching the tripod head.
Operation of the FE2 is really smooth. The shutter speed ring is large and has an easy to turn knurled grip, although it is not quite as tall as that on the FM2N. The shutter speed dial on the FE2 offers noticeably more resistance than the dial on the FE due to the more robust click stops on the FE2. But still, it is easy to grab the shutter speed dial with your thumb and forefinger when the film advance lever is pulled out to turn on the camera. For safety purposes, you need to push the central button on the shutter speed dial to turn it off of "Auto". The film advance lever motion is amazingly smooth, although the lever is single-stroke only, unlike the levers on the F, F2 and F3. But the stroke is not very big, so a quick easy stroke quickly winds to the next frame. ASA/ISO setting is set by a ring that surrounds the rewind lever. The exposure compensation setting is located on the same ring as the ASA/ISO setting, and has a range from -2 to +2 EV in one-third stop increments, an improvement over the half-stop increments on the FE. Shutter speed and ISO markings are clear and easy to read. The ISO range of the FE2 (and also the FE) is 12 - 4000, wide enough to handle virtually all situations, though slightly narrower than the FM2N, which reaches up to 6400. The small multiple-exposure lever is located under the film advance lever, out of the way but easy to turn when you need it. The shutter release button is located at just the right location near the front of the body. It takes a standard mechanical cable release. The shutter release button on the FE2 (and FM2N) is a more modern, wider design compared with the relatively narrower release on the FE. The shutter release button on the older FE seems to have a slightly shorter travel than the FE2 and FM2N, and therefore feels slightly more instantaneous. Anyway, the shutter release on the FE2 works well with just the right amount of resistance to allow you to half press for an exposure reading, with just a short continued push to achieve an immediate shutter release. The electronic shutter on the FE2 has about the same loudness as the mechanical shutter on the FM2N, but the character of the sound is different. My FE2 has a honeycomb titanium shutter. Apparently, on later serial numbers, the FE2's shutter was changed to an even more improved aluminum design. The film counter is just in front of release crank and is easy to read.
One of the biggest advantages of the Nikon film SLR lens mount (the "F mount") is that it is the only SLR camera mount that has stayed virtually the same from the time of the first Nikon F and Nikkormat FS/FT through to the most current small and full frame Nikon digital SLRs. Except for the requirement that relatively newer Nikon film SLRs require Ai or Ai-converted lenses, all manual focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on autofocus bodies, and most full-frame auto-focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on all old manual focus bodies. I don't know of any other manufacturer that can make such a claim. Thus, it is convenient to use the FE2 together with a modern Nikon autofocus film or digital SLR because you can often use the same lenses on both bodies.
The FE and FM were the last bodies in that line to directly accept unmodified pre-Ai lenses because they included a retractable meter coupling lever. Of course, with pre-Ai lenses, you still need to use stop-down exposure metering. There are many excellent pre-Ai lenses available on the used market, and to use any such lenses that have not been converted to Ai, the FE and FM cameras would be a better choice than the FE2 or FM2n. Alternatively, you can probably still get an independent camera technician to convert any pre-Ai lens to Ai using scavenged parts, although Nikon itself presumably long ago stopped providing such service.
Loading Nikkor lenses onto any FM/FE Series body is quick and positive. Just line up the black dot on the lens with the dot on the camera body and twist the lens counter-clockwise. Of course, there is no need to line up the claw on Ai Nikkor aperture rings with an exposure meter pin on the body; this old system became obsolete after the Nikkormat FT2/EL-W generation. To remove a lens, just press the lens release button on the left front of the body and twist clockwise.
To load or unload film, twist the back opening lever counter-clockwise and pull the rewind crank upwards to open the camera back. Film loading is traditional style and almost foolproof. Like many Nikon and other cameras of this generation, you need to stick the film leader into a slot on the take-up spool and insure that the sprocket in the spool engages a film perforation. In my experience, this system is slower but more reliable than that on newer Nikon bodies where you simply lay the film leader flat next to an index line. Unlike the FE, the FE2 prevents you from accidentally loading the film with the shutter speed dial set to "A" and ending up with very long shutter activations if you try to wind to the first frame with the lens cap on. I can't count how many times I ran into this problem on my old FE. The FE2 defaults to M250 until the first official frame is reached. The slight downside is that you are unable to squeeze a few extra exposures off the beginning of the role (unless you use 1/250 sec. and Sunny 16 or an external exposure meter!).
The focusing screens of the FM/FE Series were improved and brightened with the release of the FM2/FE2. The original screens on the FE are about 1 stop dimmer than the later second generation. (Note: first and generation screens are interchangeable with exposure compensation). A slight disadvantage of the FM/FE series viewfinders is that, unlike the 100% frame coverage of a pro-level Nikon F series camera, the FE2's frame coverage is only 93%. This is not unusual in a pro-sumer level camera, but you need to be aware that objects that are outside the field of view in the viewfinder will be captured on your film. The viewfinder contains all of the information that you need for convenient camera setting. There is an aperture direct readout (ADR) at the center top of the viewfinder, same as on all FM/FE series cameras. The exposure meter uses a match needle system on the left side of the viewfinder. I actually prefer the three red light emitting diode system of the FM series, which is easier to see in all light conditions. However, the match needle system on the FE2, like the FE, is perfectly fine and is just as easy to see in most normal lighting conditions. The viewfinder of the FE2 is exactly the same as the FE, except that the shutter speed display range has been expanded beyond 1/1000 sec. to 1/4000 sec. Also, the FE2 adds a red LED on the right side of the viewfinder that lights up then exposure compensation is set to other than "0". This fixes a problem on the FE, where you could easily set exposure compensation then forget to turn it off, since there is no indication in the viewfinder that it is still on.
I often use both Manual exposure measurement and Aperture Priority exposure measurement on this camera, depending on the situation. In Manual metering, you simply adjust the shutter speed and aperture until the green and black needles line up. The black needle indicates the recommended shutter speed for the given aperture, and the green needle indicates the set shutter speed. In Auto metering (Aperture priority) you set the shutter speed dial to Auto which causes the green needle to lock on "A" in the viewfinder. The camera automatically selects the appropriate shutter speed, and the black needle indicates that speed in the viewfinder. While the match needle system is nice and clear in bright light, it is almost impossible to see the display to adjust exposure in dark environments. On the other hand, an advantage of the match needle system is that you receive direct visual confirmation of a wider range of exposure divergence, compared with the LED system.
The FE2, like the FE, FM2 and FM2n exposure meters uses a pair of silicon photodiodes (SPDs) for exposure measurement. This was the latest generation of exposure meter technology, after Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) technology in the Nikkormat FT (1965) through the FT3 (1977) and gallium-arsenide-phosphide photodiodes in the FM (1977). Silicon photodiodes provide quick response and stability, and apparently lower manufacturing cost for Nikon, compared with the prior generation. Exposure measurement range of the FE2 is the same as all FM/FE series cameras, i.e., EV 1 to EV 18 at ASA/ISO 100 and with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. This supports an aperture/shutter speed range of 1 sec. at f/1.4 through 1/1000 sec. at f/16. That range is pretty good for most situations, and a step up from the Nikkormat FT - FT3's range of EV 3 - EV 17. The FE2 is exactly on par with the Nikon F3HP. However, it is not as sensitive as the EV -2 to EV +17 range on the F2 Photomic AS, or the EV 0 to EV 21 range of the later Nikon F4.
Exposure lock is one thing that is slightly inconvenient on the FE/FE2. I sometimes find it easier, even on these cameras with aperture priority mode, to just use manual exposure mode and set the exposure directly. I find it quicker and more comfortable than pointing the camera to where you can measure the proper exposure, pushing the exposure lock button an holding the button in while recomposing and shooting. However, exposure lock on the FE2 is certainly usable. On the older FE, while locking exposure locks the shutter speed at the time the lock button is pressed, the black shutter speed needle in the viewfinder continues to move. This situation was fixed in the FE2, where the black shutter speed needle locks in place when the exposure lock is pressed. By the way, I am more apt to use Aperture priority exposure measurement and exposure lock with electronic Contax SLRs, which allow you to turn on the exposure lock by turning a switch after you achieve the proper exposure setting, and it stays on at a fixed EV until you turn it off. In other words, in the Contax world, after locking the exposure, changes in aperture affect the shutter speed and vice versa in order to keep correct exposure. The Nikon exposure lock only locks the shutter speed, so any changes to the aperture after the shutter speed is locked will change the exposure.
The center of the viewfinder display, with the standard K-Type focusing screen, contains a small central horizontal split image, surrounded by a microprism donut, which is further surrounded by a large matte donut and a 12mm diameter circle. But utilizing both the split-image and microprism collar, you can manually focus on almost any subject very quickly. Turn the camera at a slight angle when focusing if necessary to find a straight line. I can't resist pointing out that with well-maintained manual focus Nikkor primes, such as Ai-S lenses, focusing ring operation is buttery smooth, with just the right amount of viscous resistance. With the no-slip knurled focusing rings on the Ai-S lenses, focusing is quick and accurate. The FE2 provides three different interchangeable focusing screen types for various applications. I never needed to use any except the standard K2-Type screen. The B2 type screen removes the split image and microprism focusing aids, while the E2 type is the same as the B2, except with horizontal and vertical etched lines. As indicated previously, FM/FE series focusing screens were improved (from the "K" series to the "K2" series) to provide a brighter viewfinder image starting with the FM2/FE2 generation. Focusing screens on the FM3A were further improved so that their split-image rangefinders don’t go dark with lenses that have maximum aperture of f/5.6 or less.
The outer circle in the viewfinder encloses the central area that carries a 60% exposure meter weight, with the area outside the circle comprising the remaining 40%. The most important thing to know about an exposure measurement system is how it weights various areas of the viewfinder image so that you can determine how to use it in each situation. The 60/40 system works fine for most situations. It is vast improvement over the classic full-frame averaging system, which was used on a Pentax Spotmatic models, the earliest Nikkormat FT, and other cameras. For these averaging systems, if you wanted a proper exposure, you could not include a bright light or big sky in any area of the frame. Still, with the 60/40 system, you need to determine where to point the camera when manually setting the exposure. Find an areas that is representative of the subject, but which is not overly influenced by a bright light, a bright sky, a dark background, etc. Also make sure to select an area that approximates 18% gray, such as a dense area of green trees in a landscape image. If you cannot find an area that is equivalent to 18% gray that fills the 12mm circle, for example, inside the Haleakala volcano crater on Maui, HI, or a bright snowscape, then you need to compensate the exposure by appropriately changing the aperture or shutter speed in Manual mode, or by changing the exposure compensation dial in Auto mode.
Two contemporaneous Nikon bodies with the FE/FE2, the F3HP and the FA, had different exposure metering patterns. The F3HP, with its 80/20 heavy centerweight, makes it easier to find an area that is 18% gray, without surrounding high-contrast areas influencing the exposure reading too much. The FA is the first Nikon body to include, in addition to 60/40 centerweight, a multi-segment metering pattern (called AMP or "Automatic Multi-Pattern" in the FA; in later Nikon bodies, this metering pattern is referred to as "Matrix Metering"). The 5-segment pattern on the FA and its first generation software were the first Nikon attempt to correct the weaknesses of the traditional center-weight averaging system. While early multi-pattern systems on cameras such as the FA, F4, F800 and F90/F90x did a pretty good and steadily improving job in most normal situations, in difficult situations, they still didn't work as well as the center weight system with appropriate exposure compensation, as is utilized on the FE2. Of course, you have to know what you are doing in such situations! Newer film cameras, such as the F5 and F6, as well as advanced digital Nikons, with their advanced color matrix systems, finally do a good job even in difficult lighting situations. Modern Nikon bodies generally use a 75/25 weight in their center-weight metering modes.
The FE2 incorporates a vertical-travel, metal focal plane shutter with honeycomb titanium or aluminum curtains. Shutter speed range on the FE2 is an expanded 8 sec. through 1/4000 sec, which is acceptable even today. This is a big improvement over the shutter on the original FE, which maxed out at 1/1000 sec. On the slow end, the longest 8 sec. shutter speed (same as the FE) is a convenience to those of us who were previously used to using a shutter release cable for any exposure longer than a second. One advantage of the FE2's electronic shutter over the FM2n's mechanical shutter is that when in Auto (Aperture Priority) mode, the FE2 can select any intermediate shutter speed. In manual mode, you can only select the standard shutter speeds that are indicated on the shutter speed dial. The FE2 has one mechanical shutter speed, 1/250 sec., which is a separate selection on the shutter speed dial. The single mechanical shutter speed on the earlier FE is 1/90 sec. Users might argue whether it is better to have a backup speed of 1/90 sec. for available light, or 1/250 sec. for bright daylight. In any event, given the FE2's great reliability and long battery life, I have never had a need to use the 1/250 sec. mechanical shutter speed.
There are just a few more features that I want to mention. On the right front side of the body are located a depth-of-field preview lever and a self timer lever. Like many other cameras, you can check actual depth of field at the set aperture by pressing the depth-of-field lever. The image darkens if the lens is not set for maximum aperture, but you can get a good idea of the expected DOF with your lens/aperture combination. Actually, this lever is not really required with manual focus Nikkor lenses, because such lenses include an easy to read DOF index on the lens barrel. Many AF Nikkor lenses also have DOF index marks. The FE2 bodies have a mechanical self-timer with a delay of up to approximately 10 seconds. While these cameras do not have a mirror lock-up switch per se, you can simulate MLU by using the self-timer lever. When the shutter release button is pressed after the self-timer is set, the mirror swings up at the start of the timer count.
Finally, a hot-shoe contact is installed on top of the prism housing for flash photography. As already mentioned, the FE2 supports automatic TTL flash control with a four-contact hot shoe. The older FE only had a two-contact hot shoe for manual and non-TTL auto flash exposure. The FE2's maximum flash synch speed is 1/250 sec. This capability is still basically current today, significantly better than 1/125 sec. on the FE, and an improvement over all prior Nikon bodies except the FM2. On both the FE and FE2, one of the flash contacts communicates the flash charging status to the camera and lights a red diode "ready light" in the viewfinder when the flash is ready to shoot. Of course, the FE2 works with any Nikon flash unit. I use my SB-24 and SB-26 and they work great. If you will be doing a lot of flash photography, the FE2, along with the FA and FM3A, with TTL flash support, are better choices than the FE and prior Nikon bodies.
In addition to the vast selection of Nikkor and third-party lenses that are available for the Nikon F mount, the FE2 also accepts various other useful Nikon accessories. One of the most useful is the MD-12 motor drive (and also the earlier MD-11). This motor drive unit works on all FM/FE series bodies (and even the Nikon FA) and allows rapid fire or remote shooting up to 3.2 frames per second. However, the MD-12 is quite heavy, especially when loaded with the eight required AA batteries. These days, it would obviously be better to use a more modern camera is you want portable and higher-speed motor drive. Other useful optional accessories (which work with all FM and FE series bodies) are the MF-16 data back, the DB-2 Anti-Cold Battery Pack, the DR-3 and DG-2 viewfinder eyepieces, and various eyepiece correction lenses.
Copyright © 2013 - 2016 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.
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Yes, I know. I'm doing pretty bad on committing myself back to my 365. I know, it's only a project, and in K's world, it's only one of many. They've all been sliding. So at least I've been fair to some extent.
Just feeling lately as if everything has this uncanny way of hitting you all at once. I feel like my finances, my priorities, my simple stupid joys in this world...all just went kaput, and took my emotions along for the ride.
A little part of me feels weird, and empty, and just as if I'm playing a game in my everyday life.
It's a ridiculous slump to allow oneself to fall into, and I refuse to succumb to all these bitter things in life and let myself miss the good things.
There are so many good things.
In an optimistic note, I've been applying myself rather diligently to work suddenly. I'm guessing it's the mechanics of it that appeal to me. I put on my "manager hat" from 8am to 5pm and somehow it all becomes easier to breathe during.
Bah. Well, I'm okay. This too, shall pass.
In the meantime, I'll just keep seeking out the doorways that have light, and hope that whatever is on the other side isn't something that will fade quickly.
kinda miss you guys. I need my rhythm back.
xoxo
TRF somehow I managed to scratch my leg right before putting on these socks...and now I have a bloodstain to fuss with....crappity. :-P
&
On an unrelated note: All this stress and emotion lately, I do believe I've lost some weight. booyah. ;-)