While the company’s earlier Nikon rangefinders were seen as competent alternatives to screw mount Leica II and IIIs being sold at the same time, the M3 was a game changer. When Leitz introduced the Leica M3 in late 1953, Nippon Kogaku saw it as the end of an era.

+1 for the complete package, the best Nikon that’s not a Nikon All the Nikkormats were good cameras, but the FT3 is just a little bit better. As a fully mechanical SLR today, the Nikkormat FT3 offers the perfect balance of an old school big body metal SLR with just enough modern conveniences to make it a very capable camera today. Although meant to be a step down from the Nikon F and F2, the entire Nikkormat series proved itself to be just as reliable, rugged, and compatible with nearly all Nikon F-mount lenses, making it an almost equal on every level. The Nikkormat FT3 was the final, and most technologically advanced of Nippon Kogaku’s mid-level 35mm SLRs. Other Features: Self-Timer, DOF Preview, Mirror Lock Up Shutter: Copal Square S Vertically Traveling Focal PlaneĮxposure Meter: TTL Coupled CdS Cell w/ top plate and viewfinder match needleīattery: 1.5v LR44/357 Silver Oxide Batteryįlash Mount: Hot shoe and M and X Flash Sync, 1/125 X-sync Viewfinder: Fixed SLR Pentaprism, 95% Field of View, 0.8x Magnification Lens: 50mm f/1.8 Nikon Nikkor coated 6-elements in 4-groupsįocus: 1.5 feet Infinity, Variable by Lens Cameras from the Nikkormat series are highly sought after today for the same reasons they were when they were new, they’re incredibly well built and reliable cameras that with regular servicing can last a lifetime. The FT3, like the FT2 that preceded it, also uses a 1.5v silver-oxide battery, instead of mercury batteries like earlier cameras did, making it a more appealing camera to shoot today. The Nikkormat FT3 is improved from the previous model by adding support for Nippon Kogaku’s new automatic index (Ai) feature which allows for easier lens mounting and more advanced metering systems soon to come. The FT3 was the last camera produced with the Nikkormat name. This is a Nikkormat FT3, a 35mm single lens reflex camera produced by Nippon Kogaku in Tokyo, Japan between the years 19.

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