There are legendary cameras and then there’s the Nikon FM2. Bar the Nikon F – the camera that introduced the world to F mount – the Nikon FM2 is arguably the most legendary Nikon SLR of all time. And it’s one of the most legendary SLRs of all time, full stop. But it would be easy to boil down the Nikon FM2’s enduring popularity to nostalgia. After all, this 1982 release is hardly the most advanced Nikon SLR out there. Heck, even 1978’s Nikon FE had aperture priority.
But that’s the point. The Nikon FM2 doesn’t have aperture priority. It’s not encumbered with digital tech. It’s a fully manual camera that’s entirely functional (bar its in-camera lightmeter) even without a battery. It’s simplicity defined. And unlike its also legendary predecessor, the Nikon FM, its shutter speed maxes out at a useful 1/4000 sec instead of 1/1000 sec.
