C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Nikon Nikkormat ELW (1976) is a direct variant of the Nikkormat EL (1972), differing from its predecessor by the addition of a motor-drive coupling socket on the base plate. Like the EL, it offers aperture-priority AE via a silicon-cell TTL meter with a stepless electronically-controlled shutter spanning 8 seconds to 1/1000s. The photographer sets the aperture on the lens ring; the camera selects shutter speed automatically. Without a functional 6V battery the shutter fires only at a fixed mechanical speed of approximately 1/90s, making the camera effectively battery-dependent for correct AE operation. The ELW was produced for a short window - approximately 1976 to 1977 - before Nikon reorganized its consumer SLR line around the new FE and FM bodies.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The EL with a motor-drive port - aperture-priority AE on the F mount, now winder-ready.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F |
| Years | 1976 - ~1977 |
| Shutter | 8s - 1/1000s + B, electronically controlled horizontal cloth focal-plane |
| Flash sync | X: 1/125s |
| Meter | Coupled silicon-cell center-weighted TTL |
| Modes | Aperture-priority AE, manual |
| Motor coupling | Yes - base-plate socket for compatible motor drive |
| Viewfinder | ~92% coverage, pentaprism |
| Battery | 1x 6V 4SR44 (required for AE; ~1/90s mechanical fallback only) |
| Weight | ~ |
The Nikkormat ELW emerged late in the Nikkormat product line's lifespan. The EL had introduced aperture-priority AE to the Nikkormat family in 1972, and the ELW added the one feature the EL lacked for working photographers who wanted motor-drive capability: a coupling port on the base plate compatible with Nikon's winder accessories. The timing was commercially awkward - by 1976 Nikon was already developing the Nikon FE and FM, which would launch in 1977 and 1977 respectively and supersede the entire Nikkormat range. The ELW was accordingly a short-run product. Production of the Nikkormat line ended in 1977 when the FE and FM arrived, offering the same F-mount compatibility in a smaller, lighter body.
The ELW occupies a narrow but interesting position: it is the only Nikkormat body to offer both aperture-priority AE and motor-drive coupling simultaneously. The EL without a winder port was a capable but self-contained amateur body; the ELW extended it toward semi-professional use cases - sports coverage, event photography, rapid sequential shooting - that the EL could not support. For collectors today, the ELW is rarer than the EL and slightly more sought-after precisely because of that motor socket, even though compatible winders are themselves scarce.
Nikon F mount with Non-AI coupling prong. All Non-AI (pre-AI) Nikkor lenses mount and meter correctly via the aperture-indexing rotation procedure. AI and AI-S lenses can be mounted but meter in stop-down mode only. Standard period pairings were the Nikkor-H 50mm f/2 and Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 Non-AI. The motor-drive coupling socket on the base plate accepts compatible Nikon winder accessories; . Non-AI Nikkor glass is the native companion; a wide range of focal lengths from Nikon's 1960s-1970s production are compatible.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Nikon Nikkormat ELW
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