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 EM (1979) was Nikon's first deliberately consumer-oriented SLR — smaller, lighter, simpler than the FM/FE, with **aperture priority only** (no manual mode in the conventional sense; there's a 1/90s mechanical fallback labeled "M90"). Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro (same designer as the F3), the EM has a clean rounded body, polycarbonate skinning, and a full Nikon F-mount that accepts AI / AI-S lenses with metering. Marketing originally positioned it as "the Nikon for women," which has aged poorly but didn't dent its sales — hundreds of thousands sold.
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 "first Nikon for women." 1979 marketing controversy aside, this is Nikon's lightest aperture-priority SLR with full F-mount compatibility.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI / AI-S meter; AF Nikkors mount but lose AE) |
| Years | 1979–1984 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/90s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted silicon |
| Modes | Aperture priority; M90 mechanical fallback |
| Weight | 460 g |
| Battery | 2× SR44 |
Released 1979. The EM was Nikon's first non-pro SLR — Nikon previously sold only F-series and Nikkormat-tier bodies. It was succeeded by the FG (1982, added programmed AE and manual mode) and FG-20 (1984, simpler version). Production of the EM ran 5 years until 1984, by which point the FG had supplanted it in the lineup.
The EM is the cheapest entry into the Nikon F-mount system in 2026. Used at $80–180, the camera takes good photos with any AI/AI-S Nikkor (50/1.8 AI-S kit, 35/2.8, 28/2.8, 105/2.5 — all classic and cheap). It's roughly half the weight of an FM2.
The trade-off: aperture-priority only (no manual mode for shutter speed control), 1/1000s top shutter speed (slow for fast film in bright light), and the EM's relatively cheap-feeling polycarbonate body. For a "first film camera" recommendation, the EM is honest — it teaches aperture, focus, and depth of field, without overwhelming with all manual settings.
F-mount: AI / AI-S meter. AF Nikkors mount but the EM loses metering on autofocus lenses. Pre-AI cannot mount. MD-E motor drive (specific to EM/FG/FG-20 — different from the larger MD-12), MF-16 data back, SB-15 flash with TTL.
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.
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