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 FS (1965) - sold as the Nikomat FS in Japan - was the entry point of the Nikkormat line: a fully mechanical 35mm SLR with no built-in metering whatsoever. Introduced alongside the metered Nikkormat FT in 1965, the FS shared the same Nikon F mount and the same horizontal cloth focal-plane shutter, differing primarily in the omission of the CdS metering cell and coupling circuitry. Without a meter, it required no battery at all and operated entirely mechanically. It was discontinued around 1968 as buyers increasingly expected TTL metering even on budget bodies, and production shifted fully to the FT series.
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 no-meter Nikkormat - a pure mechanical F-mount SLR for photographers who supply their own light reading.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F |
| Years | 1965 - ~1968 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, horizontal cloth focal-plane |
| Flash sync | X: 1/125s |
| Meter | None |
| Modes | Manual (external meter required) |
| Battery | None required |
| Mechanical fallback | Yes (fully mechanical) |
| Weight | ~ |
Nikon launched the Nikkormat line in 1965 to address a gap in its lineup: the professional Nikon F was expensive and heavily accessorized; there was nothing for the serious amateur. Two bodies debuted simultaneously - the Nikkormat FT (with CdS TTL meter) and the Nikkormat FS (without). The FS was priced lower and aimed at photographers who already owned a handheld Weston or Sekonic meter, or who wanted the lightest, simplest possible F-mount body. It was a short-lived model; the FT and its successor the FTn quickly dominated the line, and the FS disappeared from catalogs by the late 1960s. Its rarity today makes it less commonly encountered than the FT or FTn, and it is sometimes overlooked in Nikkormat histories that focus on the metered variants.
The Nikkormat FS represents the philosophy that a camera body is fundamentally a light-tight mechanical box - metering is an accessory, not a prerequisite. In 1965 many serious photographers still used handheld meters as a matter of habit, and the FS catered to that discipline. Because it requires no battery of any kind, it is among the most unconditionally reliable F-mount bodies ever made: no cells to source, no meter to calibrate, no electronic failure modes. For a collector, it is notable as the founding member of the Nikkormat line and as a less-seen sibling to the more common FTn. Functionally, any Non-AI Nikkor lens mounts and operates normally; AI and AI-S lenses mount but aperture coupling (moot without a meter) is absent.
Nikon F mount. Because the FS has no meter coupling at all, there is no aperture indexing prong to interact with - lenses mount and unmount without the indexing procedure required on the FT/FTn. Non-AI Nikkors are the most natural companions given the era. Any manual-focus Nikkor operates at its full mechanical capability. Recommended glass for the period: Nikkor-H 50mm f/2, Nikkor-S 55mm f/1.2, Nikkor-P 105mm f/2.5. An external meter - Weston Master V, Gossen Lunasix, or Sekonic Studio Deluxe - is essential for exposure.
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 FS
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