NOMENCLATURE

Shut t er speed/ ASA sel ect or r i ng

Lens aper t ur e di r ect r eadout wi ndow
Shut t er rel ease but t on
Sh ut t er r el ease f i nger guar d/
mode sel ect or
Neckst rap eyel et
Dept h- of - f i el d pr evi ew
l ever
Sel f -t i mer l ever
Lens mount i ng f l ange
Met er coupl i ng l ever
Met er coupl i ng l ever r el ease
Sync t er mi nal ( cover pr ovi ded)
Lens mount i ng i ndex
Lens rel ease but t on
Ref l ex mi r r or
Mot or dr i ve shut t er coupl i ng
Mot or dr i ve coupl i ng
Tri pod socket
Bat t er y chamber l i d
Mot or dr i ve el ect r i cal cont act s
Fi l m r ewi nd but t on
Memo hol der
Focusi ng di st ance scal e
Apert ure/ d i st ance scal e i ndex
Focusi ng r i ng
!
, Aper t ur e r i ng
Met er coupl i ng r i dge
Met er coupl i ng shoe
Dept h-of -f i el d i ndi cat ors
Apert u re-d i rect -read out scal e
Fi l m r ewi nd cr ank
Fi l m r ewi nd knob
Saf et y l ock
Fi l m pl ane i ndi cat or
Hot - sync shoe
Hot - shoe cont act
Vi ewf i nder eyepi ece
,iit
1|l
'i{r
l!l
V.J
Shut t er speed sel ect or
Fr amecou nt er
ASA f i l m speedwi ndow
I Shut t er oper at i on mode i ndex
Fi l m- ad vance l ever
Met er ON i ndex
ASA f i l m speed i ndex
Shut t er speed i ndex
Mul t i - exposur e but t on
CONTENTS
Foreword.
Preparati on for use
.
I nst al l i ng t he bat t er i es
Checki ng bat t er y power
Loadi ng f i l m. .
Pr i or t o shoot i ng
Memo hol der
Set t i ng t he f i l m speed.
Operat i on of camera cont rol s.
Set t i ng t he shut t er speed.
Set t i ng t he aper t ur e . .
Fi l m- advance l ever
Fr ame count er
Shut t er oper at i on mode sel ect or .
Sel f - t i mer
Unl oadi ng f i l m .
Hof di ng t he camer a . . .
Shut t er rel ease operat i on
Oper at i on by cabl e r el ease.
5
6
6
6
7
Focusi ng
l nf r ar ed phot ogr aphy. . .
Fi l m- pl ane i ndi cat or .
Depth of fi el d
Dept h- of - f i el d pr evi ew l ever .
Dept h- of - f i el d i ndi cat or s. .
Exposur e measur ement . .
Det er mi ni ng degr ee of exposur e .
Exposur e cont r ol
Met er i ng r ange
Hi gh- cont r ast l i ght i ng. . . .
Stop-down exposure measurement
Exposure compensati on adj ustment . . .
Mul t i pl e exposur es
Ffash synchroni zati on
Ti ps on camera care .
Mounti ng and removi ng l enses
Accessori es.
Featu res/Speci fi cati on s.
. . . 16
. . . 18
. . . 18
. . . 19
. . . 19
. . . 20
. . . 22
. . . 22
. . . 24
. . . 24
. . . 25
. . . 26
. . . 21
. . . 28
. . . 29
. . . 30
. . . 31
. . . 32
. . . 34
. 8
. 9
. 9
. 10
. 10
. 10
. 11
. 11
. 12
. 12
. 13
. 14
. 15
. 15
4
The Ni kon FM i s a compact 35mm si ngl e- l ens r ef l ex
camera that offers a host of advanced features amateur
photographers and professi onal s al i ke wi l l appreci ate. l t
i s desi gned to accept vi rtual l y every accessory of the
Ni kon System-the most comprehensi ve ever created for
photography-so i t can do vi rtual l y everythi ng the top-
r at ed SLR' s can do. . . wi t h t hat uni que pr eci si on and
r el i abi l i t y whi ch
you have come t o associ at e wi t h Ni kon.
To get the most out of thi s camera, study the i nstructi ons
i n t hi s manual car ef ul l y, as wel l as t hose i n r el at ed
manual s, and pr act i ce usi ng t he cont r ol s- bef or e l oadi ng
the camera wi th fi l m. Keep the manual on hand for
ready reference unti l you have mastered operati on. The
few minutes you spend familiarizing yourself with the
camera wi l l guarantee you the best resul ts and i ncrease
your pl easur e i n t aki ng pi ct ur es many t i mes over .
PREPARATI ON FOR USE
I nst al l i ng t he Bat t er i es
The Ni kon FM' s bui l t - i n exposur e met er i s power ed by
t wo but t on- cel l t ype 1. 5V si l ver - oxi de bat t er i es. These
ar e mount ed i n t he bat t er y cl i p, whi ch f or ms a si ngl e uni t
wi t h t he bat t er y chamber ' s coi n- sl ot t ed l i d, i n t he
camera' s basepl ate. To i nstal l the batteri es, fi rst unscrew
t he l i d by t ur ni ng i t count er cl ockwi se, wi t h a coi n or
somet hi ng si mi l ar , unt i l i t can be f r eel y r emoved by
hand. Then, seat t he t wo bat t er i es i n t he bat t er y cl i p,
one on t op of t he ot her , maki ng sur e t hat t hei r r espect i ve
pl us ( * ) and mi nus ( - ) i ndi cat i ons cor r espond wi t h
si mi l ar mar ks pr ovi ded i n t he cl i p. Af t er seat i ng t he bat -
t er i es cor r ect l y, r epl ace t he l i d, and secur e t he con-
nect i on by t ur ni ng i t cl ockwi se wi t h t he coi n as f ar as i t
wi l l go. l t i s advi sabl e t o r emove t he bat t er i es, when t he
camera i s not to be used for a l ong peri od, to prevent
bat t er y l eakage wi t hi n t he camer a; f or addi t i onal i nf or -
mati on on thi s, refer to "Ti ps on CameraCare" on page
30.
Checki ng Bat t er y Power
To check battery power, move the camera' s fi l m advance
l ever from the fl ush to the stand-off posi ti on
by pul l i ng
i t
j ust
f ar enough t o uncover t he r ed i ndex on t op of t he
camer a. Then, l ook t hr ough t he vi ewf i nder . l f any of t he
LED ( l i ght emi t t i ng di ode) exposur e i ndi cat or s i s on,
battery power i s suffi ci ent for proper operati on. Other-
wi se, check bat t er y seat i ng and make adj ust ment s, i f
necessar y. Shoul d t he LED di spl ay st i l l f ai l t o l i ght up,
change batteri es.
l mpor t ant : When t he camer a i s not i n use, make sur e t hat t he
f i l m advance l ever i s posi t i oned f l ush wi t h t he camer a body. As
t he l ever doubl es as t he met er on/ of f swi t ch, l eavi ng i t i n t he
st and- of f posi t i on
wi l l r esul t i n t he camer a' s bat t er y bei ng com-
pl et el y dr ai ned i n
j ust
a f ew days.
\
Loadi ng Fi l m
Fi r st , open t he camer a back by sl i di ng i t s saf et y l ock t o
t he r ear and l i f t i ng t he f i l m r ewi nd knob asf ar as i t wi l l
go. Posi ti on the fi l m cartri dge or cassette i n the fi l m
chamber , whi ch i s l ocat ed on t he l ef t - hand si de, wi t h t he
f i l m l eader al i gned al ong t he f i l m gui de r ai l s; t hen, push
t he r ewi nd knob t o hol d t he car t r i dge i n pl ace. Pul l t he
f i l m l eader out suf f i ci ent l y f or f eedi ng i nt o t he f i l m
t ake- up spool , and i nser t i t s end i nt o any of t he spool ' s
sl ots. Rotate the take-up spool as shown i n the i l l ustrati on
so t hat t he f i l m passes under t he spool wi t h i t s emul si on
si de
( aut t si de) f aci ng out . Make sur e t hat t he per f o-
r at i ons al ong t he edges of t he f i l m mesh wi t h t he
spr ocket s. l f necessar y, r el ease t he shut t er by cocki ng
t he shut t er r el ease but t on, and st r oke t he f i l m advance
l ever sl owl y t o make sur e t hat t he l eader wi nds smoot hl y
on the spool and that the fi l m edge perforati ons engage
t he f i l m spr ocket r ol l er . When you ar e cer t ai n t hat t he
f i l m i s bei ng f ed pr oper l y ont o t he spool - and t r avel i ng
cor r ect l y al ong t he f i l m gui de r ai l s, cl ose t he camer a
back by pr essi ng i t unt i l i t snaps i nt o pl ace.
PREPARATI ON FOR USE- cont i nued
Pr i or t o Shoot i ng
Fol d out t he f i l m r ewi nd cr ank, and t ur n i t gent l y i n t he
di r ect i on of t he engr aved ar r ow unt i l you f eel a sl i ght
r esi st ance; t hi s wi l l i ndi cat e t hat any sl ack i n t he f i l r n
car t r i dge has been t aken up. Then, f ol d t he r ewi nd cr ank
i nt o pl ace.
Advance the fi l m (refer to page 11 for fi l m advance
oper at i on) , and make t wo bl ank exposur es; t hi s wi l l
di spose of t he i ni t i al por t i on
of t he f i l m exposed dur i ng
l oadi ng. As you advance t he f i l m, conf i r m t hat t he
r ewi nd cr ank t ur ns i n t he di r ect i on opposi t e t he ar r ow.
Thi s i ndi cat es t hat t he f i l m has been l oaded pr oper l y and
i s bei ng advanced.
After advanci ng the fi l m two frames, check that the
f r ame count er i s at "0"; t hen, advance t he f i l m one mor e
frame to prepare the camera for taki ng the fi rst pi cture.
Memo Hol der
A speci al hol der i s pr ovi ded on t he camer a back f or con-
veni ent storage of any rel evant i nformati on. You can use
i t, for i nstance, to hol d the end fl ap of a fi l m carton to
r emi nd you of t he t ype of f i l m l oaded i n t he camer a, t he
ASA f i l m speed and t he t ot al number of exposur es
avai l abl e.
Set t i ng t he Fi l m Speed
The camera' s exposure meter must be adj usted to the
speed of t he f i l m i n use t o ensur e cor r ect measur ement .
Accordi ngl y, the camera i s provi ded wi th an ASA fi l m
speed scal e. To make the necessary adj ustment, l i ft the
knur l ed ASA f i l m speed r i ng, and t ur n i t unt i l t he t r i -
angul ar r ed i ndex i s al i gned wi t h t he ASA val ue of t he
f i l m l oaded i n t he camer a. The met er i s sensi t i ve acr oss
the ful l range of from ASA 12 to ASA 3200; there are
two dots between each number for i ntermedi ate ASA
set t i ngs, i . e. , 64, 80, 125, et c.
Memo Hol der
A speci al hol der i s pr ovi ded on t he camer a back f or con-
veni ent storage of any rel evant i nformati on. You can use
i t, for i nstance, to hol d the end fl ap of a fi l m carton to
r emi nd you of t he t ype of f i l m l oaded i n t he camer a, t he
ASA f i l m speed and t he t ot al number of exposur es
avai l abl e.
Set t i ng t he Fi l m Speed
The camera' s exposure meter must be adj usted to the
speed of t he f i l m i n use t o ensur e cor r ect measur ement .
Accor di ngl y, t he camer a i s pr ovi ded wi t h an ASA f i l m
speed scal e. To make the necessary adj ustment, l i ft the
knur l ed ASA f i l m speed r i ng, and t ur n i t unt i l t he t r i -
angul ar r ed i ndex i s al i gned wi t h t he ASA val ue of t he
f i l m l oaded i n t he camer a. The met er i s sensi t i ve acr oss
the ful l range of from ASA 12 to ASA 32OO; there are
t wo dot s bet ween each number f or i nt er medi at e ASA
set t i ngs, i . e. , 64, 80, 125, et c.
OPERATI ON OF CAMERA CONTROLS
Set t i ng t he Shut t er Speed
The Ni kon FM' s shut t er speed sel ect or i s knur l ed f or
sl i p- f r ee, easi er mani pul at i on; t he f ace of t he di al i s en-
gr aved wi t h t he 11 shut t er speed set t i ngs avai l abl e: 1 f or
one second, and 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500 and
1000 f or f r act i onal val ues of f r om 112 t o 1/ 1000t h of a
second. A "8" set t i ng, al so engr aved, i s pr ovi ded f or
l onger t i me exposur es.
To set t he shut t er speed, t ur n t he shut t er speed sel ect or
unt i l t he desi r ed speed i s al i gned wi t h t he shut t er speed
i ndex. The speed sel ect ed
( i ncl udi ng
" B" ) i s
shown on t he
l eft-hand si de of the vi ewfi nder, too, for i nstant refer-
ence.
Not e t hat t he125 set t i ng i s engr aved i n r ed; t hi s i ndi cat es
11125 sec. , t he f ast est shut t er speed avai l abl e f or f l ash
synchr oni zat i on wi t h el ect r oni c f l ash uni t s. ( Ref er t o
page 29 for addi ti onal i nformati on on fl ash photo-
gr aphy. ) Al so, at t he "B" set t i ng, t he shut t er r emai ns
open f or as l ong as t he shut t er r el ease but t on i s kept
depr essed.
Set t i ng t he APer t ur e
The Ni kon FM wor ks best wi t h Ni kkor l enses. The
aper t ur e r i ngs of t hese l enses ar e knur l ed f or sl i p- f r ee,
easi er mani pul at i on.
To set t he l ens aper t ur e, t ur n t he l ens aper t ur e r i ng unt i l
t he desi r ed f / number set t i ng on t he l ens aper t ur e scal e i s
al i gned wi t h t he i ndex mar k on t he l ens; i nt er medi at e
set t i ngs ar e al so usabl e, when r equi r ed.
Not e t hat , wi t h Ni kkor l enses pr ovi ded wi t h an aper t ur e-
di r ect - r eadout
( ADR) secondar y l ens aper t ur e scal e, t he
f/number for the aperture sel ected appears on the upper
porti on of the vi ewfi nder for conveni ent reference when
shoot i ng.
ffi
The f i l m- advance l ever si mul t aneousl y advances t he f i l m,
cocks t he shut t er and oper at es t he f r ame count er . l t al so
doubl es as t he Ni kon FM' s met er on/ of f swi t ch.
To advance t he f i l m, st r oke t he l ever wi t h your r i ght
t humb as f ar as i t wi l l go. Thi s wi l l f r ee t he l ocki ng
devi ce bui l t i nt o t he shut t er , causi ng t he shut t er t o be
r el eased and t he f i l m t o be advanced a f ul l f r ame. The
l ever aut omat i cal l y r et ur ns t o i t s 30" st and- of f posi t i on
when r el eased upon t he compl et i on of f i l m advance.
The f i l m- advance l ever swi t ches t he met er on when
moved t o i t s st and- of f posi t i on; i t swi t ches t he met er of f
when moved back f l ush wi t h t he camer a body.
Each t i me t he f i l m i s advanced one f r ame by a f ul l
stroke of the fi l m advance l ever, the frame counter
operates to show how many frames have been exposed.
It i s automati cal l y reset to S
(start), two frames before
0, when t he camer a back i s opened t o r emove an ex-
posed f i l m car t r i dge and/ or l oad a new r ol l of f i l m. The
f r ame count er di al has i ndi cat i ons f or up t o a maxi mum
of 36 f r ames, wi t h al l odd number s cal i br at ed i n dot s
and al l even number s i n f i gur es. The f i gur es ar e i n whi t e,
except f or 12, 20 and 36 whi ch appear i n r ed t o i ndi cat e
t he maxi mum number of exposur es avai l abl e, r espect i ve-
l y, wi t h st andar d f i l m car t r i dges.
OPERATI ON OF CAMERA CONTROLS
-
cont i nued
Shut t er Oper at i on Mode Sel ect or
The shut t er r el ease but t on of t he Ni kon FM i s f i t t ed
wi th a fi ngerguard that serves as the camera' s shutter
oper at i on mode sel ect or . The bl ack l i ne on t he f i nger -
guar d, whi ch i s knur l ed f or easy mani pul at i on, shoul d be
al i gned wi t h t he bl ack l i ne ( whi t e f or bl ack FM camer a
bodi es) on t op of t he camer a body f or nor mal shut t er
r el ease oper at i on. The r ed l i ne on t he f i nger guar d i s
al i gned wi t h t he same l i ne when mot or dr i ve oper at i on
wi t h t he FM' s opt i onal mot or dr i ve uni t i s r equi r ed ( see
t he i nst r uct i on manual f or t he MD- 1 1 Mot or Dr i ve Uni t
f or det ai l s) . Not e t hat t he f i nger guar d doubl es as a shut -
l er rel ease l ock when set for motor dri ve operati on
wi t hout a mot or dr i ve bei ng mount ed on t he camer a.
Se l f - T i me r
The bui l t - i n sel f - t i mer
pr ovi des an appr oxi mat el y 8 t o
14 second del ay bet ween t he t i me t he shut t er r el ease
but t on i s depr essed and t he t i me t he shut t er i s act ual l y
f i r ed. l t can be used wi t h any of t he mar ked shut t er
speeds bet ween 1/ 1000 and 1 sec. Avoi d usi ng t he sel f -
t i mer wi t h t he shut t er speed di al set t o "B" as, on t hi s
set t i ng, t he shut t er wi l l onl y open moment ar i l y and
i ncor r ect exposur e wi l l i nvar i abl y r esul t . To t ake a
pi ct ur e usi ng t he sel f - t i mer , f i r st set t he aper t ur e and
shut t er speed cont r ol s, advance t he f i l m, and cock t he
sel f - t i mer by t ur ni ng t he sel f - t i mer l ever downwar ds.
Then, depr ess t he shut t er r el ease but t on and t he t i mer
wi l l st ar t . A uni que f eat ur e of t he FM' s sel f - t i mer l ever i s
t hat i t s set t i ng i s "cancel l abl e. " I n ot her wor ds, shoul d
you deci de not to use the sel f-ti mer after setti ng i t, you
si mpl y t ur n i t back upwar ds and r esume nor mal shut t er
t r i ppi ng oper at i on. For cr i t i cal cl ose- up phot ogr aphy,
t he sel f - t i mer , i n combi nat i on wi t h a t r i pod, i s par t i -
cul ar l y usef ul i n pr event i ng vi br at i on.
I
UNLOADI NG FI LM
As soon as t he f r ame count er i ndi cat es t hat t he l ast ex-
posur e has been made, or when t he f i l m advance l ever
can no l onger be st r oked, t he r ol l of f i l m has been f ul l y
exposed and can now be r emoved.
To unl oad t he r ol l of f i l m, f i r st pr ess t he r ewi nd but t on
on t he camer a' s basepl at e; t hen, unf ol d t he f i l m r ewi nd
cr ank and t ur n i t i n t he di r ect i on of t he engr aved ar r ow
wi t h smoot h, even pr essur e. Rewi nd t ensi on wi l l cease t o
i ndi cat e t hat t he f i l m l eader has l ef t t he t ake- up spool .
Now, open t he camer a back by sl i di ng i t s saf et y l ock and
pul l i ng up t he r ewi nd knob as f ar as i t wi l l go; t hen, r e-
move t he f i l m car t r i dge. Not e t hat when t he f i l m advance
l ever i s st r oked f or t he next exposur e ( wi t h t he next r ol l
of f i l m) , t he r ewi nd but t on wi l l be r el eased t o engage t he
f i l m- advance mechani sm once agai n.
You shoul d not push t he r ewi nd but t on dur i ng f i l m
advance oper at i on; ot her wi se, f i l m advance wi l l t em-
por ar i l y st op and f r ame- over l ap may r esul t . Not e, t oo,
t hat t he camer a back can be r emoved f r om t he body by
depr essi ng t he l ocki ng cat ch on t he hi nge.
Camera shake i s one of t he most common causes of bl ur-
red, unsharp pi ct ures, especi al l y at sl ow shut t er speeds.
To prevent t hi s, st udy how t o hol d t he camera correct l y
and practi ce steady shutter squeezi ng.
Wrap t he f i ngers of t he ri ght hand around t he camera
body so t hat t he i ndex f i nger of you r ri ght hand rest s
comf ort abl y on t he shut t er rel ease but t on and t he
thumb fi ts between the camera body and the fi l m ad-
vance l ever. Posi t i on t he camera i n such a way t hat t he
eye l ooks t hrough t he cent er of t he vi ewf i nder. Cradl e
t he camera wi t h your l ef t hand f or addi t i onal support ,
usi ng t he t humb and mi ddl e f i nger t o gr asp t he f ocusi ng
ri ng. Thi s way, t he cam era i s properl y support ed and can
easi l y be swi t ched f rom hori zont al t o vert i cal shoot i ng.
1 4
Correct shut t er rel ease operat i on i s
j ust
as i mport ant t o
obt ai ni ng shar p pi ct ur es as hol di ng t he camer a pr oper l y.
To rel ease t he shut t er correct l y, hol d t he camera st eadi l y
and depress t he shut t er rel ease but t on wi t h smoot h, even
pressu re. Rel ax even when you
' re
i n a h urry
-a
qu i ck
j ab
of t he i ndex f i nger at t he shut t er rel ease but t on wi l l
cause camer a shake and r esul t i n an uni nt ent i onal l y bl ur -
red phot ograph.
The shut t er rel ease but t on can al so be t ri pped wi t h t he
use of a cabl e rel ease (ot some si mi l ar accessory). To
attach the cabl e rel ease to the cam era, screw the thread-
ed cabl e connect or ont o t he mou nt pr ovi ded wi t h t he
but t on. The shut t er i s t hen t r i pped by depr essi ng t he
cabl e rel ease pl unger. Cabl e rel ease operat i on i s especi al -
l y r ecommended f or cr i t i cal shoot i ng si t uat i ons, such as
phot om i crography or t i me exposu re, where vi brat i on-
f ree shut t er rel ease i s of pri me i mport ance.
l mpor t ant : l f you mount t he Ni kon FM
on a t ri pod wi ' t h a l arge head, con t act
bet ween t he l ens body and t he head
may make i t i mpossi bl e t o t ur n t he l ens
aper t ur e r i ng. l f t hi s happens, use t he
speci al t r i pod adapt er ( t uppl i ed wi t h t he
camer a) bet ween t he t r i pod head and
camer a body.
hl i kmn
j ,
*!
,il:
When t he FM i s used wi t h a Ni kkor l ens f i t t ed wi t h an
aut om at i c di aphragm, f ocusi ng i s done at f ul l apert ure.
Thi s makes f or t he br i ght est possi bl e i mages on t he
f ocusi ng scr een, enabl i ng easy f ocusi ng and composi ng.
The f ocusi ng screen i t sel f gi ves you a choi ce of t hree
f ocusi ng ai ds: a cent r al spl i t - i mage r angef i nder spot , an
annu l ar mi cr opr i sm gr i d and a f i ne mat t e out f i el d.
To f ocu s, u si ng t h e sp I i t - i m age r angef i n de r spot , t u r n t h e
f ocusi ng r i ng of t he l ens unt i l t he t wo hal ves of t he. r ange-
f i nder spot per f ect l y coi nci de, f or mi ng a si ngl e, cr i sp
i mage. To f ocus wi t h t he mi cr opr i sm gr i d, t ur n t he f ocus-
i ng r i ng unt i l t he i mage seen t hr ough t he mi cr opr i sm pat -
t er n appear s shar p and cr i sp. Wi t h t he mat t e out f i el d,
t ur n t he r i ng unt i l t he i mage vi ewed i n t he f i el d appear s
sh ar p.
The spl i t - i mage r angef i nder spot i s consi der ed t he most
sui t abl e f or pr eci se, pi npoi nt f ocusi ng, and t he mi cr o-
pr i sm gr i d f or r api d f ocusi ng i n spor t s or act i on- t ype
phot ogr aphy. The f i ne mat t e out f i el d, on t he ot her hand,
i s i deal f or use wi t h t el ephot o l enses or i n cl ose- up and
macr oph ot ogr aphy.
You can al so pr ef ocus t he l ens wi t h t he use of t he di s-
t ance scal e engr aved i n bot h met er s and f eet on, t he l ens
bar r el . Si mpl y t ur n t he f ocusi ng r i ng unt i l t he measur ed
or est i mat ed camer a- t o- su bj ect di st ance i s l i ned u p wi t h
t he di st ance scal e i ndex on t he l ens bar r el . Thi s t ech-
ni que i s usef ul f or pi ct u r e- t aki ng si t uat i ons wher e ei t her
t he subj ect i s el usi ve or t i me does not per mi t t hr ough-
t he- l ens f ocusi ng.
Ou t of focu s l n f ocus
FOCUSI NG
-
cont i nued
I nf r ar ed Phot ogr aphy
The pl ane of shar pest f ocus f or i nf r ar ed l i ght i s sl i ght l y
f ar t her away t han i t s count er par t f or vi si bl e l i ght as seen
t hr ough t he camer a' s vi ewf i nder . To compensat e f or t hi s,
f i r st f ocus t he i mage shar pl y t hr ough t he vi ewf i nder .
Then, t ui n t he f ocusi ng r i ng count er cl ockwi se unt i l t he
poi nt f ocused i s al i gned wi t h t he r ed dot ( or l i ne) pr o-
vi ded on t he l ens bar r el . For exampl e, i n t he pi ct ur e
bel ow, t he l ens has been f ocused f or i nf i ni t y ( - ) i nf r ar ed
shoot i ng. Not e t hat when l enses wi t h a f ocal l engt h of
50mm or l ess are used stopped-down to f/8 or bel ow,
compensati on i s not necessary due to the l arge depth of
f i el d avai l abl e.
Ther e ar e some Ni kkor l enses t hat do not r equi r e r ef ocus-
i ng f or i nf r ar ed phot ogr aphy; r ef er t o t hei r i nst r uct i on
manual s f or det ai l s.
Fi l m- Pl ane I ndi c at or
To ensure the best resul ts i n cri ti cal pi cture-taki ng
si t uat i ons, such as cl ose- up or copy phot ogr aphy, i t i s
necessar y t o det er mi ne t he exact subj ect - t o- f i l m- pl ane
di st ance. The Ni kon FM i s t hus pr ovi ded wi t h a f i l m
pl ane i ndi cat or ( *
) ;
t hi s i s posi t i oned exact l y i n t he
f i l m pl ane, whi ch i s 46. 5mm f r om t he f r ont sur f ace of
t he l ens mount i ng f l ange.
I
11
\.|
!1
v
l 8
When you focus on your subi ect, you wi l l fi nd that not
l r
onl y i s t he subj ect i t sel f i n f ocus but t hat obi ect s bot h i n
l l
f ront of and behi nd i t appear t o be i n f ocus. Thi s "zone"
u
of f ocus i s cal l ed " dept h of f i el d. "
f l
Dept h of f i el d i s not a f i xed quant i t y. l t vari es by l ens,
' '
dependi ng on bot h t he su bj ect ' s di st ance f rom t he
iH:i: ;?',i T, ;
ffi
ll'
"
l' ? ; .' ['Ji: :i, J i #ii ;,.1 . :
nJ
; :
appar ent dept h of f i el d, i . e. , t he l onger t he l ens, t he
shal l ower the depth of fi el d appears to be, and vi ce versa.
l n t he same manner , t he wi der t he t aki ng aper t u r e ( i . . . ,
t he l ower t he f / st op number), t he shal l ower t he dept h of
f i el d, and vi ce versa. Al so, t he cl oser you approach your
subj ect , t he shal l ower t he dept h of f i el d becomes, and
vi ce versa. I n al l cases, you wi l l f i nd t hat t he dept h of
f i el d behi nd t he subj ect i s l arger t han t hat i n f ront ; t hi s
enabl es sel ect i ve bl ur r i ng of t he backgr ound el ement s of
t he pi ct ure, a t echni que most of t en used by t he creat i ve
phot ographer.
Most of t he N i kkor l enses you wi l l f i nd your sel f usi ng
wi t h t he N i kon FM are "aut omat i c. " Thi s means t hat
t he apert ure di aphragm of t he l ens i s kept open at i t s
wi dest set t i ng whi l e you are vi ewi ng, f ocusi ng and met er-
i ng. When you pr ess t he shut t er r el ease but t on, t he
camer a' s mechani sm aut omat i cal l y " st ops down " ( i . e. ,
ct oses t he l ens apert u re) t he l ens t o t he apert ure at
whi ch i t i s set .
To exami ne t he dept h of f i el d bef or e t aki ng a pi ct ur e, i t
i s necessary t o st op down t he l ens manual l y. You can do
t hi s by exer t i ng sl i ght f i nger pr essur e on t he FM' s con-
veni ent l y si t uat ed dept h-of -f i el d
previ ew l ever. Assumi ng
that the l ens i s set to an aperture other than i ts maxi -
mum, gent l e pressure on t he l ever wi l l st op down t he
l ens t o t hat apert ure. You wi l l t hen be abl e t o see t he
el ement s i n f ront of and behi nd t he mai n su bj ect t hat
wi l l appear i n sharp f ocus i n t he act ual phot ograph-
al t hough some of t hem may have appeared not t o be i n
focus pri or to pressi ng the l ever. A si de effect of thi s
pi ct ure-t aki ng process i s t he "darkeni ng" of t he i mage i n
t he vi ewf i nder (t he hi gher t he f
l number,
t he "darker"
t he i mage appear s)
;
t hi s i s nor mal and shoul d be no
cau se for con cern .
!
[l
DEPTH OF FI ELD- cont i nued
Dept h- of - Fi el d I ndi cat or s
The Ni kkor l ens' dept h- of - f i el d i ndi cat or s come i n t he
form of the three scal es fi tted on the l ens barrel . The
f i r st i s t he l ens aper t ur e scal e, wi t h t he f / number s col or -
coded. The second consi sts of two sets of col ored l i nes,
the col ors correspondi ng to the col ors of the f/numbers.
The t hi r d i s t he f ocusi ng scal e whi ch i s cal i br at ed i n
meters and feet.
To determi ne depth of fi el d, note the col or of the f/
number i n use. The dept h of f i el d at t he t aki ng aper t ur e
i s i ndi cated by the numbers on the focusi ng scal e whi ch
are adj acent to the col ored l i nes that correspond to the
col or of the f/number set.
Exampl e
Taki ng aperture: f
116
Col or : Bl ue
Focusi ng di st ance: 5m
l n the exampl e above, the farthest poi nt of sharp focus
behi nd t he subj ect i s i nf i ni t y ( - ) ; t hi s
i s t he f i gur e on t he
f ocusi ng scal e whi ch i s adj acent t o t he bl ue l i ne on t he
second scal e, whi ch i n t ur n cor r esponds t o t he bl ue col or
of t he f / 16 set t i ng. The cl osest poi nt of shar p f ocus i s
2. 7m, al t hough t hi s number does not appear i n t he
focusi ng scal e.
Note that for exact depth-of-fi el d determi nati on, you
shoul d refer to the depth-of-fi el d tabl es i n the i nstruc-
t i on manual f or t he Ni kkor l ens i n use.
20
Lens set at f
l 4: Shal l ow
dept h of f i el d cent er ed on
t he mai n subj ect .
I
l E
Lens at f / 8: Dept h of f i el d
ext ended i n f r ont of / behi nd
t he mai n subi ect .
Lens at f / 1 6: Shar p f ocus
i s ext ended t o encompass
t he ent i r e f or egr ound and
backgr ou nd.
EXPOSURE
MEASUREMENT
The Ni kon FM' s bui l t - i n exposur e met er ut i l i zes Ni kon' s
proven center-wei ghted through-the-l ens meteri ng sys-
tem whi ch i s cross-coupl ed wi th both the shutter speed
control of the camera and the aperture control of the
l ens mount ed on t he camer a. The met er r eads t he i n-
t ensi t y of t he l i ght comi ng t hr ough t he l ens over t he
enti re focusi ng screen at ful l aperture but favors the
central 12mm-di ameter area outl i ned on the screen-
al l owi ng you t o make pr eci se r eadi ngs and maki ng
for overal l bal anced exposures.
* o
o
Over exposur e by mor e t han 1 st op
f a
O o
Over exposur e by 1/ 5 t o 1 st op
+
O o
Cor r ect exposur e
-r
O o
- a
Under exposur e bv 1/ 5 t o 1 st op
+
o
- a
Under exposr r r e by mor e t han 1 st op
Det er mi ni ng Degr ee of Exposur e
The vi ewf i nder has t hr ee exposur e i ndi cat or s vi si bl e
wi t hi n t he vi ewf i el d:
+
f or over exposur e, o f or cor r ect
exposur e and f or under exposur e. These i ndi cat or s
have cor r espondi ng LED' s whi ch l i ght up when t he f i l m
advance l ever i s moved to i ts 30" stand-off posi ti on; as
you can see i n the chart on the l eft, there are fi ve com-
bi nat i ons possi bl e. Al so i ncl uded i nsi de t he vi ewf i nder as
ai ds t o exposur e det er mi nat i on ar e t he shut t er speed
sel ect ed and t he l ens aper t ur e set t i ng. Wi t h non- Al t ype
l enses, t he l ens aper t ur e i s not vi si bl e. To det er mi ne
correct exposure, fi rst swi tch the meter on by movi ng
the fi l m advance l ever to i ts stand-off posi ti on. One or
t wo of t he LED' s wi l l l i ght up opposi t e t he cor r espond-
i ng exposur e i ndi cat or f s t o show you t he pr eci se degr ee
of exposur e. l f t he
+
i ndi cat or LED l i ght s uP, i ncr ease
the shutter speed or decrease the aperture-or vi ce versa-
unt i l t he o i ndi cat or LED l i ght s up and t he
+
i ndi cat or
LED t ur ns of f ; t he pr ocedur e i s t he same i f t he
-
i ndi ca-
t or LED l i ght s up al one or wi t h t he o i ndi cat or LED.
I t i s nor mal l y i mpossi bl e f or al l t hr ee LED' s t o l i ght up
at t he same t i me, or f or t he
+
i ndi cat or LED and
-
i ndi -
cat or LED t o l i ght up si mul t aneousl y. The except i on t o
t hi s i s when phot ogr aphi ng a t el evi si on scr een. The r api d-
l y scanni ng spot pat t er n t hat pr oduces t he TV pi ct ur e
r esul t s i n a cycl i c ef f ect t hat causes al l t hr ee LED' s t o
l i ght up when t he exposur e set t i ng i s cor r ect .
EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT
-
cont i nued
Exposur e Cont r ol
The amount of l i ght r eachi ng t he f i l m pl ane i s det er mi ned
by a combi nat i on of t he shut t er speed and t he l ens aper -
ture. Si nce the two are i nterrel ated, di fferent combi -
nat i ons wi l l gi ve t he same degr ee of exposur e. A 1- st ep
change i n shut t er speed, or a 1- st op change i n aper t ur e
set t i ng, wi l l ei t her hal ve or doubl e t he degr ee of ex-
posur e. For exampl e, a shut t er speed of 11125 sec. l et s
i n t wi ce as much l i ght as a set t i ng of 11250 sec. , and
onl y hal f as much l i ght at a speed of 1160 sec. ; f or an
aper t ur e set t i ng of f
111,
t wi ce as much l i ght as f
116,
and
hal f as much as f
18,
i s l et i n. Thus, i f t he cor r ect exposur e
f or a par t i cul ar pi ct ur e- t aki ng
si t uat i on i s 11125 at f
111,
t hen 1
l 6O
at f
116
or 11250 at f
18
wi l l be equal l y accept -
abl e. The f ol l owi ng t abl e i l i ust r at es t he i nt er r el at i on-
shi p between shutter speed and aperture we have
j ust
descr i bed.
Shut t er speed
( second)
1
/ 1
0oo 1i s00 l
l 2so
1112s 1160
Apert u re fl4 f
l s. 6
f l 8 f
111
f
116
The
"best " combi nat i on wi l l depend on t he r esul t s you
want. Use fast shutter speeds to "freeze" moti on; use
sl ow speeds t o pr oduce a del i ber at e bl ur . Al so, smal l
apertures gi ve greater depth of fi el d, whi l e l arge aper-
tures restri ct sharp focus to the mai n subj ect. Make your
choi ce accor di ngl y.
24
Met er i ng Range
l f t he cent r al exposur e i ndi cat or LED ( o) f ai l s t o l i ght
up, even af t er al l possi bl e l ens aper t ur e and shut t er speed
combi nat i ons have been t r i ed, t hen t he avai l abl e l i ght i s
ei t her t oo br i ght or t oo di m f or t he met er ' s r ange. l n t hi s
case, you can ei ther use arti fi ci al l i ght (such as an el ec-
t r oni c f l ash uni t ) t o i ncr ease subj ect i l l umi nat i on or
mount a neut r al densi t y f i l t er on t he l ens t o decr ease t he
amount of l i ght r eachi ng t he f i l m.
Remember , t oo, t hat t he l ens i n use i s an equal l y
i mpor t ant f act or t o consi der . For exampl e, a 50mm
f
11. 4
l ens ( wi t h
ASA 100 f i l m) coupl es f r om EV 1 ( f
11. 4
at 1 sec. ) r o EV 18 ( f
116
at 111000 sec. ) , maki ng i t
sui t abl e f or l ow- l i ght - l evel pi ct ur e- t aki ng si t uat i ons; on
t he ot her hand, a 135mm f
12. 8l ens
pr oves mor e sui t abl e
f or br i ght - l i ght shoot i ng, coupl i ng ( wi t h ASA 100 f i l m)
f r om EV 3 ( f
12. 8
at 1 sec. ) t o EV 20 ( f
132
at 111000) .
Thus, choose t he l ens car ef ul l y t o mat ch t he exi st i ng
l i ght i ng condi t i ons.
H i gh- Cont r ast Li ght i ng
When t here i s a subst ant i al di f f erence i n bri ght ness
bet ween t he mai n subj ect and t he backgr ound, seemi ng-
l y uni mpor t ant br i ght spot s or dar k spot s can adver sel y
i nf l uence t he f i nder r eadi ng and t hus af f ect t he act ual
exposu re.
To compensat e f or an excessi vel y br i ght ( or dar k) back-
ground, target the mai n subj ect i n the center of the
f ocusi ng scr een, t hen per f or m met er i ng ( i . e. , det er mi ne
t he degr ee of exposur e you want ) by maki ng t he neces-
sary shutter speed andl or l ens aperture adj ustments.
Af t er compl et i ng t hi s pr ocedur e, make your f i nal pi ct ur e
composi t i on and shodt wi t hout r eadj ust i ngei t her shut t er
speed or l ens aper t ur e. When shoot i ng l andscapes, f or
exampl e, i t i s of t en advi sabl e t o ai m your camer a sl i ght l y
downwar ds whi l e met er i ng t o el i mi nat e t he ef f ect s of a
br i ght expanse ( i . e. , t he sky) ; wi t hout such compen-
sat i on, t he l andscape may appear under exposed i n t he
f i nal pr i nt . Al so, f or backl i t subj ect s, i t may be necessar y
to move cl oser to ensure proper exposure measurement.
E
.
For cor r ect exposur e, f i r st measur e t he mai n subj ect ;
t hen, r ecompose and shoot .
25
o
Met er i ng wi t h a br i ght ar ea i n t he cent er wi l l
under exposur e of t he mai n subj ect .
cause
STOP. DOWN EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT
The vast sel ect i on of l enses avai l abl e f or use wi t h your
Ni kon FM i ncl udes some whi ch ar e f i t t ed nei t her wi t h
an aut omat i c di aphr agm nor a met er coupl i ng r i dge,
bot h of whi ch ar e essent i al t o f ul l - aper t ur e exposur e
measur ement . The FM wor ks even wi t h such l enses,
t hr ough an al t er nat i ve met hod cal l ed "st op- down"
exposur e measur ement . Not e t hat when t hi s t ype of
l ens i s used wi t h t he camer a, t he met er coupl i ng l ever
shoul d be r ai sed and l ocked up out of way manual l y by
depr essi ng and hol di ng t he coupl i ng l ever r el ease but t on;
t o avoi d acci dent al damage, make sur e you do not use
excessi ve f or ce when r ai si ng up t he l ever .
Thi s i s how st op- down exposur e measur ement i s
per -
f or med. Af t er you' ve composed your pi ct ur e, move t he
fi l m advance l ever to i ts stand-off posi ti on and press the
camer a' s dept h- of - f i el d pr evi ew l ever . Keep t he l ever
pr essed, and adj ust ei t her t he shut t er speed di al or t he
l ens aper t ur e r i ng ( or bot h) - unt i l t he cor r ect exposur e
i ndi cat or ( o) LED l i ght s up. Then, r el ease t he l ever and
shoot.
I t i s advi sabl e, at al l t i mes, t o r ef er t o t he i nst r uct i on
manual of t he l ens i n us' e- especi al l y i f i t i s a f i xed-
aper t ur e l ens ( e. g. , Ref l ex- Ni kkor ) or one r equi r i ng a
f ocusi ng uni t ( e. g. , Ni kkor 1200mm f / 1 1) - when per -
f or mi ng st op- down exposur e measur ement . The same
appl i es when bel l ows uni t s, ext ensi on r i ngs, pr eset l ens
( e. g. , PC- Ni kkor ) , et c. ar e used wi t h t he FM.
26
' *j
$
r''
EXPOSURE COMPENSATI ON
ADI USTMENT
"Correct exposure" i s not an absoJute val ue. l t depends
on the characteristics of the metering system, the film
i n use and t he subj ect . Thus, al l f i l m and camer a manu-
facturers cal i brate thei r meters, usi ng the correct rendi -
ti on of ski n tones as the standard or most representati ve
of the vast maj ori ty of shooti ng subj ects.
For some speci al i zed subj ect - and- f i l m combi nat i ons,
however, these meter cal i brati ons requi re some com-
pensati on to be made i n order to ensure correct ex-
posur e. The f ol l owi ng t abl e l i st s t he cor r ect i ons r equi r ed
for these combi nati ons. Note that the correcti ons are
l i sted i n terms of exposure val ue, or EV. A change of
+1
EV, for i nstance, can be achi eved by movi ng the l ens
aperture ri ng by one stop, or the shutter speed di al by
one shutter speed i ndi cati on (i .e., a change from f
12
to
f12.8 represents a change of
+1
EV, and a change of
shutter speeds from 1
l 60
to 1
/30
represents a change of
- 1
EV) .
X
Repro-copyi ng & sl i de-copyi ng
Photo-
m i crography B&W
col or phot o
Letters or fi gures
o n
l i ght backgr ound
Let t er s or f i gur es
on
dar k backgr ound
Panchr omat i c
f i l m
for general use
No
compensat i on
neceSsary
+"1/2 stops
-/2
stop I
stop
For very speci al i zed appl i cati on, consul t both the
i nstructi on manual of the accessory i n use and the
techni cal l i terature provi ded by the fi l m manufacturer.
Al so,
you wi l l fi nd the speci al 18% refl ecti ve gray card
avai l abl e f r om Ni kon and maj or f i l m compani es espe-
ci al l y usef ul f or copyi ng and gener al st udi o wor k.
r#
;ift
I nt ent i onal mul t i pl e exposur e ( t wo or mor e exposur es
on the same frame) for creati ve effects are easy wi th the
FM. Fi r st , make t he i ni t i al exposur e. Then, sl i de t he
mul t i - exposur e but t on as f ar as i t wi l l go, and hol d i t
wh i l e you st ro ke t he f i l m-advance l ever; repeat t h i s p ro-
cedure f or each addi t i onal exposure on t he same f rame.
when you have achi eved t he desi red number of ex-
posures
on t he same f rame, rel ease t he but t on and st roke
t he f i l m advance l ever once mor e. Not e t hat dur i ng
mul t i pl e exposur e oper at i on, bot h t he camer a' s shut t er
speed and t he l ens apert ure can be f reel y changed t o any
set t i ng; al so, t he f r ame count er wi l l r emai n at t he same
set t i ng unt i l t he mul t i - exposur e but t on i s r el eased- a
conveni ent way of conf i r mi ng t hat mul t i pl e exposur e
oper at i on i s pr oceed i ng pr oper l y.
28
Fl ash phot ography wi t h t he FM i s easy. The camera i s
desi gned to synch roni ze wi th el ectroni c fl ash at speeds
up t o 11125 sec. You can use i t s hot -sync shoe t o mount
any I SO- t ype el ect r oni c f l ash uni t or speedl i ght di r ect l y
onto the camera. For off-camera fl ash photography' , or
when usi ng a non- l SO- t ype speedl i ght , you wi l l need a
sync cord t o connect t he uni t t o t he camera' s t hreaded
sync t erm i nal .
F l ash bu l b
Shut t er speed ( sec. )
1/ 1ooo
l
1/ s oo
l 1l 2s o
t l 1 2 s l 1 l 6 0 l t l 3 o1 1 1 s1 1 8 1 1 4 112 1 B
Speed l i gh t
TI PS ON CAMERA CARE
Tough and dur abl e t hough your Ni kon FM i s, i t i s a
pr eci si on
opt i cal i nst r ument , and car el ess or r ough handl i ng can cause
i r r epar abl e damage. Obser ve t he f ol l owi ng t i ps, and t he camer a
wi l l al ways wor k as per f ect l y as t he day you bought i t .
*
Remember t hat t he camer a' s cont r ol s ar e desi gned t o oper at e
wi t h a mi ni mum of pr essur e. l f you f i nd your sel f exer t i ng
ext r a f or ce, t ake i t as a war ni ng t hat you' r e doi ng somet hi ng
wr ong.
o
Keep al l l ens and pr i sm sur f aces f r ee f r om dust , di r t and f i n-
ger pr i nt s. These not onl y i mpai r vi ewi ng- t hey al so gener al l y
r esul t i n a det er i or at i on of opt i cal per f or mance. Cl ean such
sur f aces ei t her wi t h a bl ower - t ype br ush or wi t h l ens t i ssue
moi st ened wi t h absol ut e al cohol . Never use l ens t i ssue dr y- i t
wi l l scr at ch t he l ens. I n gener al , avoi d usi ng cl eani ng f l ui ds
and l ens t i ssue cont ai ni ng si l i cone ( i . e. , eyegl ass t i ssue) .
o
When l oadi ng or unl oadi ng f i l m, ensur e t hat t he i nt er i or of
t he camer a body i s f r ee of dust , gr i t or chi ps of f i l m. Use a
bl ower br ush t o r emove such f or ei gn ar t i cl es. Avoi d t ouch-
i ng al l i nt er nal sur f aces, par t i cul ar l y t he shut t er mechani sm
and f i l m pr essur e pl at e.
o
When mount i ng or r emovi ng l enses, pr event t he ent r y of f or -
ei gn matter, and take extra care not to damage the rear por-
t i on of t he l ens. Use a bl ower - t ype br ush t o do your cl eani ng.
o
Use t he cl eani ng cl ot h t o cl ean t he ext er nal sur f aces of t he
camer a body.
o
l f condensat i on shoul d f or m on t he l ens sur f aces ( i . e. , when
t he camer a i s exposed t o sudden t emper at ur e changes or t o
hi gh humi di t y) , dr y t he camer a t hor oughl y at r oom t em-
per at ur e wi t hout usi ng anyt hi ng bef or e st or i ng i t i n a cool ,
dr y pl ace.
r
Shoul d you dr op t he camer a acci dent al l y on t he f l oor or i n
wat er , t ake i t t o an aut hor i zed Ni kon deal er or ser vi ce f aci l i t y
f or ser vi ci ng i m medi at el y.
30
I t i s best t o st or e t he camer a i n a case or somet hi ng si mi l ar
when you' r e not usi ng i t . I n t hi s case, make sur e t he camer a' s
shut t er or sel f - t i mer i s not cocked; al so, don' t l eave f i l m i n
t he camer a i f i t i s t o be st or ed f or a l ong per i od of t i me.
Do not l ubr i cat e any par t of t he camer a your sel f ; al l such
wor k shoul d be l ef t t o an aut hor i zed Ni kon deal er or ser vi ce
f aci l i t y.
I t i s good pr act i ce t o t est your camer a f or pr oper oper at i on
bef or e pr ocedi ng t o your shoot i ng assi gnment .
Obser ve nor mal bat t er y handl i ng pr ocedur es t o ensur e your
camer a del i ver s maxi mum per f or mance at al l t i mes: ( 1) I n-
st al l bat t er i es cor r ect l y; ( 2) cl ean t hem per i odi cal l y wi t h a dr y
cl ot h; ( 3) r emove bat t er i es when t he camer a i s st or ed f or a
l ong per i od of t i me; ( 4) st or e unused bat t er i es i n a cool , dr y
pl ace; ( 5) change weak bat t er i es pr ompt l y t o pr event l eakage
wi t hi n t he camer a. Al so, di spose of used bat t er i es pr oper l y
( i . e. , t hey shoul d never be bur nt ) , and keep t hem out of t he
r each of chi l dr en. For det ai l s on bat t er y per f or mance by
br and, r ef er t o t he l i t er at ur e avai l abl e f r om t he manuf act ur er .
MOUNTI NG AND REMOVI NG LENSES
To mount a l ens fi tted wi th a meter coupl i ng ri dge, fi rst
make sur e t hat t he camer a' s met er coupl i ng l ever i s i n
t he nor mal posi t i on ( i . e. , i t pr ot r udes f r om t he camer a' s
l ens mount i ng f l ange) . Posi t i on t he l ens i n t he f l ange so
t hat t he mount i ng i ndex on t he l ens i s al i gned wi t h t he
mount i ng i ndex on t he camer a body. Then, t wi st t he
l ens count er cl ockwi se unt i l i t cl i cks and l ocks i nt o pl ace.
The l ens' maxi mum aper t ur e i s aut omat i cal l y i ndexed t o
t he camer a' s met er as soon as i t i s mount ed.
To mount a l ens not fi tted wi th a meter coupl i ng ri dge,
f i r st make sur e t hat t he camer a' s met er coupl i ng l ever i s
l ocked up out of t he way by pushi ng t he coupl i ng l ever
r el ease and manual l y l i f t i ng t he l ever up. Mount i ng
pr ocedur e i s t he same as descr i bed
pr evi ousl y. Remember
t hat st op- down exposur e measur ement i s r equi r ed f or
l enses of thi s type (see page 26).
To r emove t he l ens f r om t he camer a body, pr ess t he l ens
r el ease but t on and keep i t depr essed whi l e t wi st i ng t he
l ens cl ockwi se as f ar as i t wi l l go. Li f t t he l ens out when
i t comes l oose.
Not e: The Ni kon Fi sheye 6mm f / 5. 6 and OP 10mm f / 5. 6 cannot
be used wi t h t he Ni kon FM, because t he camer a does not have a
pr ovi si on f or l ocki ng t he mi r r or i n t he " up"
posi t i on.
The Ni kon FM' s own compact mot or dr i ve. Handsomel y
f i ni shed i n bl ack and dur abl y const r uct ed, t he MD- 1 1
at t aches t o t he FM i n seconds, r equi r i ng absol ut el y no
modi f i cat i on or speci al adj ust ment of t he camer a body.
Cont i nuous and si ngl e f r ame oper at i on avai l abl e, wi t h a
maxi mum shoot i ng speed of 3. 5 f r ames per
second f r om
11125 sec. t o 1/ . 1000 sec. Fi r i ng speed aut omat i cal l y
adj ust ed as shut t er speed i s adj ust ed. Bui l t - i n bat t er y
pack cont r i but es t o over al l r educed si ze and wei ght .
Fi t t ed wi t h r emot e cont r ol socket f or use wi t h Ni kon
r emot e cont r ol accessor i es such as t he MT- l I nt er val o-
met er and t he MW- 1 Radi o Remot e Cont r ol Set .
) l
tl Camera Cases
Recommended
Di fferent si zes
l enses.
for stori ng camera body and l enses.
avai l abl e t o accommodat e most Ni kkor
ns Hoods
mmended t o pr event ext r aneous l i ght f r om st r i ki ng
t he l ens and causi ng f l ar e and ghost ; al so usef ul f or
pr ot ect i ng t he l ens. Al l ki nds of model s t o mat ch al l
ki nds of Ni kkor l enses.
Fi l t ers
A wi de sel ecti on of si zes and types to meet the needs of
col or or bl ack- and- whi t e phot ogr aphy.
These f i l t er s
wor k best wi t h Ni kkor l enses, and vi ce ver sa. Al so usef ul
for protecti ng the front porti on of the l ens.
33
FEATU RES/ S PECI FICATION
S
Type of camera: 35mm si ngl e-l ens refl ex (SLR)
Pi cture format: 24mm x 36mm (35mm fi l m)
Lens mount: Ni kon F mount (bayonet
type)
Lenses avai l abl e: Ni kkor 50mm f
11. 4, f 12or
55mm t l l . Z
as standard; more than 50 i nterchangeabl e Ni kkor
l enses i n al l
Vi ewi ng system: Fi xed eye-l evel pentapri sm vi ewfi nder
wi th approx. 93% frame coverage; shutter speed
sel ected i ndi cated i n the vi ewfi nder; l ens aperture set-
t i ng i ndi cat ed i n t he vi ewf i nder when l ens i n use i s
fi tted wi th a meter coupl i ng ri dge and an aperture-
di rect-readout l ens aperture scal e; matte Fresnel
focusi ng screen wi th central spl i t-i mage rangefi nder
spot and mi cr opr i sm r i ng ( si mi l ar t o Ni kon Type K
screen)
Expostl Iu., meteri ng: Through-the-l ens, center-wei ghted,
f ul l aper t ur e exposur e measur ement wi t h Ni kkor
l enses fi tted wi th meter coupl i ng ri dge; stop-down ex-
posur e
measur ement appl i es f or ot her l enses; ex-
posure correctl y set by adj usti ng shutter speed andl or
l ens aper t ur e unt i l cor r ect exposur e i ndi cat or LED
l i ght s up; met er cr oss- coupl ed wi t h bot h l ens di a-
phr agm
and shut t er speed cont r ol s; met er i ng r ange
EV 1 t o EV 18 ( i . e. , f
11. 4, 1
sec.
-
f
116, 111000
sec. )
wi t h 50mm f
11. 4
l ens at ASA 100; bui l t - i n met er
coupl i ng l ever can be l ocked up, enabl i ng use wi t h
bot h Al - t ype and non- Al - t ype Ni kkor l enses; ASA
r ange 12
-
3200; aper t ur e coupl i ng r ange f
11. 2
-
34
tl 32; meter powered by two 1.5 si l ver-oxi de batteri es
Shut t er : Ver t i cal - t r avel f ocal - pl ane shut t er wi t h speeds
f r om 1 t o 111000 sec. , pl us "B"
Ref l ex mi r r or : Aut omat i c i nst ant - r et ur n t ype
Sef f - t i mer : Can be set f or appr ox. 8
-
14 sec. del ay;
set t i ng "cancel l abl e"
Fi l m advance l ever: Si ngl e-stroke type; 30" stand-off
posi t i on swi t ches met er on ( f l ush posi t i on swi t ches
met er of f ) ; 135" wi ndi ng angl e
Fr ar , , - Lount er : Addi t i ve t ype; aut omat i cal l y r eset s t o
"S, " t wo f r ames bef or e "0, " when camer a back i s
opened
Ff ash synchroni zati on: Bui l t-i n ISO-type hot-shoe
contact wi th safety swi tch for synchroni zati on wi th
el ect r oni c f l ash uni t s at speeds up t o 11125 sec. ; sync
t er mi nal pr ovi ded
Fi l nl r r ' , , , . , . i " Manual cr ank- t ype
Camer a back: Hi nged, swi ng- open t ype; r emovabl e;
memo hol der pr ovi ded
Di mensi ons: Appr ox. 142mm x 89. 5mm x 60. 5mm
Wei ght : Appr ox. 5909 ( body onl y)
:
I
l
:
I
riffi
A I t-tt)t 9la v > /tt E & = a h ). . * 74
( : R t )
2f i 6 t t CJ. ' Y, t h ) / z f r 7< a>
gH
=tigm
v z t- (*ffi8
nR ) a +F L -L-ff t-
tr;t[q tB
t/
=
ti
a
(
ta u'" ;=$ fiE(l{F ffi iH,
FJ*
&: EFR( 11AL\ O
I MPORTANT
Be sur e t o l ock up t he camer a' s bui l t - i n
met er coupl i ng l ever
( see
i l l ust r at i ons at
t he back) bef ore you mount a l ens or
accessory not fi tted wi th a meter cou-
pl i ng r i dge on i t . Ref er t o t he camer a' s
i nst r uct i on manual f or det ai l s.
ACHTUNG
Vor Aufsetzen des Obj eckti vs oder
Zubehors ohne Bl endenmi t nehmer f i . i r
Al , zuni chst Bl endenmi t nehmer
(
kamer a-
sei t i g) sper r en. Fi i r Ei nzel hei t en ver -
wei sen wi r Si e auf di e Gebrauchsan-
wei sung. Vergl ei chen Si e auch di e Ab-
bi l dungen auf der Ri i cksei t e.
TRES I MPORTANT
Ne manquez pas
de ver r oui l l er l e l evi er
de coupl age phot omdt r i que en haut ,
comme i l l ust rd au verso, avant de
mont er l ' obj ect i f ou accessoi re sans
i ndex de coupl age
phot om6t r i que i n-
t erne. Report ez-vous au mode d' empl oi
pour pl u9. de d6t ai l s.
PRECAUCI ON I MPORTANTE
Aseg0rese de f i j ar arri ba l a pal anca de
acopl ami ent o al exposi met ro
(vdase
l as
i l ust r aci ones at r ds) ant es de mont ar el
obj et i vo o accesori o que no t i enen
pro-
t uber anci a de acopl ami ent o. Consul t e el
manual de i nst rucci ones
para mayores
det al l es.
Nikorl
Pr i nt ed i n Japan
( 80. 2. JOl '
&- 12
IMPORTANT!
The camera body you have purchased i s packaged
separatel y from the l ens. Before mounti ng the l ens,
check i f i t i s capabl e of Aut omat i c Maxi mum Aper-
t ure I ndexi ng (Al ) operat i on wi t h your camera body
by veri f yi ng t hat t he l ens' apert ure ri ng i s f i t t ed wi t h
a met er coupl i ng ri dge as i l l ust rat ed t o t he ri ght . Not e
t hat t he
(t Ai
" mark on t he cover of t he i nst ruct i on
sheet provi ded wi t h Al Ni kkor l enses i s your assur-
ance that the l ens offers the Al feature.
l f t he l ens i s f i t t ed wi t h t he met er coupl i ng ri dge, i t i s
f ul l y capabl e of f ul l -apert ure exposure measurement
and aut omat i c maxi mum apert ure i ndexi ng; t o at t ach
i t t o t he camera, f ol l ow t he di rect i ons provi ded i n t he
fens mounti ng secti on of the camera body i nstructi on
manual .
l f t he l ens i s. non-Al , st op-down exposure measure-
ment i s requi red wi t h t he camera body' s met er cou-
pl i ng l ever l ocked up; t o l ock up t he l ever, f ol l ow t he
di rect i ons i n t he st op-down exposure measurement
sect i on of t he camera body i nst ruct i gn manual . Then
attach the l ens accordi ng to the i nstructi ons pro' i ,i ded
i n t he l ens mount i ng sect i on.
Not e: The modi f i cat i on at r easonabl e cost of most non- Al
Ni kkor l enses havi ng bot h an aut omat i c di aphr agm and
met er coupl i ng pr ong i s avai l abl e f or t he conveni ence of
Ni kkor l ens user s. For f ur t her i nf or mat i on concer ni ng l ens
modi f i cat i on, pl ease cont act your l ocal aut hor i zed Ni kon
deal er .
Nikon
Pr i nt ed i n Japan
( 79. 1. EO)