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 EL2 (1977) is the last camera in the Nikkormat series, and the first Nikkormat body to support Nikon's AI (Automatic Indexing) lens coupling introduced that same year. It is a direct development of the Nikkormat EL (1972) and ELW (1976), retaining the horizontally travelling cloth focal-plane shutter with stepless electronic speed control, aperture-priority AE, and silicon photocell TTL metering. The critical difference from its predecessors is the addition of the AI coupling ridge on the body mount, allowing AI-indexed Nikkor lenses to register their maximum aperture automatically without the earlier prong-indexing procedure. The shutter is electronically controlled and requires the 6V battery for all operations beyond a fixed emergency speed of approximately 1/90s. The EL2 was produced for a short period before being effectively replaced in Nikon's lineup by the Nikon FE (1978), which shared similar AE capability in a smaller, lighter body.
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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About this camera
The final Nikkormat: aperture-priority AE with full AI coupling, closing the line just before the Nikon FE took over.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI-coupled) |
| Years | 1977-1979 |
| Shutter | 8s - 1/1000s + B, electronic horizontal cloth focal-plane |
| Flash sync | X: 1/125s |
| Meter | SPD center-weighted TTL, AI-coupled |
| Modes | Aperture-priority AE, manual |
| Viewfinder | ~92% coverage |
| Battery | 1x 6V 4SR44 (required; ~1/90s mechanical fallback only) |
| Weight | ~ |
The Nikkormat EL line began in 1972 when Nikon added aperture-priority automatic exposure to the Nikkormat series. The original EL used Non-AI coupling via the standard aperture-indexing prong. The ELW (1976) added a motor-drive coupling socket to the same basic camera. The EL2 (1977) updated the body to accept AI-indexed Nikkor lenses natively, adding the coupling ridge to the mount ring at the same time Nikon introduced the AI standard across its professional lens range.
The EL2's production life was brief - approximately 1977 to 1979 - because the Nikon FE (1978) offered comparable AE functionality in a lighter, more modern body design while also supporting AI coupling. The FE used a vertical metal shutter with 1/1000s ceiling and added a 1/90s true mechanical fallback speed. The Nikkormat name was retired with the EL2; subsequent Nikon consumer bodies carried the Nikon FE, FM, and EM designations.
The Nikkormat FT3 (1977) was the manual-exposure counterpart introduced alongside the EL2, also featuring AI coupling.
The Nikkormat EL2 represents the convergence of two important threads in Nikon's 1977 product year: the final Nikkormat and the first Nikkormat to speak AI. For photographers who had built a Nikkormat-based system using Non-AI Nikkors through the early 1970s, the EL2 offered a path to AI lens compatibility without abandoning the familiar Nikkormat form factor or the aperture-priority automation they had adopted with the EL.
For collectors and historians the EL2 marks the end of the Nikkormat era - a line that began in 1965 and served serious amateurs throughout one of photography's most dynamic decades. The EL2's short run makes it less common than the EL or ELW, and it is the only Nikkormat body offering both AI coupling and AE, which makes it the practical peak of the series.
Nikon F mount with AI coupling. AI and AI-S Nikkor lenses register aperture automatically via the coupling ridge. Non-AI (pre-AI) Nikkor lenses can be mounted and used with stop-down metering; the AI ridge must be cleared (the traditional prong-indexing procedure does not apply in the same way as on earlier Nikkormats). Best contemporary pairings include the AI Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, AI Nikkor 28mm f/2.8, and AI Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 - all introduced or updated to AI standard in 1977.
The EL2 does not accept the F2's MD-1 or MD-2 motor drives directly. Motor drive coupling via the ELW-inherited socket may be compatible with specific winder accessories; . Standard accessories: cable release socket, hot shoe, PC sync socket at 1/125s.
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 EL2
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