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 FA (1983) is a full-featured 35mm SLR that introduced Automatic Multi-Pattern (AMP) metering to production cameras - a segmented metering system that analyzes the scene across five zones and selects an exposure strategy, reducing the need for manual exposure compensation in high-contrast situations. It offers all four major exposure modes: aperture-priority, shutter-priority, programmed auto, and full manual, making it one of the most capable consumer-grade Nikon bodies of its era. The FA requires AI-S lenses for full shutter-priority and program functionality; AI lenses work in aperture-priority and manual only. The shutter is electronically controlled titanium vertical-travel with a 1/4000s top speed and 1/250s flash sync.
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.
View profile →BW
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 camera with multi-pattern metering - Nikon's AI-S flagship that could think about light the way a photographer does.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI-S for full modes) |
| Years | 1983-1988 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/4000s + B, electronic titanium vertical focal-plane |
| Flash sync | X: 1/250s |
| Meter | AMP (5-segment multi-pattern) + center-weighted + spot TTL |
| Modes | Aperture-priority, shutter-priority, program, manual |
| Viewfinder | 93% coverage, 0.86x |
| Battery | 2x AA (1/250s mechanical fallback) |
| Weight | 560 g |
Nikon introduced the FA in October 1983 alongside the FM2 and FE2, positioning it as the technological flagship of the consumer line. Its central innovation - multi-pattern metering - was developed in collaboration with research that analyzed how professional photographers judged exposure in the field. The system used five metering segments and a lookup table of scene types to bias the exposure calculation toward the subject rather than the background. This approach, which Nikon called AMP, predated Canon's evaluative metering and influenced nearly every subsequent camera manufacturer's approach to automatic exposure. The FA was discontinued around 1988 as autofocus bodies (F-501, F-401) captured the market. A titanium-body variant, the FA Titanium, was also produced in limited numbers.
The FA's multi-pattern metering was genuinely influential. When it launched, metering systems were either center-weighted (biased toward the middle of the frame) or spot (one small area). AMP's scene-analysis approach was new and practical - it reduced blown highlights in backlit portraits and improved accuracy in landscapes with bright skies. Canon, Minolta, Olympus, and Pentax all introduced their own multi-pattern or evaluative systems within a few years. For film shooters today, the FA is underappreciated: it offers the metering intelligence of a modern camera in a manual-focus body with full compatibility with the enormous AI-S Nikkor lens range.
Nikon F mount. AI-S lenses unlock all four exposure modes and allow the AMP metering to work correctly. AI lenses function in aperture-priority and manual modes. Non-AI lenses require modification or stop-down metering. Strong pairings: Nikkor AI-S 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4 AI-S, 35mm f/2 AI-S, and the 105mm f/2.5 AI. The FA accepts the MD-15 motor drive (4.5 fps) and the SB-series Speedlights for TTL flash.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Nikon FA
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