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 FE (1978) is the aperture-priority companion to the manual-only FM. Same body chassis, same vertical-metal shutter, but with electronic shutter timing and AE (you set aperture, camera picks shutter from 8s to 1/1000s). The viewfinder uses a **match-needle meter** rather than the FM's LEDs — the needle on the right shows what the camera will choose; you can override by setting your shutter manually to compare.
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.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The aperture-priority sibling of the FM. Same body, electronic shutter, match-needle meter — an early classic.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI / AI-S) |
| Years | 1978–1983 |
| Shutter | 8s – 1/1000s, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted silicon, match-needle |
| Modes | Aperture priority, manual |
| Mechanical fallback | M90 (1/90s), B |
| Weight | 590 g |
| Battery | 2× SR44 |
Released 1978 alongside the FM. Production ran 5 years until 1983, when the FE2 (titanium shutter to 1/4000s, TTL flash) succeeded it. Like the FM, it shared the body chassis with the FA (1983) and the FM3A (2001). The original FE is the first body in the line — distinct from the much-loved FE2.
For Nikon photographers who want aperture-priority on an early-period body, the FE is the entry point. Used at $120–280, it's cheaper than an FE2 and gives you the same body shape as the FM2/FM3A. The match-needle meter is genuinely useful for visualizing how exposure will change with aperture adjustments — many photographers prefer it to LED-only displays.
The trade-off vs FE2: slower shutter (1/1000s vs 1/4000s), slower flash sync (1/125s vs 1/250s), no TTL flash.
F-mount: AI / AI-S meter. AF Nikkors mount in manual focus. Pre-AI cannot mount (no flip-up tab). MD-12 motor drive, MF-12 data back, SB-10 / SB-15 flash.
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 FE
Image coming soon