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 FM Black is the black-finished variant of the 1977 FM, Nikon's first compact mechanical SLR. Specifications match the chrome FM exactly: mechanical vertical-travel metal-blade shutter from 1s to 1/1000s, TTL center-weighted CdS metering with a three-LED viewfinder display, AI lens coupling, and full mechanical operation without batteries. The battery drives only the meter -- the shutter fires and advances at every speed without them. Black-finish FM bodies were available from launch at a small premium and were the preferred choice for working photographers, press, and photojournalists who favored a lower-profile 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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Before you buy used
About this camera
The original mechanical FM in black - fully battery-independent, AI-coupled, and built to last.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI / AI-S) |
| Years | 1977-1982 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, mechanical vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted CdS, 3-LED display |
| Modes | Manual |
| Mechanical fallback | Full -- all speeds, no battery needed |
| Weight | ~590 g |
| Battery | 2x SR44 / LR44 (meter only) |
| Finish | Black paint over copper-aluminum alloy |
Nikon launched the FM in 1977 to replace the Nikkormat FT line, offering a more compact body with AI lens coupling. Both chrome and black finish bodies were available from the outset. Production ran five years until 1982, when the FM2 (titanium shutter, 1/4000s top speed) took over. The FM Black was never separately designated -- it is the black production run of the standard FM. It established the design language that carried through the FM2, FE2, FA, and eventually the FM3A (2001), all sharing the same fundamental body dimensions and handling.
The black FM is the working-photographer configuration of the most important Nikon body of the late 1970s. Fully mechanical in an era when electronic cameras were proliferating, it offered photojournalists a body that would fire in the cold, with dead batteries, or under punishing conditions. The AI coupling placed it at the front of Nikon's lens transition -- it was the first compact Nikon body designed for AI glass from the ground up.
Versus chrome FM: identical in every functional respect; the black finish carries a modest premium on the used market due to association with professional use. Versus black FM2: same handling, slower top speed (1/1000s vs 1/4000s), CdS vs silicon meter -- lower cost for photographers who don't need 1/4000s.
Nikon F mount. AI and AI-S lenses meter correctly. Pre-AI lenses cannot be mounted (no flip-up AI tab). AF Nikkors mount and focus manually. Compatible motor drive: MD-12 (provides winding and up to ~3.5 fps). MF-12 data back. Flash: SB-15, SB-16B in manual; no TTL capability on the FM generation.
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.
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