Still, this unfair tarnishing of the FG’s image has created a great situation for would-be Nikon shooters who are put off by price: The FG remains a bargain among manual-focus Nikon SLRs. The exposure compensation dial can also be easily adjusted while looking through the lens. While not quite as light as the Pentax M-series cameras-my favorite walk-about bodies-the FG has a better control layout: The edge of the shutter speed dial sits proud of the camera’s front edge, so you can turn it with your shutter-button finger. I like my SLRs small and light, and the FG is a significant three ounces lighter than the Nikon FE. That’s unfortunate because those unable to get past the FG’s un-Nikon-like feel are missing out on a magnificent camera. It just doesn’t feel like a proper Nikon, and I’m sure that’s a big part of why it alienated the fan base. Compared to the refined feel of other Nikons, the FG is more Holga than Hasselblad. Winding it feels like manipulating a broken finger, and when the film is fully advanced, the clutchamathingie that makes the ratcheting action work stops the lever’s travel with a most un-Nikon-like clack. The film advance is just plain weird: It has a two-piece hinged lever and a ratcheting design which allows the film to be advanced in several short strokes rather than one big one. Ingenious workaround enables new tech on old lenses Competing cameras included the Canon AE-1 Program, which sold retail for $170, and the Minolta X-700 at $195. For comparison, retailers were getting $99 for an EM, $205 for an FE, and $435 for an F3. The 1982 price for the FG was $322, but major retailers advertised it for as low as $185 (about $560 in 2022 dollars). (It’s worth noting that when the FG-20 replaced the FG in 1985, the Program and OTF flash features were gone, transplanted to the high-end Nikon FA.) It also offers off-the-film (OTF) flash metering, a feature borrowed from the pro-level F3. The FG was the first Nikon camera to offer a fully-automatic “program” mode, which set both shutter speed and aperture in stepless increments. Shutter speed range: 1/1000 to 1 sec (stepless in auto modes) + Bulbīut it was the innovations over and above other Nikon cameras that really set the FG apart.Shutter type: Metal leaf, vertical travel, electronically timed.Focusing aids: Horizontal split prism, microprism.
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