Nikomat EL $20 Bargain Find

[Mark Vaughan]

Hello -

I've been absent for a while. I was dedicating all of my free time to rebuilding an old car and just got back into collecting. First camera out of the gate on my way back into the game. Drum roll, please....



It's like new. Not a scratch. The lens was the real treat.



If you own Nikomats / Nikkormats - then you know about the #1 problem with these brilliant cameras that they don't tell you about in the manual: Be careful not to drop it on your foot!!! I am shocked at the bulk every time I pick one up.

I found this on Craigslist a few miles from home with a pristine non-AI Nikkor 50mm f1.4 for the grand total of $20 for everything you see.

Regards,
Mark

[Deleted]

I had a near mint EL several years ago that I sold to a collector in Israel for $300 plus shipping and insurance, And yes, they are VERY heavy.

There are a lot of bargains on local Craigslists although there are also people trying to sell 35mm SLRs for What they paid for them new 20 years ago. On the local CL someone has been offering a Nikon FM for $175 for about six months now.

W.

[nikonbob]

Back in a big way I would say, very nice find. They are heavy enough to use as a boat anchor should they ever quit working. What car did you rebuild?

Bob

[tsiya]

That is one pretty piece of gear!
Ditto on Craigslist prices, some of them are laughable.

[Mark Vaughan]

I've always said that I'll get my FM3A, Nikomat FS, or sweet F on CL when some kid cleans out dads closet and lets it go for $100. You're right though - some of the CL prices are funny. Even better, there's a guy on Dallas Craigslist selling an EM for $150. I wouldn't buy a dozen EM's for a buck-fifty... I have two - and that's plenty (mainly bought them to get the glass that came with them).

Bob - I restored a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera (Targa). I'll have to post a few pictures.

[Deleted]

I've seem FM 10s being offered for $175--they weren't even built by Nikon!. Now I have some of the Nikons I could never afford in the old days -- Two Fs and F2, and FM and my last acquisition, an FA. Now the trouble is I don't use them, I just HAVE them. And selling them wouldn't get me much more than postage. I guess my kids will have to figure out what to do with them and my 50-odd Soviet cameras when I go to that bi Photoshop in the sky.

Here's a shot I took of a Nikon I did have back in the day. Wish I still had it. Then I would have another film camera I never use.



W.

[nikonbob]

Classy resto, can't wait to see the photos.

Bob

[photax]

Hi Mark, Welcome back ! An extraordinary price for an excellent lens ( camera ). I handed my 1.4 / 50 to my son. Porsche Targa sounds good too. You have to show us some pictures !

MIK

[Mark Vaughan]

Wayne,

Your old F truly was a "Grande Dame". I wish you still had it too! I have two F's (working FTn's both). But one of my bodies is worn out - no shutter accurracy below 1/8 second. Here's the one that is working:





It's SN 7034818 (circa 1970-71) with a working FTn meter. The lens is special to me though: it's an almost pristine Nikkor-S Auto, 50mm, f1.4 from 1966.

[Deleted]

I have two Fs-- one with the FT finder and one Ftn. The FTn's mirror is badly checked but the shutter is good. The FT's shutter is OK but the film counter doesn't work. I would swap the FTn finder onto the onther body but they aren't interchangeable. There's a slight difference in the ways the finders fit.

W

[Mark Vaughan]

Wayne - I wonder if it's "too late" to send your older F in to Nikon and have them do the "Red Dot" conversion on it so that the FTn finder would fit? Wouldn't it be a hoot to see their expression when an old, lowly F arrives in the mail...? Funny thing though, if they could / would do it for you, your camera would triple in value overnight. Those Red Dot modified F's are really collectible. What's your old F's SN? Mark