About the product.
The rarest Nikkormat, and arguably the most useful. The Nikkormat FT3 appeared in 1977 as the last fully mechanical camera to wear the name, and it exists for one reason: Nikon had just introduced the AI (Automatic Indexing) mount, and the FT3 was the only Nikkormat built to use it. No more coupling prong, no more "Nikon shuffle" of twisting the aperture ring to index the meter — you mount the lens and shoot. Nikon released the far more compact FM the same year, which meant the FT3 was in production for barely a year or two, reportedly the shortest run of any Nikon SLR. Everything else is pure Nikkormat: a mechanically timed Copal Square S vertical metal shutter that runs without a battery, a stainless steel bayonet, a shutter speed ring around the lens mount instead of a top dial, and roughly 750g of brass and steel that feels like it was machined rather than assembled.
Paired here with the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D — a modern autofocus prime that, because it retains an aperture ring and AI coupling, mounts and meters perfectly on the FT3 in manual focus. Put it on an F100, an F5 or an FX digital body later and it autofocuses. One lens, two eras.
Specifications
- Type: 35mm SLR, fully mechanical, manual exposure
- Mount: Nikon F with AI coupling — the only Nikkormat with it. Non-AI lenses usable via stop-down metering
- Shutter: Copal Square S vertical-travel metal focal plane, 1sec to 1/1000sec plus Bulb — runs without a battery
- Metering: TTL centre-weighted CdS with match-needle display in the finder and on the top plate
- Flash sync: 1/125sec, hot shoe plus PC socket
- Extras: Mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview, self-timer
- Power: One 1.5V silver oxide cell — for the meter only
- Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, 6 elements in 5 groups, 52mm filter thread, minimum focus 0.45m, with aperture ring
- Produced: 1977 to 1979, the shortest production run of any Nikon SLR
- Weight: Approximately 750g body only
Condition
- Cosmetic: Excellent++ on both body and lens. Very well maintained, minimal signs of age or use. Super clean optics.
- Functional: Both fully functional, including the light meter. Lens operates smoothly.
Included
- Nikkormat FT3 body
- Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens
In short
Worth being clear on one point: the 50mm f/1.8D is an autofocus lens, but the FT3 has no autofocus motor, so on this body you focus by hand. That is how the camera was meant to be used anyway, and the pairing means the lens grows with you if a Nikon autofocus body joins the shelf later. The FT3 itself needs a battery only for the meter — everything mechanical works regardless.
