INTRODUCTION

The Nikomat FT is the same camera as the Nikkormat FT. The Nikomat brand was for Japan only, and Nikkormat for the rest of the World.

The Nikomat FT was made in Japan by Nikon between 1965 and 1967.

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PERSONAL NOTES

The Nikomat FT feels like a cheap version of the Nikon F2, and it is. It can be somewhat cumbersome to mount a lens on the Nikomat. It's easier to mount a lens on a Nikon F or Nikon F2 than on a Nikomat. On the Nikomat you have to align not only the the white dot, but also the aperture prong too.

The focussing screen that is provived with the camera does not have a split screen, only microprisms, so focussing is somewhat difficult.

The design of the Nikomat is different than other Nikon SLRs, there is no speed dial on the top plate. Instead, it's located on the lens mount, like the Olympus OM series of cameras. Was Nikon trying to copy Olympus?

There is another small flaw. When I hold and carry around a camera, I usually have my right thumb between the film advance lever and the camera body, this helps to carry the weight of the camera. I almost never use a camera strap, so the thumb under the film advance lever has become my usual way of carying around cameras. It's similar to the "thumb rest" you buy to better hold a digital rangefinder, similar feeling. I saw on some camera models that when your thumb is between the camera body and the film advance lever, if you are at the end of the movement of the lever, the shutter button won't move, you have to remove some pressure on the film advance lever in order to engage the shutter. The Nikomat is very sensitive to this, so you will miss some shots.

CONCLUSION

If you are a camera collector, the Nikomat can be of some interest. It's also good to shoot with, but for a bit more money, I would get a Nikon FE or Nikon FM2n instead.

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