Is this a good buy?

[Yebisu]

Hi guys

I'm kind of new new to using film camera so I thought I'd check here first. I saw a Nikon FE with 50 1.4 Ai for 15,000 yen (150 USD) in a store today. I didn't buy it but now I'm regretting it.

The lens was in really good condition (tested it on my D3000 in the shop).

The camera seemed in good condition too, as far as I can tell, but I've got no experience. It was clean with no dents. There were batteries in it and the shutter was OK. The meter seemed OK too. The seals seemed brand new so it looked like it had been serviced recently. I asked the guy in the shop and he new nothing. Got him down to 13,000 yen but it's not a camera shop so I spending 130 USD seems like a risk.

I might go back to that area tomorrow (a little out of my way though) Is it a good buy?

[Attila]

This is lens price only on Ebay.

[Yebisu]

Thanks Atilla. I went back and bought the Nikon FE and Ai 50/1.4. The lens isn't in as mint condition as I thought but it is still in good enough condition. The camera is in great condition. I'll post some pics later.

[cooltouch]

The FE is a very sweet camera. For an introduction into the world of film cameras and mf lenses, I can't think of many that would be better. It is very accurate when set to "A" for 'Aperture Priority AE', but I like it in manual mode even better, where it employs match-needle metering.

I think $150 is about right for a clean FE and a 50/1.4 that has a fair amount of wear on it. You can figure the lens is probably worth about $75-90 if it has a fair amount of cosmetic wear, and clean FEs can easily go for $70-80. Sometimes more. Especially if they're black.

[Attila]

I look forward your shoots! I believe you made right decision and you will just love this fine set.

[Seele]

Before putting a film through it, it is best to give it the usual check, and you may have to replace the foam rubber seals and mirror damper too. Another point worth checking is that it should have a matching focussing screen, not one for the FE2: if the little "handle" hasn't got a slot in the middle then you are good to go.

[Yebisu]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I put an out of date roll through it and got it developed and scanned to CD. Everything was OK apart from the colors looking a little strange . Most of the pictures aren't that good but I'll put that down to user error. I'll post some in the MF galleries thread.