Nikon FM2 - Design History

Design History

The 1970s and 1980s were an era of intense competition between the major SLR brands: Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax and Olympus. Between circa 1975 to 1985, there was a dramatic shift away from heavy all-metal manual mechanical camera bodies to much more compact bodies with integrated circuit (IC) electronic automation. In addition, because of rapid advances in electronics, the brands continually leapfrogged each other with models that had new or more automatic features. SLR camera manufacturers were attempting to expand from the high-end professional and semi-professional market to the growing consumer market. The latter desired an affordable, yet full-featured 35 mm camera, but were intimidated by the need to learn the intricacies of operating a traditional SLR.

Against this backdrop, the FM2 may have seemed an anachronism, yet it sold well. It was a reliable, durable mechanical camera in a time of ever-increasing electronic automation, and often, less durable construction. The FM2 was not designed for budget-minded snapshooters who would never bother to learn to utilize shutter-speeds and aperture settings, but rather was intended to appeal to serious photographers who demanded a tough, rugged camera. Nippon Kogaku believed that advanced photographers were not interested in every possible automated bell and whistle, but rather in high quality and precision worksmanship.

The FM2 remained in limited production until 2001, long after many other more complex electronic designs from the 1980s had not only left the market, but become inoperable. Time has proven the FM2 to be very tough and reliable and it is regarded as one of the best built and rugged mechanical 35 mm cameras of all time. Many professional photographers continue to use the FM2 as a backup camera, both because of its ruggedness and because it is capable of full mechanical operation with all features except the light meter, even without a battery.