Nikkormat / Nikomat

More basic body than the Nikon F but same lenses.

**Nikkormat FTN, 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S** (Color photos of the camera were made with a Nikon F, 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor-P.C, and Portra 400.)

**Anime figurine** Nikomat FTN, 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H, Lomography Fantôme 8, 2024.

Nikomat, Nikkormat… What’s the difference?

The cameras are identical except for the nameplate on the prism. In Japan it was the Nikomat, elsewhere it was the Nikkormat. Putting this into car enthusiast lingo:

—> The Nikomat is the JDM version.

**Valentine’s Day** Rockville, Md. Nikomat FTN, 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H, Tri-X, 1990s.

Nikomat v. Nikon F

The Nikomat was a way to use Nikon F lenses with a less expensive body. Compared to the Nikon F, the Nikomat has:

No modularity. Prisms and focus screens are not interchangeable modules.
No split image focusing (until the FT2 model or later).
An integral light meter (the Nikon F’s meter is part of the detachable prism).
A shutter of a different design, made by Copal rather than Nikon.
Foam seals in the rear door. The Nikon F has a removing back with metal-to-metal fit instead of a rear door.
Approximately equal size and weight and from what I can tell, nearly equally heavy-duty construction.

**Washington, D.C.** Georgetown Nikomat FTN, 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H, FP4+, 2024.

Design and use

The first Nikomat was introduced by Nikon in 1965 and went through a series of model iterations through the mid-1970s. Both of mine are the second-generation FTN which appeared c. 1967. It sold well, was in production a long time, and is not hard to find today. It wasn’t until 1975 that the next model, the FT2, came out. (McKeown, 1996).

This is an all-mechanical, manual exposure SLR. The battery is only for the meter, so I leave it out and use a hand-held meter or the sunny 16 rule.

A rugged, high performance machine

‘Costing roughly the same as a comparable Pentax, each successive Nikkormat model was unarguably heavier, tougher, and a more ‘professional’ feeling camera than the Pentax’ (Matanle, 1996).

Style

The Nikomat is a well-known camera with some style, but it is not nearly as recognizable as the Nikon F.

**Swoosh hair.** Bethesda, Md. Nikomat FTN, 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H, Lomography Fantôme 8, 2024.

Controls

The shutter speed control is a little odd; it’s not the usual dial on the top plate. Instead, there’s a collar around the lens mount, similar to the (later) Olympus OM-1. The film sensitivity (ASA/ISO) is set with a sliding tab, also located on a collar around the lens mount.

I like the lens-collar shutter speed control. It puts the three essential picture-taking controls (focus, aperture, shutter speed) in one place — lens-centric. Although I’d say this idea is better executed on the Olympus OM-1.

**Rainy afternoon.** Bethesda, Md. Nikkormat FTN, 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S, HP5+, 2023.

Maintenance and repair

I replaced the mirror bumper foam on the Nikkormat, that’s it. A simple job and I did it myself.

References / further reading

Camera manual: orphancameras.com

More references:

Long, B. Nikon: A Celebration, 3rd ed. Ramsbury, England: Crowood Press.

p. 65: ‘The Nikomat series was actually far more important in historical terms than many collectors realize’.

Matanle, I. 1996. Collecting and Using Classic SLRs. New York: Thames and Hudson.

McKeown, J.M. and J.C. 1996. McKeown’s Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 1997-1998. Grantsburg, Wis.: Centennial Photo.

p. 338: ‘The Nikkormat name never had the snob appeal of the Nikon F, and was considered by many to be the ‘poor cousin’. Those of us who used them knew otherwise… Rugged, workhorse cameras!’