In the year 2000, which was the Chinese Year of the Dragon Nikon produced a limited series of 2000 (regular) Nikon FM2 with a symbol on its front. Each camera came with a (regular) Nikkor 1.4/50 mm. Having the same serial number (xxxx/2000) as the camera body. By the end of 1991 #2230000 was issued; last serial numbers at the end of the last production year (1996) are in the #26xxxxx-range. Nikon F4 (body + DP-20 + MB-20) The basic camera, called Nikon F4, has a handgrip with battery compartment MB-20 (four normal AA-batteries).
Nikon Serial Number Check
Here is a link that will help you out.The serial number will help narrow down the years produced if there are several iterations. I own a large number of old MF and AF lenses, some of which I bought used. In this Nikon Z7 II review learn how this new camera is similar to the original Z7 and how it makes improvements upon the original. Some people have asked me about a NIKON F5 Serial number & Manufacturers date guide. For all those interested, here are the details for the NIKON F5: Serial/Number Manufacture/DATE 3033XXX LATE 1996 30329XX JUN 1997 30372XX MAY 1997 303XXXX SEP 1997 306XXXX LATE 1997 3102XXX LATE 1998 315XXXX DEC 1999 3134XXX AUG 2000 3167XXX AUG 2001 32111XX.
Just like any product with a serial number, the one found on your Nikon lens is a way to identify the model. Unlike cars and other larger items, the serial number on a Nikon DSLR lens can repeat on the same models. A lens serial number gives you and potential repairers a chance to look up more information about the lens you own. Sometimes the serial numbers are even used repeatedly and on different models and the length of the numbers differs depending on when the lenses were produced. This can be very confusing for most people and understandably so. Typically, a serial number will have 6 digits, but when production of the lens goes beyond 999,999 the length of the number will vary. The most important part of the Nikon lens serial number is the first digit. This gives an indication of where it was made. Here is a rundown of what the first digit means: 1 – Unused by Nikon unless for prototypes 2 – Made in Japan 3 – Made in the USA 4 – Made in Europe but not the UK 5 – Made in Canada 6 – Made in New Zealand or Australia 7 – Made in Asia but not Japan 8 – Make in the United Kingdom 9 – Unused by Nikon The first number on the Nikon lens serial number typically indicates where it was made and the following number is the product number. This is why lenses that have reached production over 999,999 have a different serial number length. Today this format isn't very strictly followed anymore because more and more lenses are produced by Nikon. This is just a guide of what you can expect from looking at the serial number on your Nikon lens.Where To Find an How to Check Nikon Lens Serial Numbers
Now that you have some understanding about serial numbers you might be curious about how to check Nikon lens serial numbers on your own Nikon lens. Serial numbers can be found in different places on your lens. They do not have a standard location, but they are fairly easy to find. Just have a look at your Nikon lens and scan the surface. The serial number can be easily found because it is usually printed in white to help it stand out from the black lens. Some might be found on the body of the lens while others are on the glass. Have a look around and you will eventually find the serial number. If you are having trouble with finding the serial number on your lens due to the numbers being scratched out from wear and tear, check the original box it came in. The box will usually include the lens's serial number.Nikon Fe Serial Number Year Chart 2018
What To Do With A Nikon Lens Serial Number
Most people only pay attention to the lens's serial number when they bring it in for repairs or when the lens is stolen. Although those are the important times to really have a look at your Nikon lens serial number, there are ways to check Nikon lens serial numbers online. You can find websites that can give you helpful information about your Nikon lens. Information like production date, status of production, whether or not the model has been discontinued and other interesting facts about the Nikon lens you own are available if you know where to look. Another major benefit of finding the serial number on your Nikon lens is to check to see if you have bought an original product or a fake. With so many fake products on the market, you cannot be too sure if you have purchased an original Nikon lens or a fake one. With a serial number, you can double-check with Nikon to see if the lens you have is an original.Conclusion
Check your Nikon lens for the serial number and try searching for it online. There isn't a large database available, but you can find a lot of information. If you are suspicious about the new Nikon lens you bought because the serial number doesn't look right, contact the seller or check with Nikon to confirm. A serial number might just look like a bunch of numbers, but those numbers mean something, so it's worth knowing how to check Nikon lens serial numbers.
What To Do With A Nikon Lens Serial Number
Most people only pay attention to the lens's serial number when they bring it in for repairs or when the lens is stolen. Although those are the important times to really have a look at your Nikon lens serial number, there are ways to check Nikon lens serial numbers online. You can find websites that can give you helpful information about your Nikon lens. Information like production date, status of production, whether or not the model has been discontinued and other interesting facts about the Nikon lens you own are available if you know where to look. Another major benefit of finding the serial number on your Nikon lens is to check to see if you have bought an original product or a fake. With so many fake products on the market, you cannot be too sure if you have purchased an original Nikon lens or a fake one. With a serial number, you can double-check with Nikon to see if the lens you have is an original.Conclusion
Check your Nikon lens for the serial number and try searching for it online. There isn't a large database available, but you can find a lot of information. If you are suspicious about the new Nikon lens you bought because the serial number doesn't look right, contact the seller or check with Nikon to confirm. A serial number might just look like a bunch of numbers, but those numbers mean something, so it's worth knowing how to check Nikon lens serial numbers.Excellence in Execution - The Nikon FEGemini compressor manual. Yamudiki mogudu 1988 video songs free download. 5/15/2018 Updated July 23, 2020 At first glance, the FE (along with its slightly-older sister the FM) is as nondescript a Nikon as there ever was. Its specifications are nothing out of the ordinary for a late-'70s enthusiast SLR: 1/1000 sec. fastest shutter speed, Nikon's venerable 60/40 centerweighted metering, sub-600 gram weight, and a seeming dearth of innovation. Looks? Nothing to see here people..move along..move along. Flanking the classic Nikon logo on the pentaprism housing are two virgin swathes of metal betraying no clue as to the identity of this wallflower. Only once you go to bring the camera to your eye is there the possibility of positive identification, that is, if your right thumb isn't already covering the tiny 'FE' that precedes the serial number on the rear of the top plate. But don't sleep on the FE, there is more here than meets the eye ;-). Origins and Influence Nikon's original electronically-controlled SLR was born as the Nikkormat EL (Electronic & Light) in 1972 (there would eventually be three iterations; the EL-W & Nikon EL2 followed the original in 1976 and 1977, respectively). The Nikkormats (in mechanical or electronic configuration) were Nikon's enthusiast-level bodies, and had a sterling reputation for rugged reliability. This was due, in no small part, to their construction, wherein the mirror box and front panel were a single casting. This was a rarity among SLRs. While this characteristic made the Nikkormats among the toughest SLRs of all time, it did increase the amount of labour that it took to assemble the cameras, as single pieces or very small sub-assemblies had to be placed into that part of the chassis in a specific sequence. This was not much of a worry for Nikon until 1976, when Canon debuted its AE-1 featuring the most modular design the SLR industry had seen up to that point. Canon's purpose in doing so was to facilitate partial automation of the assembly process, thus reducing overall cost. SLRs would never be the same. This factor, along with the downsizing trend that Olympus had started in 1972 with the OM-1, were the two driving forces that pushed Nikon to introduce a completely new enthusiast line of SLRs in both mechanical (FM - 1977) and electronic (FE - 1978) forms to replace the Nikkormat generation (1965-80). The influence of the AE-1 is unmistakable. The FE weighs exactly as much (590 grams) as the AE-1 and is one millimeter wider and one and a half millimeters taller than the Canon. On a spec-sheet there is very little to separate the two and the FE did not bring anything revolutionary to the table like the Canon had done. Nikon also adopted the concept of seeking to simplify construction and partially automate assembly ('Value Engineering' in Nikon-parlance). But Nikon was not just making a Canon clone, they positioned the FE as a true enthusiast SLR (just as the EL2 had been) versus the more consumer-oriented AE-1. This was evident in its 25% price premium over the AE-1. To go along with its more solid construction, the FE also had the following features that the AE-1 lacked:
For a moment, let's take a closer look at the relationship of the FE versus the EL2, which was released in May 1977 along with the FM. The EL2 was basically a stop-gap measure until Nikon could get the FE into production. The two shared the same IC (integrated circuit), viewfinder layout, and exposure meter. Although the EL2 was available until 1980, from the time that the FE debuted in April of 1978, EL2 sales declined precipitously. It's not hard to see why, as the FE could do virtually everything the EL2 could and with almost 200 grams (7 oz) less weight. The FE had lower power consumption and used the more economical and common SR44 (357) batteries versus the 544 silver-oxide or PX28L lithium cell that the EL2 required. True, there was no longer a dedicated mirror lock up (MLU) control, but the FE would pre-fire the mirror if you used the self-timer, so that was not too much of a loss. It was only with lenses that protruded into the mirror box that the EL2 held the advantage (the 6mm/5.6 Fisheye, OP 10mm/5.6 and the 2.1cm f/4 Nikkor-O with serial #s above 225xxx being the only Nikkor lenses that required this that could be mounted on an EL2 or any other Nikkormat, for that matter). The FE shared the same flip-up AI (Automatic Aperture Indexing) tab as the EL2 that allowed the mounting of older non-AI Nikkor Lenses, a feature that would be dropped from its successor, the FE2, and all future amateur Nikons aside from the Df DSLR. The FE was the first enthusiast Nikon body to be made available with interchangeable focusing screens, as mentioned above, something neither the EL2 nor the FM offered. As far as the influence of the FE on subsequent Nikons, it, in tandem with the FM, was the basis for all succeeding enthusiast manual focus Nikon bodies (FM2(N), FE2, & FA) culminating in the ultimate MF Nikon enthusiast SLR, the limited-run FM3A of 2001. The FM3A is a combination of FE2 and FM2(N), leaning more to the FE2 side. (Think FE2 with a full set of backup mechanical speeds to go along with its standard stepless range of electronic speeds.) This family history of a quarter of a century is impressive, particularly in the face of the bottom falling out of the MF SLR market by the mid-1980s with the introduction of the first decent auto focus SLRs. The FE2's (introduced in Mar. 1983) improvements to the original FE consisted of:
Deletions included:
Now that is no small list of improvements! So why not just go for an FE2? For starters..cost. Expect to pay at least double for an FE2 in the same condition as a comparable FE. Part of that is down to supply: there were almost twice as many FEs (over 1.1 million) produced as FE2s (approx. 600,000). But the FE2 also achieved a kind of cult status with Nikonians after being discontinued in 1987 as a result of the AF revolution, and that served to inflate used prices for many years, although they have cooled somewhat, more recently. All the while the original FE just kept flying under-the-radar. And this is where the bit about excellence in execution comes in..although the FE was not head and shoulders above its peers in any single specification, and lacked a few features its successor offered, it remained one of the purest distillations of the first two decades of Japanese SLR development in a simple, reliable, and reasonably compact package. There were no gimmicks, it just worked. And that bland-to-some exterior serves to make it the perfect piece for those who prefer discreet elegance. That is not to say the FE is perfect in itself. No camera ever is. Nikon still kept that irritating film-advance-lever-activated meter switch from the Nikkormat that pokes into various parts of your facial anatomy (particularly if you are a left-eyed shooter). The EC dial is secured by a push-button lock, which is a drawback for some people. Using the AE lock is easier if you are looking for a quick adjustment when in AUTO mode. And while that match-needle viewfinder is wonderful in daylight conditions, at night it can admittedly be a nightmare to see ;-). Avoid the MD-11 motor drive (which was replaced by the MD-12 in mid-1979), as it lacks an internal auto-OFF switch to prevent the camera's batteries from draining. The MD-12's internal switch will turn off the meter approximately 50 seconds after the shutter button is released, thus prolonging the life of the FE's batteries. Putting Some 'Class' in the Classic SLR Born over four decades ago, at the height of the SLR's reign among 35mm cameras, the FE is a time capsule today. It also happens to be a very functional one for modern film enthusiasts. Its uncomplicated layout and operation require only a 48-page manual (take that, DSLR users ;-)) to educate the photographer in its operation. It is one of those cameras that finds its way into your hands when you are going out. Not too heavy, not too small, not as big or loud as a Nikkormat EL or Nikon EL2; you might find one in the hands of Goldilocks. If you are a regular non-AI Nikkor user, stop-down metering is a breeze with its nicely-placed DOF preview lever. Uncomplicated..understated..and maybe just a bit underrated, the FE may be the ultimate MF Nikon for you :-). References: Assorted Nikon Manuals @ http://www.butkus.org/chinon/nikon.htm Debut of Nikon F3 @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle/history-f3/index.htm Vol. 7: Nikomat EL @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Vol. 8: Nikomat EL-W/Nikon EL2 @http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Vol. 9: Nikon FM @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Vol.10: Nikon FE @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Vol. 13: Nikon FM2 @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Vol. 14: Nikon FA/FE2 @ http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle Nikon SLR Production Numbers @ http://knippsen.blogspot.ca Roland Vink's Nikon Pages @ http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz Nikon: A Celebration - Third Edition by Brian Long Leave a Reply. |
