Nikon Nikkormat FS (1965–c.1969)

The Nikkormat FS was the first of Nikon's Nikkormat line. It was a cheaper, easier alternative to the professional Nikon F series. It is basically a Nikkormat FT without the light meter, and without the FT's automatic mirror return. On the FS, you lift the mirror by hand. Nikon sold it in Japan as the Nikomat FS. It used the non-AI (pre-AI) F-mount and took 35mm roll film.

Documentation on the FS is thin. Most period attention went to its metered sibling, the FT. What the record confirms: production began in 1965 and ran to roughly 1969 (some sources extend this to 1971), and the body cost $113 US at launch. The FT was $183. Known features include shutter speeds from B to 1/1000, a self-timer, depth-of-field preview, and a frame counter. One surviving example, serial FS 7402950, is noted as fully functional.

The FS shares nearly everything with the FT except the meter and auto mirror return, so it is sometimes called the "poor man's" entry into the Nikkormat system. It is a fully mechanical, meterless SLR that still gets you into Nikon's F-mount lens lineup. A current dealer listing shows one at $215, but there is no meaningful market survey beyond that single data point.

Known specs: