Image:NikonFA.jpg
The '''Nikon FA''' was an advanced amateur level single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. It was manufactured by Nippon Kogaku K. K. (today Nikon_Corporation) in Japan from 1983 to 1987 (available new from dealer stock until circa 1989). It used a Nikon-Copal Square focal plane shutter with a speed range of 1 to 1/4000th second plus Bulb and a fast flash X-sync of 1/250th second. It had dimensions of 92 mm height, 142 mm width, 64 mm depth and 625 g weight. It was available in two colors: black with chrome trim and all black. The introductory US list price for the chrome body only (no lens) was $646. Note that SLRs usually sold for 30 to 40 percent below list price.
The FA is a historically significant camera. It was the first camera to offer a multi-segmented (or matrix) exposure light meter, called Automatic Multi-Pattern (AMP). It had a built-in microprocessor computer programmed to automatically analyze different segments of the light meter field of view and select a corrected exposure. Virtually all cameras today, whether film, video or digital, have some sort of matrix metering.
== Specifications ==
The FA accepts all lenses with the Nikon F bayonet mount (introduced in 1959) supporting the Aperture Indexing (AI) feature (introduced in 1977). This excludes Nikon’s most recent AF Nikkor G type lenses (introduced in 2000) lacking an aperture control ring. The contemporary lenses were the Nikkor AI-S and Nikon Series E types. Accessories for the FA included the Nikon MD-15 motor drive (automatic film advance up to 3.2 frames per second), the Nikon MF-16 databack (sequential numbering, time or date stamping on the film), and the Nikon SB-15 (guide number 82/25 (feet/meters) at ASA/ISO 100) and Nikon SB-16B (guide number 105/32 (feet/meters) at ASA/ISO 100) electronic flashes.
The FA was a battery powered (two S76 or A76, or one 1/3N) electromechanically controlled manual focus SLR with manual exposure control. It also featured Aperture_priority, Shutter_priority and programmed autoexposure. The FA was Nippon Kogaku’s first SLR to have shutter priority autoexposure.
The FA was built upon the same compact but rugged copper aluminum alloy chassis as the earlier Nikon FM, FE, FM2 and FE2 cameras. The limited production Nikon FM3A (introduced in 2001) continues to use this body design today. The FM/FE series have only minor external controls and cosmetic differences, but the FA had a distinctly larger pentaprism cover to house its extra electronics. The FA also used the ultra-fast honeycomb titanium shutter of the FE2, but added a digital liquid crystal display (LCD) viewfinder information panel to indicate the readings of the built-in light meter versus the actual camera settings. However, the FA’s real claim to fame was the AMP meter.
AMP used a light meter with two segmented silicon photodiodes to divide the field of view into five segments: the center and the four outer quadrants. The readings of the various segments would be analyzed by a microchip computer (with a then whopping 8 kilobytes of memory) programmed to look for exposure errors caused by unusually bright or dark luminance patches and automatically correct the exposure settings. Nippon Kogaku said that the program was written after the visual assessment of nearly 100,000 photographs. AMP was originally intended to be introduced in the Nikon FE2, but it was not ready for production in time. Despite outcries from traditionalist photographers who felt confident in their abilities to correct their own mistakes, the feature was quickly adopted by all the major SLR manufacturers. AMP was the most important advance in exposure control since built-in through-the-lens light meters.
== 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 having new or more automatic features.
After years of conservative designs, the FA was intended to be Nippon Kogaku’s technological blockbuster, surpassing other entries such as the Canon_A-1 (released 1978) and the Olympus_OM-4 (1983). Nippon Kogaku’s advertising referred to it as “The Technocamera”. The FA did have one rare and conservative feature for an electronically controlled camera. Nippon Kogaku’s philosophy that a camera must always work when called upon resulted in the FA’s backup ability to operate without batteries, albeit in a limited fashion. The FA, without batteries, lacked the light meter and had mechanical control with limited shutter speeds (1/250th second, marked M250, or Bulb).
Although the Nikon FA was initially in high demand, it ultimately did not sell as well as hoped because its technology was quickly eclipsed in the public’s imagination by the advent of autofocusing SLRs, most notably the Minolta_Maxxum_7000 in 1985. The FA also marked the end of the road for Nikon’s electromechanical cameras. All future Nikon camera development would emphasize the computerization of picture taking. The FA is regarded as having been ahead of its generation. It is very popular on the used market and commands prices (in excellent condition) higher than when it was new.
==See also==
* Nikon_FM
* Nikon_FM2
* Nikon_FM3A
* Nikon_FE
* Nikon_FE2
== External links ==
* Nikon FA
* Photography in Malaysia
* Nikon FA from Nikon Corp online archives
* large photo from Nikon Corp online archives
FA
Nikon FA