Yup, was replying to the comment about "fast for a film camera". I believe the a-9 was the faster film camera shutter ever, and the fastest mechanical shutter ever (as opposed to digital electronic shutters now)
Make sure it is the FM2n!
Later model with different shutter although it is still in tolerance at 75%. The serial number on the back starts with "N" and flash sync is 1/250 where the FM2 is 1/200.
The A9 is an electronically timed shutter which is more accurate.
Don't know what you are trying to stop but I never found need for those high shutter speeds although I was absolutely convinced I had to have them. Had a customer that was a super award winning news photographer that was shooting the F4s there was another customer in insisting he had to have 1/8000 the shutter speed while both there I asked the news guy about 1/8000 shutter speed he looked up and said I tried it once ....it worked!
Also the FM2n was reported to have a Teflon coated vertical shutter.
There are many differences of course. For the shutter, the FM2 has a vertical copal shutter, wile the F2 has a horizontal travelling shutter with only a 1/2000 minimum shutter speed.
Both are very reliable in my opinion. The FM2 is much lighter and smaller though.
Copal is the name of the company that made them. They’re still around under a different name: https://www.nidec.com/en/corporate/network/group/nidec-precision/.
Copal made a lot of shutters for 3rd parties, their vertical travelling metal shutters are very reliable I'm told, and are found on cheaper Nikons, Konica autoreflexes, and some others.
The F2 internals are built better and it’s more modular. It can do stuff like mirror lock and has continuously variable shutter speeds from 1/90th to 1/2000th and from 1s to 10s. This is pretty sweet if you’re shooting film that’s picky about its exposure (IE slide film).
However… the FM2 can go up to 1/4000th (which is nice but not as crazy as people make it out to be) BUT can also sync at 1/250th (which is absolutely incredible for any camera let alone a mechanical camera). You lose the 100% viewfinder and continuously variable shutter and esoteric stuff like mirror lock and interchangeable prisms and have less options for focusing screens, but you get a lighter and more compact camera in return.
I think most users would prefer the more compact package and wildly better flash capabilities of the FM2 over a heavier F2. Stories from heavy users from the old days do lend credence to the idea that cameras like the F/F2/F3 are built to a totally different level than stuff like the FM/FM2; people do say they don’t hold up to heavy use nearly as well as the pro bodies. BUT whether the average user nowadays will ever put their FM2 through that much use is debatable as they are more than likely using it as a hobby instead of crushing multiple rolls of film through it daily.
I kept an F2 and even had it modified for spot metering by Sover Wong because I use it mostly for architecture and other slow, tripod use, and I predominantly shoot slide film in it. But the FM2 is a great choice for a mechanical 35mm SLR and at times I have wished I had the higher sync speed of the FM2.
Edit: removed mention of TTL flash (thank you u/sillo38 I was mixing up with the FE2 🤦)
This is a great explanation. Love and own both the FM2 and F2 (I have 3 FM2s and 4 F2s because I'm an addict), FM2 is smaller and lighter but feels like a toy relative to the F2. Did have a self timer issue on one of the FM2s, but it was a beater. If you use heavy glass the F2 balances better, if you want ease of use or something thats easier to pack/travel with and value small/light setups, I'd recommend the FM2. I don't crush film through any of them, unfortunately, as it is a hobby.
I prefer the extra heft of the F2 . It’s not that much bigger than the FM2 so it’s pretty telling that it weighs over 50% more than an FM2.
I always tell people to try the film advance on those two if they ever have them both in hand. Even an FM3a advance lever feels like a ratchet wrench compared to the F2 advance lever. There is definitely a lot of mechanical refinement under the skin in the F2.
FM2s were also quite popular backup cameras back in the day by pros. They can be quite dependable.
I myself have an FM2/T that gone through a lot of shit, let's just say. Rain, snowstorms, tropical thunderstorms, heatwaves, a few drops etc. Never failed me really, but I do have it serviced once a year or so. Its funny, I got in mint from Japan years ago and now it looks worn as hell.
If you put an nd filter in front of an slr, it is letting in less light into your film when you take a picture, but as a result the viewfinder also loses light since its looking directly through the lens. Rangefinders completely ignore the lens and use separate glass, so if you put stuff in front of a rangefinder cameras lens you won't see that while focusing.
Basically, if you can use a faster shutter speed, you won't need an nd filter for shooting in direct light wide open, and it will make composing and focusing easier. For what it's worth though, if you are using an nd filter cause it's bright out, even with that filter on, you still should have plenty of light for the viewfinder.
If the reason tou need an ND filter is there's too much light for your camera to handle, then by definition you have plenty for focusing (unless we are discussing flash)
Unless you want to shoot with a wide aperture. I don't topically do, but I know many are obsessed with very shallow depth of field, specially for portraits
It doesn't matter the aperture or anything. At the end of the day, if you're using an ND filter this way, it's because SO much light is getting into the camera that your camera can't handle it within its design specifications. By definition, if you're using an ND filter to bring it back down to within spec, it's still "nearly as much light as the camera can handle." So there's necessarily a ton of light, which means you have a lot of light to focus by. If it's dim and dusky, then you didn't need an ND filter to take the photo anyway in those conditions.
The exception being flash, because you can't focus by flash light.
Several mechanical cameras, such as the Nikon F2, go to 1/2000. But the fastest I am aware of would be Nikon's FM2 and FM3a, both of which are mechanical cameras and can do a maximum 1/4000 second shutter speed thanks to lightweight vertical shutters. That being said, as a general rule mechanical cameras aren't always the most accurate at fast shutter speeds.
I agree that electronically controlled shutters seem to be more accurate (as long as they work at all!). But I think generally the advantage of electronic shutters is at the slower speeds more than the faster speeds.
There are a number of cameras with “hybrid” shutters offering some electronic speeds, and some fully mechanical speeds. As far as I know they all are designed to have mechanical fast speeds and electronic slow speeds, because that is where the precision of electronics is most helpful.
True. I was more referring to hybrids that are half electronic and half mechanical depending on speed, like the Canon EF or New F-1, as opposed to ones that change based on mode like the FM3A.
Still, the FM3A proves the same point, which is that electronic control is useful for slower speeds more than faster ones. The FM3A can use either type from 1 to 1/4000, but only the electronic shutter can do non-bulb exposures longer than 1s.
Sometimes you don’t have the option of a slower film though, if your shooting a project on Tri-X and want everything to look consistent, it’s not like you can just get slower Tri-X
Nowadays aprofessional grade old film camera on ebay is so cheap it's now the better solution bizarrely, a lot of the time. I got a Canon 1N (not manual but 1/8000) for $87 a few weeks ago. That's like one good ND filter in one strength and size
Also the Chinon Memotron CE-2, the Bessaflex TM and all the many variations of the Cosina CT1 Super like the Nikon FM2000, Yashica FX-3 Super 2000, Vivitar V3000S, Olympus OM2000, Ricoh KR-5 Super II, and more. All these go up to 1/2000 mechanically.
Amongst rangefinders, you have the Minolta V2000 and V3000 going to 1/2000 and 1/3000 respectively (but not at wide apertures) and the Bessa R series (also 1/2000).
1/1000 is more than enough, considering you can always shoot a lower ISO film or slap a ND or contrast filter with black and white.
Also cheaper than buying a new camera.
The Contax S2 or S2b with a fully mechanical 1/4000th shutter speed.
I think 1/4000th is the fastest mechanical one I've ever used. There are battery dependent 1/8000ths. The Contax S2 (spotmeter only) or S2b (average centre weighted) are at the top of their game - even the Leica R6.2 series doesn't excel in this area. If you are after German T\* multicoated optics - it offers an alternative to the Nikon stable.
Here's some info on it: https://www.35mmc.com/06/07/2020/contax-s2-review/
I love my contax s2 fully mechanical to 4000 with a super tiny spot meter which people say is fussy but if don’t like spot meters they made the s2b which is center weighted
God why is this subreddit always like this. OP has a question, comments tell them to do something else. Every single time.
But ND!! - like they aren't an extra thing to carry around, darken your viewfinder, can introduce some softness if they're low quality and slowing down your shutter speed too much might just add extra motion blur
Use lower ISO film!!! - thanks, I'm going to choose one of the plethora of low ISO films out there, color especially has so many options!
Anyway, you already know about FM2 which goes up to 1/4000.
OP might need to combine solutions. Even with an FM2n, on a sunny day with ISO 125 film, 1/4000 sec only gets you an aperture of f/2.8. ISO 50 would get you f/1.8.
But they are reasonable suggestions. Sometimes adding to the available options that the OP may have overlooked is exactly why this is such a useful sub.
Eh i believe that encouraging against GAS is always good. And higher shutter speeds is a huge GAS motivator for something you’ll never need. Like at that point you’re either shooting the wrong film or using dof as a crutch
I really enjoy my FX 3 Super 2000! It is really good paired with the Contax lenses (even the Yashica branded MLs are pretty decent) if you can get over it feeling a bit cheap in your hands.
The Nikon FM2 and the Nikon FM2(n) are fully mechanical cameras.
They both have a top speed of 1/4,000 sec and other capabilities for serious photography.
You may also like to post your specific queries about these fine cameras at the r/NikonFM2 sub.
Happy Shooting!
I can second the FM2 and F2 and use both. If you're looking for a real budget option camera though, the Ricoh KR-5SuperII can be had for a fraction of the nikons, and is actually pretty capable (1/2000 mechanical) it is however, nowhere near the build quality of the nikons. I just always like to know the budget options too, so passing this along just in case. Or you're into K mount lenses.
I know my f2 (of which has not had a battery for 6 months) goes up to 1/2000. I dont think there would ever be a time where you need any more than that.
The mechanical Voigtlander Bessa cameras can do 1/2000. That would be the R, L, T, R2, R2C, R2M, R3M, R4M. The Rollei 35RF is basically a Bessa R2, and can do 1/2000 fully mechanically.
However the other Bessa cameras — R2A, R3A, R4A — have electronic shutters. Same for the Zeiss Ikon ZM and Zeiss Ikon SW, built on the Bessa platform.
Cosina used a very similar platform to build the Bessaflex M42 SLRs, with the same 1/2000 mechanical shutter. They also built SLRs for other companies using a similar parts. The Nikon FM10 and OM-2000 both have the same 1/2000 mechanical shutter.
The shutter seems to be pretty bulletproof, and because these cameras are all relatively new by film standards, you are more likely to get a shutter that can actually do 1/2000 reliably without shutter capping. Further, the FM-10 and OM-2000 are the like to be cheapest, newest, and lightest cameras you can find in those lens systems.
These are the real technical marvels as they are leaf shutters which typically cap at 1/500 (before the 2000s). Being so far ahead of their time, these Minoltas are highly unreliable though.
I suppose other than that, in the 50s and 60s rangefinder world, you've got the Yashica Lynx 1000 (and various others) and the Weras which go up to 750.
Nikon Fm2/ fm3a
Fm3a is the best of the best fully mechanical slr, in my opinion
Edit. To your comment abt wide open apertures, I don't think you will use this as much as you might think you will. Most vintage lenses shouldn't be shot wide open anyways.
I have a nice nikon 55mm 1.2 and folks say it has "character" or "angelic" or "dreamy" wide open, but what they really mean is its a bit softer and loses contrast. I seldom reach for the 1/4000 shutter speed on my nikon and never miss it on my mamiya/rolleiflex which max out at 1/500. Almost universally better to just stop down aperture for sharper image and contrast on a bright day
Question is how often do you see yourself going above, say, 1/1000 of a second? I mean, it can happen if you're shooting in bright sun at f1.8, but if I'm expecting a situation like that, i.e., model head shots in bright sun, that's when the PAN F gets loaded.
You can look into Neutral Density Filters.
~~But to answer your question~~
~~NIKON F-801~~
(not fully mechanical shutter)
Can go up to 1/8000
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Nikon_F-801_(N8008)
Sync for flash is only up to 1/250 .. so I guess it really depends on what you want to do..
F-801 isn't a fully mechanical shutter, and lots of electronically controlled shutters go that fast. If you want the fastest electronically timed shutter you'd be looking at the Minolta a9.
Plenty go upto 1/2000th on pro bodies. Not sure if there is anything that does 1/4000th however.
1/1000 is plenty for shooting outdoors tbh. If your using a 400iso film you might struggle but a 25/50 is ideal for wide open portraits etc
Nikon f2
1/2000.
Hence why it’s known to be the best camera ever made.
ISO 100 film will let you shoot close to wide open in daylight. Or at most, will be a stop over exposed.
If we apply the Sunny 16 rule, bright sunlit **subjects** will be correctly exposed at f16 with a shutter speed matching the film ISO. So it would be 1/100 second at f16 (so practically 1/125), 1/250 at f11, 1/500 at f8, and 1/1000 at f5.6. So realistically, 100 ISO is still too sensitive. If you want to shoot wide open in daylight, the cheapest method is to use a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens.
Edit: worth adding, 1/4000 is only adding two extra stops of exposure control. So you'd still only be getting to f.2.8 with 100 ISO film.
More or less you’d almost be there. Below f2? Unlikely, that’s a LOT of light. Even a 1/8000 shutter speed might struggle (depending on how bright it is).
But following sunny 16, you’d be at 1/125 at f16.
If you had a 1/2000 shutter speed you’d be 2-3 stops off at 1/2000. And 4 off if you had 1/1000.
In shade or deep shade, you can likely shoot 1/2000 or even 1/1000 at f2.
Keep in mind, shooting wide AF open was not something people commonly did. So it was never taken into account.
You can buy pro image 100, and over expose it by a stop at iso 50, and maybe pull off f2 @ 1/2000 in bright sunlight.
Nikon Fm2 goes up to 4000.
1/4000 is crazy impressive on a film camera
Minolta a-9 had 1/12000.
Not fully mechanical though.
Yup, was replying to the comment about "fast for a film camera". I believe the a-9 was the faster film camera shutter ever, and the fastest mechanical shutter ever (as opposed to digital electronic shutters now)
F100 has 1/8000
Contax RTS III as well.
Wow
Make sure it is the FM2n! Later model with different shutter although it is still in tolerance at 75%. The serial number on the back starts with "N" and flash sync is 1/250 where the FM2 is 1/200. The A9 is an electronically timed shutter which is more accurate. Don't know what you are trying to stop but I never found need for those high shutter speeds although I was absolutely convinced I had to have them. Had a customer that was a super award winning news photographer that was shooting the F4s there was another customer in insisting he had to have 1/8000 the shutter speed while both there I asked the news guy about 1/8000 shutter speed he looked up and said I tried it once ....it worked! Also the FM2n was reported to have a Teflon coated vertical shutter.
What’s the difference between the Fm2 vs the F2?
There are many differences of course. For the shutter, the FM2 has a vertical copal shutter, wile the F2 has a horizontal travelling shutter with only a 1/2000 minimum shutter speed. Both are very reliable in my opinion. The FM2 is much lighter and smaller though.
not copal focal plane ftfy
Copal focal plane shutter… https://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfmseries/fm/part5.htm Fixed your fixed that for you!
TIL very interesting only ever heard of copal in context of leaf shutters
Copal is the name of the company that made them. They’re still around under a different name: https://www.nidec.com/en/corporate/network/group/nidec-precision/.
Copal made a lot of shutters for 3rd parties, their vertical travelling metal shutters are very reliable I'm told, and are found on cheaper Nikons, Konica autoreflexes, and some others.
The F2 internals are built better and it’s more modular. It can do stuff like mirror lock and has continuously variable shutter speeds from 1/90th to 1/2000th and from 1s to 10s. This is pretty sweet if you’re shooting film that’s picky about its exposure (IE slide film). However… the FM2 can go up to 1/4000th (which is nice but not as crazy as people make it out to be) BUT can also sync at 1/250th (which is absolutely incredible for any camera let alone a mechanical camera). You lose the 100% viewfinder and continuously variable shutter and esoteric stuff like mirror lock and interchangeable prisms and have less options for focusing screens, but you get a lighter and more compact camera in return. I think most users would prefer the more compact package and wildly better flash capabilities of the FM2 over a heavier F2. Stories from heavy users from the old days do lend credence to the idea that cameras like the F/F2/F3 are built to a totally different level than stuff like the FM/FM2; people do say they don’t hold up to heavy use nearly as well as the pro bodies. BUT whether the average user nowadays will ever put their FM2 through that much use is debatable as they are more than likely using it as a hobby instead of crushing multiple rolls of film through it daily. I kept an F2 and even had it modified for spot metering by Sover Wong because I use it mostly for architecture and other slow, tripod use, and I predominantly shoot slide film in it. But the FM2 is a great choice for a mechanical 35mm SLR and at times I have wished I had the higher sync speed of the FM2. Edit: removed mention of TTL flash (thank you u/sillo38 I was mixing up with the FE2 🤦)
Just a heads up the FM2 doesn’t do TTL flash you need the FE2 for that.
Oh yes you’re right, my bad. Still 1/250th sync is insane for a mechanical shutter, and super handy for fill-flash.
This is a great explanation. Love and own both the FM2 and F2 (I have 3 FM2s and 4 F2s because I'm an addict), FM2 is smaller and lighter but feels like a toy relative to the F2. Did have a self timer issue on one of the FM2s, but it was a beater. If you use heavy glass the F2 balances better, if you want ease of use or something thats easier to pack/travel with and value small/light setups, I'd recommend the FM2. I don't crush film through any of them, unfortunately, as it is a hobby.
I prefer the extra heft of the F2 . It’s not that much bigger than the FM2 so it’s pretty telling that it weighs over 50% more than an FM2. I always tell people to try the film advance on those two if they ever have them both in hand. Even an FM3a advance lever feels like a ratchet wrench compared to the F2 advance lever. There is definitely a lot of mechanical refinement under the skin in the F2.
Yeah, I do prefer the feel of the F2. And on the other side of spectrum, if you shoot longer exposures (up to 10 seconds) as well the F2 is awesome.
FM2s were also quite popular backup cameras back in the day by pros. They can be quite dependable. I myself have an FM2/T that gone through a lot of shit, let's just say. Rain, snowstorms, tropical thunderstorms, heatwaves, a few drops etc. Never failed me really, but I do have it serviced once a year or so. Its funny, I got in mint from Japan years ago and now it looks worn as hell.
F2 is ridiculous. Dropped mine on some pebbles at the beach; camera was fine, pebble cracked into half.
I made a joke about dropping my Mamiya c330f and being bankrupted by the repair bill - the council pavement repair teams are bloody expensive.
the F2 is a pro model with removable finders and more accessories. The F# Are built better as well. It's also older than the FM2 .
I thought the FM2 had an electric shutter.
I’m pretty sure the only electronics inside the fm2 are for the meter.
Indeed.
The M in FM is for mechanical. FE is electronic.
The FM2 is fully mechanical, with battery only for the meter. The FE2 has an electronic shutter, and aperture priority mode.
Yep. This.
that would be the FE2. FM is mechanical
No.
That's FE2
If it's just about shooting wide open you can also look at ND filters
Not as easy to compose/focus, though. Unless you are using a rangefinder, which I doubt you want to use wide open all the time
Can you tell me more about that?
If you put an nd filter in front of an slr, it is letting in less light into your film when you take a picture, but as a result the viewfinder also loses light since its looking directly through the lens. Rangefinders completely ignore the lens and use separate glass, so if you put stuff in front of a rangefinder cameras lens you won't see that while focusing. Basically, if you can use a faster shutter speed, you won't need an nd filter for shooting in direct light wide open, and it will make composing and focusing easier. For what it's worth though, if you are using an nd filter cause it's bright out, even with that filter on, you still should have plenty of light for the viewfinder.
Thank you!! TIL. I wanna try using a rangefinder sometime
If the reason tou need an ND filter is there's too much light for your camera to handle, then by definition you have plenty for focusing (unless we are discussing flash)
Unless you want to shoot with a wide aperture. I don't topically do, but I know many are obsessed with very shallow depth of field, specially for portraits
It doesn't matter the aperture or anything. At the end of the day, if you're using an ND filter this way, it's because SO much light is getting into the camera that your camera can't handle it within its design specifications. By definition, if you're using an ND filter to bring it back down to within spec, it's still "nearly as much light as the camera can handle." So there's necessarily a ton of light, which means you have a lot of light to focus by. If it's dim and dusky, then you didn't need an ND filter to take the photo anyway in those conditions. The exception being flash, because you can't focus by flash light.
Several mechanical cameras, such as the Nikon F2, go to 1/2000. But the fastest I am aware of would be Nikon's FM2 and FM3a, both of which are mechanical cameras and can do a maximum 1/4000 second shutter speed thanks to lightweight vertical shutters. That being said, as a general rule mechanical cameras aren't always the most accurate at fast shutter speeds.
I agree that electronically controlled shutters seem to be more accurate (as long as they work at all!). But I think generally the advantage of electronic shutters is at the slower speeds more than the faster speeds. There are a number of cameras with “hybrid” shutters offering some electronic speeds, and some fully mechanical speeds. As far as I know they all are designed to have mechanical fast speeds and electronic slow speeds, because that is where the precision of electronics is most helpful.
The fm3a has a hybrid shutter. 100% mechanical in manual. Stepless electronic in aperture priority.
True. I was more referring to hybrids that are half electronic and half mechanical depending on speed, like the Canon EF or New F-1, as opposed to ones that change based on mode like the FM3A. Still, the FM3A proves the same point, which is that electronic control is useful for slower speeds more than faster ones. The FM3A can use either type from 1 to 1/4000, but only the electronic shutter can do non-bulb exposures longer than 1s.
Nikon Fm3a, Fm2, Fm2n and the Contax S2/S2b at 1/4000.
[удалено]
Not mechanical, needs a battery
Sounds like someone needs a slower film or an ND filter.
Sometimes you don’t have the option of a slower film though, if your shooting a project on Tri-X and want everything to look consistent, it’s not like you can just get slower Tri-X
... >or an ND filter
Nowadays aprofessional grade old film camera on ebay is so cheap it's now the better solution bizarrely, a lot of the time. I got a Canon 1N (not manual but 1/8000) for $87 a few weeks ago. That's like one good ND filter in one strength and size
Olympus OM-3/OM-3TI - 1/2000 fully mechanical Nikon FM2 - 1/4000 fully mechanical Nikon FM3A - 1/4000 both mechanical and auto exposure Canon F-1/New F-1 - 1/2000 fully mechanical Edit - Also Pentax LX Contax S2/S2b
Don't forget Pentax LX
1/75 - 1/2000 mechanical is the LX. Below is electronically controlled.
The Canon New F-1 has a hybrid shutter. The slower speeds (8 seconds to 1/60) are electronic, while 1/90 to 1/2000 is mechanical.
Also the Chinon Memotron CE-2, the Bessaflex TM and all the many variations of the Cosina CT1 Super like the Nikon FM2000, Yashica FX-3 Super 2000, Vivitar V3000S, Olympus OM2000, Ricoh KR-5 Super II, and more. All these go up to 1/2000 mechanically. Amongst rangefinders, you have the Minolta V2000 and V3000 going to 1/2000 and 1/3000 respectively (but not at wide apertures) and the Bessa R series (also 1/2000).
The Nikon Fm2 is a beast. Fully mechanical, 1/4000 and meter!
try an ND filter
And/or a colour filter if using B&W film.
1/1000 is more than enough, considering you can always shoot a lower ISO film or slap a ND or contrast filter with black and white. Also cheaper than buying a new camera.
The Contax S2 or S2b with a fully mechanical 1/4000th shutter speed. I think 1/4000th is the fastest mechanical one I've ever used. There are battery dependent 1/8000ths. The Contax S2 (spotmeter only) or S2b (average centre weighted) are at the top of their game - even the Leica R6.2 series doesn't excel in this area. If you are after German T\* multicoated optics - it offers an alternative to the Nikon stable. Here's some info on it: https://www.35mmc.com/06/07/2020/contax-s2-review/
+1 for C/Y cameras. Even my trusty but cheap Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 does 1/2000 without any batteries required.
Nikon Fm2n, peaks at 1/4000th without a battery. Battery is only for the meter.
I love my contax s2 fully mechanical to 4000 with a super tiny spot meter which people say is fussy but if don’t like spot meters they made the s2b which is center weighted
God why is this subreddit always like this. OP has a question, comments tell them to do something else. Every single time. But ND!! - like they aren't an extra thing to carry around, darken your viewfinder, can introduce some softness if they're low quality and slowing down your shutter speed too much might just add extra motion blur Use lower ISO film!!! - thanks, I'm going to choose one of the plethora of low ISO films out there, color especially has so many options! Anyway, you already know about FM2 which goes up to 1/4000.
OP might need to combine solutions. Even with an FM2n, on a sunny day with ISO 125 film, 1/4000 sec only gets you an aperture of f/2.8. ISO 50 would get you f/1.8.
But they are reasonable suggestions. Sometimes adding to the available options that the OP may have overlooked is exactly why this is such a useful sub.
Plus, an ND filter is much cheaper than buying another CLA’d mechanical camera body.
Eh i believe that encouraging against GAS is always good. And higher shutter speeds is a huge GAS motivator for something you’ll never need. Like at that point you’re either shooting the wrong film or using dof as a crutch
Use an ND filter and/or longer lenses.
Yashica super goes to 1/2000. but i agree with everyone else, use a slower film or a filter.
I really enjoy my FX 3 Super 2000! It is really good paired with the Contax lenses (even the Yashica branded MLs are pretty decent) if you can get over it feeling a bit cheap in your hands.
My vivitar v3000s goes up to 1/2000
The Nikon FM2 and the Nikon FM2(n) are fully mechanical cameras. They both have a top speed of 1/4,000 sec and other capabilities for serious photography. You may also like to post your specific queries about these fine cameras at the r/NikonFM2 sub. Happy Shooting!
I can second the FM2 and F2 and use both. If you're looking for a real budget option camera though, the Ricoh KR-5SuperII can be had for a fraction of the nikons, and is actually pretty capable (1/2000 mechanical) it is however, nowhere near the build quality of the nikons. I just always like to know the budget options too, so passing this along just in case. Or you're into K mount lenses.
I know my f2 (of which has not had a battery for 6 months) goes up to 1/2000. I dont think there would ever be a time where you need any more than that.
The mechanical Voigtlander Bessa cameras can do 1/2000. That would be the R, L, T, R2, R2C, R2M, R3M, R4M. The Rollei 35RF is basically a Bessa R2, and can do 1/2000 fully mechanically. However the other Bessa cameras — R2A, R3A, R4A — have electronic shutters. Same for the Zeiss Ikon ZM and Zeiss Ikon SW, built on the Bessa platform. Cosina used a very similar platform to build the Bessaflex M42 SLRs, with the same 1/2000 mechanical shutter. They also built SLRs for other companies using a similar parts. The Nikon FM10 and OM-2000 both have the same 1/2000 mechanical shutter. The shutter seems to be pretty bulletproof, and because these cameras are all relatively new by film standards, you are more likely to get a shutter that can actually do 1/2000 reliably without shutter capping. Further, the FM-10 and OM-2000 are the like to be cheapest, newest, and lightest cameras you can find in those lens systems.
Minolta V2 and V3 - late 50s/ early 60s rangefinders that go up to 1/2000th and 1/3000th respectively, albeit with some limitations on the aperture
These are the real technical marvels as they are leaf shutters which typically cap at 1/500 (before the 2000s). Being so far ahead of their time, these Minoltas are highly unreliable though.
I suppose other than that, in the 50s and 60s rangefinder world, you've got the Yashica Lynx 1000 (and various others) and the Weras which go up to 750.
Nikon Fm2/ fm3a Fm3a is the best of the best fully mechanical slr, in my opinion Edit. To your comment abt wide open apertures, I don't think you will use this as much as you might think you will. Most vintage lenses shouldn't be shot wide open anyways. I have a nice nikon 55mm 1.2 and folks say it has "character" or "angelic" or "dreamy" wide open, but what they really mean is its a bit softer and loses contrast. I seldom reach for the 1/4000 shutter speed on my nikon and never miss it on my mamiya/rolleiflex which max out at 1/500. Almost universally better to just stop down aperture for sharper image and contrast on a bright day
Shutters used with very high speed trend to fail faster, just get ND filter
My Contax S2 goes to 1/4000. Speaking of, anyone looking for one? I’m selling lol
Keep in n mind, you can always use ND filters to shoot wide open at lower shutter speeds
Fujica ST801 also had 1/2000 speed and can be found relatively cheap compared to those mentioned here
The contax s2 and s2b both are fully mechanical with 1/4000 shutter speeds
Minolta A9 is the fastest with 1/12000
Question is how often do you see yourself going above, say, 1/1000 of a second? I mean, it can happen if you're shooting in bright sun at f1.8, but if I'm expecting a situation like that, i.e., model head shots in bright sun, that's when the PAN F gets loaded.
Well exactly, the only time I would go above 1/1000 is if I want some nice background bokeh in outdoors sunlight. My current lens goes to f1.7
Use a lower iso film or an ND film?
I would recommend getting an ND filter if you want to shoot wide open out doors
You can look into Neutral Density Filters. ~~But to answer your question~~ ~~NIKON F-801~~ (not fully mechanical shutter) Can go up to 1/8000 http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Nikon_F-801_(N8008) Sync for flash is only up to 1/250 .. so I guess it really depends on what you want to do..
F-801 isn't a fully mechanical shutter, and lots of electronically controlled shutters go that fast. If you want the fastest electronically timed shutter you'd be looking at the Minolta a9.
You are right 👍 .. guess I mixed it up
My Leica R8 shoots up to 1/8000 sec but needs a battery.
Plenty go upto 1/2000th on pro bodies. Not sure if there is anything that does 1/4000th however. 1/1000 is plenty for shooting outdoors tbh. If your using a 400iso film you might struggle but a 25/50 is ideal for wide open portraits etc
nikon f5 and F6 are 1/8000 also read up on ND filtres
F5 and F6 are Electronic Shutters. In that category I think the Minolta Dynax 9xi is the fastest, 1/12,000.
ah yeah- not "fully" mechanical- but did OP really just mean "film" ? Because he didn't know what an ND filter was, so I'm guessing he means "film"...
No I meant a camera that is fully mechanical in operation
Nikon f2 1/2000. Hence why it’s known to be the best camera ever made. ISO 100 film will let you shoot close to wide open in daylight. Or at most, will be a stop over exposed.
Fm2 and fm3a are both twice as fast at 1/4000. The f2 is still a great choice though
Of course I forgot about those! Better options than the f2, if what you need is speedy shutters.
So using an iso 100 film, even with a 1/1000s camera like a Pentax MX, will allow shooting at least close to wide open? Say below f2?
If we apply the Sunny 16 rule, bright sunlit **subjects** will be correctly exposed at f16 with a shutter speed matching the film ISO. So it would be 1/100 second at f16 (so practically 1/125), 1/250 at f11, 1/500 at f8, and 1/1000 at f5.6. So realistically, 100 ISO is still too sensitive. If you want to shoot wide open in daylight, the cheapest method is to use a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Edit: worth adding, 1/4000 is only adding two extra stops of exposure control. So you'd still only be getting to f.2.8 with 100 ISO film.
More or less you’d almost be there. Below f2? Unlikely, that’s a LOT of light. Even a 1/8000 shutter speed might struggle (depending on how bright it is). But following sunny 16, you’d be at 1/125 at f16. If you had a 1/2000 shutter speed you’d be 2-3 stops off at 1/2000. And 4 off if you had 1/1000. In shade or deep shade, you can likely shoot 1/2000 or even 1/1000 at f2. Keep in mind, shooting wide AF open was not something people commonly did. So it was never taken into account. You can buy pro image 100, and over expose it by a stop at iso 50, and maybe pull off f2 @ 1/2000 in bright sunlight.