To complete the key features and controls on the top panel, there is one more left, the accessory shoe.
 |
Accessory Shoe All Nikon cameras other than the Nikon F, Nikon F2 and the electronic Nikon F3 (And some earlier FT models in the Nikkormat) have standard ISO-type accessory shoes (hot shoe). The hot shoe is a very good indication of how Nikon progressed along with the development of flash photography. Not the shape, but the contact points a top on the hot shoe. |
The hot shoe with a main contact point (Largest) provides proper flash synchronization contact and ground, while an additional contact provides the viewfinder ready-light and automatic sync speed when mounted with a dedicated flash unit (The base of the dedicated Nikon flash units will have that matching additional contact as well). The FE has two (Main and secondary) while the FE2/FA have a dedicated shoe with four contacts plus a ground. The two additional contacts recognize and relay information to TTL flash units. The FM, however, has no ready light feature but the upgraded version, the FM2 and later models like FM2 and FM2n provides ready light contact as with the FE.However, for flash that doesn't provide standard ISO-type accessory shoe (Those with cable type, hardly find it now, but still popular during the eighties), you can always use the PC terminal in front of the body for that purpose.
 |
(More info: Nikon SB-1 to SB-21 Speedlight/Flash Units) Tips: The illustration at the left is FE with SB-10 combination as the SB 10 was the only 'suggested' portable dedicated flash offered by Nikon during those days prior to the availability of other units. The FE can works with virtually all Nikon flash units that has the ready light contact. That apply to today's latest AF flash/strobes - only in the manual mode and selectively on auto mode. Thus, compatibility issue can be the last on your mind - in fact, many third party flash manufacturers provide broader options than Nikon now. |
Flash Synchronization The Nikon FE works both in manual or auto flash mode (NOT the common TTL flash available on many current AF cameras. It is designed to synchronize with electronic flash units at all shutter speeds up to and including 1/125 second, or with flashbulbs up to and including 1/30 second. A built-in hot shoe offers operation without the need for a sync cord when using flash units equipped with an ISO-type hotshoe mount such as the Nikon Speedlight Units SB-4, SB-8E, SB-9, and SB-10, SB15 etc.. For other units such as the Flash Unit BC-7 and the Speedlight Unit SB-7E, the Flash Unit Coupler AS-2 is available for direct connection between the Speedlight and the FE camera body.
Note: Nikon F3 is the first Nikon to go TTL OTF (Through the Lens and off the film plane) flash metering, but it came with a different flash coupler, the Nikon FG is the first Nikon with dedicated ISO-type hotshoe to offer TTL OTF flash metering.
For the FE's shutter speed sync range, see the following table.
|
Flashbulb |
Shutter speed (sec.) |
|||||||||||||||
|
1/1000 |
1/500 |
1/250 |
1/125 |
1/60 |
1/30 |
1/15 |
1/8 |
1/4 |
1/2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
8 |
M90 |
B |
|
|
Speedlight |
||||||||||||||||
|
FP |
||||||||||||||||
|
M |
||||||||||||||||
|
MF |
||||||||||||||||
| Synchronized | ||
| Cannot be used |
Flash Ready-light
A ready-light is built into the eyepiece of the FE for use with the Nikon Speedlight
Unit SB-10 or any Nikon dedicated flash that has the ready light contacts. This unique
feature during that time was quite welcome by many users, as the Nikon FM hasn't
got this feature incorporated. You need not remove your eye from the eyepiece to
check if the flash unit is ready for a next burst; this built-in pilot lamp also
provides to know the condition of the flash.
 |
Note: When using an electronic flash other than the Nikon Speedlight Unit SB-10 with the FE in the “AUTO” mode, it is advisable for perfect synchronized photography that you adjust the aperture ring to set the meter needle in the viewfinder to a speed slower than 1/60 sec., even though the X-synchronization is 1/125 sec. and below. |
Because the silicon photo diode in the FE responds immediately to the slightest change in scene brightness, it's a good idea to give yourself some room for that.
Another more important function is, when mounted with a dedicated auto flash, set to “AUTO,” it will automatically sets the shutter speed to 1/90 second. The ready-light also glows when the shutter-speed dial is set at a speed slower than maximum sync permissible 1/125 second speed and the flash unit is charged. I haven't try the FE on the auto setting to 1/90 sec when mount on other dedicated flash units other than the SB-10, but I did try on the SB-16B and it works, the ready light is there. The third functions (May only works with SB-10), that is, it flickers if you set the speed beyond 1/125 sec.to warn you it is a setting of out-of-sync speed. As for the ready light, I always thought this is more useful than the tiny LED green dot host in the viewfinder, because since it is so near to your eye (Just above your eyepiece), it is very alerting yet it is not so offensive to your attention to composition inside the viewfinder, much better than the ready light in the F3.. Flash operation depends upon the features of the camera and flash unit being used. Generally, to simplify and group the functions, they usually provide manual, auto features, while TTL and AF are newer features to supplement newer functions that cameras provide. Since the FE is not an AF camera and does not provide a TTL OTF flash metering feature (FE2 does), you may use it with any normal flash units, including latest AF flash with your FE, minus of cause, some of the dedicated function mentioned above. BUT if you do so, in the AUTO mode setting, be very careful to shift it out into the manual shutter speed. First, your flash may not able to correspond with the camera. IF you are in a very dark surrounding, the FE Auto metering will activate and may set the exposure for very extended period of time, you may, turn the shutter speed dial to M90, other shutter speed to release the shutter. This may occur a few times during the initial few frames after loading the film. The FE2 has patch this minor flaw with a mechanical 1/250 sec during the first few frames prior to the first frame. When you work in flash photography, just select flash modes in your flash unit to either Manual (M) or Automatic (A). DO NOT slide the selector switch or button to the TTL/FP etc. (NOT quite true, like repeating flash etc. may work differently) Errr...It is hard to cover the flash in just small section, may be I will port another info page for the Nikon dedicated flash in time to come. Whatever, the FE (Or for that matter, any SLR camera) can work with virtually any flash (Including flash from other manufacturers), it differs only with full features of what the flash can offer and what the camera to take full use of them.
Thus, in auto flash mode, just work out the effective aperture(s) in various auto flash range, depends on how powerful your flash unit (Measure in Guide number), and segment out based on the strobe's indicators in various f stops. While in manual flash mode, you must determine the correct exposure based on the power of the flash can offer. Firstly, before using the flash, just make sure on the camera's flash synchronization shutter speed must be selected at 1/125 second or slower on your FE). Next, equally important is to determine the exact flash to the subject distance. Use the flash's calculator dial and set the appropriate f/stop required for the given distance (just refer to the distance on your lens after focusing the subject). Err.... too lengthy. Just stop here.I am not so good in explaining in text (Neither my typing), the more that I write, may get you confuse even more.
This section covers: Accessory Shoe | Flash
Synchronization
| Ready-light
Previous section : Exposure Compensation
| Film Plane Indicator
| Next | section
covers: Viewfinder
information and exposure measurement
Additional supplements: Technical Information relating to Nikon FE(7 parts)
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Nikon Manual Focus Nikkor lenses:- Fisheye-Nikkor Lenses - Circular | Full Frame |
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Special
Application lenses: Micro-Nikkor Lenses - 50mm~55mm -60mm 85mm -105mm 200mm Micro-Zoom 70-180mm Perspective Control (PC) - 28mm 35mm PC-Micro 85mm Dedicated Lenses for Nikon F3AF: AF 80mm f/2.8 | AF 200mm f/3.5 EDIF Depth of Field Control (DC): 105mm 135mm Medical Nikkor: 120mm 200mm Reflex-Nikkor Lenses - 500mm 1000mm 2000mm Others: Noct Nikkor | OP-Nikkor | UV Nikkor 55mm 105mm | Focusing Units | Bellows-Nikkor 105mm 135mm Nikon Series E Lenses: 28mm35mm50mm100mm135mm | E-Series Zoom lenses: 36~72mm75~150mm70~210mm |
MF Zoom-Nikkor Lenses: 25~50mm | 28~45mm | 28~50mm | 28~85mm | 35~70mm | 36~72mm E | 35~85mm | 35~105mm | 35~135mm | 35~200mm | 43~86mm | 50~135mm | 50~300mm | 70~210mm E | 75~150mm E | 80~200mm | 85~250mm | 100~300mm | 180~600mm | 200~400mm | 200~600mm | 360~1200mm | 1200~1700mm
Tele-Converters: TC-1 | TC-2 | TC-200 | TC-201 | TC-300 | TC-301 | TC-14 | TC-14A | TC-14B | TC-14C | TC-14E | TC-16 | TC-16A | TC-20E
Recommended links to understand more technical details
related to the Nikkor F-mount and production Serial Number:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-153.html by: my
friend, Rick Oleson
http://www.zi.ku.dk/personal/lhhansen/photo/fmount.htm by: Hansen,
Lars Holst
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/nikonfmount/lens2.htm
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html
W A R N I N G: The New G-SERIES Nikkor lenses have no aperture ring on the lens, they CANNOT ADJUST APERTURES with any of these manual focus Nikon FE series SLR camera models; please ignore some portion of the content contained herein this site where it relates.
Recommended Reading Reference on Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses
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A contributing effort to Michael C Liu's Classic Nikon Site.
Credit: Chuck Hester for some of his beautiful images used in this site; Ted Wengelaar®, Holland for his continuous flow of input; Lars Holst Hansen, Danish 'Hawkeye' who shares the same passion; Mr Poon from Poon photo for their input; Ms Miss Rissa (Sales Manager) & members of the Technical Service dept. of Shriro Malaysia, local distributor of Nikon cameras in Malaysia & Singapore, in providing so many useful input to make this site possible. Special thanks to Mr MC Lau, who has helped with his images of the MF-12 databack. Michael Tan, Pertama Photo (603-2926505) for lending his original Titanium Shutter Display Unit. Dave Hoyt who has prepared the introductory page and offer some images of his FE2 in this site.. Hiura Shinsaku, Nikomat ML, Japan for his contribution on all the various images; A contributing site to a long lost friend on the Net. Note: Certain content and images appeared in this site were either scanned from official marketing leaflets, brochures published by Nikon and/or contribution from surfers who claimed originality of their own work to publish in this site based on educational merits. The creator of this site will not be responsible for any discrepancies that may arise from such possible dispute except rectifying them after verification."Nikon", "Nikkormat", "Nippon Kokagu KK" & "Nikkor" are registered tradename of Nikon Corporation Inc., Japan. Made witha PowerMac.