
- Year : 1979
- Dimensions : 135 × 54 × 86 mm
- Weight : 456g
- Shutter speed : 1s to 1/1000s + B
- Iso : 25 to 1600
- Lens : Tokina 35-70mm f/3.5 to f/16
- Focal Range : 0,8m to inf
- Battery : two LR44
The Nikon EM is a nice, small and cheap aperture priority camera. It really does the job if aperture priority is what you are looking for, but it can quickly feel a bit limited if you expect more.
The aperture priority mode is the only mode available on the Nikon EM. It will not work without a battery except on M90, which allows you to shoot anything at 1/90 of a second. Without the possibility of switching to a manual mode and lacking any exposure compensation, the EM becomes difficult to use in complicated light situations. The great side of this camera is the F lens mount (Nikon still used a reflex mount). The viewfinder is okay and uses a needle to indicate camera speed and if the picture is not over or underexposed. The film advance lever has the particularity of having a hinge. This is pleasant but does not make much difference compared with a normal advance lever.

Because of its simplicity the Nikon EM was advertised in the late 70’s as the « perfect camera for women » because « easy to use » which gave this camera a sexist reputation. The images I took with my Nikon Nikon EM and the Tokina lens came out well except for a few light leaks. The foam from the back of the camera needs to be changed. It is pleasant and very straight forward to shoot with, perfect to carry around as a entry level reflex camera.
I found this Nikon EM online and picked it up in Lyon in 2019 for 20€. Here are some shots taken with in in Strasbourg in sprint 2019 on Agfa vista plus 200 :





