Nikon FG
The Nikon FG was introduced in 1982 as the successor to the Nikon EM. Like the EM, the FG was targeted at the amateur photographer. The smaller size, automated shooting options and lower price made it a more approachable option than the professional F3 or even the mid-range FM lines.
If you wanted an SLR as a casual shooter between 1982 and 1984, Nikon had you covered with the FG. It was not the War Correspondent’s F3 or the FM2 your family dentist showed off, but it used the same Nikon F mount lenses and made shooting very automatic for the three times a year that you brought it out of the box. If you did decide to get more creative, you could shoot in full Manual mode and even have ±2 EV of exposure compensation. But why overthink things? Put the FG on P for Programmed AE and it will calculate the exposure (a first for Nikon). Or live on the edge and pick A for Aperture Priority AE. Whip it out, focus and shoot. All this on a camera the size of an Olympus OM4.
I think one of the many factors that helped the Nikon SLRs was the commitment to the Nikon F-mount lens across all the SLRs and across time. It meant that you could buy a new body and have your old glass (mostly) work. It also let you buy an entry level body, like the FG, and have the lens you bought move up the line when you decided to switch to an FM or F. And with that logic, I decided to shoot the FG with a non-Nikon lens: the 5.6mm f/5.6 fisheye from Sunex.
My take:
I wanted to get a lens that would give me a full circle of view. I had shot the LOMO Fisheye and the Fisheye 2. They were both entertaining toy cameras and I liked the fisheye look. What I did not like was the fact that the images were cut off on the top and bottom. I wanted to see what an image would look like with the entire circle in the frame. I found the now discontinued Sunex 5.6mm. I had never heard of them, but it seems they made lenses for things like backup cameras in cars and other specialty applications. This lens was not intended for 35mm film cameras, it was the Sunex lens designed for a digital camera. Fun fact, at 185 degrees of view you can take a photo turn around, and take the shot facing the other way and stitch them together for a full 360-degree view.
I think most normal users of this lens would have a specific need for the fisheye and then correct the distortion in editing. Not me, I was looking for the distortion.
The FG was a perfect companion to this lens. The lens is F mount and heavy, so saving some size with the body was great. Also, this is a fixed aperture of f/5.6 and has fixed focus. Minimum focus is about half a meter. Letting the FG set the shutter speed freed me to look for interesting things to capture. It also gave me time to try and keep my feet out of all the shots. Not as easy as it sounds, and not always successfully.
I can say the FG was a champ. Mine is in very nice condition and shows very little sign of use. You can find them used at a variety of prices depending on condition. But most of them will not break the bank. The Sunex lens was fun but frivolous for most situations. I am thinking about putting a few rolls of color-shift film through. Since I spend all my money on old cameras, lenses and film, I don’t have any for drugs. Some color-shifting film and fisheye distortion may be my only alternative.
Or you could shoot the FG with normal film and one of the many fantastic Nikon lenses. Not sure why, but you could. You do you.
Lens: Sunex 5.6mm f/5.6
Film: Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 800 expired
