History
The FM was the replacement for Nikkormat FT3, which had been introduced only a few months prior. It introduced an entirely new compact, but rugged, copper-aluminum alloy chassis that would become the basis for Nikon's highly successful range of compact semi-professional SLR cameras.
These cameras were intended to provide a more reasonably priced alternative to Nikon's professional F-series cameras, which at the time was the Nikon F2. They were all-new successors to the Nikkormat F- and EL-series of amateur-level SLRs, but despite the lower price-point they continued Nikon's reputation for high-quality construction, impressive durability and measured technical innovation.
The FM has proven to be remarkably long-lived and reliable camera. Nippon Kogaku would over the next twenty-nine years use the same chassis (but with some modifications) and basic design philosophy for the FE (introduced in 1978), FM2 (1982), FE2 (1983), FA (1983) and the limited production FM3A of 2001.
Read more about this topic: Nikon FM
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