The Nikon FG is the nicest Nikon you can buy for $150. Just don't let the secret out. Why?
Dealer: "Nice black FG, $200. Hey, that's a nice N90. Why do you want an FG?"
Andy: "As a backup."
Dealer: "Shame on you! You're going to back up an N90 with an FG?"
Andy: "I'll take the FG for $150."
The FG is a manual focus Nikon body with manual, aperture priority, and program modes and standard TTL flash. It has an electronic shutter, exposure compensation, backlight button, shake warning, and mirror-lockup with the self-timer. It also features one of the nicest metered manual display systems I've seen. The glaring omissions are depth of field preview, changable focus screens, viewfinder aperture setting display, exposure lock, and PC sync, but these are forgivable given the price of a used FG.
The main features of the FG are:
For more information, check the official Nikon specifications and labelled diagram for the FG from the owner's manual.
The FG is the same size as the other non-professional F cameras, the FE, FE2, FM, and FM2. It is lighter than the plastic AF bodies. The camera feels a little small in my hands, even with the removable plastic grip, but is just right with the bottom of the case attached.
The controls are all where they should be on a manual camera body and quite comfortable for the most part. The backlight button sits under your left index finger and is quick and convenient for taking pictures outdoors with sun or snow in the background. Exposure compensation has a little locking button that is inconvenient to use and forces you to take your eye away from the viewfinder. There is a similar button for shutter speed that locks you in the A or P mode.
The FG has my favorite Nikon metering display, basically an LED version of a match needle. There is a row of red LEDs for the different shutter speeds. The selected shutter speed is lit up when the meter is on. The meter blinks the LEDs that correspond to the recommended exposure, blinking two simultaneously if the recommended exposure is a 1/2 stop. In the A or P mode, only the metered shutter speed lights up. The quartz-regulated shutter is stepless in A and P mode and quite accurate. The metering range is quite phenomenal, with one particular exposure of a sunset going for over 30 seconds, way beyond specifications.
This system is great because it allows you to see your exposure on the full shutter exposure range of the camera. Under or overexposing several stops in 1/2 stop steps for silhouettes and other special lighting situations is very visual and direct. The 1 or 2 stop displays found in other Nikons is less useful, although the autofocus bodies give you 1/3 stop resolution.
The meter turns on with a light touch of the shutter release and stays on for 15 seconds or until you take your finger off the shutter release, whichever is longer. This is also a battery check, because the meter stays on only while the shutter release is depressed when the batteries are running low (the quartz-regulated shutter speeds remain accurate with dropping battery voltage). There is also a switchable beep mode that warns you if your shutter speed goes below 1/60 second or above 1/1000 second in aperture priority and program modes. I find it moderately useful, but usually turn it off anyways.
The 2 EV backlight button works and you can see the results in the viewfinder display. I find it pretty useful backlit subjects, although it is a bit too much compensation for my taste when shooting slides (I prefer about 1 to 1.3 stops).
There are two minor exposure system frustrations. First, you must move the shutter speed around when one of LEDs adjacent to the shutter setting is blinking to know whether you are 1 or 1/2 stop off. Second, you can drain the batteries if something is pressing on the shutter release, especially in the camera bag. Fortunately, the meter does not turn on in the bulb or mechanical shutter settings, so I try to remember to set that before putting my camera away.
A major frustration is the lack of an exposure lock combined with the simple center-weighted metering. I have the habit of focusing on my subject off-center and shooting away. This works well with my N90s, and even my point and shoot, but ruins exposures with the FG when the subject has a much different brightness than the center of the frame. This isn't an issue when shooting in metered manual, but I use aperture priority for about 75% of my shooting.
Having TTL flash is nice and a major advantage compared to the FE, FM, and FM2. The flash confirmation light works with my SB-26 and SB-23, lighting up when the flash is fully charged and blinking when there was insufficient light in the last shot. Lightly pressing the shutter release even wakes the SB-26 from standby mode! The TTL works fairly well in my tests at night and for daytime fill flash.
There are some flash frustrations associated with all of the manual focus Nikon bodies. Off-center subjects are usually overexposed if I don't compensate manually, usually by switching to manual flash, estimating distance, and doing the guide number calculations. Flash exposure compensation is deactivated on modern Speedlights when used on a manual focus body, so a little more effort is required to independently vary flash and ambient exposures for more desirable fill ratios.
I often use the autoflash sensor on the SB-26 instead of TTL because I can do real flash exposure compensation. Nikon recommends changing the aperture setting on the flash from the value of camera aperture setting so that the autoflash either overexposes or underexposes the picture. This is a bit silly, since it only gives you compensation in 1 stop steps. A much better idea is to change the ASA film speed setting on the flash from the camera setting, which gives you flash exposure compensation in 1/3 stops. The autoflash sensor seems to be about as accurate as the TTL flash sensor on the FG.
The FG has it's own particular set of flash limitations. The 1/90 second top flash sync speed is a serious limitation for outdoor shooting (all of the other modern manual Nikons are faster except for the F3). The TTL flash will not work with the ASA set to faster than 400, although you can go up to 1600 by using the exposure compensation (I think the FE2 and F3 share this limitation). The FG also lacks a PC sync terminal, which I think about whenever I use my 30 year old side-mounted manual flash, i.e. not often. You can always use a hot shoe adapter or the terminal on an SB-26.
I wish the FG had depth of field preview. I miss it most in regular portrait shooting and landscape shots with foreground subjects. I used to be upset because I wanted to use depth of field preview and mirror lockup for macro work, but I'm not convinced that the self-timer mirror lockup is all that useful. I recently realized that the mechanical timer unwinding probably generates a lot more vibration than the mirror flipping up (I haven't proved this, but it seems reasonable and believing it makes me feel better). I haven't had any noticable problems with the N90 and 105mm Micro at 1:1, so I don't worry about this anymore.
The lack of an aperture display is a serious hinderance to efficient aperture priority operation because it forces you to take you eye away from the viewfinder. Also, not having an exposure lock control forces me into full manual mode in order to properly expose off-center subjects. This would have been a simple and very useful feature to implement.
The FG needs batteries to function in anything other than the bulb and mechanical shutter settings. The little cells that the FG uses are expensive and wimpy (I've heard that the large 3 V lithiums are better than my little silver oxide cells, but I haven't tried them yet). The little batteries die quickly in the sub-freezing New England winters. I hate batteries. I need to eventually get an FM or FM2 as well as a fully mechanical backup.
Finally, I really hate the K screen and am constantly annoyed that I cannot change it. Perhaps I'll try to get a Nikon repair shop to somehow replace it with an E screen. Paradise.
The FG has developed a bad reputation due to comparisons with the FE, FE2, FM, and FM2. In many respects, especially the metering display and TTL flash, it's a better camera than the comparable bodies, despite some of the features it misses. The primary complaint seems to be the lack of depth of field preview, which is not unusual for Nikon's lower priced cameras. Also, I think having a program mode made serious amateurs and professionals alike scoff at the FG, especially since the technology of the time didn't result in a very intelligent program mode (just my own theory).
There is the question of the ruggedness of the Nikon FG. I've dropped one of mine a few times without functional problems, although others have had problems after accidents. Any camera can fail it if you drop it just right. I have seen a fair number of FG bodies with electrical problems, mostly in the shutter speed dial and viewfinder display, but mine seem to be holding up. There are rumors that the shutter fails prematurely, but I haven't seen any conclusive evidence that the shutter is any more delicate than the other comparable bodies.
Also, I tested two FG bodies against my N90 and N90s. The 15 year old bodies were within less than 0.25 EV of spot on, while both high-tech bodies were +0.5 EV, as tested at the shop and with a roll of slides. Considering that one FG has hit the ground more often than my basketball lately, that's pretty impressive.
That being said, if you're working at the limits of physical abuse and the elements, you'd probably want the legendary toughness of a professional Nikon F-series body. Any battery-dependent camera can freeze up at very low temperatures, so a fully mechanical F, F2, FM or FM2 would be a better backup for harsh New England winters.
If you're really concerned, at $150 a pop, you can buy half a dozen and throw them away if they break. If they look clean, they probably won't.
I like using the FG. It feels good, is light and rugged, and works well. The FG with the 24mm, 85mm, and 200mm Nikkors has become my standard hiking and biking kit. I think it complements my autofocus gear nicely and is a servicable backup. It is often refreshing to put away the latest computerized wonder and just use the FG in manual mode: a light-tight box with film transport and a shutter.
For the price, you just can't beat the FG. The only other Nikon you can get for the price is an EM, a horrid little aperture priority only contraption with no exposure compensation. The price range for the FG is $125-250, depending on condition and seller, with $150-200 being pretty typical. The other comparable manual Nikons are much more. A nice FG with a 50mm f1.8 and an SB-20 is a very competent starter system that can grow with you for $350 and is a bargain at that.
Thanks to Giles Stewart for helpful comments and the scanned images.