Battle F!

Is over.
Sort of.
I mean I got a couple more uh, you know whats to check out then it will be over.
Huh?
You know.
The you know whats.
Okay, let's start with the lowly Nikon FG, the smallest of the F series cameras I tried:

Not very good images for someone who owns like a ton of cameras but I gotta go somewhere in a bit so I'm rushing.
More on that later.
Anyways, if you look on the right sidebar you can see that I also have a chrome FG which I liked so I went and got me a black and nasty one too.
It's small and compact but it won't do double exposures without some trickeration which is the only drawback.
Viewfinder shot:

There's a split prism there trust me and metering is done with those LEDs on the right.
Not so hot when shooting into bright light but serviceable.
There's also a little beeper thingy if you are under or over exposed but I think it only works on auto exposure.
Nice compact camera.
My much longed for FM2:

That is a FM2, an FM2n actually, I was just too lazy ( I am the King don't you know)  to take off the power winder thingy.
LEDs in the viewfinder too:

On the right side, you get a 0 indicator for correct exposure and + or - if you're over or under.
As you can see, I'm under.
Up top you get the aperture and on the left the shutter speed.
All your info is there for fast shooting.
Max shutter speed is 1/4000 so you can handle bright sun light and wide apertures.
The PRO camera:

The F3 with high eye point view finder for folks with cheaters.
I don't wear glasses when I shoot but it's nice to have a wide image:

One drawback to this viewfinder is LED display on top left which didn't come out to well in the image.
Shutter speed is displayed there along with a similar + - thingy like the FM2.
Aperture is in the center window on top.
The F3 however is nice.
It's a PRO body with a nice winder and you don't have to wind the film all the way to fire the shutter.
Still experimenting with that.
What I grab first:

Go to.
My other one flipped it's mirror so I'm sad but I'm working on getting another one.
Maybe another one too.
If you know what I mean.
I like the match needle meter:

Check your aperture in the window on top then match the needles on the left to see your shutter.
It's faster and easier to see than the F3 and a bit more reassuring than the + - of the FM2, at least for me.
The FE2 and F3 also meter down to 8 seconds which works for me since I do some long exposure stuff.
No guessing there.
The other cameras only have a bulb setting.
Actually I'm disappointed that after all this the FM2 didn't come out ahead cause I pined for that puppy for like forever.
I still use it and like it, but the FE2 is my favorite.
For now.
There's still that legendary FM3a that I'm thinking about along with the F2 though neither meter to that holy 8 seconds.
It ain't over till it's over.
Don't you know.
A little disclaimer here.
If I wasn't so heavily invested in Nikkor glass, the Canon AE-1 is nice.
If you, the reader, have been following along at home you remember I picked up that black and nasty one a while back which I have since passed along to one of kids.
The AE-1 is a nice inexpensive camera and the glass is wallet friendly too.
I was actually thinking about building up an AE-1 system until I realized that I already have a ridiculous amount cameras already.
In the end, Battle F! came down to what I like to use and what works for me.
The best camera is not always that iconic dream you wished for, but the one you use the most.
Off to the eVilness to find a nice FE2.
Don't bid against me.
Next up: Battle Digital!
Okay, not really.