Promaster Spectrum 7 50mm lenses compatible with Nikon lenses mount?

I recently asked about panoramic cameras and got excellent advice but
the cameras were far outside my budget. Both the Noblex and Hasselblad
X-Pan were wonderful to read about and look at. I've now decided to go
rock bottom and get a manual Nikon F10 similar I've been told to the
discontinued Pentax K 1000. I have a Promaster Spectrum 7 50 mm lenses
but I have a gut feeling it won't mount to the Nikon F10. I use to
have a Pentax K 1000 but it evetually broke down on me. Also, any
reviews of the Pentax K-1000 compared to the Nikon F10.

Michael Ragland

 

It looks like it should mount, here's a similar lens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wintrhawk/2139889837/

 

If your Promaster lens went on your K1000 then it was
a 'K' mount lens and it will not fit a Nikon. 'Promaster'
is the name of a no-name line of lenses available in
various mounts: K, Minolta, Nikon ...

Probably not a good idea to get a Nikon FM-10 - it isn't
a Nikon but a budget-line Cosina (?) that is available
in several skins: K, Minolta, Nikon ...

Go to ebay (if you know what you are doing) or KEH (if
you would rather not take risks) and get an F3, probably
the best bang-for-buck in the used Nikon line-up. You can
usually save $50-$100 by buying one that the previous
owner had engraved. KEH's BGN bargain grade is often
equivalent to an ebay 'excellent'.

For a budget lens the 50mm f1.8 'E' is recommended.

 

Apparently, Cosina is a Japanese photo manufacturer which has made
lenses for big guys and others for a long time.
I found this interesting exchange about the NIKON F 10 on Photonet. I
do know my Pentax K 1000 could take excellent
pictures; that is when I was a student and shooting in B&W; in the
darkroom sizing, developing, fixing, stopping, squeeging the
prints, drying them, mounting them, etc. But it did not last long
enough. Apparently the body of the NIKON F10/Cosina is made
of metal but has a plastic shell. Even though I don't have a darkroom
access I plan on shooting B&W with red filter on the
Alaskan cruise trip I'm making this May. Also, purchased hi-definition
Kodak color film and wondering how that will turn out.
Sometimes my B&W come back all muddy grey developed like shit and
others crisp whites, blacks and shades of grey inbetween.
I plan mainly for landscape photography; not the best with 35mm but
I'm on budget .

Michael Ragland

Nikon FM10
Boris Riabov, Aug 23, 2007; 12:04 p.m.

I can't seem to find a Nikon FM2 anywhere, so I'm considering buying a
Nikon FM10f a person for $70. It also comes with a 35-70mm lens, Nikon
UV filter. Since I'm gonna be a first time photography student, I
think the FM10 would be a good fit for me. What do you guys think?

Answers
Andrew D., Aug 23, 2007; 12:27 p.m.

I'm sort-of on the fence about this. On the one hand, as a student and
a beginner, you don't need really great equipment, and the FM10 is
perfectly functional. The kit lens with it is unremarkable, but
perfectly serviceable for your needs. Finally, the price is right.

However, the FM10 is a plastic Cosina-built camera- a Nikon in name
and lens mount only. I doubt if it will last anywhere near as long as
an FM2. The FM2 was one of Nikon's best ever manual mechanical
cameras- solidly designed and built. It will never let you down, and
will stand up to years of use and abuse.

There is something to the idea that one can get attached to a good
camera, and can be inspired to do more and better work with a really
good tool. The FM2 is such a beast, IMO, where I doubt the FM10 can do
that. If you can pick up one of each and shoot a few test frames with
them, you'll see what I mean.

Lenses. The 35-70 kit lens with the FM10 will produce images, but
that's about it. I'd strongly recommend you get a better lens, and
also that you pick a fixed focal length lens. It'll make you work a
little harder, but it will help you learn to be a better photographer
faster. Zooms can make you lazy; they can distract your attention from
working with the subject to get the best shot- you spend time playing
with the zoom, rather than looking at how to best capture what you are
shooting. Sure, pros rely on zoom lenses all the time; but they need
them in fast paced environments, and more importantly, they know how
to control them. Many less experienced photogs are controlled by their
zooms- the dog wagging the tail.

In the end, the FM10 will work for you. As a student, the camera
matters little- it's what you learn; and you will choose more
appropriate equipment as you develop as a photographer. OTOH, if you
keep looking for a better camera, like the FM2 (which you can easily
get off of eBay or from a good online dealer like KEH cheaply), you
will have a better camera which will serve you longer and not require
a later upgrade. Either way, I suggest you look for a good fixed focal
length lens- the 50mm is the classic starter lens; I shot with a Nikon
50mm f1.4 almost exclusively for many years, and still shoot easily
75% of what I do with a 50mm lens or it's equivalent. Good luck!

Michael Bradtke, Aug 23, 2007; 12:34 p.m.

Boris

I do not know where you are but have you tried

www.KEH.com

They have the cameras you have been looking for. I have to agree with
Andrew that the F10 has a very cheep feel to it.

Michael

Nick White, Aug 23, 2007; 12:45 p.m.

As already stated the price sounds about right; to me the main
disadvantage of this, apart from the build, over the FM2 (or better
still FE/FE2) is the very basic 'traffic light' meter indication in
the viewfinder.

I would hold out and look for a good clean FE or FE2 - it would last
you for years!

Jeff Adler, Aug 23, 2007; 01:25 p.m.

My standard bargain Nikon manual focus recommendation is a Nikkormat
FT2. The last ones made are about 30 years old so a $100 overhaul
would be in order. Then you have something solid and long lasting. I
just bought a Vivitar V4000s for $24 from an eBay seller. It seems to
be in nice condition. The only thing it doesn't have is a depth of
field preview button. This is the same as the FM10 but with a Pentax K
mount instead. A few years ago Herbert Keppler reviewed a few of these
cameras with the very cheap kit lens. Apart from the dim viewing
through the slow kit lenses he liked the performance of both the
cameras and the lenses. If the camera is in good condition and comes
with the 35-70 it should be a good student camera. You can always get
Nikon or Nikon mount lenses to add to the 35-70.

Luis Argüelles, Aug 23, 2007; 03:00 p.m.

In my opinion, and as suggested by Andrew, the important thing is to
use a 50mm prime lens in order to learn photography not only faster
but with a lot better foundations. After a year shooting only with a
50mm you will develop a great vision for taking pictures. About the
FM10, I would try to avoid it and go for a FM2 or better yet, a F2A.

Howard Vrankin, Aug 23, 2007; 05:00 p.m.

I understand those who want to put you in a better quality level of
Nikon camera. I was in photo retail for a number of years. I saw
older, otherwise respectable cameras with many problems. A nikon
purist might disagree, but the FM10 is a pretty solid camera for your
uses, if it is in excellent plus or better condition. Contrary to an
earlier post, it isn't a "plastic" camera. It does have a plastic
shell, but the body construction is metal. On the side of others
posting before me, if you can find any of the other FM or FE series
cameras that doesn't have problems needing repair or adjustment, you
would probably have a better camera in the long run. My first doubt is
that you'd find a really sharp one in your price range. Second, if you
did I'd be careful of something twenty years old that had multiple
owners and was marked that low in price, without having a
knowledgeable camera tech look at it.

Gary Watson, Aug 23, 2007; 05:33 p.m.

Skip it for a clean FG+50/1.8E, available often together for about the
same money or less.Remarkably capable little camera that never got its
due.

John Lehman, Aug 24, 2007; 01:05 a.m.

I've used an FM10 as backup for my FE2 for years and it has never
given me any problems. Camera bodies are much less important than
lenses. The price is right, so I would go for it. If you decide later
you need a better lens, either the 50mm 1.8 or the better 1.4 are very
good.

Robert Cirillo, Aug 25, 2007; 08:29 p.m.

My main shooter is an FM3a, but I have an FM-10 as a backup. I took it
to Aruba a couple of years ago. You can see the results here -
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=490737

 

K1000 is superior to the Nikon F10.

If you want drop dead simple reliability in the Nikon line, look for a
used Nikon F.