I picked up this Nikon EM at a yard sale for $10. Though not a commercial success for the company, the EM is nicely made, light weight and compact. The camera's aperture-priority auto exposure was taken as something of an insult by Nikon purists, but it is not a bad trade-off for always-accurate metering, and one can see the system-selected shutter speed in the view finder.
My yard sale find came mounted with a Tokina 35-70 macro zoom lens. The focal length variability and the close-up capability make for a versatile shooter. Unfortunately, when the zoom is extended, the camera's dim focus screen gets even worse as the center split-image spot blacks out if the user's eye is not centered just right over the finder. In fact, I found it nearly impossible to properly focus the camera even under good conditions, and capturing action was entirely out of the question. I have heard of people installing different screens from other Nikon models. I also wonder if a good E-Series prime lens might improve the view. I probably won't find out, though, unless I happen to find one under a rock. I'm not inclined to go out to buy expensive lenses to satisfy my curiosity about a ten-dollar camera.
