Nikon FG-20

Nippon Kogaku · Nikon F mount · 24×36mm on 35mm film · 1984

Also known as: Nikon FG20 · ニコンFG-20

Variants & identification

Variant	Mount	Years	Serial ranges	Production
FG-20	Nikon F	1984–1986	—	No figure published

Compensation on the FG-20 is a fixed +2 EV button and there is no compensation dial. The camera's own instruction manual settles this. Its specification table gives exposure compensation as "Approx. +2 EV exposure compensation possible by depressing the exposure compensation button", and the controls section explains the operation: for snow scenes or backlit subjects "simply keep the exposure compensation button depressed as you take the picture", and the shutter speed shifts two stops slower, from 1/250 to 1/60 in Nikon's own example. The amount is not adjustable and the FG's compensation dial has no equivalent here. This entry previously carried the question as unresolved between English Wikipedia, which lists the dial among the FG-20's losses, and camera-wiki, which states that program exposure and TTL flash metering are the only differences from the FG. Wikipedia is right and camera-wiki is wrong, and camera-wiki has not been corrected.
Figures taken from the FG-20 instruction manual's specification table, which is the only Nikon document located that specifies the camera at all: film speed ASA/ISO 25 to 3200; metering range EV 1 to EV 18 at ISO 100 with a 50mm f/1.4; flash synchronisation at 1/90 or slower, set automatically to 1/90 with a dedicated Nikon flash whenever the camera is on automatic or the dial is at 1/125 or above; 0.86× finder magnification with 92 per cent coverage; a 144° winding angle; 136 × 88 × 54mm and approximately 440g for the body alone. Nikon's Camera Chronicle publishes none of this.
No production figure has been published for the FG-20. Nikon has never released per-model numbers for the EM/FG consumer line, and the surveys that reconstruct Nikon output from serial numbers reach a total for the traditional SLRs — about 12.2 million — without breaking the consumer bodies out.
No serial blocks have been published either. Roland Vink's database, which carries serial blocks and production quantities for Nikon lenses and for the digital bodies, states that the manual-focus and autofocus film cameras are still to be added.

How to tell them apart (expand)

No P on the mode collar; aperture-priority automatic and manual only
A +2 EV exposure-compensation button on the front of the body where the FG has a compensation dial
Needle shutter-speed readout in the finder
M90 and B fire mechanically with the batteries dead or removed
Hot shoe without the FG's TTL flash contacts — flash automation is sensor-in-the-gun, not through the lens

FG-20:

Mode collar reading A, M90 and B — there is no P setting, and that is the quickest way to tell an FG-20 from an FG across a table
A needle swinging against a shutter-speed scale in the finder, where the FG has an LED dot array

FG-20: One specification for the whole run. The prism is fixed and the meter is built into the body, so unlike the F and the F2 there are no finder or metering versions to separate: an FG-20 is an FG-20.

Specifications

Format: 24×36mm on 35mm film
Finder: Fixed eye-level pentaprism with a needle shutter-speed scale · 0.86× magnification · 92% coverage · no rangefinder image
Shutter: electronically controlled vertical-travel metal focal plane, with mechanical backup · 1s – 1/1000 on automatic; M90 (a mechanical 1/90) and B run without battery power · flash sync 1/90 or slower; a dedicated Nikon flash sets 1/90 automatically · self-timer
Film advance: single-stroke lever
Back: hinged
Meter: TTL centre-weighted at full aperture, EV 1–18 at ISO 100 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens; film speeds ASA/ISO 25 to 3200. Exposure compensation is a fixed +2 EV button held down as the shutter fires — there is no compensation dial.
Motor drive: MD-E, MD-14 — Both were already in the catalogue for the EM and the FG and carry straight over; the FG-20 introduced no motor of its own. Richard Kowalski, who bought his new in 1984 and was still using it thirty-five years later, gives the drive rate as 3.2 frames a second.
Weight: 440 g
Dimensions: 136 × 88 × 54 mm
Country: Japan
Accessories: MD-E auto winder · MD-14 motor drive

Figures we worked out rather than found: The twenty-one-month gap between the FG and the FG-20 is arithmetic on Nikon's own May 1982 and February 1984 dates, not a published figure.

What reviewers say

Richard Kowalski (EMULSIVE) (blog) — Bought new in 1984 and never regretted, thirty-five years on: he accepts the "plastic beginner's camera" description and argues the contempt for it is snobbery rather than a fault of the camera, which was overlooked when new and still is.
ImagingPixel (blog) — Calls it plainly a downgrade of the FG — no program mode, no exposure-compensation dial, no TTL/OTF flash — with a +2 EV backlight button in place of the dial, and recommends it only for the newcomer who does not want the cost or the complication.
Mike Connealy (blog) — Compact, light, rugged and reliable, and still working after two decades in storage — but it "does not offer the smooth precision in operation of the earlier pro-line F cameras", which is his one reservation.
Richard R. Barron (Moving Pictures) (blog) — The economy body of 1984 is built to higher standards than the digital cameras aimed at the same buyer today; his own copy still works in every function, and his only hesitation about shooting it is that he no longer has a darkroom.

History

The Nikon FG-20 went on sale in February 1984, twenty-one months after the FG, and did less. Program exposure was gone. Through-the-lens flash control was gone. The FG’s LED dot array in the finder was replaced by a needle against a shutter-speed scale, which is cheaper to build and slower to read. What was left is aperture-priority automatic exposure, manual, and a mechanical 1/90 marked M90 that fires with the batteries dead.

Cameras do not usually move in that direction. The explanation is the price ladder rather than the drawing office: the EM of 1979 had been Nikon’s cheap body, the FG of 1982 added programmed exposure above it, and the FG-20 was slotted into the gap the EM left behind — an FG with the expensive parts taken out. Nikon’s own history of the two frames the FG as the beginning of multi-mode automatic exposure at the company, then describes the FG-20 purely by what it has: aperture-priority and manual, a needle, non-TTL automatic flash. The removals are never named.

Which made it awkward that the sources disagreed about how much was removed. English Wikipedia lists the exposure-compensation dial alongside program mode and TTL flash as things the FG-20 lacks; camera-wiki states that program exposure and TTL flash metering are the only differences between the two cameras. Both are describing the same body, and for a while this entry recorded the contradiction and left it open.

The camera’s own instruction manual closes it. Its specification table gives exposure compensation as approximately +2 EV, “possible by depressing the exposure compensation button”, and the controls section tells the owner to hold that button down while taking the picture in snow or against the light, at which point the shutter speed drops two stops. There is no dial and no other setting. So Wikipedia is right and camera-wiki is wrong, which is worth stating plainly because camera-wiki has not been corrected and its sentence is the one that circulates. The manual is also the only Nikon document found that specifies this camera at all — flash synchronised at 1/90, film from ASA 25 to 3200, a metering range of EV 1 to 18, 440 grams — none of which appears in the company’s published history of the model.

The reviewers do not otherwise argue about this camera, which is unusual. Richard Kowalski bought one new in 1984, was still using it thirty-five years later, and takes the view that the contempt for it is snobbery about plastic rather than a judgement on the pictures. Mike Connealy calls it rugged and reliable and concedes only that it lacks the smooth precision of the professional F bodies. Richard R. Barron, who was given one, notes that a cheap body of 1984 is built to a higher standard than the digital cameras aimed at the same buyer now. Kowalski also supplies a figure the specification sheets do not: with the MD-14 fitted, the FG-20 runs at 3.2 frames a second.

Nothing has been published about how many were made. Nikon released no per-model figures for the consumer line, and the published attempts to reconstruct its output from serial numbers stop at a company-wide total for the traditional single-lens reflexes — roughly 12.2 million — without dividing it by model. The serial blocks are equally absent: the fullest public database of Nikon serial numbers covers lenses and digital bodies and says the film cameras are still to come. An FG-20 in hand can be dated only by its accessories and its DX-free film-speed dial.

So the camera is now well documented in every respect except the one a catalogue most wants. How many FG-20s were made is still unanswered, and on the present record it is likely to stay that way.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Photographs

Nikon FG-20 with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 — C-M, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $70 across 40 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-11 (middle half $41–$110). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 3 days: unchanged from $70.

By day

Date	Median	Middle half	Listings
2026-09-11	$70	$41–$110	40
2026-09-08	$70	$41–$110	40
2026-09-06	$70	$41–$110	40

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Nikon FG20 F Style Lens Mount 0 — $12.00 · Retro Photo Reading
Nikon FG20 ASA/ISO Dial 0 — $15.00 · Retro Photo Reading
Authentic OEM Nikon FG-20 Film wind Advance Lever 35mm Camera parts — $17.89 · eBay · likely FG-20
Authentic OEM Nikon FG-20 Film wind Advance Lever top Cover 35mm Camera parts 1 — $19.89 · eBay · likely FG-20
Authentic OEM Nikon FG-20 Film wind Advance Lever top Cover 35mm Camera parts — $19.89 · eBay · likely FG-20
Authentic OEM Nikon FG-20 Film wind Advance Lever top Cover 35mm Camera parts — $19.89 · eBay · likely FG-20
Authentic OEM Nikon FG-20 Film rewind knob lever w/ Shaft Lever 35mm Camera part — $19.98 · eBay · likely FG-20
*PARTS/REPAIR* Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Camera Body (READ) — $24.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only Tested Working Black Japan — $25.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body w/ Vivitar 50 Flash & 2 Lenses & Polaroid — $41.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Camera Body, Only TESTED Working READ — $41.59 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Vintage SLR Camera Black Silver 28-135mm Macro Zoom Lens — $45.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera w/ Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Lens Japan Tested — $49.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
Working NIKON FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body FG20 good user — $49.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG20 Black Top Cover — $49.99 · Retro Photo Reading
Nikon FG-20 Silver 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only Japan WORKS FINE - READ — $60.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only — $65.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera + Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm F/3.3-4.5 Lens From Japan — $65.40 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Chrome SN 3226987 Nice Condition — $65.91 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 SLR Camera OSAWA 28-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Ai Zoom Lens from JAPAN【Exc+3】 — $69.58 · eBay · likely FG-20

Show 79 more listings

Vintage Nikon FG-20 Camera With Accessories Tested And Working — $75.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Vintage Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Camera Body Only – One Owner, Clean Condition — $79.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
[Tested / Shutter OK]Nikon FG-20 Black SLR Film Camera + Cosina 35-70mm F3.5-4.8 — $83.74 · eBay · likely FG-20
1984 NIKON FG-20 35mm Film Camera f/1.4 AI NIKKOR 50mm 1:1.4 Lens Serial 3945641 — $85.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera — $89.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Body B#3059289 — $89.99 · Retro Photo Reading · likely FG-20
Refurbished: Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera — $95.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Camera Body Silver – Tested Working Excellent — $112.88 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera w/ 50 mm 1.8 Lens — $114.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera w/ Nikkor 70-300mm f/1.8 Lens Japan Speedlight — $114.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Camera w/ Nikon SB-15 Flash and Starblitz 80-200mm Telephoto lens — $135.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Near MINT Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Black Body Only from JAPAN — $139.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
New Seal [MINT] Genuine Nikon FG-20 SLR 35mm Film Camera Body Only From Japan — $148.80 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG20 Mint 35mm manual camera w/50mm lens, 70/300mm Quantaray zoom, Flash — $150.00 · eBay
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film Camera + Nikon AI-S 50mm f1.8 Series E Pancake, Mint #1035 — $150.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
🎬 [MINT-] Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Black Body From JAPAN — $169.39 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 FG20 Chrome 35mm Film Camera w/ 36-72mm Zoom Len [GOOD] — $175.00 · Victory Camera · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Camera W / Nikon Lens Series E 50mm f/1.8 + Nikon E 135mm f/2.8 — $270.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 FG20 35mm Camera w/ 50mm f2 AI Prime Lens [EXC] — $275.00 · Victory Camera · likely FG-20
MIB Nikon FG-20 Chrome 35mm Film SLR Camera c/w 35-105/3.5-4.5 Lens & Manual Kit — $359.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Not Tested FOR PARTS — $11.80 · eBay · likely FG-20 junk / for parts
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body & Vivitar Lens AS IS FOR PARTS/REPAIR — $25.00 · eBay · likely FG-20 junk / for parts
Nikon Fg-20 Camera Sigma Zoom master 35-70 f/2.8 -4 macro lens & tempo 2X as is — $55.00 · eBay · likely FG-20 junk / for parts
Nikon FG-20 SLR mit Spannhebel, analog für das F Bajonett. Retro 80er Jahre ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — €39.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 SLR-Kamera Silber 35mnm Analog Vintage Only Body Nur Gehäuse — €39.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG 20 Kamera Camera 94986 — €45.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Vintage Kamera SLR — €65.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Avec 36-72mm 3.5 — €70.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
NIKON FG-20 ARGENTIQUE+ NIKON LENS SERIES E 1 : 1 . 8 — €79.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG 20 analoge Spiegelreflexkamera mit Nikkor Objektiv 35- 105 mm — €80.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 mit Stativ und Objektiv — €80.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 — €80.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
NIKON FG-20 ARGENTIQUE+ NIKON LENS SERIES E 1 : 1 . 8 — €85.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Fotocamera analogica Nikon FG20 — €89.00 · eBay
Nikon FG-20 SLR Film Camera w Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Lens — €90.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Chrom Body — €98.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 analoge SLR-Kamera inkl. Nikon Motor Drive MD-14 — €99.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Vintage camera 35mm Nikon FG-20 FG 20 only body Ref. 712610 — €119.90 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Silver Analog Automatische Spiegelreflexkamera, Kamera. — €119.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Gehäuse Body SLR Kamera analoge Spiegelreflexkamera schwarz Top — €120.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
[Fast neuwertig] Nikon FG-20 analoge Spiegelreflexkamera 35 mm schwarz nur... — €134.18 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Chrom Body " TOP Zustand " #3480242# — €135.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 analoge Spiegelreflexkamera Gehäuse aus JAPAN — €149.70 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Spiegelreflexkamera — €150.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Silver Filmkamera, analoge Spiegelreflexkamera — €150.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
NIKON FG-20 MIT HANIMEX 35-200 F3.8-5.3 JAPAN MADE REFLEX 35mm SEHR GUTER ZUSTAND — €155.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Silver Filmkamera, analoge Spiegelreflexkamera — €159.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Gehäuse Body SLR Kamera analoge Spiegelreflexkamera schwarz Top — €160.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 mit Objektiv 50 mm 1:8 + Original-Ledertasche Fotoapparat / Kamera — €249.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG20 Kamera mit Objektiven — €400.00 · eBay
Authentic Nikon FG-20 SLR FOCUS SCREEN — £7.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
ONE ..... AUTHENTIC NIKON FG-20 BASEPLATE with SCREWS — £7.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
Vintage Nikon FG-20 SLR Film Camera Body Only — £39.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
NIKON FG-20 Film Camera Classic Vintage Photography — £48.71 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera + Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm F/3.3-4.5 Lens From Japan — £58.02 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG20 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only — £66.22 · eBay
Nikon FG-20 35mm Manual SLR Film Camera Body Only in Black - Works* — £72.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 + VIVITAR Wide Angle MC 28mm 1:2.8 — £73.50 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera body only NEW LIGHT SEALS GOOD CONDITION FG20 — £79.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG‑20 35mm Film SLR Camera + Sigma 28–70mm f/3.5 Zoom Lens – Vintage Kit — £90.69 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 Film Camera 35mm SLR Black Body From JAPAN — £97.24 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera w/ Nikkor 50mm F/1.8 Lens — £97.87 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera with NIKKOR 50mm f2 Lens Black/Silver — £104.70 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera — £115.10 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG20 SLR film camera with 50mm 1:1.8 original Nikkon lens — £115.10 · eBay
[Near Mint] Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Black Body Only From Japan — £119.15 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 camera and 50mm f1.8 lens, clean, fully functional — £125.50 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 camera and 50mm f1.8 lens, clean, fully functional, boxed — £125.50 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Manual Camera with Nikon 50mm F/1.8 Series E Lens — £129.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera Bundle w/ 2 Lenses, MD-E Winder, Flash & Bag — £130.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Manual SLR Film Camera Body Only in Black - Excellent serviced — £134.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
nr Mint Nikon FG-20 SLR Film Camera Working w/ Nikon 50mm F/1.8 Lens raaug — £134.99 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm SLR Film Camera with Nikon 50mm F1.8 Lens — £149.00 · eBay · likely FG-20
C Vintage Nikon FG-20 SLR Film Camera W/ Nikon Series E 50mm 1.8 Lens & Case — £156.70 · eBay · likely FG-20
70s/80s NIKON FG-20 SLR CAMERA+NIKKOR 50mm f1.8 PANCAKE LENS+ZOOM+FLASH+CASE EX! — £172.25 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 analoge Kleinbild-Spiegelreflexkamera FG20 nur Gehäuse - top — £172.49 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film SLR Manual Camera with 50mm F/1.8 AIs Series E Lens Black — £194.95 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 35mm Film Camera SLR Black Body Fully Tested Excellent — A$228.69 · eBay · likely FG-20
Nikon FG-20 (Black) + Ai改 Micro-NIKKOR-P.C Auto 55mm F3.5 — ¥29,700 · Tokyo CAMERA (東京CAMERA) · likely FG-20

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Listings updated 2026-09-11. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.