My second-ever camera, the Nikon FM is an elderly and basic camera, but one which - even today - is still carried as a backup body by many.

The reason is that it's a real workhorse that Just Works. It's so simple, there's really almost nothing to go wrong. Even without a battery, all you lose is metering, making it a pretty failsafe backup.

Despite its simplicity, it was a pretty clever camera for its time. Shutter speed is displayed in the viewfinder by a mechanical system. Aperture is displayed by the even simpler method of a window and mirror reflecting the aperture marking on the lens!

Metering is via red and green LEDs. It uses a 60/40 centre-weighted approach that is remarkably effective even when stacked up against modern matrix-metering systems. Metering is switched on when you cock the shutter. The lever stays out a little ready for the next shot; close it all the way and the metering switches off to conserve power.

Although the F70 is my main backup body, for a really crucial shoot I'd take the FM as well - and sometimes I just shoot with it for nostalgia's sake. :-)