Hello John, I am a die hard manual Nikon user. I own FA, and FE amongst other Nikons. The FA has programme mode, aperature priority mode, manual mode, shutter to 1/4000s, flash sync at 1/250, matrix metering, TTL flash The FE has aperature priority mode, manual mode, shutter to 1/1000s, flash sync at 1/125, centre weighted metering The FE2 has aperature priority mode, manual mode, shutter to 1/4000s, flash sync at 1/250, centre weighted metering, TTL flash The FA top housing is polycarbonate, whereas the FE and FE2 are all metal. The winder on the FE is the silkest of all Nikons I have ever used. The FA has a very nice grip, much better than the F3's. One thing annoys me on the FA is that the metering won't start to work and the shutter is set to 1/250 until frame 1. I have never used the programme mode on the FA, as I use manual most of the time. Although the FA is functionally better than the FE2, it is cheaper. Hope this helps, Sover
