The model
Nikon 35Ti
Nikon · From 1993. End of production not reliably documented
The one with the four needles on the top plate, which tell you the aperture, the distance, the frame and the compensation, and are not a light meter.
- Format
- 35mm film
- Made by
- Nikon
What it was
Nikon launched it in 1993 at 1,120 dollars, which Jim Grey puts at more than 3,500 in today's money. Titanium covers, a 35mm f/2.8 Nikkor of six elements in four groups, programme and aperture priority, exposure compensation, manual focus, infinity lock and a T setting good for ten minutes.
And the dial. Four electromechanically driven needles on the top plate reporting the focused distance, the selected aperture, the frame number and the exposure compensation. It is the camera's best-known feature. It reports what the camera is set to and doing; it does not measure light.
The 28Ti of 1994 is a separate camera with a 28mm lens of seven elements in five groups, so check which model a fault report is about.
What it is good for
Looking at. That is not a dismissal — the dial is a genuinely lovely piece of engineering and the reason to own this rather than something with the same lens and no needles.
Aperture priority in a pocket camera, with exposure compensation, manual focus and an infinity lock.
Long exposures. The T setting runs to ten minutes.
The lens. Six elements in four groups, symmetric, with low-dispersion glass — a serious design for a compact.
Where it falls short: no manual film speed at all, so box speed or exposure compensation and nothing else. No weather sealing despite the titanium. And the parts situation, which is the real one: Mike Eckman reports no factory parts for the closely related 28Ti, and the 35Ti is a year older still.
Troubleshooting
A needle is stuck, or the distance needle sits at infinity whatever you point at
Do not assume the dial has failed. Nikon's manual says a needle can be knocked out of position by shock or magnetic interference, and gives a reset procedure on pages 83 to 85, run through custom function 02. Run it before you conclude anything.
If the reset does not hold, the fault is inside the camera and needs a technician. Mike Eckman notes, of the closely related 28Ti, that no replacement factory parts are available.
A needle is out of place when the camera is off
Nikon's manual says that if a needle points away from its original position when the camera is off, you should run the reset procedure above.
The dial is not showing me the light reading
It was never going to. The dial reports selected aperture, focused distance, frame number and exposure compensation. It is a status display, not a meter. It is not a fault.
Where is the film speed setting?
There is none. The 35Ti reads DX codes from ISO 25 to 5000 and sets non-DX film to ISO 100. If you want to rate film differently, exposure compensation of up to two stops either way is the only lever you have.
The shutter will not trip
If the camera powers up but will not fire with a fresh cell and film correctly loaded, it needs a technician. Nikon's manual sends you to an authorised Nikon service centre.
It only works in programme — aperture priority and manual focus have gone
Jim Grey's example had this fault, along with a distance needle stuck at infinity and a frame counter several frames out. It needs a technician.
It behaves sluggishly and the flash will not recycle
Try a fresh CR123A before anything else. The size is current and widely sold.
Framing close subjects
The finder has separate parallax-compensation marks for close-up shooting, from about 1.3 to 3.9 ft, and for panorama close-ups (Nikon's manual, page 15). Use them when the subject is near.
It is titanium so it must be sealed
Nikon makes no sealing claim, and the manual says to avoid shooting in rain or salt spray. Titanium covers say nothing about weatherproofing.
What goes wrong, and what fixes it
Dial needles out of alignment
Nikon's manual puts misplaced needles down to shock or magnetic interference and gives a reset procedure. If the reset holds, nothing was wrong. If it does not, it is a job for a technician.
The shutter will not trip
If the camera powers up but will not fire with a fresh cell, it needs a technician.
Loss of modes
Jim Grey's example worked only in programme mode, with a distance needle stuck at infinity and a frame counter several frames out. It needs a technician.
Ageing electronics
Mike Eckman, writing about the closely related 28Ti, notes that the electronics are over a quarter of a century old and that no replacement factory parts are available.
Light seals
Mike Eckman describes a foam gasket around the film door of the 28Ti that needs replacing as it ages. Check the door foam on any 35Ti for stickiness or crumbling before loading film.
Every one of these we list has been through the checks on this page first, and what we found is written on the listing.
Written once and kept up to date. It applies to every example of this model, not only to the one in the photograph. The facts were last checked on 23 September 2026, against the maker’s own published figures where they exist; where sources disagree, the page says so.
More like this: 35mm film cameras, or every model we have written up.
Specification
Lens — Nikkor 35mm f/2.8, 6 elements in 4 groups, symmetric design with low-dispersion glass
Shutter — 2 s to 1/500, plus T up to 10 minutes
Aperture — f/2.8 to f/22. Programme and aperture priority. Exposure compensation plus or minus 2 EV; Nikon's manual gives 1/3 EV steps, Wikipedia 1/2
Film speed — DX 25–5000 in third stops. Non-DX film is read as ISO 100. No manual setting and no override; compensation is the only workaround
Focus — active infrared autofocus according to Ken Rockwell and Jim Grey. Preset manual focus and infinity lock available. Minimum focus 0.4 m
Viewfinder — 0.5x magnification, about 85 per cent coverage. Aspheric, with projected LCD framelines, parallax-compensation marks for close-ups, and displays of shutter speed, compensation and flash readiness
Top-plate dial — four electromechanically driven needles: focused distance on the left, aperture on the right, frame number top centre, exposure compensation bottom centre
Flash — built in, guide number 9 in metres at ISO 100 per Nikon's manual. Auto, red-eye reduction, cancel and anytime flash
Weather sealing — none. Nikon's manual says to avoid rain and salt spray and makes no sealing claim
Power — a single 3 V lithium CR123A (DL123A is the same cell). About 27 rolls of 24 with the flash used half the time, per Nikon
Weight and size — sources give 330 g with battery at 117 x 67 x 37 mm, or 310 g without at 118 x 66 x 36 mm
Other — panorama mode cropping to 13 x 36 mm, mid-roll rewind
Body — titanium exterior shells over a polycarbonate chassis; lens barrel and helicoid in aluminium
Here now
None here at the moment. They come through a few times a year, and this page stays up so you can find it when one does.