Until then, Nikon cameras were world-renowned for their very high quality and durability, but were also expensive. Despite the emergence of an increasingly prosperous middle-class in these countries, their income had not yet reached Western standards, so even the cheapest Nikons were generally beyond their means. The FM10's deliberately limited features and use of relatively dated technology were intended to keep production costs- and therefore price- as low as possible for these markets. However, the FM10 has been criticised by some for perceived low quality, attributed to its targeting of the brand-conscious nouveau riche in developing countries. It is claimed that the FM10 was intended for those who desired affordable ownership of a famous brand name, regardless of the actual quality of the camera itself. Nevertheless, when news of the FM10 reached Western photographers, a clamor arose and Nikon decided to offer it worldwide. While there have been mixed opinions, with some expressing reservations about its durability, it has proved popular as an entry level beginner's camera, and for photography students needing or wanting to use film and fully manual, mechanical SLR cameras. The Nikon FM10 sells steadily because of the prominent Nikon brand on its pentaprism, and for its compatibility with a wide range of new and used Nikon and third-party lenses. It is also a fairly popular backup camera among traditionalist photographers using more sophisticated Nikon bodies. Discontinuation In January 2006, Nikon announced that they were discontinuing the majority of their film-based camera bodies. Along with Nikon's flagship model, the F6, the FM10 was one of only two to remain in production, lasting until October 2020. However, by November 2020, Nikon USA had marked the FM10 as "archived" and by mid-2022 it had been marked "discontinued" across multiple Nikon sites. References Inline Other "Cosina: And you thought Rodney Dangerfield got no respect!" retrieved 6 January 2009. Archived from the original. "Nikon MF/AF Bodies – Lens Compatibility" retrieved 3 January 2006 Rockwell, Ken. "Nikon Lens Compatibility" retrieved 4 January 2009 "Consumers' Mentality: Nikon FM and FE10" retrieved 29 September 2006 "Reshaping Nikon's Film Camera Assortment" (press release) retrieved 30 September 2006 Various. Opinions taken from camerareview.com website retrieved 30 September 2006 Anonymous. "Yashica's FX-3: Basic, Black, And Beautiful" pp 111–113. Modern Photography's Photo Buying Guide '85. reprint from Modern Photography, January 1980. Anonymous. "Camera Test: Olympus OM2000: It's not exactly an OM-1, but …" pp 82–85. Popular Photography, Volume