Nikon's winder-ready electronic Nikkormat — the ELW, aperture-priority TTL, Nikon F mount, 1976.
The Nikon Nikkormat ELW, introduced in 1976, was a version of the electronic Nikkormat EL adapted to accept the AW-1 auto winder. It belonged to Nikon's mid-priced Nikkormat line, which sat below the professional F2 during the 1970s. It used the Nikon F bayonet mount, sharing lenses with the wider Nikon system whose F-mount had a long production life.
This is an electronically controlled 35mm SLR on the Nikon F mount, with a vertical-travel metal focal-plane shutter that is electronically timed, offering speeds to 1/1000 second plus B. Metering is centre-weighted TTL using a CdS cell; exposure modes are aperture-priority automatic and manual. As an electronically timed body it needs battery power for the automatic and metered speeds, though a mechanical fallback speed is available. The ELW adds contacts for the AW-1 auto winder.
The Nikkormat ELW suits users who want aperture-priority automation on a mid-range Nikon body with the option of powered film advance. It keeps the classic Nikkormat build with the front-of-lens shutter-speed ring, while adding electronic exposure. The winder option makes it more convenient for casual sequences than a purely manual-wind body.
On the used market, being electronic it depends on a working battery for auto and metered operation, so test the meter and exposure. Note the unusual battery location under the mirror box on EL-series bodies, which requires care to access. Check the shutter, inspect the prism for haze, look for perished light-seal and mirror-damper foam, and try the winder if fitted. AI and pre-AI F-mount lenses fit, with care on indexing.