This is still the lightest Nikon body that Nikon has ever produced. The programmed auto was removed from the spec sheet, only aperture priority AE and manual exposure control retained as compared. The beeper feature first introduced in the EM was also available. This can be considered the lightest and most compact Nikon body ever. This is the first Nikon that went without a film advance lever.
Many observers believe it was a product of a hurried board room decision.
It also means subsequent models may not need a motor drive at all, anyway, this is the first Nikon body that has a built-in body integrated film advance motor that is capable of providing automatic film advance of 2.5 fps. Another major development was DX film recognition was for the first time incorporated in a Nikon SLR body. It signifies the Nikon midrange camera body design has stepped into another dimension. The polycarbonated body was, surprisingly rigid. It also has many useful features and a very well laid out top plate in its various controls.