Nikon MD-11 User manual

IrikonMotor
Drive
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL

NOMENCt
TURE
Lidlock
ing Pilotlam
p
Batterychambe
rtid Power
switch
Rew
indslid e
S-C
sele
ctor
lock
S-C
selector
Camera
electrical
contacts
Trigger
button
Shu
tterrelease
pin
Drive
shaft cou
pling
Attachment
thumb
wheels Rewindbuttonextension
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Attach
ment
screw
Remote
control
socket
Tripod
socket

CONTENTS
Foreword. .....4
Loadingthebatter;.;:::::::::: 5
Attaching
the
motordrive 6
Operation .....8
Single:frameshooting 8
Continuous
shooting 9
Filmrewinding. .....10
Manualfilmadvance.. ....10
Double/multipleexposures ......11
Simultaneousoperation
. ...12
Timelapse. ....13
Accessories.... .....14
Mc-4remotecord. .....14
Pistol
gripmodel2... ...14
MT-1
intervalometer .....15
ML-l modulite
remote
controlset. . . . . . .15
MW-l
radiocontrol
set.. .....16
Troubleshooting
Batteryperformance.. ....18
Specifications. . .
18
4
FOREWORD
Although
suppliedasan
accessoryfor theNikonFM
and FE compactcameras,theMD-11
was,in fact,
amajor
feature
in
their
designconcept.Consequently,
the on
ly significantdifferencebetween
operating
thesecameras
with themotor drive
attached,
asoppo-
sedto without it, is that their operationis made
considerablyeasier.
So, ratherthan regarding
your
MD-l1 Motor DriveUnit asa specialaccessory
for
use
onlyon rareoccasions,
youshould
consider
itas
the normal complement
to your Nikon compact
camera.
For, in fact, the two togetherrepresent
a
major
advance
incamera-handling
technique.
To obtainthe best resultsfrom your MD-11 Motor
Drive,read
the instructions in thismanual
carefully
before
use.Keep
this booklethandy
for quick
re-
ference
until you havefully masteredoperation.A
few minutes
preparation
will help
you avoid
costly
m
istakes.
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LOADING
THEBATTERIES
The MD-l
1 is powered
by eight1.5Vpenlight(AA
size)batterieswhich arehoused
in the unit'sbattery
chamber.
To loador replacebatteries,
turn thecoin-
slotted
lockingscrew
on the batterychamber
lid
counterclockwise.
Thelidwill come
loose
andthebat-
tery
clip,which
forms
asingle
unitwiththelid,canbe
removed.Load
thebatteries, takingcare
that theyare
inserted
correctly.
Referring
to the diagramson the
sidesof the clip
thatshow
the
correct
wayto insert
the
batteries,
ensurethat the positive
(+)andnegative (-)
terminals
of thebatteries
are
properly
positioned.
lf
thebatteriesare
loadedincorrectly,
notonly will
they
be depleted-the
motordrive
couldalsobe
damaged.
When
thebatteriesare
correctly
positioned,
replacethe
batteryclip.
Push
the
chamber
lid
down
gently
until
it
seats
correctly;
then,tighten
thelocking screwon the
lid with a coinor similar
object
until
thebattery
clip
fits
securely
into
thebattery
chamber.

ATTACHING
THE
MOTOR
DRIVE
Mounting
the MD-l1 on your camera
is
simple;
the
unit has
been
designed
suchthat it canbeattached
or removed
at any time regardless
of whether
or not
the camera
is loaded
with film. Before
attaching
the
MD-l1,
make
sure
that
its
power
switch
isturned
off.
Then,
position
the
motor
drive
onthecamera's
bottom
plate;
its handgrip
should
be at the same
endof the
camera
as
the
filmadvance
lever.Ensure
that
the
raised
ring
around
the
drive
shaft
iscorrectly
seated
inside
the
locating
collar,
coaxial
withthe
camera's
film advance
coupling.
Then,
fasten
the motor
drive's
attachment
screw,turning
it clockwise
by means
of thethu
mb
wheels
on either
side.Simultaneous
use
of both
fore-
finger
andthumb
willspeed
up
attachment.
Make
sure
there
isno
gap
between
the
motor
driveand
the
camera
body;
then
tighten
the
attachment
screw
firmly.
when
the
MD-l
1 ismounted
on theFM,
the
camera's
mode
selector
switch
around
the
shutter
release
button
shou
ld be setto "M
" (motor)-the
red
line
on the
se-
lector
being
aligned
withtheline
on the
camera
body.
This
isnotnecessary
with
theFE
as
itselectronic
shut-
ter allows
switchoverfrom manualf
ilm advance
to
motor drive
operation
to be madeelectronically
and
auto
matically
when
the motor d
riveis
switched
on.
Then,
turn the motor
drive's
power
switch
to "oN."
lf the film has
been
advanced
priorto attach
ingthe
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motordrive,
the
motor
drive
willnotoperateuntil
you
makean
exposureusing
thetriggerbuttononthehand-
grip.
lf the film hasnot been
advanced
priorto its
attachment,the motor drive will operatewhen its
power
is
turned
oo,andadvance
thefilm and
cockthe
shutterready
for thenext
exposure.
Themotor
drive
will
stop
andthe
pilot
lamp
go
outafteradvancing
the
film one frame
only, regardlessof thesetting of the
S-C
selector
on
the
handgrip.
Nikon
FM

OPERAilION
The camera/MD-11
combination
operates
in virtually
thesamemannerasthecameraonits
own.
Please
refer
to your camera's
instruction
manual
for details.
When
the MD-1
1 is attached,leave
the film advancelever
flush
with the
camerabody.
Themotor
drive's
power
switchwill also serveto switch on thecamera's
meter.
Withthemotor
driveattached
allexposures
shouldbe
madevia the trigger
button on the motor drive
grip.
Concentricwith this triggering
button is the motor
driveS-Cselector,
giving
youa choiceof either
single
frame
(S)
orcontinuous
(C)
shooting.To set themotor
drive
to either
S or C, depress
the lock
and
turnthe
selector
to therequired
setting.
Single-frame
shooting:
In this mode,depressingthe
triggerbutton
on
themotor
drive
grip
firesthe
shutter;
when
the finger
is liftedfrom the button, themotor
drive advances the film one frame and cocksthe
shutter.You can lift your finger from the trigger
button
even
before
theexposure
iscompletedsincethe
electronic
interlock
prevents
thefilm from advancing
until the shutterhascompletedits travel.
Theusable
shutter
speed
range
when
the MD-l1 is setat "S" is
from
1
second
to 111000second
withthe
FM.
Withthe
FE,
inaddition
to theautomatic
setting
(AUTO),
you
can
setany
of the markedspeeds
including
M90.
The
"B" settingcannot beused.
ro
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Continuous
shooting:
In thismode,
themotordrive
will automatically
trigger
the shutter
and wind the
film for as long as the trigger
button is depressed.
Framing
rate
willdepend
on theshutter
speed
setting,
as the motor drive's
electronic
interlock
with the
camera's
shutter
automatically
advances
the film as
soon
asthe
exposure
iscompleted.
Maximum
framing
rate is approximately
3.5 frames
per second
(fps)
at
shutter
speeds
fasterthan
1
1125
sec.
Remember
that continuous
shooting
at the
maximum
rate
of 3.5
fps will result
in a standard
36 exposure
cassette
being
completely
exposed
in a little lessthan
11 seconds.
Consequently,
you should
exercise
re-
straint
when
operating
with themotorset
for continu-
ousshooting.
Many
photographers,however,
prefer
to
leave
the camera
set
for continuous
shooting,
lifting
their
fingeroff the triggerbutton the instant
theex-
posure
is made.This
technique
results
in single-frame
operation,
but readies
the photographer
for taking
sequence
photographs
should the situation
or need
arise.
The
usableshutter
speed
range
when
theMD-l1
isset
at "C" is
from 112second
to 111000
secondwith
the FM. With the FE, in addition
to theautomatic
setting
(AUTO),
you can
setanyof the
markedspeeds
including
M90.
The"B" setting
cannotbe
used.
The
FE's
automatic
exposurecapability
allows
youto
follow sub.iects asthey pass
through
areasof differing
brightness,
y€t still obtaincorrectly
exposedresults.
Although
widely
varying
brightness
changes
of EV 4
or more may sometimes
result
in over-
or under-
exposure
for thefirstframe
following
thetransition,
thissituation
is rare
in practice
andthus
likely
to be
of little consequence
to the average
photographer.
lmportant! After shooting,
makesure
that you turn the motor
drive off. Otherwise,
the camera's
metering circuit will put a
steady drain on the batteries, ultimately rendering them
u
se
I
ess.
Note: The camera/MD-l1 combination is designed
to work
smoothly under
a wide range
of climatic
conditions.
Sub-zero
(centigrade)
temperatures,
however,havea very severe
effect
on any mechanism. For faultless performance under these
conditions,
we recommend
that, for continuous
shootinS,
You
do not use shutter speeds
of less
than 1
/30 sec.
The useof
slower shutter speeds
may result in erratic operation. lf it is
imperative
to use shutterspeeds
of lessthan 1/30 sec.,
switch
to single
frameshooting.