Nikon MD-11 User manual

Nikon Motor Drive
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE
Lid lock ing screw
Pilot lamp
Battery chamber lid
Power switch
Rewind slide
S-C
selector lock
Trigger button
S-C selector
Shutter release pin
Camera electrical contacts
Drive shaft coupling
Attachment thumb wheels Rewind button extension
2

Attachment screw
Remote control socket
Tripod socket
3

CONTENTS
4
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4
Loading the batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. 5
Attaching the motor drive
... . ..... . . .. " 6
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. 8
Single-frame shooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8
Continuous
shooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Film rewinding
.. ............. ... .... 10
Manual film advance
.................. 10
Double/multiple exposures ......... .... . 11
Simultaneous operation ................ 12
Time lapse
.. ... . . .................. 13
Accessories
......................... 14
MC-4 remote cord ........ . ....... . . 14
Pistol grip model 2 .................. 14
MT-1 intervalometer ...... ..... ..... 15
ML-1 modulite remote control set ....... 15
MW-1 radio control set. .............. 16
Troubleshooting
.. .. . ................ 17
Battery performance ..... .. ........... 18
Specifications
......... _ ..... ......... 18
FOREWORD
Although supplied as an accessory for the Nikon FM
and FE compact cameras, the MD-11 was, in fact,
a major feature
in their design concept. Consequently,
the onIy significant difference between operating
these cameras with the motor drive attached,
as oppo-
se d to without it, is that their operation is made
considerably easier. So, rather than regarding your
MD-11 Motor Drive Unit as a special accessory for
use only on rare occasions, you should consider it as
the normal complement to your Nikon compact
camera. For,
in fact, the two together represent a
major advance
in camera-handling technique.
To obtain the best results from your MD-11 Motor
Drive, read the instructions
in this manual carefully
before
use . Keep this booklet handy for quick re-
ference until you have fully mastered operation. A
few minutes preparation
will help you avoid costly
mistakes.

LOADING THE BATTERIES
The MD-ll is powered by eight 1.5Y penlight (AA
size)
batteries which are housed in the unit's battery
chamber . To load or replace batteries, turn the coin-
slotted locking screw on the battery chamber lid
counterclockwise. The lid will come loose and the bat-
tery clip, which forms a single unit with the lid, can be
removed. Load
the batteries, taking care that they are
inserted
correctly. Referring to the diagrams on the
sides of the clip that show the correct way to insert the
batteries, ensure that the positive (+) and negative (- )
terminals of the batteries are properly positioned. If
the batteries are loaded incorrectly, not only will they
be depleted - the motor drive cou Id also be damaged .
When
the batteries are correctly positioned, replace the
battery clip. Push the chamber lid down gently until it
seats
correctly; then, tighten the locking screw on the
lid with a coin or similar object until the battery clip
fits
securely into the battery chamber.
5

ATTACHING THE MOTOR DRIVE
Mounting the MD-ll on your camera is simple; the
unit has been designed such that it can be attached
or removed at any ti me regard less of whether or not
the camera
is loaded with film. Before attaching the
MD-ll, make sure that its power switch is turned off.
Then, position the motor drive on the camera's
bottom
plate; its handgrip should be at the same end of the
camera
as the film advance lever. Ensure that the raised
ring around the drive shaft is correctly seated inside the
locating collar, coaxial with the camera's film advance
coupling. Then, fasten the motor drive's attachment
screw, turning it clockwise by means
of the thumb
wheels on either side. Simu Itaneous
use of both fore-
6
finger and thumb will speed up attachment. Make sure
there is no gap between the motor drive and the camera
body; then tighten the attachment screw firmly.
When the M0-11 is mou nted on the FM, the camera's
mode selector switch around the shutter release button
should
be set to "M" (motor)-the red line on the se-
lector being aligned with the line on the camera body.
This
is not necessary with the FE as its electronic shut-
ter allows switchover from manual film advance to
motor drive operation to be made electronically and
automatically when the motor drive is switched on.
Then, turn the motor drive's power switch to "ON."
If the film has been advanced prior to attaching the

motor drive, the motor drive will not operate until you
make an exposure using the trigger button on the hand-
grip. If the film has not been advanced prior to its
attachment, the motor drive will operate when its
power
is turned on, and advance the film and cock the
shutter ready for the next exposure . The motor drive
will
stop and the pilot lamp go out after advancing the
film one frame only, regardless of the setting of the
SoC selector on the handgrip.
Nikon FM 7

OPERATION
The camera/MO-11 combination operates in virtually
the same manner
as the camera on its own. Please refer
to your camera's instruction manual for details. When
the MO-11 is attached, leave the film advance lever
flush with the camera body. The motor drive's power
switch
will also serve to switch on the camera's meter.
With the motor drive attached
all exposures should be
made via the trigger button on the motor drive grip.
Concentric with th is triggering button is the motor
drive
S-C selector, giving you a choice of either single
frame
(S) or continuous (C) shooting. To set the motor
drive to either S or C, depress the lock and turn the
selector to the requ ired setting.
8
Single-frame shooting: In this mode, depressing the
trigger
button on the motor drive grip fires the shutter;
when the finger
is lifted from the button, the motor
drive advances the film one frame and cocks the
shutter. You can lift your finger from the trigger
button even before the exposure
is completed since the
electronic interlock prevents the film from advancing
until the shutter has completed its travel. The usable
shutter speed range when the M
0-11 is set at "s" is
from 1 second to 1/l000 second with the FM. With the
FE, in addition to the automatic setting (AUTO), you
can set any
of the marked speeds including M90. The
"8" setting cannot be used.

Continuous shooting: In th is mode, the motor drive
will
automatically trigger the shutter and wind the
film for as long as the trigger button is depressed.
Framing rate will depend on the shutter speed setting,
as
the motor drive's electronic interlock with the
camera's shutter automatically advances the film as
soon as
the exposure is completed. Maximum framing
rate is approximately 3.5 frames per second (fps) at
shutter speeds faster than 1/125 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 less than
11 seconds. Consequently, you should exercise re-
straint when operating with the motor set for continu-
ous shooting. Many photographers, however, prefer to
leave the camera set for continuous shooting, lifting
their finger
off the trigger button the instant the ex-
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 usable shutter speed range when the M D-11
is set at "C" is from 1 /2 second to 1 /1 000 second with
the FM. With the FE, in addition to the automatic
setting (AUTO), you can set any of the marked speeds
including M90.
The "8" setting cannot be used.
The FE's automatic exposure capability allows you to
follow subjects as they pass through areas of differing
brightness,
yet still obtain correctly exposed results.
Although widely varying brightness changes of EV 4
or more may sometimes result in over- or under -
exposure for the first frame following the transition,
this situation is rare in practice and thus likely to be
of little consequence to the average photographer.
Important! After shooting, make sure that you turn the motor
drive off. Otherwise, t)le camera's metering circuit will put a
steady drain on the batteries, ultimately rendering them
useless.
Note: The camera/M 0-11 combination is designed to work
smoothly under a wide range of climatic conditions. Sub-zero
(centigrade) temperatures, however, have a very severe effect
. · on any mechanism. For faultless performance under these
conditions, we recommend that, for continuous shooting, you
do not use shutter speeds of less than 1/30 sec. The use of
slower shutter speeds may result in erratic operation. If it is
imperative to use shutter speeds of less than 1/30 sec., switch
to single frame shooting.
9

FILM REWINDING
When the roll of film in the camera has been fully
exposed, the MD-"'s motor will automatically stop,
releasing film tension, with the pilot lamp remaining
lit. Turn the power switch
off to prevent unnecessary
battery drain. Then, push the rewind slide on the
motor drive up. Rewind the film normall
y. See your
camera's instruction manual for details.
10
MANUAL FILM ADVANCE
If at any time you wish to manually advance the film
without removing the MD-" from the camera, turn off
the motor drive's power switch after it has finished
advancing the film from the previous exposure. Then,
in the case of the FM, turn the mode selector switch
so that the black line (white, on black camera bodies)
is adjacent to the line on the camera body. As for the
FE, it switches automatically from motor drive to
manual film advance operation when the motor drive
is
switched off.