Nikon MD-12 User manual

Nihn Motor Drive
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE
Lid locking screw
Pilot la mp
Battery chamber lid
Power switch
Rewind slide
S-C sel
ector lock
Trigger bu tton
S-C selector
Shutter release pin
Camera electrical contacts
Drive shaft coupling
Attachment thumb wheels
Rewind button ex tension
2

Attachment screw
Remote contro l socket
Tripod socket

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
M
L-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-12 was, in fact,
a major feature
in their design concept. Consequently,
the only significant difference between operating
these cameras with the motor drive attached,
as oppo-
sed to without it, is that their operation is made
considerably easier. So, rather than regarding your
MD-12 Motor Drive Unit as a special accessory for
use only on rare occasions, you should consider itas
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-12 Motor
Drive, read the instructions in th is 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 MO-12 is powered by eight l.5V 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.

ATTACHING THE MOTOR DRIVE
Mounting the MD-12 on your camera is simple; the
unit has been designed such that it can be attached
or removed at any time regardless of whether or not
the camera is loaded with film. Before attaching the
MD-12, 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. Simultaneous use of both fore-
6
fi nger 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 MD-12 is mounted on an FM camera (Serial
No.
below 3,000,000)*, the camera's mode selector
switch
around the shutter release button should be set
to "M" (motor) - the red line on the selector being
aligned with
the line on the camera body. This is not
necessary with FM cameras (Serial No. over 3,000,000)*
or the FE, because the switchover from manual film
advance
to motor drive operation is made electronical-
ly
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
handgrip. 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 S-C
selector on the handgrip.
* The serial number appears on back of the camera body just
below the film advance lever.
Nikon FM

OPERATION
The camera/M D-12 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 MD-12 is attached, leave the film advance lever
flush with the camera body. Then, when the motor
drive's power switch
is turned on, the camera's meter
can
be activated by halfway depressing the trigger
button. After releasing your finger from the button,
the meter
will remain on for approx. 50 seconds giving
you enough time
to set the correct exposure or adjust
the controls. Then the meter
will turn itself off auto-
matically to conserve battery power.
With the motor drive attached
all exposures should be
made via the trigger button on the motor drive grip.
Concentric with this triggering button
is the motor
drive SoC 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 required setting.
8
Single-frame shooting: In this mode, depressing the
trigger
button on the motor drive grip fires the shutter,
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 MD-12
is set at "s" is from 1
second to 1/1000 second with the FM. With the FE,
in add ition to the automatic setting (AUTO), you can
set any
of the marked speeds including M90. The "S"
setting cannot be used with either camera.

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 usab
Ie shutter speed range when the MD-12
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 "B" 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.
Note: The camera/MD-12 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.

FILM REWINDING
When the roll of film in the camera has been fully
exposed, the MD-12'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 normally. See your
camera's instruction manual for details.
10
MANUAL FILM ADVANCE
If at any time you wish to manually advance the film
without removi ng the MD-12 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 (Serial No. below 3,OOO,OOO),
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 FM (Serial No. over
3,000,000) or the FE, it switches automatically from
motor drive to manual film advance operation when
the motor drive
is switched off.

DOUBLE/MULTIPLE EXPOSURES
Your camera has a special double/multiple exposure
provision built-in
in the form of the multi-exposure
button or
lever. Merely depressing this button or lever
allows you to superimpose any number
of pictures on
the same frame. This provision not only continues to
function with the motor drive attached,
but opens up
creative possibilities
that are just not possible when the
camera is operated manually.
When the motor drive Soc selector is set to "S," the
double/multiple exposure situation
is exactly the same
as for the camera alone, except that the trigger button
on the motor drive
is used to trigger the exposure.
Remember to depress and hold the
mu Iti-exposure
button or lever, with your left hand, before you
remove your finger from the trigger button. Otherwise,
the film
will be advanced.
Nikon FE
On the "c" setting, triggering the release button, while
holding the mUlti-exposure button
or lever depressed,
will produce mUltiple images on the same frame. Either
the motion
of the subject or your movement of the
camera
will result in the images being separated, pro-
ducing
an original and interesting effect. Hold the
multi-exposure button or lever depressed with your
left hand, while holding the camera normally with the
right. Remember to release the multi-exposure button
or lever just before the last exposure,
so that the
camera
is left ready for the next sequence with an un-
exposed frame in the film gate. If not, cap the lens
and make one "blank" exposure. The camera
is then
ready for the next shot.
Nikon FM
11

SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION
Two or more cameras may be fired simultaneously, set
for either single-frame
or continuous operation. You
will need an MC-4 cord to connect each camera to the
trigger circuit.
Use a trigger circuit similar to the one
shown on the right.
The total length
of each connecting cord (including the
MC-4 cord) from motor drive to switch and back again
must not create a resistance
of more than 5st. In certain
installations,
in which long cords are required, the use
of a relay box is strongly recommended. If you change
the batteries
in one of the motor drive's battery packs,
you must change the batteries
in all the battery packs
to avoid excessive battery drain.
Note : When the remote control socket of MD·12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC·4, the meter begins to work as
soon as y ou turn on the power swit ch.
12
~~~~~!===o{~:====r- ' Switch
Remote Cord MC-4

TIME LAPSE
Time lapse photography, the taking of a series of photo-
graphs over a period
of time from a fixed position, is
easily accomplished with your MO-12 equipped camera
and a suitable timing device. Timing devices for time
lapse
photography-the Nikon MT-l intervalometer, for
example-usually have two variable controls: one for
pulse duration and the other for interval time. Pulse
duration refers to the length
of time that the triggering
pulse lasts. Interval time
is the time interval between
pulses and governs the frequency
of the photographs.
Additionally, the
SoC selector on the MO-12 provides
you with the option
of taking single photographs or
shooting
in bursts.
With the SoC selector set to "S," one exposure will be
made for each triggering pulse, the motor winding on
automatically at the end of the triggering pu Ise or the
exposure, whichever
is longer. The interval time can be
set at any duration, but avoid setting the trigger pulse
longer than the interval time. Otherwise continuous or
erratic operation
will occur.
With the
SoC selector set to "C," if the triggering
pulse's duration
is longer than the shutter speed set (or
0.25 sec. in the case of the higher shutter speeds),
bursts
will be fired at each interval. For example, if the
shutter speed is set at 1/1000 sec., and the trigger pulse
duration
is 2 sec ., then approximately 7 exposures will
be made at each interval.
Generally speaking you
will find that operation with
the
SoC selector set to "s" and the trigger pulse dura-
tion set between 0.1 and 0.25 sec.
is advisable for the
majority
of time lapse situations. The variable trigger
pulse duration found on some intervalometers
is a fea-
ture necessitated by the design
of the older generation
of motor drives, and is largely redundant with the
M0-12. Time lapse photography
is not possible with
the shutter speed dial set to
"B." Should you attempt
this, the camera's mirror may lock up, with the shut-
ter remaining open, making operation impossible. To
restore normal operation
in the event of th is happen-
ing, merely turn the shutter speed dial away from the
"B" setting.

ACCESSORIES
MC-4 Remote Cord
Provides you with
an easy and convenient means of
connecting remote-control triggering circuits to the
MD-12. One end
of the cord is fitted with the standard
plug for the remote-control socket
of Nikon motor
drives; the other with two "banana" plugs for connec-
tion to triggering circuits
of your own design. The cable
can
be extended to any length, provided that circuit
resistance does not exceed 1
kS1. For long-distance
operation, however, you
will find that Modulite or
Radio Control systems are more convenient.
Note : When the remote control socket of MD-12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-4, the meter begins to work as
soon as you turn on the power switch.
14
Pistol Grip Model 2
The Pistol Grip Model 2 screws into the tripod socket
of the lens or motor drive to serve both as a means of
support and as a means of motor triggering when work-
i
ng with long telephoto lenses. For electrical connec-
tion between the pistol grip and the remote control
socket on the 'motor drive, you
will also need an MC-3
connecting cord.
Note: When remote control socket of MD-12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-3, the meter begins to work as
soon as yo u turn on the power switch.

MT-l Intervalometer
The Nikon MT-l is a precision digital timing unit for
slow sequence shooting of experiments or work study
programs. Fully solid state, the unit requires only four
AA size penlight batteries for operation; this makes it
convenient for use on location, as well as in the labora-
tory. Use of the MT-l in conjunction with your MD-12
equipped camera is merely a matter of connecting
the two units with the MC-5 cord supplied with the
intervalometer. Exposure intervals of up to eight min-
utes can be set
on the MT-l control panel.
Note : When the remote control socket of MD-12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-5, the meter begins to work as
soon as you
turn on the power switch.
ML-l Modulite Remote Control Set
With the ML-l set, you can trigger your MD-12 equip-
ped camera by remote control at distances of up to
60 meters. Using Nikon's modulated light system, the
ML-l set assures you of trou ble-free remote control
operation over moderate distances. The set's light-
weight and compact size, plus its use of a 9V laminated
dry battery, make it ideal for use in both field and
studio applications. Connection to the motor drive's
remote control socket is by the MC-8 connecting cord
supplied with the set.
Note: When the remote control socket of MD-12 is connected
with the remote t~rminal MC-8, the meter begins to work as
soon as you turn on
the power sw itch.

ACCESSORIES -continued
MW-l R adio Control Set
The MW-1 provides you with a wireless, remote control
triggering capability for your MD-12 equipped Nikon
FM or FE. The set can operate up to three cameras,
either simultaneously or individually, at ranges up to
O.7km. Battery powered, the MW-1 is compact and
lightweight,
making it ideal for field use. It connects to
the remote control socket on the M D-12 via the MC-5
cord supplied with the set.
Note: When the remote control socket of MD·12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-5 , the meter begins to work as
soon as you turn on the power switch.
16

TROUBLESHOOTING
Your M D-12 has been designed to make motor drive
photography
as simple and trouble-free as possible.
However, should you operate the camera incorrectly
or without clearly understanding what you are doing,
minor "hitches" may occur.
If this occurs, please follow
the instructions below.
If the motor drive "jams" during operation, this usually
means that the controls have either been operated
incorrectly or
in the wrong sequence, and the coupling
mechanism has disengaged. Should this occur, turn
the MD-12's power switch
off and make one exposure
with the camera's shutter release button, remembering,
in the case of the FM (Serial No. below 3,000,000), to
switch over to manual film advance. You may fina
that
the motor drive did not finish advancing the film.
If so, complete the film advance using the camera's
film advance lever, then press the shutter release but-
ton. Do not advance the film. Switch the motor drive
back on and,
in the case of the FM (Serial No. below
3,000,000), revert to the motor drive mode. The motor
drive should advance the film ready for the next ex-
posure. If this does not clear the malfunction or you
are unable to move the film advance lever
at all, do
not try to force the controls. Turn the motor drive
off once more and simply remove the motor drive
from the camera. This
will clear the tension in the film
advance mechanism, allowing you to advance or finish
advancing the film and make one exposure, again do
not advance the film . Reattach the motor drive and,
in the case of the FM (Serial No . below 3,000,000),
switch to motor drive operation.
When you switch the
motor drive back on, the film should then advance one
frame ready for the next exposure.
Shou
Id you trigger the motor drive with the shutter
speed dial set to "B" the absence of an "exposure com-
plete signal" may result
in the camera's mirror locking
up and the shutter remaining open. To restore normal
operation
in the event of th is happening, merely move
the shutter speed dial away from
"B."
At all times during motor drive operation, the film
advance lever shou Id remain flush with the back of
the camera. If you move it ou t to its stand-off position,
the motor drive
will stop. Returning the lever to its
flush position
will automatically start the motor drive
once more.

BATTERY PERFORMANCE
Battery performance varies greatly, depending on its
type and age,
as well as on operating conditions, in-
cluding temperature. Consequently, the number of
rolls that can be exposed with one set of batteries can-
not
be accurately predicted. As a guide, however, you
can expect to be able to expose more than a hundred
36-exposure rolls
of film per set of alkaline-manganese
batteries.
Since batteries have poor low-temperature characteris-
tics, battery performance diminishes considerably
as
the temperature decreases. This results in slower shoot-
ing speed and reduced film transport capacity.
AI kaline-
manganese batteries,
in particular, suffer severely at
temperatures below
O°c.
18
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera fitting:
Shooti
ng speed:
Shooting mode:
Usable shutter
speeds:
Pilot lamp:
Power switch:
Meter
sw itch:
Remote control:
Power source:
Weight:
Dimensions:
Nikon
FM, Nikon FE
3.5 fps approx. maximum (at
shutter speeds faster than 1/125
sec.)
Single frame
(S)
Continuous (C)
At "S" setting
FM 1 ~ 1/1000 sec.
FE 8 ~ 1/1000 sec., Auto, M90
At "C" setting
FM 1/2~1/1000sec.
FE 8 ~ 1/1000 sec., Auto, M90
LED lights up when in operation
On/off switch provided {also acts
Trigger button also acts
as meter
"on" switch and automatically
goes "off" approx. 50 seconds
later
Possible; uses standard Nikon 3·
pin connector.
Eight 1.5V penlight batteries
(AA size, in integral battery
chamber)
410g approx. (without batteries)
Approx. 144 x 36 x 42mm;
approx. 144 x 68.5 x 109.5mm
(including the grip)

No reproduction in any form of this booklet,
in whole or in part (except for brief quotation
(Nllto,,)
NIPPON KOGAKU K.K.
in critical articles or reviewsl. may be made
without written authorization from the publishers. Printed in Japan (SO.ll.AO) &-6