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.