Nikon EM User manual

I. NOMENCLATURE
I
Frame counter
Shutter operation mode selector
(p . 23)
Shutter release button (p . 21)
Shutter release fingerguard (p. 19)
Film winding lever (p . 21)"
Cit Battery power check button (p . 12)
oBattery power LED lamp
oNeckstrap eyelet
oExposure compensation button (p. 10)
I Self·timer
(p . 21)
Lens mounting flange (p . 13)
• Lens mounting Index (p . 13)
• Le ns release button
I
Reflex mirror
Aperture direct readout
(ADR) scale··
Lens aperture scale
• Lens aperture ring
(p . 19)
• Lens mounting ring (p . 13)
• Aperture/distance scale index (p . 13)
I
Infrared photography focusing index (p.24)
Depth·of·field indicators
(p . 25)
Focusing distance scale (p . 18)
• Lens focusing ring (p . 17)
• Film plane indicator (p. 24) positioned below
.. Not used with the EM; for Nikon cameras
with ADA fa cility
3

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No.
I.
NOMENCLATURE . ..... . .. . ........... .. ........... 3, 34
II. BASIC OPERATION . ........... . .......... ... ... ... 4-9
III. HOW TO HOLD THE CAMERA . ........ .... ........... 10
IV. SUTING UP THE CAMERA BODY AND THE LENS
A. Install the Batteries ..................... . .... 11-12
B. Mount the Lens ................... .. ..... ........ 13
V. PREPARING TO SHOOT AND ACTUAL SHOOTING
A. Load the Film ......... . ............. ... ..... 14-15
B. Set Film Speed ..... . . . .. .. . . .. . .... . .... ... .... 16
C. Focus . ......... .. ..... .. . .. . . . ......... .. . 17-18
D. Determine Exposure ..... . ........ . ...... ... . 19-20
E. Shoot .. ..... .. ......... . ... ..... ... ..... ········ 21
F. Unload the Film .. .. ............. ... ............. 22
VI. TECHNICAL DUAILS AND OTHER INFORMATION
A. Exposure Measurement .. ... .......... . ... ... .... 23
B. Shutter Operation Mode Selection. ...... ... ..... 23
C. Film Plane Indi cator ... ............... . .. ....... . 24
D. Infrared Photography ............. ... ...... . .... 24
E. Depth of Fi eld .... . ... .. ..... ............. ... .... 25
VII. SPECIAL ACCESSORIES FOR THE NIKON EM
A. Motorized Shooting with the
Nikon
MD -EMotor Drive. ........ .. .. ... . .. ... 26-27
B. Flash Photography with the
Nikon
SB-E Speedlight Unit. ..... .. . ............. . 28
VIII. OTHER EM ACCESSORIES AND USABLE LENSES
A. Other Accessori es . .... ... ....................... 29
B. Nikon and Nikkor Lenses for the Nikon EM ,. . .... 30
IX. TIPS ON CAMERA CARE . ... ....... . .......... .. ..... 31
X. SPECiFiCATIONS .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .... 32-33
4
II. BASIC OPERATION
This section provides a concise sum-
mary of all the other sections of this
manual. After you have thoroughly
read the rest of the manual , use this
section as a
qu i ck reference source.
Caution: Keep batteries away from in -
fants and small children. In case a bat -
tery is accidentally swallowed, call a
doctor immediately as the material in -
side the batteries can
caus.e serious
problems.
Insert two sllver-oxide batteries 01
2.one lithium battery Into battery cli~
with the" +" slgn(s) up.

Spread out the manual for ready reference to the number-
ed nomenclature terms. Details are explained on pages
I nd i cated by the numbers in parentheses.
3.Mount lens after closing battery chamber (13).
1 Unlock battery chamber •
•
(11-12) . 1
4.
Pull out film rewind knob •
to
open camera back. (14) .
5

5
Load film (14-15). To ensure proper film winding, make sure
• that both edges ofthe film engage the film sprockets• .
d- ~~
,ft -- .\
'- .. ~. '
--
,. A
Rotate film rewind crank
6. take up film slack (14-15). Be
careful that you do not wind film
back into the cassette.
21 •
Press shutter release button • all the way (21).
9. Note: Do not attempt to take pictures prior to frame 1. the
start of
AUTO operation. since the meter does not function
before this.
1
0 Stroke film winding
lever., to advance
.film (21).
6

Snap camera back closed, then set film speed by lift-
ing up and turning ASA/ISO film speed selector ring e
(16).
8
Set shutter operation mode selector
.8toAUTO.
11
Confirm film advance: film rewind knob • turns opposite en-
• graved arrow as winding lever is stroked (14-15).
Repeat Steps 9 and 10
12.until frame counter 0 indi-
cates
1. Camera is then ready to
take first picture. 7

13 Look through viewfinder eyepiece • • and
• focus on subject
(17-18) .
8
14 Switch meter on. lightly pressing shutter
re-
• lease button e. Turn lens aperture ri ng ..
until "beep-beep" sound. if any. stops (20).
16. Advance film to the next frame. (p . 21) .

15
You are now ready to shoot: depress shutter re-
o lease button until you hear the click of the
shutter
(21).
17 After completing the roll, rewind and unload
o film (22).
9

III. ,HOW TO HOLD THE CAMERA
To take good pictures, you
should first learn
how to
handle your camera pro-
perly. Hold the
camera with
both
hands , as shown in the
pictures, cushioning it
In the
palm of your left hand . For
added support, prop your
left-hand
elbow against
your body. Before loading .
the
camera with film, prac-
tice In front of a mirror until
you
have mastered all the
cQntrols.

IV. SETTING UP THE CAMERA BODY AND THE LENS
A. Install the Batteries
Proper battertet: Two i.55V
1 Unlock the battery chamber
• lid
4D with a coin.
IIIv.r-oxld. types (1-76, SR· 2 Remove the battery clip
44 or equivalent) or on. 3V • which is integral with the lid.
IHhlum baH.ry
11

3 Insert the battery (batteries),
• with the
"+" slgn(s) facing
up, into battery clip.
Caution:' Keep batteries away from
infants and small children. In case a
battery is accidentally swallowed,
call a doctor immediately as the
material inside the batteries can
cause serious problems.
12
Replace the battery chamber
4. clip/lid, and close the cham-
ber securely.
QA
Push the battery power
5. check button 0 . If the ad-
jacent lamp does not light up (or
is too dim), check battery orien-
tation or put
in a new set of bat -
teries.
Q. Can I still use the camera even when the bat·
teries are dead?
A. Yes. In this case, reset the shutter operation
mode selector • from
AUTO to M90 which will pro·
vide a shutter speed of
1190 sec.

B. Mount the Lens
1
Remove the camera body 2. Remove the rear lens cap.
•
cap.
To remove the lens: Press the
camera's lens release button 4i),
and twist the lens clockwise by Its
mounting ring until It becomes
loose
Proper lenses: Nlkon Series E
lenses, AI-type Nlkkor lenses
and others (p. 30).
3 Seat the lens on top
of the
• camera body's lens mounting
flange
4D , making sure the lens
mounting index
CD is aligned with
the aperture/distance scale index
4D . Then twist the lens by its
mounting ring
4D until it clicks
and locks into place.
13

v. PREPARING TO SHOOT AND ACTUAL SHOOTING
A. Load the Film
Proper film: Any commercially
available, color or black·and·
white, 3Smm film negative
(prints) or transparency
(slides)
In cassettes of 12, 20,
24 or 36 exposures.
14
Open the camera back by
1.pulling up the film rewind
knob
•.
. ... .4
'- .
'" MOO
AUTO _
After closing the camera
5. back, press the shutter re-
lease button O.
2
Place the cassette in the film
• cassette chamber II.
6
To take up film slack, turn the fil
• rewind
crank., in the direction I
the engraved arrow, until you
feel a Slig l
resistance.
Be careful not to wind the fil
back into the cassette.

Secure the cassette with the
3. film rewind fork @D by press-
ing the knob back.
Insert the film leader into any
of the film takeup spool's. six
4. slots. Be sure the film's perforations engage the film sprock-
ets
e. Press the shutter release button and stroke the film wtnd-
ing lever to advance the film.
7 Advance the film, press the shutter release button,
• and advance the film again until the frame coun-
ter 0 indicates 1 to start AUTO operation.
Note: Do not attempt to take pictures prior to frame 1, since the
meter does not function before thi s.
QA
Q_ How can I be sure the film
has been properly loaded and is
being advanced?
A_ If, as you advance the film
winding lever, the film rewind knob rotates in the oppo·
site direction of the arrow engraved on it, you can
be
sure the film is being properly advanced.
Note: If you release the shutter during "
AUTO " oper-
ation with the cap mounted on the lens or in
an extra-
dark place, the reflex mirror
G) will remain in the " up "
position.
To return the mirror to its original position, set
the shutteroperation mode selector
8to M90 or- e. 15

B. Set Film Speed
Pull up the ASA/ISO film
1 .. speed selector ring e.
QA
Q. What is ASAJISO?
2 Turn it until the ASAIISO film
• speed setting index • is
aligned with your film's ASAIISO
rating.
QA
Note: Don't forget to reset film
speed when you use film with
different ASA/ISO ratings;
otherwise, the film will not
be
correctly exposed.
A. ASAJISO is a number which indicates the relative
sensitivity of your film
to light. Your camera must have
this information
to be able to give your film the proper
exposure.
Q. What should I do to remember the ASAIISO rating of
the film loaded in the camera?
A.
As a reminder, insert the film carton tab which indio
cates the
ASAJISO rating into the camera back's memo
holder
•.
16

C. Focus
Aim your camera at your subject, then
compose the picture through the viewfind-
er. Rotate the lens focusing ring fJ) until
your subject appears sharp in the view-
finder.
There are three focusing aids you can use
(see next page).
In focus
17

~ . 1 2 34
567
1. Shutter speed scale
2. Flash ready-light (p.28)
3. Flash photography
bracket (p.28)
4. Shutterspeed needle
5. Split-image range-
finder spot
6. Microprism ring
7. Fine matte outerfield
Split-image rangefinder spot: Suitable for subjects with well-defined
outlines.
Turn the focusing ring fjl until the two halves of the spot
coincide, forming a single image.
Microprism ring: For subjects without definite contours, or for rapid
focusing. Turn the focusing ring until the image in the ring appears
crisp.
Fine matte outer field: Ideal for close-ups or when shooting with tele-
photo lenses.
Turn the focusing ring until the image in the field
appears sharp.
18
To" prefocus" the lens (i.e., when
time does not permit focusing
through the viewfinder), turn the
focusing ring until the estimated
distance is aligned with the lens
apertureldistance scale index • .
With this technique, however, the
focus may not
be as sharp as you
expect.
Note: When y,
ou ' re using lenses
with small maximum apertures
(e.g. , f/5.6, f/8) or taking close-
ups, you may find it difficult to
focus with the split-image spot
or microprism ring
(i.e ., they be-
come "dark"); in this case, focus
with the fine matte outer field.

1
Set the shutter operation
• mode
selector. to AUTO .
2.Select an aperture by turning the lens aperture ring e.
3 Press the shutter release button 8 halfway
(Le ., cushion your
• finger with the shutter release fingerguard 0) to switch the
camera's meter on. The shutter speed indicated by the needle in the
viewfinder will depend
on both the selected aperture and scene
brightness.
Note: The meter remains switched on for a brief period even after your fint:ler is
lifted off the shutter release button.
19

Exposure warning signal: Should a "beep-beep" sound be emitted, note the position of the needle in the
shutter speed scale. If it swings past 1/1000sec. and stays within the
red zone, overexposure will result. In
this case, reset lens aperture until the sound stops or the needle "drops" from the red zone ; despite the
sound, correct exposure is possible. If the needle is around
1/30sec . or below, the sound merely warns
you that camera shake may affect image sharpness because of the slow shutter speed . You either read-
just aperture until the sound stops, or, if the needles is below 1/30sec., use a tripod to prevent picture
blur. The meter remains switched on for a brief period
even after your finger is lifted off the shutter
release button.
Notes: 1. At approximately 1/1000sec. or 1/30sec., a shrill sound may be emitted; it becomes regular when the
needle goes beyond these points.
2. It is possible you won't hear the waming sound in noisy shooting situations.
Overexposed (Above 1/1000 sec.) Tripod recommended to prevent Correctly exposed
camera shake (Below
1/30 sec.)
QA
Q. What shutter speed is best to use? don't take hand·held pictures at shutter speeds
A. The shutter speed should be fast enough to pre- slower than 1/50sec., and with a 135mm, try to use
vent camera shake, especially
in hand-held shoot- a minimum speed of 1I135sec. Remember, th.is
ing. In dim light, you may not be able to get a high presumes your subject is not moving. If it does,
speed.
As a rule of thumb, use a tripod if the shutter you'll need faster speeds-in which case you just
speed is slower than a number equal to the focal open the lens aperture.
20 length of the lens. For example, with a 50mm lens,