Nikon FE2 User manual

flikon
INSTRUCTIONMANUAL
r

I
2
3
A
J
6
7
I
9
l0
1r
12
13
14
l5
16
Shutter
speedrmode
selector
Shltterrelease
Dutton
Shutterretease
f
rngerguard
Neckstrap
eyeiet
Depth
of
f
reld
prevrew
tever
Selltrmerirnemory
lock
lever
Lens
mountrnq
t
ange
Focusrng
screen
holder
release
latch
Vrewf
rnder
ready-l
ight
Exposure
compensatron
dral
lock
ASA/lSO
frlm
speed
lng
Vrewfrnder
eyeprece
Rewrnd
fork
Shutter
curtarns
Film
cartrrdge
chamber
F m
gurde
prn
Frlmgurde
rarls
Data
back
contacts
Shutter
speed/mode
selecior
dialrg
Aperture
drrectreadout
(ADR)
window
zo
Film
rewrnd
knob
zt
Synctermrnal
(cover
provided)
zz
Lensmountrngrndex
2e
Lensrelease
button
zq
Metercouplrng
lever
z:
Reflex
mirror
zo
Filnr
advancelever
2z
Film
sprockets
za
Serial
number
2e
Film
takeup
spool
so
Film
anti-curlroller
Lockrng
catch
locl..rng
button
NIl*:nn
*ftt-
CW
a$ire-,$$El;iffiis**
$.ffi*stb*
w*q*trurihxr
JI
17
18
2
(.) (:IJ L:J

ls
Depth-of
-f
ieldindrcators
34
Aperture/distance
scale
index
3!
Inf
raredfocusing
index
36
Metei'coupling
shoe
sz
Meter
couplingridge
38
Monitor
contact
ss
Hot-shoe
contact
+o
Exposure
compensation
dial
qt
ASA/lSO
film
speed
index
+2
Filmrewind
crank
43
Camerabacklocklever
44
FxnosrrrPcomDensation
scale
45
Exposure
compensation
index
46
Motor
drivecoupling
+z
Motor
drive
shuttercoupling
+e
Frlm
rewind
button
te
Camera
back
so
Memoholder
i;,1
Distance
scale
Focusing
ring
Lens
mountingring
Aperturering
Aperture
scale
Aperture-direct
readoutscale
Shutter
speed/mode
index
Multiple
exposure
lever
Frame
counter
Film
plane
indicator
Accessoryshoe 6l
TTLflashauto-stop
signalcontact
\04
Ready-lightcontact
|"0
Motor
drive
electricalcontacts
io+)
Batterychamber
lid
6t
Tripod
socket .0!l
Film
pressureplate
oZ

CONTENTS
IilPORTA]{T!.... ......19
coNrRols tNDErAr'i....
...:... .... .... 20-42
Shutter
Speed/ModeSelectorDial.
. . 20-21
Exposuremetering
system. .......21
Exposureindications ....:. ......22
Automatic
exposure
photography-
aperture
priority
shooting. . .23-24
Automatic
exposure
photography-
shutterspeed
priority
shooting . . . 24
Manualexposurephotography.... .25-27
Stop-DownExposureMeasurement.... ....... 28
EV Range
of the
Gamera . . . . 29-31
Shutter
Release
Button . ... 32
FilmAdvance
Lever. .......33
FrameGounter. .....33
ASA/ISO
Film
SpeedDial.
. ... ... 34
ExposureCompensation.. .......35
Exposure
Compensation
Dial 35-36
MemoryLock. .... ..
37
Depth-of-Field
PreviewLever. 38-39
Multiple
Exposure
Lever. . ..40
Self-TimerLever.
MemoHolder
fnfraredFocusingIndex. ... 42
FilmPlaneIndicator ....... 42
CLOSE.UPPHOTOGRAPHY. . 43-44
FLASHPHOTOGRAPI{Y. .....45-49
Accessory
Shoe. ....47
Viewfinder
ready-light. 48-49
ACCESSORTES. .50-58
InterchangeableFocusing
Screens . 50-51
Electronic
Flash
Units. .... 52
MotorDrive
MD-12 . .. 53
DataBackMF-16. .. .
54
Anti-ColdBattery
PackDB-2. .... .55
CableReleaseAR-3. ....i.......55
Right-AngleViewing
Attachment
DR-3. ........ 56
Eyepiece
MagnifierDG-2. ........ 56
Rubber
Eyecup. .....56
Eyepiece
CorrectionLenses . .. . .. 56
Filters. ....... 57
Lens
Hoods..... ..
-.57
Camera
Cases. ..... 58
Neckstraps . .. 58
Compartment
Cases. ......58
TIPS
(,1{
BATTERY
USE. ....59
TIPSONCAMERACARE .....60-61
SPECTFTCAT|ONS 62-63

FOREWORD
Gongratulations!Younow
ownthe
fastest
SLR
camera
on the
markettoday.
With a maximum
shutterspeedof 1/4000
sec.,
you can halt the most fleeting
action literally
in its tracks.
Complemented
bya
flash
synchronization
speedof 1/250
sec.,
thefastest
in35mm SLR
photography,
the FE2makesit
easy
to fill in the shadows in strong daylight.These
speeds
are
made possible by Nikon's advanced
camera technology,
employinglightweighthoneycomb-etched,
vertical-traveling,
titaniumshuttercurtains.
In addition to aperture-priority
automatic exposure from
1/4000sec.
to 8 sec.,the FE2
offers full manual
exposure
controlwith accuracy
ensuredby digital
quartz
timing.The
cameraalsohasa battery
power-saving
feature:
a lighttouch
of the lockable shutter release
button activatesthe meter,
which
thenautomatically
switchesoff 16
secondslater.
Otherexciting
features
include
three
bright interchangeable
focusing
screens,automatic
TTL flash photography
with a
Nikon
dedicatedflash
unit,
plus
rapidfilm
advance
up to 3.2
frames
per
secondwith a motor
drive.
lic
obtainthe
best
results,
keep
this
instruction
manual
handy
until
you've
becomethoroughlyfamiliar
with the FE2's
oper-
ation.A few minuteswisely
investednow
will pay
off laterin
many
years
of rewarding
photographic
experiences.

,s. .-
iir,
Turn
the camera
upsidedown
and
usea coin
to
unscrew
the battery
clip
lid
os
ina counterclockwise
directton
\i]
f
Wipebattery
terminals
clean
and
insertthebattery
into
thebatteryclip
in
accordance
with
the marks
provided
in
the c.lip,
ril;i(lfr(,1
:lLtii-
llle - ',(li'' :, ,;i
Usable
batteries
are
1)one3V
lithiumbattery;
2) two
155V
silver
oxidebatteries
(3
1V),or 3) two
1
5V
alkaline-manganese
batteries
(gV)
Cautran: Keep batteries
away from rntants
and
small
children In case a battery rs accrdentally
swallowed, call a doctor rmmediately as the
material
inside the battenes can cause ser/ous
problems
Slip
the
battery
clipback
into
the camera
body baseplateand screw
the lrdclock-
wise
tightlyinto
place
Note.'Formoreinformationonbatterres,
refer
to
page
59
Note:Thesmall
numbersinthecrrclesindentify parts
of the camera as /lsted
in the NOMEN
CLATURE
seclion
6

:l
.""
Place
the
lens
onthecamera,lining
up the aperture/drstanceindex
on the
lens sq
with the lens mounting
indexon
the camera body zs Then
twist the lens
mountingring
counterclockwise
untilthe
lens
clicks
into
olace Confirm
that the
aperture/distanceindexisright
ontop
To remove:
While
pushing
the lensre
lease
buttofl
2a
, {g;p the lens
mounting
ring
ir
clockwiseuntilthelens
comes
off
While
pushing
thecamera
backlock
lever
43
counterclockwise
with
your
finger,
pull
up
the film rewind
knob
zr Then lifl
up further until the camera back pops
open
Notes;
1) When
changtng lenses
wrth frlm
loaded rn the camera, be careful nol to expose the mrrror
box
lo
direct
sunlrght
2) Thrs
camera rs
clesrgned
exclustvelyfor use with At /enses Non.At tenses
cannol lle used
wilh a lew exceptrons. p/ease
reter to page 19
for more
cletarls

Positionthe film cartrrdge
in the
film cartridge
chamber u wtth the film
leader
pointing
towards
the takeupspool,
and push
the rewind knob back down to
secure
thecartrrdge
in
place
Notes:
1) Youcan useany35mm
filmcartndgeavail'
able
onthe
market
D Avord
loadingfilm
in directsunlight lf there
ls no snadeavarlable,
turn
your
back
to the
sunand
use
your
own
shadow
to
shield
the
camera
Pullthe
leader
across
thecameraand
in
sert
it into
any
one of the slots
in the
takeupspool
Turnthe takeupspool
slightly
with
your
finger,
so
thatthe
first
or second
perfo-
rationat the bottomedge
of the
film is
engaged
withthe smalltoothat
the bot-
tom
oJ
the
slot
inthetakeuosoool
andthe
too and bottom
oerforations
mesh
se-
curelv
withthef
ilm
sorockets

Pull
out
and
wind
the
film
advance
lever.
making
sure
the
perforations
on
both
film
edges are securely
engaged
with the
sprocket
teeth
and
the film
is
advanced
properly Also confirm that the film is
located
properly
between
both
film
guide
railsrz
and
there
isnof
ilm
slack

Snap
thecameraback
shut
Foldout
the f
tlmrewindcrank +z
and
rotateit
gently
in the direction
of
the
arrow
on the film rewind
knob until
you
feel a slight resistance
Then fold the
crank
back
rn
Lrftup
the ASA/lSO
film
speed
ring and
rotate
it in either
direction
until
the
index
dot +r
is
opposite
the film speed in use
Make sure the exposure
compensation
dial
ro
is
set
at O These
actions
are es-
sential
toactivate
thecamera
s exposure
meter for correct exposure
of the film
In
use
Notes;
1) Thefilm speed
ls
printed
on the film
carton
and
thecartridge
itselt
2 lf the exposure
compensatron
dral
rs
not at
O rrrfPr to nqop 36 for delails
,v Yvyv vv rv
10

The
filmadvancelever
doublesas
a shutterrelease
button
lock.
to
unlockthe
shutter
release
button
z
,
pull
out the fitm
advance
lever
to the
standoff
position
as shown in the photo To
dispose
of the firstfew
frames
exposed
during
f
ilm loading,
continue
to
alternately
advancethe film
and depressthe shutter release
button
untilthe frame
counter reaches
frame
"l " Check
that
the rewrnd
knobis rotating,
indrcating
the film has
been loaded
correctlyand is
being
advanced lf the knob
does
not rotate.
reload
thefilm
Notes:
1)
Set
the
shutter
speed/mode
selectordral
rs
toA
ora fast
shutterspeed
whilemakrng
blankexposures
2 Uptof
rame '1
,"
themeterneedle
rntheviewf
rnder
does
not
move
and
this
tndicates
that
themetertsnot
functronrno,therefore
do
not
take
ltrctures
prror
totheftrst
frame
The
shutter
release
buttonactivates
the
exposure meter when lightly
pressed
The meter stays on for approx 16 sec
after
you have
taken
your
finger
off the
button
11

While looking through the viewfinder tz
after switchlng
the exposure meter on, if
the black meter needle
swings into the
shutter speed scale range, this indicates that the exposure
meter is
working properly
Notes.'
1) When the shutter speed dialis
set at B (BulD or M250 0
tZS) sec
),
tne
black meter needle doesn'1
move, therefore You cannot check the
battertes Be sure to
set the dral to another
positlon lf the
black meter
needle still
doesn l move. etther the batlery is improperly inslalled
(in whtch case vou should installit properll or battery power rs not
suff
icient
(in
whrch case
you
should
cnange the battery)
D Youcannot check the batterv Dower
until the frame counter reaches
"1
Rotatetheshutterspeeddial
untilthe
"A" isopposite
the
shutter
speed/mode
index
5/ The
built-in
lockingmechanism
ensures
thatthedial
cannotbe accidentallyshifted
from
the
"A"
(auto
position
)
du
ringshooting.
Note: The Nikon FE2 camera has one more shootrng mode besides
aperture-priority auto exposure: manual operation For details about
shooting in this mode, refer to pages 25-26
12

t,u.p{
fu,
Turn
the lens
aperture
ring
'r+
untilthe
desiredf
-number
is
opposite
theaperture/distance
index
on the lens
The
selected
f
-numbrer
appearsin the
vrewfinder
through
the ADR
(aperture
drrectreadout)
windowfor
convenientreference
Intermediate
settrngs
onthelens
aperturering
can
be used
Use
the
following
suggestrons
as a
gurde
in
settingthe f/stop
on
the lens
(when
a 50mm f/1
4 is used with ASA/ISO
IOO
fitm
speed
)
Outdoors
(cloudy):
Il2
B,-fl5
6
Outdoors
(clear):
f
/5 6-f /11
Outdoors
(clear
atthe
beach
or
rn
the mountains):
f
/i l -f /16
Note:
The
depthof freld
as well
as the
shutterspeed
canbe controlled
by
your
selection
of the
shootrng
apertureFormore
rnformatron,
referto
oaoes
38-39
Many
blurred
shots are caused
by unsteadyholding
of
the
camera Basicholding
posture:
Use
your
leftharrd
to cradle
the camera, with your fingerswrapped
around the lens
and
elbow propped against your body for support, as you look
through
the viewfinder
Use you right hand's
rndex
frngerto
depressthe
shutter
release
button
and
your
thumbto
wind the
film advance lever Wrap the other fingers
of your right hand
around the camera body You
can adapt this basrc
posture
to
bothhorizontal
andvertical-format
shootingToholdthe
camera
steady,
it is advisableto lean
on or against
something
strong
and stable
(eg, a wall) Also,
you
can lookthrough
the view-
finderwith
the
rightor left
eye,
with
the other
eyeopenor closed
IJ

I rd&h&
The
FE2is
provided
with
thefype K2
focustng
screen
asstandard
forall-purpose
photography
While
lookingthrough
theviewf
inder,
compose
yourphoto
withthe
main
sublect
tnthe
center
to
assure
correctexposure
Thenturn
thefocusing
ring
of
thelens
r?
until
the
sublect
looks
clear
For
precisepinpoint
focusrngon subjects
withdistinctcontours,
usethe
central
split
image
rangefinder;turnthe
focusing
ring
until
the
split
imagebecomes
whole
(R)
for rapidfocusingand
for
subjects
with rndistinctoutlines,use
the
microprismcollar;
turn the
focusingringuntil
the
shimmering
image
becomes
sharp
(B)
When
takingclose-upsor
macrophotography
or
shooting
with
telephoto
lensesof maximumapertures
of approx
f
145
or
smaller,
the
split
imagespot
andmicroprism
collarare
likelyto
darken
Therefore,use
thematte
portion
ofthescreen;turn
the
focusing
ring
until
theimage
looks
sharp
(C)
1L
Outside'exposure
range
warnrng
marks
A
(Auto)
Shutter
speed
scale
Shutterspeed/mode
indication
needle
Meterneedle
M250
tl
Notes;
1) Theshutter speed scale
in the viewfinder rscolor coded black numbers
indicate reciprocal shutter speeds ie 60 means 1/60 sec , whrle red
shows actual shuller speeds
2) The
finder coverage of the FE2 is approx 93o/o The actual rmage srze
will be slightly larger than the image seen tn the viewlinder.
(.2)
,31
1,4.t
i5)
to,
7,
B
(Bulb)
:8,
I-number
In
use
st
Finematte/Fresnel
field
J03mm
dia split-image
spot
ll I mm-wtoe
mrcropnsmcollar
12.
12mm dra area

(B)
Microprism
focusing
Outof focus
15

Look
throughthe
viewfinder
anddepress
theshutter
release
button
halfway
Theshutterspeed,
inaccordance
with
thesublect
brrghtness,
isthen
indrcated
insidetheviewf
inderby
the black
meter
needlelf the shutter
speed
needle
potnts
above
1/30
sec
,
depress
the
shutter
releasebutton
allthe
way.
lfthe
shutter
speed
is
1/30sec.
orbelow,
turnthe
aperture
ring
on
thelensto
makethespeedat
leastabove
1/30sec lf
you
cannot
obtainsuch
aspeed,
referto
gage
24
Notes;
1) A blurred photo may result if you take the shot at a shutter speed
between 1/30
sec and I sec
2) tf the black meter needle rs on either of the red exposure warning
marks.
the shutter speed ls out of the meterrng range ln lhls case,
you cannot obtatn the correct exposure See
page 24 for more details
Wind
the filmadvance
leveras far as lt will
go
to
transport
the
filmto the
nextframeand
ready
thecamera
for
the
next
shot
Do
not
apply
excessive
pressure
inwinding
the
lever
Note: Don't press the frlm rewind button 4ii , or certarn frames may be
double exposed
ro

Afterthe last
exposurehas
been made,
the
film
advance
lever
won't
move Then
push
the film
advanceleverflush
against
the
camera
body By so doing
the shutter release
button is locked
and keeps
the exposure meter switched
off This action pre-
ventsinadvertent
shutterrelease
Note:
Evenif the
black meter needle
remainsinside
the
shutter
speed
scaleafterthemeter
switchis off
, it will
automatically
be
switchedoff
in
approx 76
sec
,
and
the
exposure
measuring
circuitwill
simultaneously
becutoff
Torewind
the
exposed
film
back
into
thefilm
cartrrdge,
turn
the
camera
upside
downand
press
thefilmrewind
button
You
don'thave
to
depressthe
buttonallthe
way
17

w
\- tffi
Fold
out the film rewind
crank
and turn
it
gently
in the
direction
of the
arrow
untilyou
feelan
increase
in
tension
Give
it a few
more
turns
until
Ihe
tension
is
gone
and
the crank
turns
freely,
tndt
cating
the film leader
is rewound
com-
pletely
back
into
thecartrtdge
#\
Open
the camera back
by
pulling
up the
rewindknob and take out the film car
tridge
Avoidunloading
in directsunlight
lf
there is
no shade available,
turn
your
back
to the sun
and use
your
own shadow
to
shield
thecamera
Note:Do
not
open
thecameraback
before
film
rewindingiscompleted
ffi

The Nikon FE2 is an Al-type
(Automatic
Maximum
Aperture
Indexing)
camera
whtch
performs
full
aperturemetering
with
Al-typelenses
such as Al-Nikkor
and
Nikon
Senes E lenses The
aperturerings
of these lenses
are fitted with meter
coupltngrtdges
37
(see
illustration
1) Almost
alllensesnow
manufactured
by Nikon
aretheAl type However.
please
conf
irm
whether
or not
your
lensis
Al
beforeusing
tt
wtth
the
FE2.
Al Nikkor
lenses
areidentifred
bythetwo holes
inthemeter
coupling
shoe
ro
(see
illustration
2)
Although
almost
all Nrkkorlenses
that have
the Nikon
bayonetmount,
as well
as
Nikon
SertesE lenses.
can be mounted
on the FE2,the
camera
cannot
be used
wtth
Ntkkorlenses
that
have
not
yet
been modified
to
offer the Al facilrty
nor
with
a
few
special-purooselenses.
becausethe FE2'smeter
coupling
lever
is
frxed
and
the FE2
does
not
have
a mirror lock
up mechanism For
particulars,
refer
to the
table
below
F
sheye
N kLor
6mm f
/5
6Not usable
F
sheyeN
kkor
10rnmf/5
6 OP
PCNrkkor
28mmf/4
PC-Nkkor
il5mmf/2
BLlrl- r dmo d
\ relc, Couortng
cve'
ClherNrkkorlenses
that
havenot
been
rnodlred
to offertheAl lacility
H
ts camera
s meter coupling
lever SerialNo 1BO9O1
andhlghusable
Seria No 906201and htgherusable
SerialNo 851000and lower
usable
Reflex-Nrkkor1000
mm f/11 f tl .d-ora ,
-€1tr', OUD]rng
cVo' SeriaNo 143002
andhigherusable
Refex N kkor
2000mmf/llHltscamera'smeter
couplinglever Serial No 200311 andhigher usable
Zoom-Nikkor
200600mmf/9
5H ts camera
s meter
couplinglever Serlal
No 300491
and
h
gher
usable
Zoom
NrkkorED 180
600mml/B Hits
cameras metercouplinglever Ser
al
No 1 74167 andhigherusabie
ZoomN kkor
ED360
1200mm
f/11 Seral
No 174088
and higher
usable
Focus
nq
UntlAU Not usable
Requires
Al modificat
on
Note: The modif
icatron at reasonable cost of most non-Al
/enses having a meter coupling
prong is avarlable for the convenience of Nikkor /ens users For further rnformation concernino
Al lens
modification,
please contact your local
authorized Nrkon
dealer
Hits
cameras metercoupling
ever
Hrtscamera
s metercouplng lever
H ts carnera'smeter
coupl
ng lever
tv

The Nikon
FE2 offers
aperture-priority
automatic
mode
oper-
atronand
manual
control
of all
shutter
speedsfrom B
to 1/4000
sec
,
includrng
the M25O
(mechanically
controlled-1/250 sec
)
and B (bulb) settings To set the desired shooting
mode or
shrrllersneed rotate
the shrrttersneed/mode
selector dial
vvvvv. uPvv
untilthe desiredsettingclick-stops
opposrtethe
shutterspeed/
mode index At the A settrng,a lockingmechanism
is
provided
to
prevent
acodental shiftingof the setting
To rotatethe
dial
from the A settrng,depress the
lock
button
ar,
provided
Note
that shutter speeos between engraved
numbers
(i
e inter-
meclialesneeds)cannnl
hc rrsedSinr:evou
Can
See
the
shutteruvvvvu / v,' 'vv t \
speed
in
use
rnsidethe vrewfrnder,rt's
not necessary
to look at
the
shutterspeeddial
as
you
turn
it The dial has
the
following
settinqs
?QOO?34
A
(Autol:
Used
for aperture
prrority
automatic
mode
shooiing
You
manually
set
thef/stopfirst:
thenthecameraautomatically
selects
the matching
electronicallycontrolledshutter speed
steplessly
between
B and
1/4000
sec, depending
on the
scene
brightnessandthe
film
speed
in
use
t I4OOO-8 sec. (Manual l:
Used
for full manual
control
of both f/stoo and shutter soeed,
All
sixteenspeeds
indicatedon the dialare availablewithtiming
accuracyassuredby a
quartz
oscillator
Yellownumberson the
dial
indicate
actualshutterspeeds,while
white
ones are reci-
procals,
i
e , 2
means
1/2sec , and
4000 means 1/4000
sec lhe
250 is indicatedwith red which means the fastest sync speed
for an
electronic
flash
unit A one-stopchange
will
either
halve
or doublethe exposure;e.g, a shutterspeed
oI 11125
sec lets
in twice
as much light as a setting
of 1/250
sec and half
as
much liqhtas 1/60sec.
20