Nikon MD-3 User manual

tikorrMotor Drive
INSI'RUCTION
MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE
Frame
counter
preset
wheel
Framecounter
O/Cknob
O/C knoblock-release
Trigger
button
Rewind
slide
Rewind
buttonextension
Mode
control
(SC)
ring
Shutter
release
pin
Keygroove Drive
shaft
coupling
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SC
ringlocking
button
Remoteterminal
Power
socket

CONTENTS
Nomenclature. 2
Foreword 5
Attachingthemotordrive .....6
Loading
the
camera
. . 7
Powersources .....8
MB-2. 8
Installingthebatteries .....8
Life-span
of thebatteries 8
Checking
battery
power 9
MB-l .....10
Installingthebatteries.. ...10
Life-spanof the
batteries . . .10
Checkingbattery
power ....11
Ac/Dcconverter. ....12
Other
power
sources . .12
Framecounter ....13
Modecontrol
(SC)
ring . .14
Operation . . .14
Single-frame
shooting . .14
Continuousshooting ..15
Rewinding . . .15
Double/Multipleexposures ....16
Using"S"setting.... .....16
Using"C"setting... ,....17
Operationwithaspeedlight ....18
Simultaneousfiring .....18
Motordriveoperationtiming . . .19
Remotecontrol. ...20
RemoteCord
MC-4 . . .20
fntervalometer
MT-1 . .20
RadioControl
SetMW-l . . . .21
Modulite
Remote
Control
Set
ML-l . . . .21
Accessories.... ...22
Specifications.
Optimumbatteryperformance... ...23
4
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J
FOREWORD
The Motor Drive MD-3 is designed
for use with any F2
Nikon camero. lt winds the film and cocks the shutter
outomotically eachtimeyou press
thetrigger
button. you
can alsoset it for completely outomatic sequence
shoot-
ing ot speeds
of up to four frames
per second.Smooth
remote control operotionis easy
with accessories
suchas
the Modulite Remote Controt SetML-l or the lnter-
valometerMT-|. To obtoin the best results,read the in_
structions in this manualcarefully before attempting to
usethe unit. Keep the manual handy for reference
until
you have thoroughly fomiliarized yourself with your
MD-3. A few minutes of preporotion will helpyou ovoid
costly mistakes.
5

ATTACHING
THEMOTOR
DRIVE
With
the
camera'sbackclosedand
locked,folddown
the
camera's
O/Ckey.Check
thattheO/C
knob
on
the
MD-3
isin thenormal
position
with thethumb
lever
pointing
to therearof the
motordrive;it should
belocked
inthis
position.
Placethecameraon themotor
drive,inserting
the key on the camerainto the groove
on the motor
drive's
O/C
knob.
Turn themountingscrewin thedirectionof thearrow
shown
inthe
photo
until
thecameraand
themotordrive
fit together
withtheshutterrelease
couplingof thecam-
era
and
the
shutter
release
pin
of
themotordrive
properly
aligned.
Tightentheattachment
screw
firmly.
Next,attach
thecordless
battery
pack.
Placethemotor
driveon
topof the
pack
andcarefully
tighten
themount-
ingscrew
on thebottom of the
pack
until
thetwo units
areseated
snugly
together.
Notethat
the
cordless
battery
pack
can
beattached
to the motor
drive
beforemount-
ingit to thecamera
body.
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TOADING
THE
CAMERA
Depress
theO/C knob lock-release
on themotor
drive
and
turn
the
O/Cknob
to the
left
asfaras
it willgo.
The
camera
back
will then
spring
open.
Before
loading
the
, film,settheframe
counter
to 40 andtrigger
themotor
drive
afew times
to check
thatit is
operating
correctly.
lf it isn't,
it is
probably
mounted
incorrectly.
Remount
andtry again.
Youshould
loadthefilm into
the
camera
, in the normal
way.
Consult
your camera's
instruction
book
fordetails.
Then
closethe camera
back
andturn theOIC knob to
the
right
(toward
the
back
of the
camera)until
itclicks
shut.
Turn the rewind
knobgently
in thedirection
of
thearrow
until youfeel
a slight
tension.
Thiswill take
up
any
slack
inthe
film
cartridge.
Set
theindicatorof
the
frame
counter
at 40by turning
the
framecounter
preset
wheel,
and thenpress
thetrigger
buttonandmake
two
blank
exposures.
Lastly,
set
thenumber
oftheframes
on
the loaded
film. For convenience
in setting,the
frame
counter
preset
wheel
will
rotate
ineitherdirection.

POWERSOURCES
The Motor Drive
MD-3
canbe usedwith theCordless
Battery
PackMB-l or MB-2,or with theAC/DC
con-
verters.
MB.2
lnstalling
thebatteries
Releasethe batteryholders
bypressing the
grip
clipson
eachsideof thebattery
pack,
and
pull
themout.Place
fourpenlight batteriesin each
holder
MS-2,makingsure
that the positive and negative
(+ and
-) terminals
are
linedup correctly.Thenfit the battery-loaded
holders
back
intothe
MB-2untiltheyclickinto
position.
Life-span
of thebatteries
Thenumberof rollsoffilmthatcanbeshot
withoneset
of batteriesisdifficult
to predict accurately,since
this
depends
on toomany
variablefactors.Inthe same
man-
ner,thenumberof rolls
of film thatcanbe
shotat the
motor drive'sratedspeed
varieswith the typesof bat-
teries
used.Therated
firingspeedcanbemaintained
for
approximately
ten 36-exposurerollsof film when
zinc-
carbonbatteriesare
used,and
for about20 rolls
of film
when alkaline-manganesebatteriesare used.These
amountscanbeextended
to approximately50 and
80
rolls,respectively,but
withacorrespondingslowdown
in
thefiringspeed.
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This
table
shows
the
number
of 36-exposure
rollsoffilm
which
can
be
fired
onone
setof batteries. t
Wrolls
T
y
p
eoFb
ittEri-ei-------l t0 20 s0 80 100
z
Inc-carbon
Air<aline-manganese I
I ttre rangeof guaranteed
firingspeed
I---l The rangewithin operative
battery powerbut without guar-
antee
of the rated
firing speed
Checking
battery
power
Press
thepower
check
buttononthe
sideof theBattery
Pack
MB-2.
lf theLED's
light
up,the
batteries
have
suf-
ficient power. lf not, the batteries
areexhausted
and
mustbechanged.
All eight
batteries
should
bechanged,
since
full performance
will not be obtained
if oldand
new
batteries
are
mixed.

POWERSOURCES
- Continued,
MB.1
TheCordless
Battery
PackMB-1
holdstenpenlight
bat-
teries,
or two MN-l NC Battery
Units,
whichareavaila-
ble
asoptional
accessories.
Installing
thebatteries
Fold out the clip on the O/C key of thebattery
pack
andturn in thedirection
of thearrow
toopen
thecover
of thebatteryholder.
Placefive
batteries
in each of the
Penlight
Battery
Holder
MS-l as
illustrated
on theside
of theholder.
Thenslip
the
holderintothebattery
pack.
To install
the MN-l NC Battery
Units,
slide
them
into
the
pack
in the
same
way.
Life-span
of the batteries
The number
of rollsthat can be shotwith one setof
batteries
variesas
follows.Approximately
1536-exposure
rolls can be shot at the guaranteed
ratedfiring speed
with zinc-carbonbatteries,
andapproximately
30 rolls
with alkaline-manganese
batteries.
These
amounts
canbe
extended
to approximately
100and160
rolls,respective-
ly, but with a corresponding
slowdown
in the firing
speed.
NCbattery
units
have
enough
power
for shooting
80 rollsof film at therated
firing
speed,
or up to 120
rollsbutatslower
firing
speeds.
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Thistable
shows
thenumber
of 36-exposure
rolls
of film
which
canbe
fired
onone
setof batteries. Checking
battery
power
To check
the battery power,
depress
the power
check
button
on
the
side
of the
battery
pack.
lf both
theLED's
light
up,thebatteries
have
sufficient
power.
lf onlythe
lower
LED lights
up,
the
batteries
can
stillbe
used,
but
will be exhausted
soon.
lf neither
LED lights
up,the
batteries
mustbe changed.
All ten batteries
should
be
changed,
since
full performance
will not beobtained
if
old
and
new
batteries
are
mixed.
Number
of rolls
ffi l5 80 100
120 160
30
Zinc-carbon
Alkaline-manganese i
NC
battery
unit MN-l I
(fully
charged) |Ih
I rn. range
of theguaranteed
firing speed
[--l tfre range
within operative
battery power,
but without guar-
antee
of the rated
firing speed
l1

POWER
SOURCES
- Continued
AC/DCconverter
WhenusinganAC/DCconverter
asthe
power
source,con-
nectit to theremote
terminalon the motordrive
with
theConnectingCord
MC-2.
Other
power
sources
Any directandconsistent
current
between12 and 15
volts,and more
than1.5
amps,
is
suitable
asa power
source.
Remember,
however,
that too much
current
can
damagethemotor
drive's
circuitry.
To connect
themotordrive
to anexternal
power
source,
plug
oneendof asuitable
cord
into
thethree-pin
socket
onthemotor
driveand
theotherend
into
the
power
sup-
ply.
Thediagrams
belowmay
beuseful
inestablishing
a
power
circuit.
External
power
source
Unswitched
(external)
power
source
Switched
powersource
\[-{ | ?
l-l
Remote
terminal Switch
I
I
I
J
+
\
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FRAME
COUNTER
I
I
Theframecounteronthemotor
drive
shows
thenumber
of unexposed framesremainingon a roll of film. lt is
calibratedin evennumbersfrom 0 to 40. The frame
counter
preset
wheelcanberotatedin eitherdirection.
Whenthecounter
reaches
zero,
themotor
will stopauto-
matically.lf you want
a certainnumberof frames
to be
setfor continuousfiring,
just
setthecounterto thede-
sirednumber.This operationcanbe donerepeatedly.
Theframe
counteronthecameraalsocontinues
to oper-
atewhen
themotordriveis
attached,
so
you caneasily
seehowmany
exposures
youhaveleft.
o Becarefulto setthe numberof framescorrectly.
lf
you overestimatethe numberremainingon a rollof
film, the result
maybe thatthemotor
will pull the
film off the supply spoolor damageits perforated
edges,
sincethe motor will continue
to operate until
thecounterreacheszero.
o Turningtheframe
counter's
preset
wheelawayfrom
itszero
position
when
themotordrive
isremovedfrom
thecamera
may
occasionallyresultinthemotor
drive
runningfreelyuntil thecounterresetsitself
to zero.
This is a normal
operating
condition,caused
by the
endof the film beingreachedbefore
themotordrive
completesitsadvancecycle,andisno
caseforconcern.
When
themotordriveis
reattachedto thecamera,
this
conditionwill becorrectedautomatically.
o The motor will not operate
whenthe counteris at
zero. Always check the counter beforestartingto
shoot,especiallyatthebeginningof a
roll.
l,'
t,'

FRAME
COUNTER
The
framecounter
onthemotordriveshowsthenumber
of unexposedframes remainingon a roll of film. lt is
calibratedin evennumbersfrom 0 to 40. The frame
counter
preset
wheelcanberotatedin either direction.
When
thecounter
reaches
zero,
themotor
will stop auto-
matically.lf you want
a certainnumberof frames
to be
setfor continuous
firing,
just
setthecounterto thede-
sirednumber.
This operationcanbe donerepeatedly.
The
frame
counteronthecameraalsocontinuesto oper-
atewhen
themotordrive
isattached,so
you caneasily
seehowmany
exposures
youhaveleft.
o Becarefulto setthe numberof frames
correctly.lf
you overestimatethe numberremaining
on a rollof
film, the resultmay be that
themotorwill pull the
film off the supplyspoolor damageits perforated
edges,
sincethe motor will continue
to operateuntil
the
counterreacheszero.
o Turningtheframe
counter's
preset
wheel
awayfrom
itszero
position
whenthemotordriveisremovedfrom
thecamera
mayoccasionallyresultin themotor
drive
running
freelyuntil thecounterresetsitself
to zero.
This is a normaloperatingcondition, causedby the
endof thefilm being
reached
beforethemotordrive
completesitsadvance
cycle,
andisnocaseforconcern.
When
themotordriveisreattachedto thecamera,
this
condition
willbecorrectedautomatically.
o The motor will not operatewhen the counter
is at
zero. Always check the counter before
starting
to
shoot,especially
atthebeginning
of a roll.
I
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MODE
CONTROT
(SC)R|NG OPERATION
For single-frame
shooting,
set
themode
selectorringat
"S" andforcontinuous
shooting,setit at"C." Depress
theringlock-release
andselecttheoperationmodere-
quired.
Theusable
shutterspeeds
are
from 1 to 1l2OO0
sec.
plus
B for single-frame
shooting,andfrom
X (1/80)
to 112000sec.
for continuous.When
theringis
at the
"L" position,
thetrigger
button
will be locked.
Use
this
settingwhen
you
arenot
shooting,asit will
prevent
acci-
dentalexposures.
Single-frame
shooting
Depressthe
SC
lockingbutton
onthemotor
drivehand-
grip
and
turnthe
modeselectorringto "S." Assoonas
the trigger
button is released, the motor driveauto-
maticallywinds
on thefilm andcocksthe
shutter
ready
for thenext
exposure.When
usingshutter
speeds
slower
than1/60sec.,besure
to keepthe trigger
buttonde-
pressed
longenough
for the shutterto complete
the
exposure.
Otherwise,
theexposure
timemay
be
shortened
unintentionally.
Do
not
press
thetriggerwhile
thefilmis
beingwound.

REWINDING
Continuousshooting
Setthe mode
selector
ring
to "C." Chooseanyshutter
speedfrom 1/80and faster.
Aslong as
the trigger
button
ishelddown,themotordrivewill
continue
tofireauto-
matically.Releasingthe button stopsthe motor drive
after
it hasadvancedthefilm oneframeandcockedthe
shutterfor thenextexposure.
The
numberof framesshot
per
secondwillvaryaccording
tothe
power
sourceused.Thetablebelow
illustratesthese
variations.
Whenthe roll of film in thecamera
hasbeen
exposed,
press
therewindslideupasfarasit willgo. Then
unfold
the
rewindcrankon thecamera
body
andturnit to re-
windthefilm.Whenthefilm isfully rewound,turn
the
O/C knobto openthecamera
back,
andremove
thefilm
cartridge.
Number of frames per second
Type
of battery
Usableshutter
speed
(sec.)
Cordless
Battery PackMB-l
x (1/80)-
112000
r Zinc-carbon
o Alkaline-manganese
o NC
batteryunit MN-1
3.5
3.5
4
Cordless
battery PackMB-2
o Zinc-carbon
o Alkaline-manganese 2.5
2.5
AC/DCConverter
MA-4 4
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DOU
BLE,/
MUITIPLE
EXPOSU
RES
Youhave
a choice of twooperational
modesfor making
double
or multiple
exposureswithyourmotorized
F2,
either"S" or "C." The"S" settingisrecommendedfor
photographic
situations
whereadeliberatecomposition
isaimedfor; the"C" settingismoresuitableforspecial
effects
suchasmultiple
imagesof a moving
subject
ona
singleframe.
Using
"S" setting
First,
set
the mode
selector
to "S." and
rememberthe
number
shown
in the
frame
counter
of the
motordrive.
(A) Fordouble
exposures:
1. Push
the
rewind
slide
upasfarasit will
go;
thiswill
disengage
thefilm transport
mechanism.
Thenrelease
the
slide.
2. Make
thefirst
exposureby
triggeringthe
releasebutton
onthe
motor
drive.
When
you
lift your
fingeroff the
button,
the shutter
will be recocked
by the motor
drive
but
thefilm
willnot
beadvanced.
3. Trigger
the
shutter
forthe
second
exposure.
Releasing
your
finger
fromthetrigger
buttonwill result
in the
film advancing
normally
and the shutterrecocking
ready
for the
next
ordinary
exposure.
4. Reset
the frame
counter
of themotordrive
to read
one
frame
less
thanthe
number
shownbefore
making
thedouble
exposure.
(B) Formultipleexposures:
1. Push
therewind
slide
upandholdit upforthedura-
tionof the multipleexposuresession.
2. Make the number
of exposures
you require,
and
releasethe
rewindslide.
3. After completing
thelastexposure,make
two blank
exposures
withthelens
covered
withalenscap.These
blankexposures
areto reset the
filmtransportmecha-
nismand'toadvance
thefilmreadyforthe
nextordi-
nary
exposureorsetof multipleexposures.
4. Then,reset
theframecounter
of the motordriveto
read
one
frame
lessthan
the numbershownbefore
makingthemultiple
exposures.

Using
'3C"
setting
First,
set
themodeselector
to "C:'and remember
the
numbershown
onthe
framecounter
of the motor
drive.
1. Push therewindslide
upasfarasit will
go.
Holdthe
slidein the "up" position
for thedurationof the
shoot
i
ngsession.
2. Triggerthemotor drivefor therequired
number
of
exposuresor until theaction
you are
followinghas
finished.
3. Releasetherewind
slide,
cover
thelens
andmake
two
blank
exposures.
4. Reset
the framecounter
of themotor
drive
to read
one
framelessthan
the
number
shown
before
making
the
multiple
exposures.
Note:
|
) You con alwoys verify the correct number of exposed
frames
by referring'to the comera's frome counter. The camere's
frame counter only advonces os the film is transported, pro-
viding you with a reliable means of determining the number
of f rames
exposed.
2) You can also get multiple exposuresby pushing the rewind
slide up and then releasing it before each exposure. Pushing
up and releasing the rewind slide during this operation tends
to shift the film frame slightly, although this is insignificant
(0.2mm shift), but you con avoid it altogether by holding the
slide
up throughout the sequence.
!
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OPERATION
WITH A SPEEDLIGHT SIMULTANEOUS
FIRING
operation
witha repeating
flash
unit,
suchas
the
58-6,
is
possible
at any
shutter
speedup
to 1/80
sec.
lt can
be
synchronized
at various
speeds
up to 3.8 frames
per
second
by shifting
the output power setting,
but it
should
be borne
in mind
that
this
may
notbe
thecase
with
other
brands
offlashequipment.
Two or more
cameras
may
be
firedin unison,
eitherin
single-frame
orcontinuous
operation.Connect
eachcam-
era
with a motordrive,
cordlessbattery
pack
andMC-4
Remote
Cord.Then
connectthe
redandblack
plugs
on
the
remote
cords
to a singleswitchto trigger
themotor
drives
together
as
shownintheillustrationbelow.
18