Nikon Nikkormar ft3 User manual

Nikkorlll_

INSTRUCTION

MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE

Coupling Lever Release

Meter

Coupling Lever

Cou

pies

the

exposure

meter

to

the

lens'

auto

diaphragm.

Neck Strap Eyelet

Shutter-Speed Index

Align

with

the

desired

shutter

speed.

Self-

Timer

Trips

the shu

tter

in 8

seconds

delay.

ASA

Film

-Speed Index

Adjusts

the

meter

for the

speed

of

the

film used.

ASA

Film-Speed Scale

Range:

12-1600

ASA.

Tripod Socket

Rewind Button

Press

to

rewind

the

film.

------------------~

2

Lens

Mounting Index

Mirror

Lock

Slide

downward

to

lock

the

mirror

up

out

of

the

optical

path

.

Lens

Release Button

Unlocks

the

lens for remov-

ing

or

changing lenses.

Shutter-Speed Lever

ASA

Lock

Camera Back Latch

Press

to

open

the

camera

back.

Battery Chamber

Houses

the

silver-oxide

battery

that

powers

the

meter.

Camera Back

Hinged

to

swing

open

from

the

side.

Aperture

/Distance Scale Index

Infrared Mark

Lines

up

with

the

prefocused

distance

to

compensate

for

shift

in focus.

Meter

Coupli

ng

Shoe

Aperture

Ring

Sets

the

lens

diaphragm

to

the

desired

flnumber.

Depth-

of

·Field Preview

Button

Press

to

preview

how

much

background

or

foreground

is in

or

out

of

focus.

'----

Fl

ash

Terminal

Accepts

a flash sync

cord.

Rewind Crank

Fold

out

to

rewind

the

film.

Meter

Wi

Finder Eyepiece

Permits

comfortable

viewing,

composing

and

focu

~

Hot-Shoe C

:..;

o

:..;

n

.:..:

t

",

a

c:.

c

c:.

t

_______________________________

--'

Film

-Plane Indicator

Shows

the

exact

position

of

the

film

plane

.

Distance Scale

Depth

-

of

-Field Scale

Color-coded

mar

kings give

depth-of-field

at

different

apertures.

Focusing Ring

Easy-to-grip,

knurled

sur-

face for

quick,

accurate

focusing.

Meter Coupling Ridge

Connects

to

the

meter

coupling

lever.

Shutter-Speed Scale

Speeds

from

1/1000

to

1

1r

t-

_____________________

se

_

c

_

o

_

n

_

d

~

p

_

lu

_

s

_B_

.

__________

_

Shutter Release

Button

(With screw

thread

for

cable

release).

Frame Counter

Indicates

the

number

of

frames ex

p

~

o

=

se

:.:

d

:.:

.

________

__

Film

-Advance Lever

Advances

the

film,

cocks

the

shu

tter

and

operates

the

frame

cou

nter. Also

switches

the

built-in

exposure

meter

on

or

off.

Meter

ON

Index

3

CONTENTS

Nomenclature

...

.......

.

..

. . 2

Shutter

Release

Operation

.......

......

20

Foreword

..

. . . . . . . . . . 5

Depth

of

Field

.......

. . .

...........

21

Loading the

Camera

...

6 Depth-of-Field Preview Bu

tton

..

.

...

21

Film-Plane

Indicator

8 De-pth-of-Field Scale .

......

..

. .

....

22

Film-Advance Lever . 8 Self-Timer

........................

24

Frame

Counter.

. . . . . . . . 9 Mirror

Lock

..

.

...

.

................

24

Film-Speed (ASA)

Setting

...........

9

Infrared

Photography

................

25

Exposure

Con

trois .

.................

10

Setting

the

Shutter

Speed.

. . . . . . . 11

Setting

the

Aperture

. .

............

. 11

Exposure

Measurement

...............

12

Fu

ll

-Aerture

Exposure

Measurement

....

12

Turning

On

the Meter

..

. . . . .

.12

Centering

the Needle

...

.....

.

......

13

Getting

the

Right

Exposure

..

...

.

.. ..

14

Stop-Down

Exposure

Me

asurement

..

.

..

15

Special Cases

....

.

........

....

.

..

16

Silver-Oxide

Battery

...

.

.....

.......

. 25

Flash

Synchronization

.

...

. .

.........

. 26

Changing

the

Lens

...

.

..............

27

Accessories

...

......

..

.

...........

28

Lens

Hoods

.....................

28

Filters

..

.

...

..

................

28

Finder

Eyecup

...

.

..

.

.....

.

......

29

Eyepiece

Correction

Lenses .

...

. .

....

29

Camera Care

......................

30

Features/Specifications

...............

31

How

to Hold the

Camera

..............

17

Focusing

.........................

18

4

FOREWORD

The

Nikkormat

FT3

offers

the

high

quality

performance

and

durability

common

to

Nikon

_

cameras,

but

with

the

basic

simplicity

of

de-

sign

that

has

made

the

Nikkormat

camera

popular

with

amateur

and

professional

alike.

Systematically-positioned

controls

for

picture-

taking

ease, a

convenient

flash

unit

mount

for

simplified

flash

photography

and

the

extensive

possibilities

of

the

Nikon

System

of

Photo-

graphy

further

enhance

the

capabilities

of

the

Nikkormat

FT3.

To

ensure

you

get

the

best

results

from

your

Nikkormat

FT3,

read

this

instruction

book

carefully

and

practice

using

the

controls

be-

fore

you

load

film

into

the

camera.

Follow

the

suggestions

on

camera

care

on

page

30

and

you

will receive

many

years

of

reliable service.

5

LOADING THE

CAMERA

Press down

the

camera back

latch

on

the

side

of

the

camera and

the

hinged

back

will spring

open

. Pull

up

on

the rewind

knob

and

drop a film cartridge

into

the

film chamber with

the

film leader

pointing

towards

the

take-up spool. Now, push

down

the

rewind

knob

to

hold the cartridge in place

and

insert the end

of

the

film leader

into

anyone

of

the three slots in

the

take-up spool.

Rotate

the take-up spool as shown in

the illustration

so

that

the. film passes

under

the spool

with its emulsion side (dull side) facing

out.

Make sure

6

that

the

perforations along

the

edges

of

the

film mesh

with

the

sprockets.

Close the camera

by

pressing

on

the

back

until it

snaps

into

place.

Fold

out

the

rewind

crank

and

turn

it gently in

the

direction

of

the

arrow

until

you

can

feel a slight tension. This will

take

up

any

slack in

the

film cartridge.

Be

careful

not

to

exert

too

much pres-

sure

on

the

rewind crank.

Loading exposes the first few inches

of

the

film.

To

dispose

of

this exposed film, wind

the

film advance

lever

and

make

two

blank

exposures. Watch

the

rewind

knob

to

see

if

it

rotates

in

the

direction

opposite

the

arrow

while

the

fUm

is being advanced. This will

indicate

that

the

fUm

has

been

loaded

correctly

and

is being advanced.

The

frame

counter

on

top

of

the

camera

should

now

rest

at

"0".

Advance

the

fUm

one

more

frame

and

you

are

ready

to

take

the

Hrst

picture.

Caution:

Do

not

load

the

camera

in

bright

sunlight.

If

no

other

shade

is available,

shade

the

camera

from

the

sun

with

your

body

while loading.

To

unload, press

the

rewind

button

on

the

camera

baseplate,

unfold

the

rewind

crank

and

turn

it

with

a

con~tant,

gentle pressure in

the

direction

of

the

arrow.

Avoid

uneven

or

excessively fast rewinding. When

no

more

tension

can be felt

and

the

crank

turns

loosely,

the

fUm

has left

the

sprockets

and

the

camera

may

be

opened.

pull

the

rewind

knob

up

slightly

and

the

fUm

cartridge will

drop

out.

The

rewind

button

will

pop

out

again as

soon

as

the

fUm

advance lever is

stroked.

7

LOADING THE CAMERA-

continued

Film-Plane Indicator

The

(~)

mark

on

top

of

the

camera

body

shows

the

exact

position

of

the

film plane. This

is

important

to

know

when

measuring

the

fUm-to-subject distance,

especially

in

close-ups and

macrophotography.

8

Film-Advance Lever

The

fUm-advance lever simultaneously advances

the

film, cocks

the

shutter

and

operates

the

frame

counter.

It

also serves as an

on-off

switch for

the

exposure

meter.

Stroke

the

film-advance lever

with

the

right

thumb

in

a single

stroke.

A built-in locking device prevents

the

shutter

from

being released unless

it

is fully

cocked

and

the

film has been advanced a full frame.

The film-advance lever springs

back

to

its original posi-

tion,

with

ample

clearance for

the

thumb,

after

each

stroke. However,

the

meter

will

remain

in

the

"on"

position

until

the

lever is pressed flush against

the

camera

body.

Caution:

Be

careful

not

to

push

the

rewind

button

(on

the

camera's

baseplate)

during

ftlm advance

operation.

Should

this

occur

,

temporary

stoppage

of

ftlm

transport

and

double

exposure

of

the

negative may result.

Frame Counter

The

frame

counter

located

on

top

of

the camera works

automatically

to

show

how

many

frames have

been

exposed.

The

numbers

20

and

36

are

colored

red

to

correspond

to

the

number

of

frames in a

standard

3Smm

cartridge.

The

frame

counter

stops

just

past

the

36-frame

mark

and resets

itself

automatically

to

"S",

two

frames

before

"0",

when

the

camera back

is

opened

for reloading.

Film

Speed

(ASA) Setting

Some

films are

more

sensitive

to

light

than

others.

A

fUm's sensitivity

is

commonly

known

as its

"spee

d,"

expressed in ASA numbers.

In

order

to

work

with

films

of

different speeds,

the

Nikkormat

FT3's

light-meter circuit must be adjusted

for

the

ASA

number

of

the film used, This

is

done

by

means

of

a

slotted

index

pointer

located

on

the

bottom

of

the

shutter-speed

ring. The ASA film-speed

scale has

numbered

settings for speeds

from

ASA 12-

1600

with

dots

between

each pair

of

numbers

for

intermediate

settings such as ASA

64,

80,

etc.

.Pull

up

the

ASA lock on

top

of

the

shutter-speed

lever

and

, while holding the lock up, slide

the

slotted

ASA index

pointer

until it lines up

with

the ASA

number

of

the film

in

use.

After

releasing the ASA

lock,

check

that

the ASA

index

pointer

is

securely

locked

into

position.

Film-Speed

(ASA)Scale

1620

3240

64

80

125160 250

320

500640

10001250

ILLILLILlIL!I!LIL!I~~1

12

25

50 100 200 400 800

1600

9

EXPOSURE CONTROLS

The

amount

of

exposure

the

fUm

receives is

determin-

ed

by

a

combination

of

shutter

speed

and

aperture.

The

larger

the

lens

aperture,

the

more

exposure.

Like-

wise,

the

slower

the

shutter

speed

the

greater

the

exposure.

Aperture

is

expressed in

f/numbers

with

larger

numbers

representing smaller

apertures

and

vice

versa.

For

example,

f/8

gives twice as

much

exposure

as

f/11.

Shutter

speed

is

expressed in seconds

or

fractions

of

a second. The

numbers

on

the

Nikkormat

shutter-speed

scale are reciprocals

of

the

actual

speeds

(250

represents

1/250

second

, etc.).

Camera

aperture

and

shutter-speed

controls

are cal-

culated

so

that

an increase

of

one

f/number

com-

pensates for a one-step decrease in

shutter

speed.

For

example,

1/250

at

f/8

is equivalent

to

1/125

at

fIll.

The

table

below

shows

how

aperture

and

shutter

-

speed are

interrelated.

All

the

combinations

give

the

same

exposure.

Aperture

f/1.4

f/2

.8

f/4

f/5

.6

Shutter

speed

1/500

1/250

1/125

1/60

1/30

(seconds)

10

Setting the Shutter Speed

Shutter

speedsare

controlled

by

a ring

around

the

base

of

the

bayonet

mount

rather

than

the

usual

dial

on

top

of

the

camera

body.

To

set

the

shutter

speed,

grasp

the

lever

and

turn

the

ring until

the

desked

speed

appears

the

indicator

dot

on

the

front

of

the

camera

body.

For

added

convenience

when

measuring

exposure,

the

shutter

speed

in use as well as

the

and

lowest speeds

appear

in

the

bottom

of

the

viewfinder, so

the

shutter

speed

can

be

adjusted

while observing

the

exposure

meter

needle.

Click-stopped settings for

shutter

speeds

from

1/1000

to

1

second

plus

"B"

are engraved

on

the

shutter-

speed ring.

At

the

"B"

(bulb) setting,

the

shutter

remains

open

as long as

the

shutter

release

button

is

depressed.

Note:

Intermediate

shutter-speed

settings are

not

recom-

mended

except

in

the

1/250

to

1{1000

second

range.

Setting the Aperture

To

preset lens

aperture,

turn

the

aperture

ring

on

the

~ens

barrel

until

the

desired

f/number

appears

opposite

the

black

indicator

line

on

top

of

the

milled ring; this

line also serves

as

the distance scale index.

The

aper-

ture

diaphragm

can be set for in

termediate

openings

between

the

click-stopped settings for more precise

exposure

.

11

EXPOSUREMEASUREMENT

The

Nikkormat

FT3

features

a center-weigh

ted,

through-the-lens

metering

system.

The

exposure

meter

· reads

the

light

intensity

over

the

en

tire focus-

ing screen,

but

its sensitivity

is

concentrated

on

the

12mm

diameter

spot

in the

center.

This ensures

you

of

perfect

exposures

in

everyday

picture-taking

situa-

tions, while still

retaining

the

selectivity essential

for

specialized

applications

or

advanced

photographic

techniques.

Full-Aperture Exposure Measurement

When a

Nikkor

lens

fitted

with

a

meter

coupling

ridge

is

mounted

on

the

camera,

the

metering

system

is

cross-coupled

to

both

the

camera

's

shutter

speed

dial

and

the lens'

aperture

diaphragm

setting

ring. This

allows

you

to

continue

viewing

at

full

aperture

while

determining

the

exposure

settings,

thus

eliminating

finder

dim-out

and

minimizing

the

influence

of

stray

light

entering

the

finder

eyepiece

.

12

Turning On the Meter

To

switch

on

the

Nikkormat

FT3's

CdS

exposure

metering

circuit, pull

out

the

film advance lever

just

enough

-

to

uncover

the

red

dot

on

top

of

the

camera

body.

When

the

meter

is

not

in use, press

the

lever

flush against

the

camera

body,

since

the

battery

is

being

drained

continuously

as

long

as

the

lever

is

in

the

"on"

position.

A

number

of

different

shutter

speed-aperture

combina

-

tions will usually result in

the

same

exposure.

The

"best"

one

depends

on

the

results desired. Use fast _

shutter

speeds to

"freeze"

motion

or

slow

ones

to

create deliberate blur. Small

apertures

give greater

depth

of

field, large

ones

let

the

subject

stand

out

against an out-of-focus

background

(see "

Depth

of

Field

,"

p.21.

).

Centering the Needle

To

determine

correct

exposure,

adjust

the

aperture

and/or

shutter

speed until

the

meter

needle in the

viewfinder

IS

centered

(

the

-

and

+

marks

let

you

know

whether

you

are

under-

or

overexposing). A

second

meter

needle

is

conveniently

located

on

top

of

the

camera for use

with

the

camera

held

at

waist-

level

or

mounted

on

a

tripod.

For

fine

adjustments

of

le

ss

than

one

f!number

, use

the

aperture

ring as it per-

mits reliable

intermediate

settings.

Under

extremely

low light

conditions

the

meter

nee-

dle may

center

at

the

"B"

setting

on

the

shutter

speed dial. If so,

correct

exposure

time is 2 seconds.

If

the

needle moves erratically

or

cannot

be

centered

even

after

all possible

aperture-shutter

speed com-

binations

have been tried,

then

the

light

is

too

bright

or

dim

for

the

meter's

range. Effective range (

coupl

-

ing range) varies according

to

the

lens and film speed

used.

For

example,

with

the

SOmm f!1.4 lens

and

a

film speed

of

ASA

100

, it

extends

from

f/1.4

at

1/4

second

to

f!ll

at

1/1000

second.

13

EXPOSURE

MEASUREMENT

-continued

Getting the Right Exposure

The

central

part

of

the

focusing screen

should

always

be aimed

at

the

main subject

when

centering

the

needle. Otherwise

unimportant

bright

or

dark areas

may

give an

exposure

reading

which

is

too

high

or

too

low, resulting in under-

or

overexposure.

If

an

off-center

composition

is desired, first measure

the

light striking

the

main subject

and

set

the

aperture

and

shutter

speed

to

center

the

needle.

Then

move

the

camera

until

the

desired

composition

appears in

the

viewfinder.

For

subjects

of

uniform

tonal

brightness, a reading

may

be

taken

from

any

part

of

the

subject. However,

if

the

subject is

contrasty

(sidelighted

portraits,

for

example),

measure

the

light falling

on

the

most

impor-

tant

part

of

the

subject in

which

detail is desired in

the

final

picture.

For

landscapes including large areas

of

sky,

tilt

the

camera

downward

during

measurement

or

fill

the

center

of

the

finder

with

the

main

subject

to

prevent

underexposure

of

the

main subject caused

by

the

bright skylight.

Photos:

1. Measuring

the

bright

area

in

the

center

of

the

screen will

cause

underex

posure

of

the

main

subject.

2.

For

correct

exposure,

first measure

the

light

striking

the

main subject,

then

compose

and

shoot.

14

Exposure

measurement

area

..

-------

----------------------------------------------'\

Stop-Down Exposure Measurement

With

some

lenses

and

accessories,

full-aperture

expo-

sure

measurement

is

not

possible,

either

because

the

lens

has

no

au

tomatic

aperture

diaphragm

or

because

the

diaphragm

will

not

couple

to

the

meter.

In

these

cases,

the

stop-down

metering

method

must

be

used.

This

means

that

you

must

determine

the

exposure

with

the

lens

aperture

diaphragm

stopped

down

to

the

taking

aperture.

To

set

the

meter

for

stop-down

metering,

depress

the

coupling

lever release

and

push

up

the

meter

coupling

lever.

To

avoid

accidental

damage,

make

sure

you

do

not

use

excessive

force

when

raising

up

the

lever.

You

can

now

mount

the

lens

or

accessory

as

you

would

an

ordinary

lens.

The

meter

is

switched

on

in

the

usual

way.

Nikkormat

lCll

~

---

~

For

automatic

diaphragm

lenses

without

a

meter

coupling

ridge,

set

the

desired

shutter

speed;

then,

de-

press

the

depth-of-field

preview

button

to

stop

down

the

lens

aperture

diaphragm;

keeping

the

button

de-

pressed,

adjust

the

aperture

ring

until

the

meter

nee-

dle

indicates

correct

exposure.

Be

sure

to

release

the

preview

button

before

making

the

exposure.

For

fixed-aperture

lenses,

such

as

Reflex-Nikkor

lenses,

simply

adjust

the

shu

tter

speed

until

the

nee-

dle is

centered.

For

bellows

units,

extension

rings .and

preset

lenses,

set

the

desired

shutter

speed;

then,

stop

down

the

lens

manually

until

the

needle

is

centered.

Since

focusing

may

be

difficult

or

impossible

at

small

apertures

,

due

to

viewfinder

darkening,

you

are

advised

to

focus

first

at

full

aperture.

Then

,

stop

down

the

lens

to

determine

the

exposure

'.

15

EXPOSURE

MEASUREMENT

-continued

Special C

Ises

Repro-Copying

For

originals such as

photographs

which

have

tonal

gradation,

exposure

is

determined

in

the

usual way.

In

the

case

of

originals having

strong

contrast

and

no

gradation

,

such

as

documents

or

line drawings, mea-

sure brightne

ss

of

the

whit

e

portion

of

the original

(

if

the

original is

predominantly

black, a

sheet

of

white

paper

may

be

substituted)

after

decreasing film speed

by

four

marks. Or increase

exposure

about

1-1/3

stops.

Slide

Copying

For

originals

with

continuous

tone

gradations, deter-

mine

exposure

in

the

usual

way

by

the

stop-down

method

.

To

copy

slides

with

letters

or

figures

on

transparent

background,

decrease film speed

four

marks

or

increase

exposure

about

1-1/3

stops. In

the

case

of

transparent

figures

or

letters

on

a

dark

background,

either

increase film speed five marks

or

decrease

exposure

about

1-2/3

stops.

Important:

The

above are

only

approximate

guidelines.

Exact

exposure

determination

.is

extremely

difficult, especially with

color reversal rums. Therefore,

it

is advisable

to

make several

different exposures for each

subject

to

be

sure

of

getting

one

that

is correct.

16

HOW

TO HOLD THE

CAMERA

Steady

camera holding

is

important

for best results,

since even

the

slightest camera

movement

at

the

moment

of

exposure

can result in an appreciable loss

of

sharpness, especially at slow

shutter

speeds. The

photographs

show

the

best

way

to

hold

the

camera for

rock-steady picture-taking.

Wrap

the

fingers

of

the

right

hand

around

the

camera

body

so

that

the

index

finger rests

comfortably

on

the

shutter

release

button

and

the

thumb

fits

between

the

body

and

film advance lever. This

way

you

can

stroke

the

film-advance

without

removing

your

eye

from

the

viewfinder. Cradle

the

camera in

the

left

hand

for

additional

support,

with

the

left

thumb

and

index

finger grasping

the

focusing ring.

The

camera

may

be

switched

from

horizontal

to

vertical

format

in this position.

17

FOCUSING

Focusing

is

always

done

at

full

aperture

with

Nikkor

lenses.

This

gives the brigh

test

possible image

on

the

focusing

screen

for

easy viewing

and

composing.

It

also

minimizes

depth

of

field so the image

snaps

in

and

out

of

focus

distinctly.

The

Nikkormat

FT3

focusing screen consists

of

a

matte

Fresnel

field

with

a

centra

l

3mm¢

split-image

rangefinder

spot

surrounded

by

a

doughnut

-s

hap

ed

1

mm

-wide

microprism

for

rapid

,

accurate

focusing.

Look

through

the viewfinder

and

turn

the

focusing

ring

until

the

two

halves

of

the

central

rangefinder

image coincide

to

form a single,

sharp

image,

or

until

the

image

in

the

microprism

appears

sharp

and

crisp.

This focusing screen

is

suitable

for

subjects

with

both

straight

lines

and

ill-defined

contours.

However,

when

used

with

lenses having a

maximum

aperture

smaller

than

f/4.5,

or

in

close-up

photography,

the rangefinder

spot

is

likely

to

darken.

In

this case, focus

on

the

surrounding

matte

field.

The

lens can also be prefocused using the

distance

scale engraved

in

both

feet

and

meters

on

the

lens

barrel. Line

up

the

black

indicator

line

on

top

of

the

milled ring

opposite

the

camera

-

to-subject

distance

as

measured

or

estimated.

Thi

s

technique

is

useful for

candid

shots

of

elusive

subjects

when

time

does

not

permit

through-the

-lens focusing.

18

Microprism/split-image screen

Out

of

focus

In

focus

19

SHUTTER

RELEASE OPERATION

---------------------------------------------

For

sharp

pictures

,

correct

shutter

releasing

is

just

as

importan

t as

steady

camera

holding.

A

quick,

jabbing

movement

of

the

finger

on

the

shutter

release

button

will

result

in

camera

movement

and

blurred

pictures.

Hold

the

camera

steady

as

shown

previously,

relax

and

squeeze

the

shutter

release

with

a

gentle

, even

pressure.

For

l

ong

time

exposures

with

the

camera

moun

ted

on

a

tripod,

use a

cable

release.

The

shutter

release

button

is

threaded

to

accept

the

Nikon

F

and

Nikkormat

cable releases.

Caution:

When

moun

ting

the

camera

on

a

tripod,

do

not

over-screw

the

tripod

thread

in

to

the

camera

tripod

socket

as

it

may

damage

the

camera

baseplate.

20

Nikon Nikkormar FT3 User manual

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