Nikon Nikkormat FT2 User manual

| Nikkormat
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE
Meter Coupling Pin |
Couples the exposure meter
to the lens’ auto diaphragm.
Neck Strap Eyelet
Mirror Lock
Shutter-Speed
Index
Slide
downward
to
lock
the
Align with the desired
shutter speed.
mirror up out of the optical
path.
Self-Timer
Trips the shutter in 8
seconds delay.
Lens Release Button
Unlocks the lens for
removing or changing lenses.
ASA Lock y
Camera Back Latch »~
Press to open the carhera
back.
Shutter-Speed Lever
ASA Film-Speed Index
Adjusts the meter for the
ASA
Film-Speed
Scale
speed
of
the
film
used.
Range: 12-1600 ASA.
Battery Chamber
Houses the silver-oxide
battery that powers the
meter.
Tripod Socket
Camera Back
Rewind
Button
Se
=
Hinged
to
swing
open
from
Press
to
rewind
the
film.
the
side.

Distance Index
Infrared Mark
Lines up with the prefocused
distance to compensate
for shift in focus.
Aperture Ring
Sets the lens diaphragm to
the desired f/number.
Maximum-Aperture Scale
Check to see whether the
meter is set for the
maximum aperture of the
lens being used.
Depth-of-Field Preview Button
Press to preview how much
background or foreground
is in or out of focus.
Flash Terminal
Accepts a flash
synch cord.
Rewind Crank
Fold out to rewind the film.
Meter Window
Accessory Shoe
Finder Eyepiece
Permits comfortable viewing,
composing and focusing.
Hot-Shoe Contact
_ Frame Counter
_ Indicates the number of
Distance Scale
Depth-of-Field Scale
Color-coded markings give
depth-of-field at different
apertures.
Focusing Ring
. Easy-to-grip, knurled surface
for quick, accurate focusing.
Aperture Indicator Dot
Aperture Scale
Meter Coupling Prong
Connects to the meter
coupling pin.
Shutter-Speed Scale
Speeds from 1/1000 to 1
second plus B.
Shutter Release Button
path screw thread
or cable release).
frames exposed.
Film-Advance Lever
Advances the film, cocks
the shutter and operates
the frame counter. Also»
switches the built-in
exposure meter on or off.
Film-Plane indicator
Shows the exact position of
the film plane.

CONTENTS
Nomenclature
Foreword
Loading the Camera
Film-Plane Indicator
Film-Advance Lever
Frame Counter
Film-Speed (ASA) Setting
Exposure Controls
Setting the Shutter Speed
Setting the Aperture
Exposure Measurement
Turning On the Meter
Centering the Needle
Getting the Right Exposure
How to Hold the Camera
Focusing
Shutter Release
Flash Synchronization
Depth of Field
Depth-of-Field Preview Button
2,
5
6
8
8
9
9
10
11
11
12
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Depth-of Field Scale
Changing the Lens
Lens Mounting
Maximum-Aperture Scale
Self-Timer
Mirror Lock
Infrared Photography
Silver-Oxide Battery
Exposure Measurement: Special Cases
Stop-Down Exposure Measurement
Repro-Copying
Slide Copying
Accessories
Lens Hoods
Filters
Eyepiece Correction Lenses
Finder Eyecup
Camera Care
Features/Specifications
Nikon Warranty

FOREWORD
The Nikkormat FT2 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 FT2.
To ensure you get the best results from your
Nikkormat FT2, 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.
The Nikon Warranty which comes with your
Nikkormat FT2 is your assurance of prompt,
courteous service and complete satisfaction.

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
any
one
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
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 film is being advanced. This will
indicate that the film has been loaded correctly and
is being advanced.
The frame counter on top of the camera should now
rest at ‘‘0”. Advance the film one more frame and
you are ready to take the first 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
constant, 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 film has left the sprockets and the camera may be
opened. Pull the rewind knob up slightly and the film
cartridge will drop out.
The rewind button will pop out again as soon as the
film advance lever is stroked.

LOADING THE CAMERA
eee
Film-Plane Indicator Film-Advance Lever
The film-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.
The (e) mark on top of the camera body shows the
exact position of the film plane. This is important to
know when measuring the film-to-subject distance,
especially in close-ups and macrophotography.

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
35mm 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
film’s sensitivity is commonly known as its “speed,”
expressed in ASA numbers.
In order to work with films of different speeds, the
Nikkormat FT2’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
16 20 32 40 64 80 125 160 250 320 500 640
e e
12 25 50 100 200 400 800 1600

EXPOSURE CONTROLS
The amount of exposure the film 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
£/8
is
equivalent
to
1/125
at
£/11.
The table below shows how aperture and shutter-
speed are interrelated. All the combinations give the
same exposure.
Aperture
Shutter speed
(seconds)
ate