Nikon MD-12 User manual

Nikon Motor Drive

MD-12

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE

Battery chamber lid

S-C selector lock

S-C selector

Camera electrical

contacts

Attachment thumb

wheels

Pilot lamp

Power switch

Rewind slide

Tripper button

Shutter release pin

Drive shaft coupling

Rewind button

extension

Attachment screw

Remote control socket

Tripod socket

CONTENTS FOREWORD

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Loading the batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Attaching the motor drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Single-frame shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Continuous shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Film rewinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Manual film advance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Double/multiple exposures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Time lapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Remote Cord MC-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Remote Cord MC-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Pistol Grip Model 2 and Connecting

Cord MC-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Intervalometer MT-1 and Connecting

Cord MC-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Modulite Remote Control Set ML-1 and

Connecting Cord MC-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Radio Control Set MOO-1 and Connecting

Cord MC-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Terminal Release MR-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Battery performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Although supplied as an accessory for the Nikon FM and FE

compact cameras, the MD-12 was, in fact, a major feature in

their design concept. Consequently, the only significant dif-

ferencebetweenoperatingthese cameraswith themotor drive

attached, as opposed to without it, is that their operation is

made considerably easier. So, rather than regarding your

Motor Drive MD-12 unit as a special accessory for use only

on rare occasions, you should consider it as the normal

complement to your Nikon compact camera. For, in fact, the

two together represent a major advance in camera-handling

technique.

To obtain the best results from your Motor Drive MD-12,

readtheinstructionsinthis manualcarefully beforeuse. Keep

this booklet handy for quick reference until you have fully

mastered operation.Afew minutes preparation will help you

avoid costly mistakes.

LOADING THE BATTERIES

The MD-12 is powered by eight 1.5V penlight (AAsize) batter-

ies which are housed in the unit's battery chamber. To load or

replace batteries, turn the coinslotted locking screw on the bat-

tery chamber lid counterclockwise. The lid will come loose and

the battery clip, which forms a single unit with the lid, can be

removed. Load the batteries, taking care that they are inserted

correctly. Referring to the diagrams on the sides of the clip that

show the correct ~vay to insert the batteries, ensure that the

positive (+) and negative ( - ) terminals of the batteries are prop-

erly positioned. If the batteries are loaded incorrectly, not only

will they be depleted—the motor drive could also be damaged.

When the batteries are correctly positioned, replace the battery

clip. Push the chamber iid down gently until it seats correctly;

then, tighten the locking screw on the lid with a coin or similar

object until the battery clip fits securely into the battery cham-

ber.

ATTACHING THE MOTOR DRIVE

Mounting the MD-12 on your camera is simple; the unit has

been designed such that it can be attached or removed at any

time regardless of whether or not the camera is loaded with film.

Before attaching the MD-12, make sure that its power switch is

turned off. Then, position the motor drive on the camera's bot-

tom plate, its handgrip should be at the same end of the camera

as the film advance lever. Ensure that the raised ring around the

drive shaft is correctly seated inside the locating collar, coaxial

with the camera's film advance coupling. Then, fasten the mo-

tor drive's attachment screw, turning it clockwise by means of

the thumb wheels on either side. Simultaneous use of both fore

finger and thumb will speed up attachment. Make sure there is

no gap between the motor drive and the camera body; then

tighten the attachment screw firmly.

When the MD-12 is mounted on an FM camera (Serial No. be-

low 3,000,000) *, the camera's mode selector switch around the

shutter release button should be set to "M" (motor)—the red

line on the selector being aligned with the line on the camera

body. This is not necessary with FM cameras (Serial No. over

3,000,000)*orthe FE,because theswitchoverfrom manualfilm

advance to motor drive operation is made electronically and

automatically when the motor drive is switched on. Then, turn

the motor drive's power switch to "ON." If the film has been

advanced prior to attaching the motor drive, the motor drive

will not operate until you make an exposure using the trigger

button on the handgrip. If the film has not been advanced prior

to its attachment, the motor drive will operate when its power is

turned on, and advance the film and cock the shutter ready for

the next exposure. The motor drive will stop and the pilot lamp

go out after advancing the film one frame only, regardless of

the setting of the S-C selector on the handgrip.

*The serial number appears on back of the camera body just below the

film advance lever.

Nikon FM

OPERATION

The camera/MD-12 combination operates in virtually the same

manner as the camera on its own. Please refer to your camera's

instruction manual for details. When the MD-12 is attached,

leave the film advance lever flush with the camera body. Then,

when the motor drive's power switch is turned on, the camera's

meter can be activated by halfway depressing the trigger but-

ton. After releasing your finger from the button, the meter will

remain on for approx. 50 seconds giving you enough time to set

the correct exposure or adjust the controls. Then the meter will

turn itself off automatically to conserve battery power.

With the motor drive attached all exposures should be made via

the trigger button on the motor drive grip. Concentric with this

triggering button is the motor drive S-C selector, giving you a

choice of either single frame (S) or continuous (C) shooting. To

set the motor drive to either S or C, depress the lock and turn the

selector to the required setting.

Single-frameshooting:Inthismode, depressingthe triggerbut-

ton on the motor drive grip fires the shutter, advances the film

one frame and cocks the shutter. You can lift your finger from

the trigger button even before the exposure is completed since

the electronic interlock prevents the film from advancing until

the shutter has completed its travel. The usable shutter speed

range when the MD-12 is set at "S" is from 1 second to 1/1000

second with the FM. With the FE, in addition to the automatic

setting (AUTO), you can set any of the marked speeds includ-

ing M90. The "B" setting cannot be used with either camera.

Continuous shooting: In this mode, the motor drive will auto-

matically trigger the shutter and wind the film for as long as the

trigger button is depressed. Framing rate will depend on the

shutter speed setting, as the motor drive's electronic interlock

with the camera's shutter automatically advances the film as

soon as the exposure is completed. Maximum framing rate is

approximately3.5 framesper second(fps) atshutter speedsfaster

than 1/125 sec.

Remember that continuous shooting at the maximum rate of 3.5

fps will result in a standard 36 exposure cassette being com-

pletely exposed in a little less than 11 seconds. Consequently,

you should exercise restraint when operating with the motor set

for continuous shooting. Many photographers, however, prefer

to leave the camera set for continuous shooting, lifting their

finger off the trigger button the instant the exposure is made.

This technique results in single-frame operation, but readies the

photographer for taking sequence photographs should the situ-

ation or need arise. The usable shutter speed range when the

MD-12 is set at "C" is from 1/2 second to 1/1000 second with

the FM. With the FE, in addition to the automatic setting

(AUTO), you can set any of the marked speeds including M90.

The "B" setting cannot be used.

The FE's automatic exposure capability allows you to follow

subjects as they pass through areas of differing brightness, yet

still obtain~ correctly exposed results.

Although widely varying brightness changes of EV 4 or more

may sometimes result in over- or underexposure for the first

frame following the transition, this situation is rare in practice

and thus likely to be of little consequence to the average pho-

tographer.

Important! After shooting, make sure that you turn the motor

drive off.

Note: The camera/MD-12 combination is designed to work smoothly

under a wide range of climatic conditions. Sub-zero (centigrade) tem-

peratures, however, have a very severe effect on any mechanism. For

faultless performance under these conditions, we recommend that, for

continuous shooting, you do not use shutter speeds of less than 1/30

sec. The use of slower shutter speeds may result in erratic operation. If

it is imperative to use shutter speeds of less than 1/30 sec., switch to

single frame shooting.

FILM REWINDING MANUAL FILM ADVANCE

When the roll of film in the camera has been fully exposed, the

MD-12's motor will automatically stop, releasing film tension,

with the pilot lamp remaining lit. Turn the power switch off to

prevent unnecessary battery drain. Then, push the rewind slide

on the motor drive up. Rewind the film normally. See your

camera's instruction manual for details.

If at any time you wish to manually advance the film without

removing the MD-12 from the camera, turn off the motor drive's

power switch after it has finished advancing the film from the

previous exposure. Then, in the case of the FM (Serial No. be-

low 3,000,000), turn the mode selector switch so that the black

line (white, on black camera bodies) is adjacent to the line on

the camera body. As for the FM (Serial No. over 3,000,000) or

the FE, it switches automatically from motor drive to manual

film advance operation when the motor drive is switched off.

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