Nikon EM User manual

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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Nikon EM

This text is identical to the Owner’s manual.

I. Nomenclature

01. Frame counter;

02. Shutter operation mode selector;

03. Shutter release button;

04. Shutter release fingerguard;

05. Film winding lever;

06. Battery power check button;

07. Battery power LED lamp;

08. Neckstrap eyelet;

09. Exposure compensation button;

10. Self-timer;

11. Lens mounting flange;

12. Lens mounting index;

13. Lens release button;

14. Reflex mirror;

15. Aperture direct readout (ADR) scale**;

16. Lens aperture scale;

17. Lens aperture ring;

18. Lens mounting ring;

19. Aperture/distance scale index;

20. Infrared photography focusing index;

21. Depth of-field indicators;

22. Focusing distance scale;

23. Lens focusing ring;

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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24. Film rewind crank;

25. Film rewind knob;

26. ASA film speed selector ring;

27. ASA film speed setting index;

28. ASA film speed scale;

29. Flash unit hot shoe;

30. Hot-shoe contact;

31. Ready-light contact for SB-E/SB 10 Speedlight;

32. Viewfinder eyepiece;

33. Film cassette chamber;

34. Film rewind fork;

35. Film guide rails;

36. Shutter curtains;

37. Film sprockets;

38. Film takeup spool;

39. Film pressure plate;

40. Camera back;

41. Memo holder;

42. Motor drive positioning hole;

43. Motor drive coupling;

44. Film rewind button;

45. Tripod/motor drive coupling socket;

46. Battery chamber lid/battery clip;

47. Motor drive electrical contact.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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II. Basic Operation

1. Unlock battery chamber 46.

2. Insert two silver-oxide batteries or one

lithium battery into battery clip with the “+”

sign(s) up.

3. Mount lens after closing battery chamber.

4. Pull out film rewind knob 25 to open camera

back 40.

5. Load film. To ensure proper film winding, make

sure that both edges of the film engage the film

sprockets 37.

6. Rotate film rewind crank 24 take up film

slack. Be careful that you do not wind film back

into the cassette.

7. Snap camera back closed, then set ASA by lifting

up and turning ASA film speed selector ring 26.

8. Set shutter operation mode selector ❷to

AUTO.

9. Press shutter release button ❸all the way.

Note: Do not attempt to take pictures prior to frame

1, the start of AUTO operation.

10. Stroke film winding lever ❺to advance

film.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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11. Confirm film advance: film rewind knob 25

turns opposite engraved arrow as winding lever is

stroked.

12. Repeat Steps 9 and 10 until frame counter

❶indicates “1”. Camera is then ready to take

first picture.

13. Look through viewfinder eyepiece 32 and

focus on subject.

14. Switch meter on, lightly pressing shutter release

button ❸. Turn lens aperture ring ⓱until “beep-

beep”sound, if any, stops.

15. You are now ready to shoot: depress shuttle

release button until you hear the click of the

shuttle.

16. Advance film to the next frame.

17. After completing the roll rewind and unload

film.

III. How to Hold the Camera

To take good pictures, you should first learn how to handle your camera properly. Hold the camera

with both hands, as shown in the pictures, cushioning it in the palm of your left hand. For added

support, prop your left-hand elbow against your body. Before loading the camera with film, practice in

front of a mirror until you have mastered all the controls.

Exposure compensation button ❾: Depressed with the left hand index finger.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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IV. Setting Up the Camera Body andLens

A. Install the Batteries

Proper batteries: Two 1,55V silver oxide

types (S-76, SR-44 or equivalent) or one 3V

lithium battery.

1. Unlock the battery chamber lid 46 with a coin.

2. Remove the battery clip which is integral

with the lid.

3. Insert the battery (batteries), with the “+”sign(s)

facing up, into battery clip.

4. Replace the battery chamber clip/lid, and

close the chamber securely.

5. Push the battery power check button ❻. If the

adjacent lamp does not light up (or is too dim), check

battery orientation or put in a new set of batteries.

Q: Can I still use the camera even when the

batteries are dead?

A: Yes. In this case, reset the shutter operation

mode selector ❷from AUTO to M90 which

will provide a shutter speed of 1/90 sec.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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B. Mount the Lens

Proper lenses: Nikon Series E lenses, Al-type Nikkor lenses and others (seelist).

1. Remove the camera body.

2. Remove the rear lens cap.

3. Seat the lens on top of the camera body’s lens

mounting flange ⓫, making sure the lens

mounting index ⓬is aligned with the

aperture/distance scale index ⓳. Then twist the

lens by its mounting ring ⓲until it clicks and

locks into place.

4. To remove the lens: Press the camera’s lens

release button ⓭, and twist the lens clockwise by

its mounting ring until it becomes loose.

V. Preparing to Shoot and Actual Shooting

Proper film: Any commercially available, color or black-and-white, 35mm film negative (prints) or

transparency (Slides) in cassettes of 12, 20, 24 or 36 exposures.

A. Load the Film

1. Open the camera back by pulling up the film

rewind knob 25.

2. Place the cassette in the film cassette chamber 33.

3. Secure the cassette with the film rewind fork

34 by pressing the knob back.

4. Insert the film leader into any of the film takeup

spool’s 38 six slots. Be sure the film’s perforations

engage the film sprockets 37. Press the shutter

release button and stroke the film winding lever to

advance the film.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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5. After closing the camera back, press the

shutter release button ❸.

6. To take up film slack, turn the film rewind crank

24 in the direction of the engraved arrow, until you

feel a slight resistance. Be careful not to wind the

film back into the cassette.

7. Advance the film, press the shutter release

button and advance the film again until the

frame counter ❶indicates “1”to start AUTO

operation.

Q: How can I be sure the film has been properly

loaded and is being advanced?

A: If, as you advance the film winder lever, the film

rewind knob rotates in the opposite direction of the

arrow engraved on it, you can be sure the film is

being properly advanced.

Note: If you release the shutter during “AUTO”operation with the cap mounted on the lens or in an

extra dark place, the reflex mirror ⓮will remain in the “up”position. To return the mirror to its

original position, set the shutter operation mode selector ❷to M90 or B.

B. Set ASA

1. Pull up the ASA film speed selector ring 26.

2. Turn it until the ASA film speed setting index 27

is aligned with your film’s ASA rating.

Note: Don’t forget to reset ASA when you use film

with different ASA ratings; otherwise, the film will

not be correctly exposed.

Q: What is ASA?

A: ASA is a number which indicates the relative sensitivity of your film to light. Your camera must

have this information to be able to give your film the proper exposure.

Q: What should I do to remember the ASA rating of the film loaded in the camera?

A: As a reminder, insert the film carton tab which indicates the ASA rating, into the camera back’s

memo holder 41.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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C. Focus

1. Aim your camera at your subject, then compose the

picture through the viewfinder.

2. Rotate the lens focusing ring 23 until your

subject appears in the viewfinder.

Out of focus

In focus

①Shutter speed scale

②Flash ready-light

③Flash photography bracket

④Shutter speed needle

⑤Split-image range finder spot

⑥Microprism ring

⑦Fine matte outer field

Split-image rangefinder spot ⑤:Suitable for subjects with well-defined outlines. Turn the focu-

sing ring 23 until the two halves of the spot coincides, forming a single image.

Microprism ring ⑥:For subjects without definite contours, or for rapid focusing.

Turn the focusing ring until the image in the ring appears crisp.

Fine matte outer field ⑦:Ideal for close-ups or when shooting

with telephoto lenses. Turn the focusing ring until the image in the

field appearssharp.

To “prefocus”the lens (i.e., when time does not permit focusing

through the viewfinder), turn the focusing ring until the estimated

distance is aligned with the lens aperture/distance scale index ⓳.

With this technique, however, the focus may not be as sharp as you

expect.

Note: When you’re using lenses with small maximum apertures (e.g., ƒ/5.6, ƒ/8) or taking close-

ups, you may find it difficult to focus with the split-image spot or microprism ring (i.e., they

become “dark”); in this case, focus with the fine matte outer field.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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D. Determine Exposure

1. Set the shutter operation mode selector ❷to

AUTO.

2. Select an aperture by turning the lens aperture

ring ⓱.

3. Press the shutter release button ❸halfway

(i.e., cushion your finger with the shutter release

fingerguard ❹) to switch the camera’s meter on.

The shutter speed indicated by the needle ④in

the viewfinder will depend on both the selected

aperture and scene brightness.

Note: The meter remains switched on for a brief period even after your finger is lifted off the shuttle

release button.

Exposure warning signal: Should a “beep-beep”sound be emitted, note the position of the needle in

the shutter speed scale. If it swings past 1/1000 sec. and stays within the red zone, overexposure will

result. In this case, reset lens aperture until the sound stops or the needle “drops”from the red zone;

despite the sound, correct exposure is possible. If the needle is around 1/30 sec. or below, the sound

merely warns you that camera shake may affect image sharpness because of the slow shutter speed.

You either read - just aperture until the sound stops, or, if the needles is below 1/30 sec., use a tripod to

prevent picture blur. The meter remains switched on for a brief period even after your finger is lifted

off the shutter release button.

Notes: 1. At approximately 1/1000 sec. or 1/30 sec., a shrill sound may be emitted; it becomes

regular when the beyond these points.

2. It is possible you won’t hear the warning sound in noisy shooting situations.

Overexposed

(above 1/1000 sec.)

Tripod recommended to

prevent camera shake

(below 1/30 sec.)

Correctly exposed

Q: What shutter speed is best to use?

A: The shutter speed should be fast enough to prevent camera shake, especially in hand-held

shooting. In dim light, you may not be able to get a high speed. As a rule of thumb, use a tripod if the

shutter speed is slower than a number equal to the focal length of the lens. For example, with a 50 mm

lens, don’t take hand-held pictures at shutter speeds slower than 1/50 sec., and with a 135 mm, try to

use a minimum speed of 1/135 sec. Remember, this presumes your subject is not moving. If it does,

you’ll need faster speeds —in which case you just open the lens aperture.

Nikon EM Owner’s manual

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E. Shoot

1. Depress the shutter release button ❸with

steady, even pressure.

2. Advance the film to the next frame by stroking

the film winding lever ❺.

You can move the grooved winding lever with

your right-hand thumb in one sweep or a

series of short strokes.

Self-timer: This provides an approx. 10-sec. exposure delay. Slide the

lever ❿away from the lens as far as it will go, cover the finder eyepiece

32 with the palm of your hand to prevent stray light from entering, then

depress the shutter release button ❸. Note that the timer is designed not

to cock accidentally and requires slight pressure when you start to stroke

it. After use, gently nudge the lever back into place since it always stops

just before the starting position.

Q: When is the exposure compensation button ❾used?

A: To obtain a correct exposure when the main subject is side lit or

backlit. In this case, keep the button depressed as you depress the shutter

release button ❸, the shutter speed needle “drops”by about 2 steps (i.e.,

from 1/250 sec. to approx. 1/60 sec.).

F. Unload the Film

1. When you can no longer stroke the film

winding lever and the frame counter ❶indicates

that the last exposure has been made, press the

film rewind button 44. Don’t force the lever, or

you may tear the film out of the cassette.

2. Turn the film rewind crank 24 in the direction

of the engraved arrow with even pressure until

rewind “tension”gets lighter.

3. Pull up the film rewind knob 25 to open the

camera back, and remove the cassette.

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