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#1
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
Last week in various extreme environments (anywhere from -10 to 70f)
shooting various pics with my FE2 and an MD12. I shot about 3 rolls of slides and one roll of cn. When I developed this film my first roll (provia100f) only had about 12 shots on it. The rest black. Now, I did have to open the camera mid roll in the car (i was deeply immersed in a changing bag) because I wasn't sure if there was film in there...ok so there was.... I finished off that provia roll within the next week. Then the next roll I threw in was another roll of 100f- that *entire* roll was black. next roll was e100gx- totally black. last roll was ultra100cn. This film actually came out; albeit very very thin. They were worthless basically. (but at least I saw *something*). So the question is- what could possibly be wrong with my camera (motor drive?) that would cause such intermittence? Randomly stuck shutter? how would that justify such thin negs on the CN? All film i've shot has been 100iso and automagic mode for exposure time. how about a dying shutter battery? did my lab screw up my film and they were afraid to come straight? am I reaching here? hmm any thoughts anyone? I treat this camera with utmost respect- cleaning, fresh batteries, etc... Thanks! Cheers, -sd http://www.zoom.sh |
#2
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
You might want to consider taking your camera for a full service. It seems
like a shutter problem. Now I don't know how easy it may be to find another shutter if this is non repairable. I have an FA with the MD15 and I realized that when I shoot in Shutter priority mode there is a chance I will get burned the way you did. I had my camera "repaired" but it still does it every once in a while. They did not replace the shutter, they only "cleaned" it. The remedy: Even when you have no film in there, I shoot a rip of some 30 shots with the motor drive every couple of weeks if there is no opportunity to shoot something good. It helps the shutter from getting stuck. Oh if I have film in there, I put on the lens cap, turn it to manual mode at 1/4000 and the lens at f:1/32 and I keep the double exposure lever on. Nothing happens to the film. It gets exposed to a dark situation, but since I've been doing that I realized that I have way less frames lost (none lost for a while actually). It has to do with the magnets of the shutter getting worn out due to non functioning. That reminds me, I need to do that! Best of luck "Some Dude" wrote in message ... Last week in various extreme environments (anywhere from -10 to 70f) shooting various pics with my FE2 and an MD12. I shot about 3 rolls of slides and one roll of cn. When I developed this film my first roll (provia100f) only had about 12 shots on it. The rest black. Now, I did have to open the camera mid roll in the car (i was deeply immersed in a changing bag) because I wasn't sure if there was film in there...ok so there was.... I finished off that provia roll within the next week. Then the next roll I threw in was another roll of 100f- that *entire* roll was black. next roll was e100gx- totally black. last roll was ultra100cn. This film actually came out; albeit very very thin. They were worthless basically. (but at least I saw *something*). So the question is- what could possibly be wrong with my camera (motor drive?) that would cause such intermittence? Randomly stuck shutter? how would that justify such thin negs on the CN? All film i've shot has been 100iso and automagic mode for exposure time. how about a dying shutter battery? did my lab screw up my film and they were afraid to come straight? am I reaching here? hmm any thoughts anyone? I treat this camera with utmost respect- cleaning, fresh batteries, etc... Thanks! Cheers, -sd http://www.zoom.sh |
#3
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
Open the back of your camera and (w/ the MD 12 removed) watch through the
shutter as you go through each exposure speed. You should see the difference as you go up the dial. If you start at the bottom and count seconds you will be able to judge the intervals at the higher speeds more easily. If your shutter operates correctly, then add the MD-12 and repeat. However, the only thing the MD12 can really screw up is the advance. It has no control over the shutter other than to release it. So, since your camera advances and fires, I suspect you will find the problem to be in your camera. Don't know about FE2s, I have the old FMs and an F4. But it would seem if it were your battery, the camera would either fire or not. Of course, you could spring for a new battery to check this. If you haven't, check the shutter speeds first with he old battery and then use a new one. If you notice a difference, try film. The beauty of the FM is that there is no electronic control module to factor in; it would *have* to be the shutter assembly. You may get lucky and find the shutter just needs to be flushed; or, the shutter may have been damaged by a hard knock or by a finger poke (it does sound like the shutter hangs and decreases exposure). OTOH, it could be the control module. In any event, I would send it direct to Nikon for the repair. You may well be surprised at the cost of having the camera fixed by them and they try to have cameras back in 7 days. Either that or buy the Tomosey book on Nikon camera service. The FE2 is a fairly simple camera and getting to the shutter is not all that hard. However, what are you going to do if the shutter assembly or control module is bad? That is why I suggest sending it to Nikon. -- Regards, Dewey Clark http://www.historictimekeepers.com Ebay Sales: http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...ems&userid=dsc Restorations, Parts for Hamilton M21s, Products for Craftsmen Makers of Historic Timekeepers Ultrasonic Clock Cleaning Solution "Some Dude" wrote in message ... Last week in various extreme environments (anywhere from -10 to 70f) shooting various pics with my FE2 and an MD12. I shot about 3 rolls of slides and one roll of cn. When I developed this film my first roll (provia100f) only had about 12 shots on it. The rest black. Now, I did have to open the camera mid roll in the car (i was deeply immersed in a changing bag) because I wasn't sure if there was film in there...ok so there was.... I finished off that provia roll within the next week. Then the next roll I threw in was another roll of 100f- that *entire* roll was black. next roll was e100gx- totally black. last roll was ultra100cn. This film actually came out; albeit very very thin. They were worthless basically. (but at least I saw *something*). So the question is- what could possibly be wrong with my camera (motor drive?) that would cause such intermittence? Randomly stuck shutter? how would that justify such thin negs on the CN? All film i've shot has been 100iso and automagic mode for exposure time. how about a dying shutter battery? did my lab screw up my film and they were afraid to come straight? am I reaching here? hmm any thoughts anyone? I treat this camera with utmost respect- cleaning, fresh batteries, etc... Thanks! Cheers, -sd http://www.zoom.sh |
#4
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
Sounds like a shutter or metering problem. I did have to open the camera mid roll in the car If the slide film was fogged it would have gone lighter not darker. All film i've shot has been 100iso and automagic mode for exposure time. Does the suggested shutter/apeture combination make sense? If the metering appears correct, I would say it's the shutter. did my lab screw up my film and they were afraid to come straight? Not likely. They would have to have two process'. E-6 and C-41 with severe underdevelopment at the same time. It seems you have severe underexposure. You do have one mechanical shutter speed on the FE-2. It is 1/90 of a second. Compare this shutter speed by sound or looking at the shutter with the electronic shutter speed of 1/90.(Or it's closest match) ultra100cn. This film actually came out; albeit very very thin. Negative film is going to have a much wider exposure latitude than any transparency film. This is why you saw an image. After close inspection of your *totally black* transparency film, you may see some type of image. Although very very dark. The FE-2 is wonderful camera, I've had one for years. Good luck! |
#6
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 15:25:18 GMT, Some Dude did
profoundly expound thusly: Last week in various extreme environments (anywhere from -10 to 70f) shooting various pics with my FE2 and an MD12. You mention the temperature variance while you were shooting, what was the temperature for the rolls that came out unexposed? Batteries will not last as long, nor work as well in extreme cold conditions (and -10f qualifies for that). I own the same combination FE2 & MD12 (and I experienced similar problems with a NikonEM). The FE2 manual mentions that in very cold weather, your on-board battery will not provide enough energy to power the auto-exposure. There is an external battery pack, uses AA batteries, connects to the camera via a cable and the pack itself then lives in a pocket next to you and under your jacket. The cable screws in to the on-board battery cover threads, and replaces the on-board battery. The batteries stay warm, the camera continues to funtion. There is a down side to the external battery pack; you can't use your MD12. If some of the film under/un-exposed was shot in warmer temperatures BUT after the session in the cold, it's still possible your on-board battery hadn't recovered from the cold. That being said, if the questions about when in sequence your not properly exposed film was shot in don't hold, then it could be an electronics problem. Have the problems recurred with a brand-new battery in place? If not, then it's probably a safe assumption that the battery didn't cope well with the cold. Mad Shutter-bug is located generally in North Central Florida with camera in hand |
#7
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My trusty FE2 with MD12 is doing mean things to me! (head scratcher)
"Mad Shutter-bug" Some Dude [Blank frames when taking pics] in various extreme environments (anywhere from -10 to 70f)... with my FE2 and an MD12. very cold ... battery will not provide enough energy ... 70f is an 'extreme environment'? Or do you mean -10 to -70F? Cold weather makes lubricants get thick and sticky. It is common for mechanical cameras to stop working in cold weather - especially those cloth focal plane shutters. 'Electronic' shutters are just the same as mechanical shutters, though they use solenoids rather than pins in the release mechanism. Same grease, same oil, same cold weather failure. Motor drives are also heavily lubricated with grease. I haven't used mine in the mountains in winter, but I am sure they would bog down. I had problems with Pentax and Leica cameras until I had them cold weather lubed - an expensive proposition, BTW. In WWII Leica produced a special 'kuggel' shutter with ball bearings in the shutter mechanism and designed to work in cold weather. -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/ |
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