Nikon MD-12 User manual

CONTENTS           FOREWORD
 Foreword.                              4     Althoughsuppliedas an accessoryfor the Nikon FM
 Loadingthebatteri.;: : : :  : : : :              5     and FE compact cameras,the MD-l2 was, in fact,
 Attachingthe motor drive                  6     a majorfeaturein their designconcept.Consequently,
 Operation                               8      the only significantdifferencebetween operating
    Single-frameshooting                   8     thesecameraswith the motor driveattached,asoppo-
   Continuousshooting                    9     sed to without it, is that their operation is made
 Film rewinding.                                            . . 1 0      considerablyeasier.So, rather than regardingyour
 Manualfilm advance. .                                   . . 1 0    MD-12 Motor Drive Unit as a specialaccessoryfor
 Double/multipleexposures                          . . 1 1     useonly on rare occasions,you shouldconsiderit as
 Simultaneousoperation.                                 . . 1 2     the normal complementto your Nikon compact
 Time lapse.                                                       . . 1 3     camera.For, in fact, the two togetherrepresenta
 Accessories.. . .                                               . . 1 4     majoradvancein camera-handlingtechnique.
   MC-4remotecord .                                      . . 1 4     To obtain the best resultsfrom your MD-l2 Motor
    Pistolgrip model2. . .                                 . . 1 4      Drive, read the instructionsin this manualcarefully
   MT-1 intervalometer.                                 . . 1 5      before use. Keep this booklet handy for quick re-
   ML-1 moduliteremotecontrolset              . . 1 5      ferenceuntil you havefully masteredoperation.A
   MW-l radiocontrolset. . .  . .                     . . 1 6     few minutespreparationwill help you avoid costly
 Troubleshooting                                          . . 1 7     mistakes.
  Batteryperformance                                      . . 1 8
  Specifications.                                              . . 1 8





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LOADING THE BATTERIES
The MD-l 2 is poweredby eight 1.5V penlight(AA   batteries,ensure that the positive(*) and negative(-)
 size)batterieswhich are housedin the unit's battery  terminals of the batteriesare properlypositioned.lf
chamber.To load or replacebatteries,tu rn the coin-   the batteriesare loadedincorrectly,not only will they
sfotted locking screw on the battery chamber lid   be depleted-themotor drive could also be damaged.
counterclockwise.The lid will come looseand the bat-  Whenthe batteriesare correctlypositioned, reglacethe
tery clip, which forms a singleunit with the lid, can be   batteryclip. Pushthe chamberlid down genrlyuntil it
removed.Load the batteries,taking carethat they are  seatscorrectly;then, tightenthe lockingscrewon the
insertedcorrectly. Referringto the d iagramson the      f id with a coin or similarobject until the batteryclip
sidesof the clip that showthe correctway to insertthe    fits securelyinto the batterychamber.





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.i.:t

ATTACHINGTHE MOTOR DRIVE
Mo u n t i n g t h e M D-l 2 o n your camera is simple; the   finger and thumb will speedup attachment.Makesure
u nit has been designed such that  it can be attached   thereis no gap betweenthe motor driveandthe camera
or removed at any time regardlessof whether or not   body;then tightenthe attachmentscrewfirmly.
the camera is loaded with  film. Before attaching the  Whenthe MD-12 is mountedon an FM camera(Serial
MD-12, make sure that its power switch is turned off.   No. below 3,000,000;r', the camera'smode selector
Then, position the motor drive on the cam era's bottom   switcharoundthe shutterreleasebutton shouldbe set                                                   ((M"plate; its handgrip should be at the same end of the    to      (motor)-the red line on the selectorbeing
camera as the film advancelever. Ensure that the raised   alignedwith the line on the camerabody. This is not
ring around the drive shaft is co rrectly seatedinside the   necessarywith FM cameras(SerialNo. over3,000,000;x
locating co llar, coaxial with the camera'sfilm advance   or the FE, becausethe switchoverfrom manualfilm
coupling. Then, fasten the motor drive's attachment  advanceto motor drive operationis madeelectronical-
screw, turning  it clockwise by means of the thu mb     ly and automaticallywhen the motor driveis switched
wheels on either side. Simu ltaneoususe of both fore-   on. Then, turn the motor drive's power switch to





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"ON."  lf the f ilm hasbeenadvancedprior to attaching
the motor drive,the motor drivewill not operateuntil
you make an exposureusingthe triggerbutton on the
handgrip.lf the film hasnot beenadvancedprior to its
attachment,the motor drive will operate when its
poweris turnedon, and advancethe film and cock the
shutter ready for the next exposure.The motor drive
will stop and the pilot lampgo out afteradvancingthe
fifm one frameonly, regardlessof the settingof the S-C
selectoron the handgrip.
*The serial number appearson back of the camerabody just
 below the film advancelever.





N i k o n F M

OPERATION
The cameraIMD-I2 combination operates in virtually   Single-frameshooting: In this mode, depressingthe
the same manner aSthe camera on its own. Pleaserefer   triggerbutton on the motor drivegrip firesthe shutter,
to your camera'sinstruction manual for details. When  advancesthe film one frame and cocksthe shutter.
the M D-l 2  is attached, leave the film advance lever  You can lift your finger from the triggerbutton even
ftush with  the camera body. Then, when the motor   before the exposureis completedsincethe electronic
drive's power Switch is turned ofl, the camera'Smeter   interlock preventsthe film from advancinguntil the
can be activated by  halfway depressing the trigger   shutter has completedits travel.The usable((5   shutter
 button. After releasingyour finger from the button,   speedrangewhen the MD-l 2 is set at     "  is from 1
the meter will remain on for approx. 50 secondsgiving  secondto 1/1000 secondwith the FM. With the FE,
you enough time to set the correct exposure or adjust   in addition to the automatic setting(AUTO), you can
 the controls. Then the meter will turn itself off auto-   set any of the markedspeedsincludingM90. The "B "
 matically to conservebattery power.                    settingcannotbe usedwith eithercamera.
 With the motor drive attached all ex posuresshould be
 made via the trigger button on the motor drive grip.
 Concentric with  th is 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, depressthe lock and turn the
 selector to the required setting.





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Continuousshooting: ln this mode, the motor drive  Although widely varyingbrightnesschangesof EV 4
     will automaticallytrigger the shutter and wind the   or more may sometimesresult in over- or under-
     film for as long as the trigger button is depressed. exposurefor the first frame following the transition,
    Framingrate will dependon the shutterspeedsetting,  this situationis rare in practiceand thus likely to be
    as the motor drive's electronicinterlock with the   of  little consequenceto the averagephotographer.
    camera'sshutter automaticallyadvancesthe film as   lmportant! After shooting, make sure that you.turn the motor
    soon as the exposureis completed.Maximumframing   drive off.
    rate is approximately3.5 framesper second(fps) at    Note: The camera/MD-12 combination is desifned to work
    shutterspeedsfasterthan 1 1125sec.                    smoothly(centigrade)undertemperatures,a wide rangehowever,of climatichaveconditions.a very severeSub-zeroeffect
   Rememberthat continuousshootingat the maximum   on any mechanism. For faultless performance under these
    rate of 3.5 fps will result in a standard36 exposure  conditions,we recommend that, for continuous shooting,you
    cassettebeing completelyexposedin a little lessthan   do not use shutter speedsof less than l/30  sec. The use of
    11 seconds.Consequently,you should exercisere-   slower shutter speedsmay result in erratic operation. lf  it is                                                                imperativeto use shutter speedsof lessthan 1/30 sec.,switch    straintwhen operatingwith the motor setfor continu-   to singleframe shooting.
   ous shooting.Many photographers,however,preferto,
    leavethe cameraset for continuousshooting,lifting
    their finger off the triggerbutton the instantthe ex-
   posureis made.This techniqueresultsin single-frame
    operation,but readiesthe photographerfor taking
   sequencephotographsshould the situationor need
    arise.The usableshutterspeedrangewhen the MD-l2
     is set at "C" is from 1f 2 secondto 111000secondwith
    the FM. With the FE, in additionto the automatic
    setting(AUTO), you can set any of the markedspeeds1 includingM90.The "8" settingcannotbe used.
   The FE's automaticexposurecapabilityallowsyou to
    follow subjectsas they passthroughareasof differing
    brightness,yet still obtain correctlyexposedresults.

FILM REWINDING         MANUAL FILM ADVANCE
When the roll of film in the camerahas been fully      lf at any time you wish to manuallyadvancethe film
exposed,the MD-12'smotor will automaticallystop,  without removingthe MD-l 2 from the camera,turn off
releasingfilm tension,with the pilot lamp remaining  the motor drive's power switch after it has finished
lit. Turn the power switch off to preventunnecessary advancingthe film from the previousexposure.Then,
battery drain. Then, push the rewind slide on the    in the caseof the FM (SerialNo. below 3,000,000),
motor drive up. Rewind the film normally.Seeyour   turn the mode selectorswitch so that the black line
camera'sinstructionmanualfor details.                (white,on black camerabodies)is adjacentto the line
                                            on the camerabody. As for the FM (SerialNo. over
                                               3,000,000)or the FE, it switchesautomaticallyfrom         it
                                             motor drive to manualfilm advanceoperationwhen
                                                    the motor drive is switchedoff.





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DOU BLE/ MULTTPLE EXPOSURES
                                                          ((CYour camerahas a specialdouble/multipleexposure On the     " setting,triggeringthe releasebutton, wh ile
provisionbuilt-in in the form of the multi-exposure holdingthe multi-exposurebutton or leverdepressed,
button or lever.Merelydepressingth is button or lever   will producemultiple imageson the sameframe.Either
allowsyou to superimposeany numberof pictureson   the motion of the subjector your movementof the
the sameframe. Th is provision not on ly contin ues to   camerawill result in the imagesbeingseparated,pro-
fu nction with the motor drive attached,but opensu p   ducing an original and interestingeffe"ct.HoId the
creativepossibilitiesth at arejust not possiblewhenthe   multi-exposurebutton or lever depressedwith your
camerais operatedmanually.                               left hand,while holdingthe cameranormallywith the
When the motor d rive S-C selector is set to "S," the    right. Rememberto releasethe multi-exposurebutton
double/multipleexposuresituationis exactlythe same  o r  lever ju st b efore th e last exposure, so th at th e
as for the cameraalone,exceptthat the triggerbutton  camerais left readyfor the next sequencewith an un-
on the motor drive is used to triggerthe exposure.  exposedframe in the film gate. If not, cap the lens
Rememberto depressand hold the multi-exposure and make one "blank" exposure. The camerais then
button or  lever, with your left hand, before you   readyfor the next shot.
removeyour fingerfrom the triggerbutton.Otherwise,
the film will be advanced.
*





N i k o n F E                                         N i k o n F M

SIMULTANEOUSOPERAilON
Two or more camerasmay be fired simultaneously,set
for either single-frameor continuous operation. You                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       t
will need an MC-4 cord to connect each camera to the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             fI
trigger circuit. Use a trigger circuit similar to the oneshown on the right.                                                                                                                        tr
The total length of each connectingcord (including the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ' t
MC4 cord) from motor drive to switch and back again
must not createa resistanceof more than 5O. ln certain
installations,in which long cords are required,the use
of a relay box is strongly recommended.lf you change
the batteriesin one of the motor drive's battery packs,
you must change the batteries in all the battery packs
to avoid excessivebattery drain.
Note: Whenthe remotecontrolsocketof MD-12is connected
with the remoteterminalMC4, the meterbeginsto work as
soonasvou turn on the powerswitch.





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TIME LAPSE
   Timelapsephotography,the takingof a seriesof photo-  With the S-C selectorset to "C,"  if the triggering
    graphsover a periodof time from a fixed position,is   pulse'sdurationis longerthan the shutterspeedset (ort&    easilyaccomplishedwith your MD-12 equippedcamera  0.25 sec. in the caseof the higher shutter speeds),
   and a suitabletiming device.Timing devicesfor time   burstswill be fired at eachinterval.For example,if thei$    lapsephotography-theNikon MT--lintervalometer,for   shutterspeedis setat 1/1000sec.,and the triggerpulse
    example-usuallyhave two variablecontrols:one for   durationis 2 sec.,then approximatelyT.exposureswill
    pulse durationand the other for intervaltime. Pulse  be madeat eachinterval.
    durationrefersto the lengthof time that the triggering Generallyspeakingyou will find that operationwith
    pulselasts.Intervaltime is the time intervalbetween  the S-C selectorset to "S" and the triggerpulsedura-
    pulsesand governsthe frequencyof the photographs. tion set between0.1 and 0.25 sec.is advisablefor the
    Additionally,the S-C selectoron the MD-12provides  majority of time lapsesituations.The variabletrigger
   you with the option of taking singlephotographsor   pulsedurationfound on someintervalometersis af ea-
    shootingin bursts.                                   ture necessitatedby the designof the oldergeneration
    With the S-C selectorset to "S," one exposurewill be   of motor drives, and is largelyredundantwith the
   madefor each triggeringpulse,the motor windingon   MD-l2. Time lapsephotographyis not possiblewith
    automaticallyat the end of the triggeringpulseor the   the shutterspeeddial set to "B." Shouldyou attempt
    exposure,whicheveris longer.The intervaltime can be   this, the camera'smirror may lock up, with the shut-
    set at any duration,but avoid settingthe triggerpulse  ter remainingopen, makingoperationimpossible.To
    longerthan the intervaltime. Otherwisecontinuousor   restorenormal operationin the eventof this happen-
    erraticoperationwill occur.                             ing, merelyturn the shutterspeeddial away from the
                                                   "B " setting.

ACCESSORIES
MC-4 RemoteCord                                    PistolGrip Model2
Providesyou with an easy and convenientmeansof   The PistolGrip Model 2 screwsinto the tripod socket
connectingremote-controltr iggeringcircuits to the   of the lensor motor drive to serveboth as a rneansof
MD-12.One end of the cord is fitted with the standard  supportand asa meansof motor triggeringwhenwork-
plug for the remote-controlsocket of N ikon motor   ing with long telephotolenses.For electricalconnec-
drives;the other with two "banana" plugsfor connec-  tion betweenthe pistol grip and the rernotecentrol
tion to triggeringcircuitsof your own design.The cable  socketon the motor drive,you will alsoneedan MC-3                                                                                                  u,can be extendedto any length,providedthat circuit  connectingcord.
resistancedoes not exceed 1 kO. For long-distance  Note: When remote control socket of M D-l 2  is connected
                                                                                             the meter beginsto work as                                                                         MC-3,                                                                             terminal                                                                   the                                                              remoteoperation,however,you will find that Modulite or    with                                                             you                                                                                the power                                                                                          switch.                                                                            turn on                                                     soon as
RadioControlsystemsaremoreconvenient.
Note: When the remote control socket of MD-12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-4, the meter beginsto work as
soon as you turn on the power switch.





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MT-1 Interyalometer                          ML-1 ModuliteRemoteControlSet
The Nikon MT-1 is a precisiondigitaltiming unit for   With the ML-1 set,you can triggeryour MD-l 2 equip-
slow sequenceshootingof experimentsor work study  ped cameraby remote control at distancesof up to
programs.Fully solid state,the unit requiresonly four   60 meters.UsingNikon'smodulatedlight system,the
AA sizepenlight batteriesfor operation; th is makesit  M L-l set assuresyou of trouble-freeremote control
convenientfor use on location,as well as in the labora-  operation over moderate distances.Ihe  set's light-
tory. Useof the MT-1 in conjunctionwith your MD{2   weightand compact size,plus its useof a 9V laminated
equipped camera is merely a matter of connecting  dry battery, make it ideal for use in 6pth field and
the two units with the MC-5 cord suppliedwith the   studio applications.Connectionto the motor drive's
intervalometer.Exposureintervalsof up to eight min-   remotecontrol socketis by the MC-8 connectingcord
utescan be seton the MT-1 control panel.             suppliedwith the set.
Note: When the remote control socket of MD-l 2 is connected   Note: When the remote control socket of M D-12 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-5, the meter beginsto work as    with the remote terminal MC-8, the meter beginsto work as
soon as you turn on the power switch.                       soon as you turn on
                                                              the power switch.





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ACCESSORIES- c ont i n ued
MW-l Radio Control Set
The MW-1providesyou with a wireless,remotecontrol
triggeringcapabilityfor your M D-12 equippedN ikon
FM or FE. The set can operateup to three cameras,
either simu ltaneously or individually, at rangesu p to
0.7km. Battery powered,the MW-l is compact and
lightweight,makingit idealfor field use.lt connectsto
the remotecontrolsocketon the MD-l2 via the MC-5
cord suppliedwith the set.
Note: When the remote control socket of MD-l 2 is connected
with the remote terminal MC-5, the meter beginsto work as
soon as you turn on the power switch.





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TROUBLESHOOTING
    Your MD-l2 has been designedto make motor drive   not try to force the controls.Turn the motor drive
    photographyas simple and trouble-freeas possible.  off once more and simply remove the motor driverf
    However,should you operatethe cameraincorrectly  from the camera.This will clearthe tensionin the film
     or without clearlyunderstandingwhat you are doing,  advancemechanism,allowingyou to advanceor finish
    minor"hitches"may occur.lfthis occurs,pleasefollow  advancingthe film and make one exposure,againdo
     the instructionsbelow.                              not advancethe film. Reattachthe motor drive and,
        lf the motor drive"jams" duringoperation,this usually   in the caseof the FM (SerialNo. below 3,000,000),
    meansthat the controls have either been operated  switch to motor drive operation.Whenybu switchthe,f     incorrectlyor in the wrongsequence,and the coupling  motor driveback on, the film shouldthen advanceone
    mechanismhas disengaged.Should this occur, turn   frame readyfor ihe next exposure.
    the MD-12'spower switchoff and makeone exposure  Should you triggerthe motor drive with the shutter
     with the camera'sshutterreleasebutton,remembering, speeddial set to "8" the absenceof an "exposurecom-
     in the caseof the FM (SerialNo. below3,000,000),to   pletesignal"may resultin the camera'smirrorlockingitswitchoverto manualfilm advance.You may find that  up and the shutterremainingopen.To restorenormal
    the motor drive did not finish advancingthe film.  operationin the eventof this happening,merelymove
        lf so, completethe film advanceusing the camera's the shutterspeeddial awayfrom "8."
     film advancelever,then pressthe shutterreleasebut-   At  all times during motor drive operation,the film
     ton. Do not advancethe film. Switch the motor drive  advancelever should remain flush with the back of
    back on and, in the caseof the FM (SerialNo. below  the camera.lf you moveit out to its stand-offposition,
    3,000,000),revertto the motor drivemode.The motor   the motor drive will stop. Returningthe leverto its
     drive shouldadvancethe film ready for the next ex-   flush positionwill automaticallystartthe motor drive
    posure.lf this doesnot clearthe malfunctionor you  oncemore.
    are unableto move the film advanceleverat all. do





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BATTERYPERFORMANCE     SPECIFICATIONS
Battery performancevaries greatly,dependingon its  Camera fitting:      Nikon FM, NikonFE
type and age,as well as on operatingconditions,in-   Shooting speed:     3.5 fps approx. maximum (at
cluding temperature.Consequently,the number of                       shutter speedsfaster than 11125
rolls that can be exposedwith one set of batteriescan-                      sec.)
not be accuratelypredicted.As a guide,however,you   Shooting mode:     Singleframe(S)
can expectto be able to exposemore than a hundred                  Continuous(C)
36-exposurerolls of film per setof alkaline-manganeseUsableshutter                                              '.
batteries.                                          speeds:             At "S" setting
Sincebatterieshavepoor low-temperaturecharacteris-             FM 1 - 1/1000sec.
tics, battery performancediminishesconsiderablyas                FE 8 - 1/1000sec.,Auto, M90
the temperaturedecreases.This resultsin slowershoot-                     At "C" setting
                                                                          1 11000sec.ing speedand reducedfilm transportcapacity.Alkaline-              FM 112-
                                                                  1/1000sec.,Auto, M90manganesebatteries, in particular, suffer severelyat                 FE 8 -
temperaturesbelow0oC.                                Pilot lamp:       LED lightsup whenin operation
                                         Powerswitch:      On/off switchprovided(alsoacts
                                             Meterswitch:       Triggerbutton alsoactsas meter
                                                                     "on"  switch and automatically
                                                           goes "off" approx. 50 seconds
                                                                                 later
                                         Remotecontrol:    Possible;usesstandardNikon 3-
                                                                      pin connector.
                                          Powersource:      Eight 1.5V penlight batteries
                                                            (AA  size, in  integral batterY
                                                          chamber)
                                               Weight:         41Ogapprox.(withoutbatteries)
                                            Dimensions:      Approx. 144 x 36 x 42mm;
                                                               approx.144 x 68.5 x 109.5mm
                                                                     (includingthe grip)
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