Electrical of Horseman ER-1 + Grip

[EHM2]

Hello,

I have just purchased this camera and I want to test it upon receipt. I already have several Super ER lenses and one Super ER back, all of whose electrical connections are untested. Does any one have experience using this whole setup? I can't be more precise, but I am curious to know how to troubleshoot if the "OK" light does not light up. Thanks in advance.

 

[Chuck1]

I have a vh, but I've always been curious what the ER-1 does so I'm no help

 

[ic-racer]

What is wrong with the er-1?

 

[EHM2]

I will let you know more when the camera arrives, but for now I was just seeking general operational information, as I am unable to locate any discussion concerning the use of this camera.

 

[EHM2]

This is what I have learned from attempting to operate the electric grip on the Horseman ER-1 camera.
The camera+grip and 4AA batteries was set up with an ER lens on lens board with its built-in solenoid and an
ER-type 6x9 back with the electrical contacts. You must load film in the back to test operation. I loaded
the film but did not fully advance it before turning on the grip.
The green “OK” light must be on to operate the solenoid on the lens panel. Given this, when the switch
is depressed, there is a light buzzing sensation and it attempts to operate the solenoid on the lens board
with a momentary single stroke. If the shutter is not cocked, it does not complete the attempt and the
light stays green. But if the shutter is ready, it depresses and releases the shutter. (N.B. Because the
operation is temporary, it does not work with bulb setting.). Then the light extinguishes and the red
light “WF” goes on. The release button has a lock and accepts an ordinary cable release.

WF, or wind film, is connected to the film back status. You must release the silver lock on the back and
complete film advance before “WF” dims and you then get the green OK again. So, (maybe) don’t load
the film and advance to “1” before mounting the back. To my surprise, you can remove the back, wind
the film off camera, and return the back and still get an OK for the next frame. This means, I think, that
you will be able to use the ground glass back to check focus/composition without problems. With no
more film to waste, I couldn’t check the functionality more thoroughly.

The red “DS” light, or dark slide, only seems to operate when the back is mounted, but is a rather simple
check light for removing the dark slide, dimming off in my hands only when the slide is completely
removed. Like the WF warning, no green okay light for shutter release until it dims.

In sum, this may save you the need for a cable release if using the camera handheld, but the other interlock
functions of the grip did not impress me as that useful and you cannot use the bulb setting on the
shutter (95% of my shots). Of course, this test assumes I had a working model. I did not test with flash.

 

[ags2mikon]

Thank you for your observations. I have looked at these cameras more than once wondering what problems it solves. Now I know. Thank you. Now I feel my GAS pains going away.

 

[ic-racer]

Thank you for posting the functional description.

 

[abruzzi]

I've never used the ER-1 and/or electric grip. I do have a VH and a VH-R. It looks from the description that it was really trying to some kind of interlock protections on a camera that is essentially a scaled down large format camera. I know that later on Sinar built something to deal with interlocks on their large format monorails. To me it seems like, if you need/want interlock protections you're just far better off getting a camera that has all that engineered from scratch. There are few options for 6x9, other than the early Fuji rangefinders (assuming you want interchangable lenses), but there are lots of options for 6x7. Nonetheless, the VH and VH-R are quite nice and fun to use. They are also a lot more compact than shooting roll film on something like a 4x5 Technika. (they're also more compact than a baby Technika because the VH/VH-R uses a more compact roll film holder.)