Help! Advice on fixing my Nikon FG-20?

Hello!
I just wanted to ask everyone their advice on whether I should send my camera in for repair, or whether there is a quick fix I can do myself.

I have an old Nikon FG-20 and am experiencing a problem with the meter needle in the viewfinder. When I press the shutter release halfway the needle jumps to the top of the meter and sticks there, whereas it should usually move up and down as the exposure alters. This only started happening when I advanced a roll of film and pressed the shutter release while the lens cover was still on, at which point it stuck for a moment. Taking the cover off and looking into the viewfinder, I saw that the needle was no longer working properly.

This has happened to me once before. I took it to the Nikon shop in Bangkok, where it was taken aside for just five minutes and fixed for free. So I imagine there must be a simple repair, and if so it would be great to get some advice on how to do this myself! Does anyone have any ideas?

x

Hi,

welcom to APUG . When you witch shutter to M90 - what happens with the needle?

regards,

Ignore, meter it yourself.
Thats what I have done for years now.

Sent from Tap-a-talk

Did you past exposure 1 on the counter? The needle will stuck on top until the back is closed and the counter reaches 1. It is to ease film loading. The meter doesn't work until 1 is reached.
Do you have the manual? If not, you can find the manual here: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/index.html

My own FG-20 off Ebay came with a wonky meter needle. The "A" mode doesn't seem to work right, but it meters perfectly well in full manual mode. When I put it in "A" the needle jumps all over the place. It could be that one of your modes works when the other does not. And indeed, the M90 mode should continue to work regardless.

When I put it in "A" the needle jumps all over the place.

Click to expand...

This might help you: http://delvauxkoen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/nikon-emfgfmfe-lightmeter-repair-to-fix.html

Welcome to APUG.

If the needle always gets stuck at the top, the meter might be ok. The needle could be sticking to old foam.