Nikkormat Frustration #2

[George Mann]

The darn timer on this thing is too easy to accidentally engage, with no way to disengage it without tripping the shutter!

 

[blockend]

I have 5 Nikkormats - used to have more but gave them to young folks - and have never accidentally engaged the self timer. I suspect you might be holding the timer as a proxy grip. The worst that could happen is your next shot takes a couple of seconds to fire.

 

[George Mann]

I have 5 Nikkormats - used to have more but gave them to young folks - and have never accidentally engaged the self timer. I suspect you might be holding the timer as a proxy grip. The worst that could happen is your next shot takes a couple of seconds to fire.

What happens is my pinky accidentally engages it while I am bracing to take the shot. The action for it is so light that it often goes unnoticed.

The downside to the delay is the possibility of introducing camera shake.

 

[Chan Tran]

Perhaps if you try to grip the camera with your right hand. If you hold the camera with your left hand and don't grip the camera with your right hand it would not happen. I guess because someone is used to modern camera where you really grip the camera with the right hand.

 

[George Mann]

Perhaps if you try to grip the camera with your right hand. If you hold the camera with your left hand and don't grip the camera with your right hand it would not happen. I guess because someone is used to modern camera where you really grip the camera with the right hand.

I grip the camera with my left hand, while steadying it with my right.

I had the same problem when this model was new in 1975.

 

[madNbad]

Spend twenty-five bucks and get one of these from Cameradactyl:

Butter Grip for Nikkortmat FT

 

[George Mann]

Spend twenty-five bucks and get one of these from Cameradactyl: View attachment 258645


Butter Grip for Nikkortmat FT

I have had my eye on it.

 

[choiliefan]

Wedging a small piece of cork under the lever should do the trick.

 

[BrianShaw]

Remove the lever? Seems to me, though... you should have replaced that camera for something more suitable a long, long time ago. Why suffer with a very minor problem like that?

 

[George Mann]

Remove the lever? Seems to me, though... you should have replaced that camera for something more suitable a long, long time ago. Why suffer with a very minor problem like that?

Well. It happened infrequently enough to be my main camera for 10 years. I grew up with it.

I seem to be tripping it more often lately. But it's not a camera that I specifically need to use.

 

[George Mann]

I have been think about either restoring or retiring this life long friend of mine, which has been relegated to shooting b&w film for the last 10 years.

It's meter has been dropping out on me lately. The lock for its ASA selector has failed. It's mirror lockup is frozen in its disengaged position, and it has the usual amount of mold on its pentaprism.

 

[BrianShaw]

A few years ago I retired two very nice “old friend” cameras. In some ways it hurts to do so. But I didn’t need the minor frustrations when I had other options that were stress-free. I don’t know about you, but I have enough stress about real problems to have a camera contribute even a speck more.

 

[Cholentpot]

Just rip the timer out or glue it into place. Better yet, use the Nikkormat as it's intended use as a hammer and forget about the the side use as a camera.

Personally I use my nikkormat as a PDW when walking through bad neighborhoods. Put on the 50 1.4 and a sturdy long strap and I'm safe. Alternatively it sits in my glove-box in case I somehow end up under water. It functions as a great glass breaker, the self time is great here. It allows me to calculate how much time I have to wait for the water to fill up and even the pressure so I can avoid smashing the glass and just open the door.

 

[BrianShaw]

PDW?

Personal Defence??

 

[Cholentpot]

PDW?

Personal Defence??

Personal Defense Weapon. Yeppers.

I upgraded from the Mamiya 'Bludgeon' M645. While it is a superior weapon to the Nikkormat it is not applicable to all scenarios.

 

[logan2z]

Better yet, use the Nikkormat as it's intended use as a hammer and forget about the the side use as a camera.

Funny you should say that, I just got one a few weeks ago and my first impression is, it's a brick! One solid feeling camera.

 

[Cholentpot]

Funny you should say that, I just got one a few weeks ago and my first impression is, it's a brick! One solid feeling camera.

They duct taped one to the bottom of a fighter jet to get photos of other jets, so the story goes.

Then the camera fell off and wiped out a small VC village. Nikkormats were banned from being used in war from then on. It was mutual as the other side started pounding us with Zenits.