Nikon EM question

snegron · Jul 23, 2012

Recently a friend of mine gave me his old Nikon EM with 50mm Series E 1.8 lens. He purchased it new back in either 1979 or 1980, rarely used it and kept it stored in a leather-like camera case all these years.

It looks like near mint condition. The batteries were a tad bit corroded ( I think he changed them within the past 3 or 4 years), but there was no corrosion on any battery contact. I cleaned the battery contacts anyway just to make sure and placed two new batteries in it.

The camera seems to be working fine, but I find the exposure needle jumping about wildly even when I touch the camera. The shutter seems to work well as I tried different shutter speeds by using different aperture settings (seems like an aperture only camera).

I removed the new batteries, re-cleaned the battery contacts but the exposure needle still jumps like crazy when I put the slightest pressure on the aperture. Is this normal? Is there something else I need to adjust on this camera to get the needle to stop jumping like crazy? I tried different lenses but the camera's exposure needle does the same thing.

On another note, my friend also gave me the brochures and advertising pamphlets that came with the camera! They are in perfect condition! It is fantastic to see color pictures of "the Nikon System" circa 1978-79.

Chris Douglas · Jul 23, 2012

Use it

I have read about this problem before. There is a sliding contact that moves with the f stop setting that gets intermittent. This is one of those rare cases where lack of use is bad. Normal use of the camera keeps the contacts clean. I have never had any problem with my EM, and it gets lots of use. I suggest you "dry" shoot some pictures without film, as if you were shooting a few rolls of film. See if the intermittent problem goes away. It is a neat little camera, I hope it works for you.
Best regards,
Chris

snegron · Jul 23, 2012

Thanks Chris! Looks like the exposure needle jumpiness doesn't affect the shutter speed, only needle itself as viewed in the viewfinder. I will do some dry firing to see if it goes away.

CGW · Jul 23, 2012

snegron said:
Thanks Chris! Looks like the exposure needle jumpiness doesn't affect the shutter speed, only needle itself as viewed in the viewfinder. I will do some dry firing to see if it goes away.

If you like it but can't stand the jittery needle, another EM would top out at about $25 and its smarter brother, the FG, a bit more. The 50/1.8E is a sweet little lens.

PhotoJim · Jul 23, 2012

Protip: you can ratchet wind the EM... one of the few Nikons that do this. (Does the FG? The other one that does is the F3/F3HP.)

Chan Tran · Jul 23, 2012

snegron said:
Thanks Chris! Looks like the exposure needle jumpiness doesn't affect the shutter speed, only needle itself as viewed in the viewfinder. I will do some dry firing to see if it goes away.

The shutter speed is what the needle is pointing at. If the needle is pointing at the wrong shutter speed then you have bad exposure too.

snegron · Jul 23, 2012

CGW said:
If you like it but can't stand the jittery needle, another EM would top out at about $25 and its smarter brother, the FG, a bit more. The 50/1.8E is a sweet little lens.

It is a nicely designed camera, but I don't think I would buy another one. While I do shoot many times in aperture priority, I also like to shoot manual as well.

snegron · Jul 23, 2012

Chan Tran said:
The shutter speed is what the needle is pointing at. If the needle is pointing at the wrong shutter speed then you have bad exposure too.

The needle is jumping from one extreme shutter speed to another. It is definitely a jumpy needle problem, not an exposure-related issue. I tried it in different lighting situations and the shutter speed sounded correct (slower in the dark), but it pointed erratically to a higher speed. The camera is metering and exposing correctly, it is simply displaying a jumpy meter.

CGW · Jul 23, 2012

snegron said:
It is a nicely designed camera, but I don't think I would buy another one. While I do shoot many times in aperture priority, I also like to shoot manual as well.

That's why I mentioned the FG: smallest full-featured MF SLR Nikon ever made and the same size as the EM.

Ricardo Miranda · Jul 24, 2012

PhotoJim said:
Protip: you can ratchet wind the EM... one of the few Nikons that do this. (Does the FG? The other one that does is the F3/F3HP.)

The FG should be the same. The manual does refer a single stroke "or a series of shorter ones". The FG-20 is the same.

Newt_on_Swings · Jul 24, 2012

Kinda miss my EM, it walked off with its perfect 50mm e series as well.

michael stevens · Jul 24, 2012

I had an FE-2 which did this when I bought it; maybe you have the same problem. In my case it turned out to be the contact inside the camera which senses the aperture. I assume it was dirty or slightly corroded through disuse. Try repeatedly turning the aperture ring backwards and forwards from wide open to fully stopped down. It took quite a lot of twisting, but in my case it worked in the end.

snegron · Jul 24, 2012

michael stevens said:
I had an FE-2 which did this when I bought it; maybe you have the same problem. In my case it turned out to be the contact inside the camera which senses the aperture. I assume it was dirty or slightly corroded through disuse. Try repeatedly turning the aperture ring backwards and forwards from wide open to fully stopped down. It took quite a lot of twisting, but in my case it worked in the end.

Do you recommend twisting the aperture ring repeatedly with the camera meter turned on, or with the meter off? I don't know if the jumpy needle problem is on the aperture lever on the camera mount or in the actual needle itself.

John_Nikon_F · Jul 24, 2012

Doesn't matter if the camera meter is on or not. The problem is in the ring resistor. It's dirty. So, the 10-15 Nikon shuffles that I suggested over on Nikonians should work. You might have to do it some more, but it should work. It's a common problem with the EM.

-J

snegron · Jul 24, 2012

John_Nikon_F said:
Doesn't matter if the camera meter is on or not. The problem is in the ring resistor. It's dirty. So, the 10-15 Nikon shuffles that I suggested over on Nikonians should work. You might have to do it some more, but it should work. It's a common problem with the EM.

-J

Thanks John! I was just getting ready to respond to you over at Nikonians, but you saved me the trip! I am rotating the aperture ring repeatedly as we speak. Next on my list will be to change the foam seals on it as well. I will probably be ordering several foam light seals in the near future to replace them on some of my other bodies (FM2n, F3 and an old Pentax), so my "new to me" EM will be my next project.

CGW · Jul 24, 2012

snegron said:
Thanks John! I was just getting ready to respond to you over at Nikonians, but you saved me the trip! I am rotating the aperture ring repeatedly as we speak. Next on my list will be to change the foam seals on it as well. I will probably be ordering several foam light seals in the near future to replace them on some of my other bodies (FM2n, F3 and an old Pentax), so my "new to me" EM will be my next project.

It can also simply be shot; if so, all the twiddling won't bring it back to life. It's a hit-or-miss solution, at best. The only seal that's behind most light leaks is at the hinge side of the back and you don't need a "kit" to replace it, just a piece of adhesive-backed foam.

snegron · Jul 24, 2012

CGW said:
It can also simply be shot; if so, all the twiddling won't bring it back to life. It's a hit-or-miss solution, at best. The only seal that's behind most light leaks is at the hinge side of the back and you don't need a "kit" to replace it, just a piece of adhesive-backed foam.

Actually, the twiddling has worked for the most part! The needle is much less jumpy now. Thanks for the feedback on the foam kits. I was planning on replacing the foam on the hinge side of the back as well as the door channel seals as they are gummy. I wasn't too overly concerned changing out the mirror cushion though.

CGW · Jul 24, 2012

snegron said:
Actually, the twiddling has worked for the most part! The needle is much less jumpy now. Thanks for the feedback on the foam kits. I was planning on replacing the foam on the hinge side of the back as well as the door channel seals as they are gummy. I wasn't too overly concerned changing out the mirror cushion though.

Door channel seals are more for moisture and dust, not light. I've taken them out of several Nikon MF bodies and never had any problems.

michael stevens · Jul 25, 2012

Actually, the twiddling has worked for the most part!

Keep at it, it can take quite a lot of twisting and turning to make up for the years of neglect!

snegron · Jul 25, 2012

michael stevens said:
Keep at it, it can take quite a lot of twisting and turning to make up for the years of neglect!

Getting there! Getting there slowly, but getting there! The jumpiness is very minimal now.

kodel · Oct 9, 2012

Twisting the aperture ring? It needs a good cleaning, 15 min job: http://delvauxkoen.blogspot.be/2012/10/nikon-emfgfmfe-lightmeter-repair-to-fix.html

Nikon EM question

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