Nikon F5: Known vulnerabilities and problems?

[Chan Tran]

Someone has made Photo Secretary available for download here:

Nikon AC-2WE Photo Secretary II (for Windows)

Nikon AC-2WE Photo Secretary II (for Windows) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

This is a zip file containing the Nikon AC-2WE Photo Secretary II (for Windows) software. This software will run on Windows 10 (64-bit) with no compatibility...

archive.org

That is version II for the F100 and not the F5. I think it would work to retrieve shooting data from the F5 but you can not do custom settings with it. I do have the version 1 for the F5 and I can send it to whomever interested. However I know Ben wanted the Mac version which I don't have.

 

[George Mann]

That is version II for the F100 and not the F5. I think it would work to retrieve shooting data from the F5 but you can not do custom settings with it. I do have the version 1 for the F5 and I can send it to whomever interested. However I know Ben wanted the Mac version which I don't have.

I need the version that works with the F90x. Which version?

 

[Chan Tran]

I need the version that works with the F90x. Which version?

The AC-2WE Photo Secretary for Nikon F100 does work for retrieving shooting data from the F100, F5 and F90X but only works for setting custom functions of the F100. There is a version for the F90X that run on the Sharp Wizard called the Nikon AC-2E data link system.

 

[George Mann]

The AC-2WE Photo Secretary for Nikon F100 does work for retrieving shooting data from the F100, F5 and F90X but only works for setting custom functions of the F100. There is a version for the F90X that run on the Sharp Wizard called the Nikon AC-2E data link system.

What's a Sharp Wizard, and where can I get this AC-2E software?

 

[Chan Tran]

What's a Sharp Wizard, and where can I get this AC-2E software?

Check out this link

data link system for F90X

Hi, in the 1993´s nikon presented a data link which enabled to connect the F90 with a Sharp Wizard (8000) electronic organizer. Do you know if it would be possible to connect nowadays the F90 to a "normal" PC? the good thing about that is that it gave you access to 12 different shooting data...

www.photrio.com

The Sharp Wizard 8000 was an eletronic organizer. The datalink software is a card that plugged into this Sharp Wizard.

 

[George Mann]

I downloaded the latest SoftTALK (2006) from one of the links. It may or may not install and run on Windows 7 and up, and perhaps on WINE for those like me who use Linux.

But which data cable will work best with my camera?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

It is new to me that fuses are subject to an aging process under normal circumstances, i.e. no exposure to moisture, heat, battery electrolyte, etc.

In this case, it is an encapsulated SMD version that should be protected.

Can someone explain this?

Since early F5 models had problems with excessive power consumption (one set of batteries was not enough for a 36-exposure film, source: web), this would explain the defective fuse. Too much current simply flowed and the fuse tripped.

According to the web, this problem has been fixed by Nikon, meaning it should no longer occur in later F5 models.

 

[Chan Tran]

I downloaded the latest SoftTALK (2006) from one of the links. It may or may not install and run on Windows 7 and up, and perhaps on WINE for those like me who use Linux.

But which data cable will work best with my camera?

For which camera?

 

[Chan Tran]

From what I remember, the Nikon 10 pin adapter is their own proprietary serial implementation and dates back maybe to the N90? They actually pretty freely shared it with Kodak to build the DCS 200 and 400 series digital backs, which use that port to sync the digital functions of the back with the camera body. The DCS 600 and 700 series are based on the F5 body and I think use the protocol internally(leaving the port on the front free). I've been inside my DCS 760, though, and it very much looks like a "Digital back for an F5" just without the obvious place to detach it. The DCS 14/n and SLR/n have this same sort of feel also, although use a lower end body.

The original MC-34 and MC-35 cables for use with Photosecretary used the then common peripheral ports-DB9 RS-232 for the PC version and Mini-Din-9 RS-432 for Mac. BTW, I have the Mac version of the cable(along with the Meta-35 set-up) but have never found a copy of the Mac version of the software. If anyone has a lead on any version of it, please let me know!

Unfortunately too, for those of us who use Macs, we've been left behind by Meta-35 also on our current computers since AFAIK they never updated to 64 bit. The only version I have runs on I think OS X 10.9(Mavericks) or so to macOS 10.14(Mojave). I wrote to them at one point and asked for an older version of the software that would run on 10.6.8, since that's what my scanning workstation runs(compatibility with NikonScan...) but I don't think the version they sent me worked...

Can't you run Windows in an emulator in the Mac?

 

[Ben Hutcherson]

Can't you run Windows in an emulator in the Mac?

The only Macs that have serial ports are PowerPC based(or Motorola 68000). You can run Windows in VirtualPC but it's fairly slow and peripheral pass-through doesn't work overly well the last time I tried it.

It might be worth a try some day if I have the time, especially on something like my PowerMacintosh 9600 with dual CPUs and 1.5gb RAM, although the G3 Minitower with a 1ghz G4 I have in my office is faster even though it has half the RAM.

I really have never played with the dongle so I don't know if it idenfies itself as MC-34 or MC-35, and if Photosecretary will refuse to work with the "wrong" one

 

[Horatio]

Ah, the joys of obsolete technology.

 

[Chan Tran]

The only Macs that have serial ports are PowerPC based(or Motorola 68000). You can run Windows in VirtualPC but it's fairly slow and peripheral pass-through doesn't work overly well the last time I tried it.

It might be worth a try some day if I have the time, especially on something like my PowerMacintosh 9600 with dual CPUs and 1.5gb RAM, although the G3 Minitower with a 1ghz G4 I have in my office is faster even though it has half the RAM.

I really have never played with the dongle so I don't know if it idenfies itself as MC-34 or MC-35, and if Photosecretary will refuse to work with the "wrong" one

Can you run Windows in emulation in a new Mac? You can run something like Windows 10 or 11 using Parallel Desktop or something? Can you use a USB to serial adapter?

 

[George Mann]

For which camera?

My F90x.

 

[Ben Hutcherson]

Can you run Windows in emulation in a new Mac? You can run something like Windows 10 or 11 using Parallel Desktop or something? Can you use a USB to serial adapter?

I guess it could be tried, but I don't remember ever seeing a USB-RS422 adapter. There's still the question of if the Windows software will even work with the Mac cable and I don't know if it will. I do have a Windows 10 VM on my desktop iMac, and actually run a couple HPIB devices(multimeter and screen capture for a scope) in it using an NI GPIB cable.

I suspect if it were going to work, running Virtual PC on an old Mac where I actually have real, physical serial ports I think would have a better chance of success...or just finding a copy of the elusive AC-2ME software.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Ah, the joys of obsolete technology.

The entire repair forum revolves exclusively around this topic

 

[Chan Tran]

I guess it could be tried, but I don't remember ever seeing a USB-RS422 adapter. There's still the question of if the Windows software will even work with the Mac cable and I don't know if it will. I do have a Windows 10 VM on my desktop iMac, and actually run a couple HPIB devices(multimeter and screen capture for a scope) in it using an NI GPIB cable.

I suspect if it were going to work, running Virtual PC on an old Mac where I actually have real, physical serial ports I think would have a better chance of success...or just finding a copy of the elusive AC-2ME software.

I guess because you have the MC-34 cable. If you have the MC-33 cable then if the guess OS can access the host USB port then you can use a USB to RS-232 adapter. I can run the Photo Secretary for F5 on a Windows 11 system. Only one function doesn't work which is the picture finder which you use to match a scanned image to the shooting data.

 

[kori]

I guess because you have the MC-34 cable. If you have the MC-33 cable then if the guess OS can access the host USB port then you can use a USB to RS-232 adapter. I can run the Photo Secretary for F5 on a Windows 11 system. Only one function doesn't work which is the picture finder which you use to match a scanned image to the shooting data.

Hello Chan Tran,
Are you able to upload Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE to this thread?
I am trying to get "Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE". I never find it.

Please archive and attach this thread .

Thank you!

 

[Chan Tran]

Hello Chan Tran,
Are you able to upload Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE to this thread?
I am trying to get "Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE". I never find it.

Please archive and attach this thread .

Thank you!

I don't think I can. Even Google mail doesn't like it because it has *.exe files.

 

[forest bagger]

Even Google mail doesn't like it because it has *.exe files.

How about renaming the *.exe files to *.xex files?

 

[Chan Tran]

I will try and see.

 

[kori]

I will try and see.

Hi Chan Tran,
I successfully installed Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE to old windows XP laptop with your 2 files.
I will try to install to Windows 11.

Thank you so much.!

 

[Chan Tran]

Hi Chan Tran,
I successfully installed Nikon Photo Secretary for F5 AC-1WE to old windows XP laptop with your 2 files.
I will try to install to Windows 11.

Thank you so much.!

With Windows 11 the setup program won't run. You will have to copy the installed folder from your XP machine and put it on Windows 11 machine then it will work.

 

[kori]

With Windows 11 the setup program won't run. You will have to copy the installed folder from your XP machine and put it on Windows 11 machine then it will work.

Thanks for your advice.
I will try with that.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

How about renaming the *.exe files to *.xex files?

Hacker tricks