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Nikon FE2 mirror ping!

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Ixtl

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So, I get this pinging sound from my FE2 when I take a picture. It's kind of annoying. Looking in the mirror box and firing in bulb, I can hear a small "ping" when the mirror goes up, and a louder "ping" when it goes back down. I haven't seen any specific problems with my photos, other than that they are terrible, but that's normal. So, my question is, what causes this? Should I be concerned about the mirror vibrating like this? And can it be fixed? Is it worth it? And then, who can CLA an FE2 for me? I've used Eric Hendrickson for some Pentax stuff, but of course he's just a Pentax guy. I've used a local shop that did a kinda okay job of replacing the foam seals on a QL-17. Like, probably better than I would have done myself, but maybe not that great. Anyway, simple fix? Ignore it? What do you think?
 
Welcome to APUG

It sounds like the mirror cushions/stops may need replacing.
 
I don't really know what you mean by a pinging sound but if your camera does not sound right that means service.. The mirror box linkage could be dry and unless you have repair experience I'd let a tech have a look..
 
Recently had my fe2 serviced by garryscamerarepair.com very reasonable rates and happy to recommend.
 
Prod the mirror box foam with finger...
 
Are you sure the ping sound is not the shutter? The camera doesn't have true mirror lock up, but you can use the self timer for a faux mirror lock up. Might be worthwhile to try this and see if it is actually the mirror that is the source of the noise.

I had a Nikkormat EL that had that ping, and it drove me so crazy that I finally sold the camera. After extensive web sleuthing I finally found a consensus on the issue. Namely, they have shutters that just ping. Other people complained about that. On my camera, the source of the noise appeared to be the camera's lens stop down arm hitting the lens stop down lever inside the mirror box. There was no fixing it, it was just the way it was.

On the one FE2 camera I owned, I do remember that it had a shutter sound that was quite different from my Nikkormat FT2. The FT2 had that very satisfying "snick" of a nice Copal shutter, while the FE2 had more of a clank. I finally got used to the shutter sound of the FE2 until the electronics suddenly gave up the ghost and the camera turned into a paperweight.
 
My FE sounds that way, thought it was normal.


Typos made on a tiny phone...
 
It may very well be normal--my only other film Nikon is an F4, which is obviously quite a different beast, so I don't have much to compare it to. The foam brake that the mirror hits on the way up looks fine. When I use the self-timer, I definitely still hear the pinging when the mirror goes up (i.e., before the shutter does anything). Of course, I'm far from expert at any of this. I appreciate the advice, guys!
 
Is the tray that holds the focusing screen securely latched in place? There is a catch in the front middle that latches it. If that is loose I can see it making a noise when the mirror moves. Once changed a screen on my FA (identical screens & holder arrangement) & didn't latch it securely. It made a noise until the tray with the screen dropped down.
 
Hasselblads and Graflex cameras have a nice sounding Ka-THUNK.
 
Sorry for the bump but I believe I have figured out the exact piece of these cameras that make this tuning fork 'ping' / clang / gong / tuning fork sound or tone.
I just received a Nikon FE from ebay and noticed the pinging sound right away. As Ixtl mentioned, it makes the sound when the mirror goes up and makes it even louder when the mirror goes down. This can be confirmed by using the the self timer so that the mirror up and down are separated.

I googled and found similar complaints about the FE, FM and occasionally the FE2.

Anyway, I did some experimenting by placing light pressure or even just touching various parts of the camera as the shutter fire and it is the small metal aperture control as circled here in red

upload_2020-10-14_20-49-4.png


This is a small steel lever that acts like a tuning fork when it hits its stop on the way down or up.

You can test it a few ways

1 - Just take a finger nail and use it to 'pluck' the end of it, you will hear the tone that you hear when taking a photo
2 - Cock the shutter, set the self timer, then place a finger tip on the lever in such a way that the mirror won't hit your finger tip and then press the shutter release. When the mirror tries to pop up it won't because you have your finger on the lever. Gently let the lever move to where it wants to go and you won't really hear the tone from the mirror popping up. Keep you finger on the lever so that the mirror can't go back down. When the shutter trips you may still hear a slight amount of the tone but far less than normal. Now let the lever go in the direction it wants to gently release it.

The underlined part may indicate that both ends of the lever, the end that connects to the lens as it slaps against its stops and the end deep in the camera near the shutter can produce the tone.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution, yet.
 
Last edited:
This subject pops up quite often with all kinds of theories proposed.
I think the problem is likely similar to the high pitched resonating sound often reported on Nikon F2s and FMs.

There is a thread on photo.net: https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165589 which also refers to a thread on this forum, which unfortunately went totally off topic, but post #163 gives an illustration of how the resonance can be stopped: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...g-when-you-fire-it.147233/page-7#post-1942474
On rangefinderforum, Richard Haw (which is a brilliant amateur Nikon tech) point to a similar cause/solution: https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165589

In short: It is caused by decomposed dampening on the mirror box inside the camera and the camera has to be opened up in order to fix it. Many people live with the sound and it does not affect normal operation of the camera. I own one F2 (1971) and two FE2s (1984/1985) and none of these have the issue. I had a Nikon FE which did develop a ring over time. I recently bought a Nikkormat EL - I tried two samples in a shop, one had the resonating "ring", the other didn't.
 
Nitroplait said:
This subject pops up quite often with all kinds of theories proposed.
I think the problem is likely similar to the high pitched resonating sound often reported on Nikon F2s and FMs.

There is a thread on photo.net: https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165589 which also refers to a thread on this forum, which unfortunately went totally off topic, but post #163 gives an illustration of how the resonance can be stopped: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...g-when-you-fire-it.147233/page-7#post-1942474
On rangefinderforum, Richard Haw (which is a brilliant amateur Nikon tech) point to a similar cause/solution: https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165589

In short: It is caused by decomposed dampening on the mirror box inside the camera and the camera has to be opened up in order to fix it. Many people live with the sound and it does not affect normal operation of the camera. I own one F2 (1971) and two FE2s (1984/1985) and none of these have the issue. I had a Nikon FE which did develop a ring over time. I recently bought a Nikkormat EL - I tried two samples in a shop, one had the resonating "ring", the other didn't.
Click to expand...
Plus one.
The spring cushion has deteriorated and needs replacing.
 
momus said:
Are you sure the ping sound is not the shutter? The camera doesn't have true mirror lock up, but you can use the self timer for a faux mirror lock up. Might be worthwhile to try this and see if it is actually the mirror that is the source of the noise.

I had a Nikkormat EL that had that ping
Click to expand...

Me too. And my FE sounds that way. I hate it. Makes it sound like a cheap camera. The comparable Canon A-series cameras sound smooth compared to them.

trythis said:
My FE sounds that way, thought it was normal.
.
Click to expand...

Me too.

I think its a spring that can be quieted by a foam.
 
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