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Nikon FG exposure

Tony-S

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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
1,170
Location
Colorado, USA
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Trying out this camera withe 50mm f/1.8 series E. Two LEDs illuminate and blink at 125 and 60 when I half press the shutter button, but no matter what I do I can’t get any change of positions of these LEDs when I adjust the shutter speed or aperture, or set the camera to A or P. The LEDs stay at 60 and 125. I don’t know anything about Nikon cameras and I read the manual but I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Any suggestions?
 
Did you set the lens aperture to its smallest setting? For example, f22. The FG will choose the aperture and shutter speed when in P mode, and the shutter speed when in A mode. But the lens aperture must be set on the smallest f stop for the P mode. When the LEDs show 60 and 125, the camera has chosen a shutter speed somewhere in between those two speeds in relation to the chosen aperture.
 
Wherever I set the aperture, the LEDs stay on 60 and 125 and blink like it's doing a battery check. Even in manual, adjusting the shutter speed or aperture makes no difference - the LEDs continue to blink on 60 and 125.
 
Advance the film (or even without film) a few frame to get the frame count to 1 or above. Before frame 1 the 60 and 120 LED will blink and the meter doesn't work. In this condition the shutter will fire at the flash sync speed which is 1/90 (that's why the 60 and 120 led blink because the shutter speed chosen is between these 2)
 

The exposure meter in this camera is functional and engaged only when you load a roll and advance the counter to '1'.
 
Great! I knew I'd had this same problem with mine early on. I just couldn't recall the solution. Thanks, Chan Tran and albireo!
 
It's a bit astounding that that feature is only really described in a small-print note in the manual. I supposte they think that a Nikon user is knowledgable about Nikon "common design".
 
BrianShaw said:
It's a bit astounding that that feature is only really described in a small-print note in the manual. I supposte they think that a Nikon user is knowledgable about Nikon "common design".
Click to expand...
I hate that feature on my F3. I want to test the shutter speed and I have to open the back and with the back open the counter never gets to frame 1.
 
Chan Tran said:
I hate that feature on my F3. I want to test the shutter speed and I have to open the back and with the back open the counter never gets to frame 1.
Click to expand...

I've been using an F3 since 1981 or 1982 and never thought about that. LOL Can't you test the manual speeds with the back open? I'd try that myself but my camera has film in it at the moment.
 
BrianShaw said:
I've been using an F3 since 1981 or 1982 and never thought about that. LOL Can't you test the manual speeds with the back open? I'd try that myself but my camera has film in it at the moment.
Click to expand...

Well I can but I have to put in a piece of a toothpick to jam the switch that indicate the back is close so I can get the counter to get past frame 1.
 
Another potentially unwelcome side effect of this mechanism is that if you want to rely on the on board meter, you will only ever get it to work on exactly 36 frames from a 36 frame roll.

e.g. my Olympus OM2N is up and running, meter and all, as soon as you clip the film in and close the back, and I've been getting 38-39 'metered' images out of a roll in many cases (e.g. Foma spools a little more film in their Fomapan 200 than needed for 36 images).

Of course you could set your FG on 'M90' and shoot away+guesstimate exposure until you hit frame '1' .
 

Sometimes I get 1 extra frame but I never attempt to take picture before frame 1. On the F3 and in manual mode shutter speed below the flash sync speed does work.
 
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