Who in the heck uses a motor winder/drive on a film camera these days?

[ic-racer]

I spy an FX-3

No winder for that one, but the FX-3 2000 Super had the fake winder appendage (seen in the picture).

 

[Cholentpot]

I have an FX-3 2000. Now I know about the fake appendage.

 

[Dennis S]

Olympus OM camera winders are really helpful to me as the OM bodies were built small and I have a hard time using it without a power winder attached but they were built kind of odd to me as they don't cover the complete bottom of the camera as all the other brands of camera do. Visually they look odd to me but they perform quite well.

 

[Roger Cole]

I certainly do, on my Mamiya 645 Pro. You may have meant 35mm but didn't say that. The winder is really a "winder grip" and the camera handles much better with it.

 

[Roger Cole]

It just seems obvious to me that if you need to shoot fast, and a lot, then digital is the way to go. I like to shoot film when I'm not in a hurry, and it's nice to make use of older cameras that are perfectly capable as they are. Adding a motor drive or winder is like putting lipstick on a pig, when all you're really interested in is the bacon.

Twenty five years ago it was a different story. Film was the way to go for everything, so having a winder or motor drive gave you capabilities that were not achievable in any other way.

I shoot film because I want to shoot film. I don't shoot digital because I want to shoot fast or film when I don't. I shoot film. If I ALSO want to shoot fast, I'd use a winder. But I only have the one for my Mamiya. Wouldn't mind having one for my Pentax LX or MX, come to think of it, but I don't. I actually rarely shoot 35mm anymore anyway so I'm not exactly searching for them.

 

[Paul Howell]

Swiss Alpa also made a mechanical motor drive that works on all the Swiss made Alpas, there was an image on line showing it in use with a reflex zoom to cover a space shuttle launch.

 

[Paul Howell]

Found the image of the Alpa with motor drive.

 

[xkaes]

Where are these rules you speak of?
All I see is questions and preferences.
Don’t cut yourself on the binder twine.

Well said.

If you dig yourself a hole deep enough, you can't get out of it.

But it seems, nowadays, some people get their kicks out of trying to stir-up imaginary pots.

There's no need for us to fall into the same hole.

 

[Helge]

Earliest Rolleiflex winder, the Rolleimot (picture from the internet; I have never seen this in person). This picture omits the automatic cable release that screws into the camera's release button. This is essential for operation of the device.

View attachment 321101

Found the image of the Alpa with motor drive.

View attachment 321117

While I’d never admonish anyone for using the above winders, I have a hard time seeing the use case and market for these.
They must have cost a pretty penny back in the day.

The Rolleimot can’t be much faster than winding yourself, and it’s twelve shots..‽
Even an intervalometer application seems kind of silly given the low frame count.
I know it was made in very low numbers. But who’d even get the idea? And who bought it?

Alpa has always been Leica like in its dedication to mechanics and the feel.
Who’d buy such an expensive SLR, only to strap it into a clunky harness, when it is clearly not designed for it?

Getting a Nikon F with motor drive was always a better option if you really need a motor, larger film back and intervalometer shooting.

 

[Sharktooth]

O.K., I concede. My thoughts on the matter have been rapidly shot down, so my roll here has come to an end.

.... but it still amazes me how you guys are so easily wound up!

 

[Helge]

O.K., I concede. My thoughts on the matter have been rapidly shot down, so my roll here has come to an end.

.... but it still amazes me how you guys are so easily wound up!

No one is wound up. We are calmly answering your question.
The only winding here is our motor drives and a few people trying their best to pretend other people are being wound up.

 

[miha]

When I was a kid I had a desire for a motor winder/drive, unfortunately, the camera I was using back then didn't accept any. I even remember some third-party (Soligor?) winders available in the 90s for cameras like Minolta X-300 and its clones... so yes most of the cameras I'm using today have a winder/drive attached.

 

[faberryman]

I am really surprised at all the people using winders for whatever purpose.

 

[BrianShaw]

I am really surprised at all the people using winders for whatever purpose.

[sarcasm] So have you been "edumucated"1 also, or ar you wound up?2 [/sarcasm] LOL

Footnotes:
1

Who in the heck uses a motor winder/drive on a film camera these days?

I have a motor on my F3. It's not on the camera today but was recently. You can only add or remove it when changing film or you'll fog some frames. F3 motor drive has a little slot for the cover. Very clever.

www.photrio.com

2

Who in the heck uses a motor winder/drive on a film camera these days?

I spy an FX-3 No winder for that one, but the FX-3 2000 Super had the fake winder appendage (seen in the picture).

www.photrio.com

 

[Paul Howell]

While I’d never admonish anyone for using the above winders, I have a hard time seeing the use case and market for these.
They must have cost a pretty penny back in the day.

The Rolleimot can’t be much faster than winding yourself, and it’s twelve shots..‽
Even an intervalometer application seems kind of silly given the low frame count.
I know it was made in very low numbers. But who’d even get the idea? And who bought it?

Alpa has always been Leica like in its dedication to mechanics and the feel.
Who’d buy such an expensive SLR, only to strap it into a clunky harness, when it is clearly not designed for it?

Getting a Nikon F with motor drive was always a better option if you really need a motor, larger film back and intervalometer shooting.

I forget his name but a well know Photographer took popular shots of the Shuttle and other space launches with a 11E, Zoomare (sp?) Reflex Zoom, it was set up inside the no personnel zone. Lacking a modern motor winder I think was one of the reason Alpa went out of business. Current Alpa bought the name rights. I met a Rodeo Photographer here in Arizona who shot with a Hasselblad EL with a 220 back. Hassy users will know the details, I think the EL shot at 2 FPS. He also used a Canon 1 V with high speed grip.

 

[faberryman]

[sarcasm] So have you been "edumucated"1 also, or ar you wound up?2 [/sarcasm] LOL

My suspicion is that the people posting in this thread that they use a winder are a self-selecting minority.

 

[BrianShaw]

My suspicion is that the people posting in this thread that they use a winder are a self-selecting minority.

... and a self-winding minority/majority. Perhaps someone would be so kind as to do a statistical power test to validate the veracity of these poll results.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

My 30-year-old Nikon N6006 film camera has integrated autowinding settings of 1.2fps or 2fps. Don't know how that compares to other Nikons with the 200-shot attachments and continuous action.

Nikon N6006 - Matt's Classic Cameras

Produced 1990 Nippon Kogaku K.K., Japan Film type 135 (35mm) Picture size 24mm x 36mm Weight 23oz (650g) body only, without battery Lens Nikon AF mount Quantaray 28-80mm zoom Filter size 55mm Shutter electronic focal plane (metal) Shutter speeds B, 30s-1/2000 Viewfinder SLR (92% Read More ...

mattsclassiccameras.com

 

[Sharktooth]

I triggered this thread, and I'm sorry.

I put it down to advancing age, and the resultant deterioration of motor skills.

Please forgive me.

 

[Dennis S]

I certainly do, on my Mamiya 645 Pro. You may have meant 35mm but didn't say that. The winder is really a "winder grip" and the camera handles much better with it.

I used one for a while on my Mamiya 645 Super until I looked at the gear that the winder drove and saw how thin the gear really was and immediately went back to the hand crank method

 

[BrianShaw]

I triggered this thread, and I'm sorry.

I put it down to advancing age, and the resultant deterioration of motor skills.

Please forgive me.

Forgiveness not required. It was an interesting question and there were interesting responses. The only problem I noticed was when value judgements were attached to equipment choices.

 

[lxdude]

I triggered this thread, and I'm sorry.

I put it down to advancing age, and the resultant deterioration of motor skills.

Please forgive me.

! I guess it's time to winder up!

 

[Sharktooth]

Forgiveness not required. It was an interesting question and there were interesting responses. The only problem I noticed was when value judgements were attached to equipment choices.

Now I'm really embarrassed. I was only asking forgiveness for the obviously "bad" puns.

 

[BrianShaw]

Now I'm really embarrassed. I was only asking forgiveness for the obviously "bad" puns.

Perhaps it really IS time to winder up!

 

[Cholentpot]

I triggered this thread, and I'm sorry.

I put it down to advancing age, and the resultant deterioration of motor skills.

Please forgive me.

You had good points. Good discussion going on. Now I want more motor-drives.