nikon motor drive md-4 - mir · motor drive is set to l (lock) before attaching the camera....

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Nikon Motor Drive

MD-4INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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NOMENCLATURE

(1) Battery check button

(2) Counter setting dial

(3) Frame counter setting index

(4) Frame counter

(5) Rewind slide (R2)

(7) Electrical contacts

(6) Motor drive coupling prong

LED indicators (9)

Auto rewind-stop terminals (10)

Rewind slide 1 lock button (11)

Rewind slide 1 (R1) (12)Battery chamber with

Battery clip

Trigger button (14)

S-C mode selector (15)

Motor drivecoupling cover

storagecompartment

Camera positioning pin (17)(8) Rewind button pin

(16)

(13)

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Tripod socket (26)

Batteryclip release

catch

Automatic film rewind fork (22)

Mounting screw (20)

Attachment wheel (21)

Remote terminal (24)

External powerterminal

(18) Anatomical grip

(19) Maganize back terminal

(23)

(25)

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NOMENCLATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4BASIC OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9CONTROLS IN DETAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16

Anatomical Grip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10S-C Mode Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11(including Mulliple exposures)Trigger Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Frame Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13Rewind Slides 1 (R1) and 2 (R2) . . . . . . . . . 14Battery Chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Battery Check Button and LED Indicators . . . . . 16ElectricalTerminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16(Magazine back terminal/External powerterminal/Remote terminal)

ACCESSORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 - 21PowerAccessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17(MN-2 NiCd Battery Unit and MH-2 Quick Charger/MA-4 AC/DC Converter and MC-ll ExternalPower Cord)ConvenientAccessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18(MF-6 Camera Back/Pistol Grip Model 2 and MC-3Connecting Cord/AH-2 Tripod Adapter)Remote Control Accessories . . . . . . . . . . 19-20(MC- 12 Remote Cord with Button Release/MW-1 Radio Control Set and MC-S Connecting Cord/ML-1 Modulite Remote Control Set andMC-8 Connecting Cord/ MR-2 Terminal Release)Simultaneous and Time Lag Shooting Accessories . . 21(MC-4 Remote Cord/MT-1 Intervalometer and MC-SConnecting Cord/ Time-lapse exposures )

SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22OPTIMUM BATTERY PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Congratulations. You now own the MD4 MotorDrive, an accessory designed to advancethe film automatically through the Ni*onF3 camera. The MD-4 offers either "Single"or "Continuous" operation. At "S," thefilm advances to the next frame as soonas the picture is taken. At "C, "it willbe advanced at 4 frames per second withpenlight batteries or at 6 fps when us-ing the optional MN-2 NiCd Battery Unit.In addition, the MD-4 offers automaticfilm rewind. Even though the MD4 is ex-tremely easy to use, you should stillfamiliarize yourself with its basic op-eration as presented in the first sec-tion. For more detailed explanations andspecial picturetaking situations, referto the sections CONTROLS IN DETAIL andACCESSORIES. A few minutes wisely in-vested now will pay off in years of re-warding photographic experiences.

CONTENTS FOREWORD

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1.Unscrew the camera's motordrive coupling cover.

First make sure the camera'spower switch is turned off. Thenturn the camera upside down anduse a coin to unscrew thecover.Remove the motor drive'sbattery clipG). Slide the re-lease catch ~to the right andthe battery clip will pop out.

2.Remove the motor drive's bat-tery clip(13).

Slide the release catch (25)tothe right and the battery clipwill pop out.

3.Store the cover in thecompartment (16) provided.

To prevent the cover from beingmisplaced, slip it into the stor-age compartment on the end of thebattery clip. To remove the motordrive coupling cover, push thesmall catch to the outside as youturn the battery clip upside down.The cover will then fall out.

BASIC OPERATION

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BASIC OPERATION continued

4.Load the batteries.

Install 8 AA-type penlight bat-teries into the clip followingthe " + " and "-" indications.

5.Install the battery clip.

Put the clip back in the bat-tery chamber (13). Push it un-til it snaps into place.

6.Check the battery power.

Push the battery check button (1)If both LED's (9) light up, thebatteries have been loaded prop-erly and their power is suffi-cient. If one LED glows, the bat-teries should be replaced with afresh set. If none go on, thisindicates that the batteries havenot been loaded correctly or arecompletely dead.

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7.Attach the motor drive to the camera body.

Make sure the S-C mode selector (15) of themotor drive is set to L (Lock) before attachingthe camera. Otherwise the motor might startoperating. Place the camera body on top of themotor drive so that the motor drive's mountingscrew (20) lines up with the camera's tripodsocket and the camera positioning pin (17) isaligned with the motor drive coupling hole.Then turn the attachment wheel (21) counter-clockwise until the two units are screwed tightlytogether.

8.Load the camera with film.

Load film into the camera in the normal way.Note: Do not detach the motor drive from thecamera while it's still loaded with film. Unlessyou are in o darkroom. the film might becomeexposed to liqht entering through the bottom ofthe camera.

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9.Set the frame counter (4) tothe orange dot.

Turn the counter setting dial(2) until the frame counterreaches the orange dot.

10.Set the S-C mode selector(15).

Lift up and set the S-C modeselector for either S (SINGLE)or C (CONTINUOUS) operation.

11.Take the picture(s).

Depress the trigger button (14)halfway to switch on the meter.If you're satisfied with thereading, push the button allthe way down to take the shot(s).

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12.Rewind the film automati-cally.

When the film reaches the endof the roll, it will automati-cally stop and one LED will lightup. Depress the lock button (11)on rewind slide I (R1) (12) andpush the slide to the left. Then,while holding it, push rewindslide 2 (R2) (5) up. Immedi-ately the film starts rewind-ing. When the sound becomes morehigh-pitched, push rewind slide2 back down to stop film re-winding.

13.Remove the film cartridge.

Unload the camera in the normalmanner.

14.Turn the S-C mode selectorto the L-setting.

To prevent the shutter frombeing accidentally tripped be-tween shooting sessions, turnthe S-C mode selector to the L(LOCK) position.

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Anatomical Grip (18)

The MD-4 features a new anatomical grip to permitthe photographer to shoot either horizontal orvertical pictures comfortably. For horizontalshooting, hold the grip so that your thumb isbehind the camera and your forefinger is on thetrigger button. In this way, you can change quicklyfrom horizontal to vertical shooting. However,another way to hold the motor drive vertically isto balance the grip in your palm with your thumbover the trigger button. This position is recom-mended for onehanded shooting over an extendedperiod of time, such as when using a bracket-mount flash unit off-camera.

S-C Mode Selector (15)

Concentric with the trigger button for easyaccess, this dial sets the motor drive for ei-ther single frame (S) or continuous (C) opera-tion. There is also a lock (L) position.

At "S" (Single Frame)At all shutter speeds, except "B" and "T," themotor drive trips the shutter and winds thefilm in a single sequential step. At the sametime, one LED lights up to indicate film ad-vance. At~the "B" setting, when the triggerbutton is pushed, the shutter fires and remainsopen until you take your finger off the button.Then the film advances automatically to thenext frame. At "T," the shutter remains openuntil the shutter speed dial is rotated off the"T" setting.Note: With the camera's power switch turned on, you can takemotordriven single frame shots by using the camera's shutterrelease button. When you depress the button, the shot is taken,and when you release pressure from the button, the Rlm B woundto the next frame. This occurs with the S-C mode selector setto either "S" or "C."

CONTROLS IN DETAIL

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At “C” (Continuous)

As long as you hold the trigger button down, shotswill be taken rapidly in succession. Any shutterspeed setting, except "B" and "T," can be used. Atshutter speeds slower than 1/125 sec., the firingrate automatically slows down to match the shut-ter speed in use.Motor-driven multiple exposures are possible byholding the multiple exposure lever in positionwhile firing off a short burst (see the pictureabove). After you're finished, make a blank shotby covering the lens with a lens cap. This willadvance the film to the next unexposed frame withoutadding another shot to the multiple exposure justcompleted.Caution: Do nat hold down the backup mechanical release leverwhile shooting on Continuous, as the shutter will not open prop-erly.

At “L” (Loc)

The trigger button is locked and the motor drivewill not operate. However, by turning on thecamera's power switch, you can use the shutterrelease button to trip the shutter and advancethe film manually just as if the MD-4 were notattached.

CONTROLS IN DETAIL continued

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Trigger Button (14)

The MD-4's trigger button, because it is an elec-tromagnetic release, operates in exactly the samemanner as the camera's shutter release button. Itnot only trips the shutter but serves as a meterswitch as well. When depressed halfway, it turnson the meter and activates the LCD exposure in-formation in the viewfinder. If the button is nottouched again, the meter will turn itself offautomatically after 16 sec. to conserve batterypower.With the MD-4 attached, it makes no differencewhether the camera's power switch is turned on ornot. In fact, you might find it easier to leavethe switch in the OFF position and control thecamera's meter entirely with the trigger button.

Frame Counter (4)

A subtractive-type frame counter is built intothe MD-4. For normal shooting, set the counter tothe orange dot and forget it. At this setting, thecounter is disengaged and the motor drive stopsautomatically when the film tension increases atthe end of the roll.However, in below-freezing temperatures, filmbecomes brittle and easy to break. Therefore, toprevent the film from being accidentally torn,set the frame counter to the number of fraEr es onthe roll. When the counter reaches "0," the motordrive automatically shuts off before the film isdamaged. One LED also lights up as a visual indi-cation. To set the counter, turn the counter set-ting dial to the right until the desired number isaligned with the white index (3). 36, 24, 20, and12 are in red corresponding to the number of


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frames in commercially-available cartridges. Youcan also shoot short bursts by setting the counterto the number you want (Fig. 1). When the counterreaches "O," the motor drive stops and one LEDlights up (Fig. 2). To reset the frame counter foranother burst, first turn the counter settingdial to the orange dot and the LED will go out(Fig. 3). Then you can rotate the counter to thedesired number. Before resetting the counter, makesure to check the camera's frame counter to de-termine whether there are enough exposures lefton the roll for the next burst.

Note: If you rewind the film before the frame counter reaches

"O," the counter will not reset properly to the orange dot.

Therefore, before starting to shoot your next roll of film,

make sure to reset the counter to the desired setting.

The film becomes brittle in low temparatures. In cold climate,

be careful not to overestimote the number of frames remaining

on a roll of film since thismayresultin the motor pulling the

Rlm offthe supplyspool or damaging its perforated edges. R may

be a good practice to set the frame counter to one less than the

number af frames remaining on a roll of film. For example, if

you food a fresh S6-exp. roll, set the frame caunter to 35.


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Rewind Slides 1 (R1) and 2(R2) (5)

When one LED lights up to signal that the film isat an end, you must rewind the film. To simplifythis operation, the MD-4 features completely au-tomatic film rewinding. Depress the lock buttonon R1 and push the slide to the left. Then whileholding R1 in position, push R2 up. Immediatelythe film will start rewinding. When the soundbecomes more high-pitched, this indicates theleader has been completely rewound back into thecartridge. To stop the rewinding action, push R2back down and immediately R1 will spring backinto its original position.

If you were using the frame counter, it movesfrom "O" to the orange dot position as soon asR2 is pushed up.Rewinding time for a 36-exposure roll of filmwith alkalinemanganese batteries is approxi-mately 8 sec.; with the optional MN-2 NiCd Bat-tery Unit, it is reduced to 4.5 sec.Note: If the film is automabcally rewound in cold weather,

static electncity charges may cause accidental expasures re-

sembling lightningLalts to appear an the film. To prevent this

from happening, push R1 to the leff and rewind the film slowly

by hand with the camera's film rewind crank.


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Battery Chamber (13)

Instead of using a separate battery pack, the MD-4 houses its batteries in a built-in battery cham-ber. The standard MS-3 Battery Clip accepts 8 AA-type penlight batteries to power the motor driveup to 4 frames per second. Once the motor drive isattached, the camera gets all its power from thebatteries in the motor drive. In this way, thecamera is able to run on high capacity batteries.As a separate accessory, the MD-4 accepts the MN-2 NiCd Battery Unit for extremely high-speed shoot-ing up to 6* fps. Since NiCd batteries are betterable to maintain their peak performance in coldtemperatures, the camera/motor drive combinationwill still operate down to -20 °C. The followingtable lists the firing rates according to powersource (Table 1), while the bar graph gives youthe expected life of various battery types underordinary temperatures (Table 2).


Zinc-Carbon

Alkaline-manganese)NiCd BatteryUnit MN-2

Power sourceShutter speed AA penlight AA penlight M N - 2 MA-4(AC/DCrange (sec.) batteries batteries battery converter)

(Zinc-carbon) (Alkal ine- (NiCd)manganese)

1/125 - 1/2000 3.8 3 .8 5 .5 5

1/125 - 1/2000 4 4 6 5.5mirror up

* Possible when shutter speed is 1/125 sec. or above andthe mirror is locked in the “up” position.

Table 1 (frame/sec.)

Table 2 (Number of 36-exposure rolls)

60 100

60 140

60 70

The range of guaranteed firing ratesThe range within operative battery power butwithout gurantee of the specified firing rates

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Battery Check Button(1) and LED Indicators(9)

To check battery power, depress the battery checkbutton. If both LED's light up, the power issufficient to provide the fastest firing rates.If only one LED comes on, you can still use theMD-4, but at slower rates. If neither LED lightsup, the batteries should be changed for a freshset. The LED's also indicate other camera func-tions. One LED will light up: 1) each time thefilm is wound after a shot is taken; 2) when thefilm reaches the end of the roll and needs rewind-ing; 3) when the frame counter reaches "0"; or 4)when auto-rewinding is stopped with the optionalMF-6 Camera Back.Note: One LED will also hght up if the batteries become so weak

that the motor dNve can no longer advance the hlm and just stops

during the course of shooting.

Electrical TerminalsThe MD-4 is provided with three separate electri-cal terminals.1) Magazine back terminal (19)Located at the bottom of the motor drive's grip,the magazine back terminal allows a magazine backto be connected to the MD-4's electrical system.2) External power terminal (23)The smaller of the two terminals on the front ofthe motor drive's base, the externalpower termi-nal allows the MA-4 AC/DC Converter to be con-nected to the MD-4 for extended studio shooting.3) Remote terminal (24)The larger of the two, the remote terminal allowsa variety of remote control devices to be at-tached.


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Power AccessoriesMN-2 NiCt Battery Unit and MH-2 Quick Charger

Optional battery unit and companion charger forthe fastest firing rate. Also recommended whenusing the MD-4 under extremely cold weather con-ditions. Three to four hour recharging is pos-sible.

MA-4 ACIDC Converter and MC-ll External PowerCord

Especially recommended when using the MD-4 forextended studio sessions. Supplies a constant 15VDC current to the motor drive. The new MC-ll Cordplugs into the external power terminal of the MD-4.Note that the motor drive MD-4 cannot be fired byusing the release button on the MA-4 AC/DC Con-verter.

ACCESSORIES

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Convenient AccessoriesMF-6 Camera Back

Attached to the F3 in place of the standard cameraback, the MF-6 provides automatic film rewind-stop with the film leader left outside the car-tridge for ease in darkroom handling.

Pistol Grip Model 2 and MC-3 Connecting Cord

Nikon's special pistol grip can be screwed intoeither the camera's tripod socket or the tripodmounting collar of a supertelephoto lens to pro-vide more stable handheld shooting. The MC-3 Cordplugs into the MD-4's remote terminal.

AH-2 Tripod Adapter (Not pictured)

A plate screwing into the bottom of the MD-4repositions the tripod socket in the middle.

ACCESSORIES continued

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Remote Control AccessoriesMC-12 Remote Control with Button Release

For remote control up to 3 meters away, the MC-12has a handgrip and trigger release button forconvenient operation. Depressing the button half-way turns on the camera's exposure meter; de-pressing it further releases the shutter. Afterfinger pressure is removed, the meter stays onfor 16 sec., automatically turning itself off toconserve battery power.

MW-1 Radio Control Set and MC-5 Connecting Cord

Provides interference-free remote control up to0.7km. Three separate channels allow three motor-driven cameras to be operated automatically. Easyto handle. MC-S Cord plugs into the MD-4's remoteterminal.


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ML-1 Modulite Remote Control Set and MC-B Con-necting Cord

Utilizes modulated light to control up to twomotor-driven cameras automatically. Compact andeasy to handle. Can be used up to 60 meters away.MC-8 Cord plugs into motor drive's remote termi-nal.

MR-2 Terminal Release

Allows the MD-4 to be triggered with the AR-2Cable Release. Does not provide viewfinder dis-play of the shutter speed when depressed halfway.


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Simultaneous and Time Lag Shooting AccessoriesMC-4 Remote Cord

With plus and minus banana plugs, the MC-4 Cordcan be used to fire up to three motor-driven F3ssimultaneously. Follow the diagram for properconnection.

Note: For proper operation, the common electNcal leads (indicated

by bold lines in the diagram) should be kept as short as possib/

e.

MT-1 Intervalometer and MC-5 Connecting CordProvides time lag shooting with the F3.

Time-lapse exposuresYou can trigger the motor drive for time-lapseexposures by connecting an intervalometer or simi-lar device to the trigger circuit in place of theON/OFF switch. In this case, there will be aslight time delay between the moment the triggercircuit is closed and the shutter is released.

Delay timeMirror locked-up—30 millisecondsMirror operating—40 milliseconds


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Camera fitting Nikon F3Shooting modes Choice of single-frame (S) or continu-

ous (C) firing via S-C mode selector;lock (L) position also provided

Shutter release By electromagnetic trigger button; alsoswitches on camera meter when depressedhalfway; meter remains on for 16 sees.after finger is lifted off button

Firing rate Up to 6 frames per second (fps) withNiCd Battery Unit MN-2, up to 4 fpswith 8 penlight AA-type batteries; fir-ing rates decrease at shutter speedsslower than 1/125 sec.

Automatic winding Motor shuts off at film's endstop with LED indication; frame counter also

provided to automatically stop filmwinding after preset number of expo-sures—useful in very low temperatures

Number of 36-exp. Guaranteed firing rate: approx.rolls per fresh battery 60 with all types of batteries;set slower firing rates, but still us-

able: approx. 70 with NiCd BatteryUnit MN-2, approx. 100 with zinc-carbon batteries; approx . 140 withalkaline - manganese batteries

Automatic film 4.5 sees. with NiCd Battery Unitrewind MN-2 and 8 sees. with AA-type pen-

light batteries for 36exposure film;automatic film rewind stop with op-tional MF-6 Camera Back

Shutter speeds 8 to 1/2000 sec. including "X"( 1/80 sec. )

Dimensions 146.5mm(W)x 115.0mm(H)x 71.0mm(D)Weight 480g

SPECIFICATIONS

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1. New batteries: Between manufacturing and firstuse, all batteries exhibit some drain. Therefore,care should be taken to purchase the newest (andfreshest) ones possible. To help you do this,some manufactures stamp the date of manufactureon the bottom of each battery. Ask your cameradealer for assistance in interpreting the codes.

2. Temperature: Battery life ratings are based onoperation at around 20 °C (68 °F). At other tempera-tures, battery life is shortened. At 0 °C, forinstance, battery life is shortened by as much as2/3. Spare batteries should therefore be keptavailable if operation in low temperatures isanticipated.

3. Continuous use: Batteries are drained much morequickly by continuous use than by intermittentuse.

4. Storage: When not in use, the batteries should beremoved to prevent damage from leakage. To mini-mize drain during the period of disuse, store thebatteries in a cool, dry place.

5. Battery brands: Do not use mixed brands of batter-ies, nor batteries with different model numbers.Also, avoid mixing new and old batteries sinceproper performance will not be obtained and bat-tery leakage into your MD-4 may occur.

6. Disposal: Do not dispose of batteries by burning.Also, for safety's sake, do not disassemble bat-teries when disposing.

7. Polarity: When installing batteries, observe thevoltage polarities carefully. Reversal of the posi-tive (+) and negative (-) terminals will resultin leakage. If leakage should occur, clean care-fully or take your MD-4 to your dealer.

OPTIMUM BATTERY PERFORMANCE

nikon motor drive md-4 - mir · motor drive is set to l (lock) before attaching the camera....

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