F100 frame spacing/overlapping problems

<p>Hi all! I just picked up an immaculate used F100 for a very nice price from a gent via 'craigsfist'. Looks as new, and he said it had maybe seen 4 rolls of film in its life. BUT... after running 3 rolls through the camera, I am getting a few overlapping frames and odd frame spacing in each roll. Batteries are fresh. It is an early version with the triangular shaped plastic rewind fork.... not the updated square-ish (though still plastic) rewind fork, and I am wondering if that may be the culprit? It isn't broken... but it is less springy (when pushed into the camera) and upon close inspection looks a very little bit worn looking (we're talking slightly here) than the rewind fork on my last F100 which this camera was to replace. Looks as if it should still function... So I am wondering what might cause the few overlapping frames and funky spacing? Bad film advance gearing/mechanism? Any ideas?<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>This is a long shot, but I have seen a similar problem occur on an old Ricoh 35mm AF compact camera that had lost the battery compartment cover. I tried jury-rigging a new DIY battery compartment cover but it was problematic. When I held my hand firmly against the DIY battery compartment cover, the custom piece made good contact, enough for the film advance motor/system to function and move the film ahead by one frame. But when tension was relaxed on the DIY battery compartment cover, electrical contact became iffy and the film failed to advance or advanced only partially. This resulted in some very interesting but accidenal double and triple exposures that were quite entertaining at the time.</p>

<p>So, if your new camera is using electric motor to auto-advance the film, make sure your battery contacts are shiny clean, and if necessary clean them with the rubber tip of a typo-correcting stenographer's pencil. Make sure the battery compartment cover is locking down nice and snug like its supposed to. That will prevent intermittent electrical contact which might cause this type problem.</p>

<p>AP</p>

<p>I've often found the cause of this and many other faults to be corrosion due to liquid ingress.<br>

Don't know the f100 but do (or rather, did) know the f90, f801 etc. quite well - retired before f100 was out of warranty so never repaired one.<br>

Frame counting & spacing on these is electronic, measurement is by transmission optocoupler with a sectored wheel driven by a spur from the sprocket.<br>

IIRC you can examine the wind/rewind gears and the sectored wheel simply by removing the bottom plate.<br>

If corrosion is the cause it should be obvious, check that everything moves freely and that gear teeth are all OK.<br>

A shaft from these gears transmits the drive to the rewind fork - reverse is by a swivel gear I think... it's been a long time.<br>

Good luck.</p>

<p>Alan, the contacts look good... but I will rub them just to be sure! The Camera really looks as if it came right off the shelf and out of the box. Spotless.<br>

David, I will take that bottom plate off and have a gander. Not really worth it to send it off to Nikon where I will end up spending an additional $200+ for repair... I would rather have purchased a new F100 for $750... or just spring for the F6... or just use my F3HP. Anyhow, I will give it a go, clean the contacts, and run another roll through the camera and report my findings! Thank you for the advice gentleman!</p><div></div>