Nikon F4 frame counter stops at 14

[orourke]

<p>This has been nothing more than a mild irritation for me but I figured I'd throw it out there in case someone knows what may be going on. All functions on my F4 work swimmingly except the frame counter. For reasons beyond my ability to troubleshoot, the frame counter stops at 14. The camera continues to fire away for the full 24 or 36, but the frame counter refuses to go the distance. If I'm shooting a whole roll at a time it isn't so much of an issue as when I put it down for a few weeks and use another body. I then go back and I am not sure how many frames are left, if I retired the camera after the 14th frame. Any ideas, insights, or "join the 21st century you bum and go digital" suggestions?<br>

THNX</p>

[johnw63]

<p>My first guess would be a broken tooth in a cog that is at frame 14 in the counter mechanism. I've never taken one apart, but it is a manual moving part, not electronic, so that's were my wild guess is from. There are plenty of posters here who will be able to tell you exactly what the story is.</p>

[Jerry_]

<p>Just find a pad of Post-It note paper....write down how many shots you've taken, and stick the Post-It on the camera's back when you put it up. </p>

<p> </p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<p>Broken or damaged part. Disassembly and repair required. As John Williamson noted, the frame counter on the F4 is 100% mechanical. A complex arrangement of shafts, sprockets, gears, pawls and springs. See attached...</p><div></div>

[orourke]

<p>Thanks guys !</p>

<p>................/running to Staples for Post It notes</p>

<p>(actually, I could probably just carve notches in the back of the camera for each shot, given the frequency with which I seem to be shooting lately.)</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I can't see where all the weight of the F4 comes from, since it's a fragile piece of kit IMHO. The top-plate is plastic(!) and easily cracked. The top of mine suffered a ding by the frame-counter that stopped the F-C rotating. Luckily the top comes off pretty easily and a quick unbending of the F-C wheel did the trick. It still makes a better doorstop than camera though.</p>

<p>Bill, does the auto rewind still work OK? Not sure if the sensor for it is linked to the frame-counter or to a switch inside the camera. If the F-C is what turns off the rewind motor, then you might find that half the film is still hanging out of the cassette when you open the back. It'd be safer to manually rewind the film I reckon.</p>

[orourke]

<p>Joe,<br />The first time I noticed the issue was when the camera simply wouldn't fire. Auto focus and everything else was working so I discounted any possibilty of batteries being the problem. I took note that the frame counter was reading 14 and I engaged R1 and R2 to rewind the film, which it did, leaving only the leader from the cassette exposed when I opened the back. I closed the back and the camera fired just fine, so I loaded another roll. After 14 on that roll I noticed the camera still shot but stayed at 14, so I clicked off a couple of blanks while watching the rewind knob for signs the film was advancing. It was, but the counter stayed on 14. It clears and counts up to that point without a hitch, which presents only a minor nuisance, so I've lived with it.<br />The F4 may have it's detractors and I understand the gripes about the weight, but as an eyglass wearer I love the viewfinder. I like the portability of my FE and FE2 but the F4 is far more eyeglass friendly. Small viewfinders are a big reason I haven't purchased a digital slr yet. I've been waiting for the words "reasonable" and "affordable" to influence my buying decision. I almost sprung for a D7000 but the viewfinder size was holding me back and I, like many others, have been waiting to see if Nikon updated the FX format 700. As you know, they just did.<br />It would appear a D800 is poised to attack my savings account but, until then, I'll have to continue to deflect the 'Wow that's a big camera is that digital?" comments from the audience with "No, only the frame counter is, but it stops at 14"</p>