michael_harris14 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 This Nikon FM (thrift purchase) was supposed to partner with my FE, but it has a few (maybe really just one?) problems. The mirror is stuck up (no pic, didn't figure it would be helpful) I can advance the advance lever repeatedly without firing the shutter. As you can see in the video of the rear of the camera, when the advance lever returns from a full pull, the curtain goes back where it came from, basically, it doesn't "catch." And, well, pressing the shutter button doesn't actually do anything, I'm assuming because it is never cocked? I'd welcome any advice. This will be a "slow repair," meaning that it will be sitting on my bench, but I will only intermittently be sitting at my bench. I hope those of you who are gracious enough to offer advice will be patient with the fact that it may take me a few days to getting around to implementing it and asking the inevitable follow up questions! I'm inserting links to two videos, hopefully that will work. https://i.imgur.com/FRQ6Jes.mp4 https://i.imgur.com/jZgWM1B.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 An old Pentax problem used to be degraded foam that was there to cushion the mirror on the up 'impact'. It want sticky and the mirror would stay up. It could be gently pealed off, and would drop back. The only permanent cure was foam replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 Thanks for reminding me of that. I should have mentioned, the mirror isn't stuck in that sense. I can gently pull it down slightly and it goes right back up. I just tried releasing it using the lever inside the mirror box and that works (didn't a couple of days ago) but I can still advance repeatedly. I should refoam it, but there does still seem to be a deeper mechanical issue somewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_watson1 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Any relief from Googling: "nikon fm mirror stuck up." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 I tried that first. Most of the advice centers on prying the mirror loose from the goo, which isn’t my situation. Googling about the advance lever returns information about cameras that won’t advance, again, not mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 The camera is, in technical parlance, totally buggered. There's no quick fix. Hardly surprising for a budget camera that must be nearly 50 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 The camera is, in technical parlance, totally buggered. There's no quick fix. Giving it a few seconds more thought: Check that the self timer is fully run down and not stuck in the primed position. Also check that the motorwind auxillary release in the base isn't pushed in and stuck. If those aren't at fault, then you need to remove the base of the camera and look for a broken or misplaced linkage lever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Seaman Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 The mirror can often be lowered by moving the stop down lever to the left of the lens mount. But yes, remove the baseplate and hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBu Lamar Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 One possible problem that the shutter didn't go all the way up and thus it doesn't release the shutter to allow the mirror to go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 Are the video links in the first post working? One is of the mechanism under the baseplate as I advance the lever. I don’t see anything obviously wrong, but I don’t know quite what I’m looking for. Most of what I had found online was for one or another of the electronic shutter models, and so was different. Do those of you who have had these open before see anything apparent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Are the video links in the first post working? Indeed they are. For some reason they're coming out as portrait videos.. ie NOT landscape! As it's allowing multiple/unlimited 'wind-ons', that would be how the multiple exposure lever works. The FM2's is kinda under the shutter release knob, if it's not in or out it might be interrupting a cam some where and not latching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 That's weird, I shot them in landscape. I guess I didn't pay close enough attention to how it uploaded. Thanks for the multiple exposure tip, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be that. I've also tried to play with the self timer a bit, because I had also thought perhaps it hadn't quite finished winding down and that was why the shutter curtain couldn't catch. As far as I can tell, the self timer winds all the way down, but I'm not sure how I'd confirm that. I did give it a little helping pressure once it had stopped, but it didn't go any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmac Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 A spring may have come adrift in the mechanism that holds the shutter tensioned until the shutter button is pressed, or you could try applying some lighter fluid on the top and bottom mechanisms in case there's pollution in them and they need freeing up more. Check for loose screws, and check that everything that has a spring actually moves freely and normally under their respective spring tensions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 That's weird Someone's fitted an 'after-market' Mirror Lock-Up kit...? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Sounds like my 'totally buggered' diagnosis might have been correct, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmac Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Something to read, might help. The body is made of plastic, not rigid enough apparently Link .... The Nikon FM series (FM, FM-10, FM2 & FM3) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Seaman Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Well the problem mentioned in the link about less than rigid plastic bodies refers to the Cosina made FM10, not to the Nikon made FM etc which are surely all metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsetto Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 (edited) less than rigid plastic bodies refers to the Cosina made FM10, not to the Nikon made FM etc which are surely all metal. Right: completely different mfrs, and even for Cosina certain runs of the FM10 were an embarrassment. Nobody's ever figured out precisely why Nikon ever bothered with this "fake" little camera: other than being able to say "lookee lookee: we can sell you a cheap piece of crap with our name on it brand new- so don't buy a better used Nikon or some other brand new camera!" Damned thing has caused more confusion and grief than it was ever worth in marketing points. They should have just kept the FG going, perhaps a stripped feature version. The FM/FE were mostly metal aside from the chromed polycarbonate prism cowl. Midrange Nikons in their day, most examples have held up surprisingly well vs similar cameras from other brands. But they do have several Achilles Heels under their baseplates, and the electronic-shutter FE is (weirdly) less likely to suffer from these woes than the mechanical-shutter FM (the opposite of what you'd expect). When the advance/mirror/shutter cycle its totally fubar as in this example, and isn't curable by a quick poke and dust blowout under the baseplate, the camera needs a fairly deep servicing. Paying for such deep servicing is usually pointless at this late date, since you can now buy a nice replacement FM/FE for the same or less cost that will probably outlive you (bad luck seldom hits the same owner twice with their replacement FM/FE). But if you're the DIY type (and don't care if you make things worse ;)), theres no harm tinkering with it at your leisure as a learning experience. You might end up needing another FM/FE carcass to harvest one or two parts from, or to carefully reshape or reset a tiny fragile part. See this recent thread for some potentially useful repair diagrams and photos (scroll down): FM2n - help with film advance lever Edited January 14, 2020 by orsetto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 ... But if you're the DIY type (and don't care if you make things worse ;)), theres no harm tinkering with it at your leisure as a learning experience. You might end up needing another FM/FE carcass to harvest one or two parts from, or to carefully reshape or reset a tiny fragile part. See this recent thread for some potentially useful repair diagrams and photos (scroll down): FM2n - help with film advance lever Thanks for that link, I'll check it out before I dive in again. This is an exact description of me with this camera, at least now that I know that it is likely "buggered" as Joe has said, and so I have nothing to lose. The worst that could happen is that I end up with a parts camera that is already partially disassembled. My FE still works fine (I'd say perfectly, but I've never actually timed the shutter speeds), so I'll just use that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I think mine does that some of the time, but not every time. (I haven't tried it so recently.) If I remember right, in the case where it doesn't catch, the film also doesn't advance. It might also depend on the shutter speed setting. The FM I have is one that I have had since it was new, about 40 years ago. A few years ago, I got an FT3 from Goodwill, which is somewhat similar to the FM, I presume it was practice for the FM. (Somewhat heavier, though.) After a few rolls, the shutter locked up solid. It won't let me wind or do anything. But then not long ago, I got another one from Goodwill, cheaper than getting the first one fixed. For me, it seems more cost effective to buy another camera than get one fixed. I have an FE2 which works fine, except the meter is about two stops off. I set the offset by two stops, and it seems fine. -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_harris14 Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 For me, it seems more cost effective to buy another camera than get one fixed. Definitely. I'm not really trying to fix it because it is the cheapest way, more because I like to see if I can fix things, I like to rescue things from the landfill when I can, and if nothing else it can serve as a learning experience for when I come across something truly worth the effort/expense and am able to fix it. Or to know that I certainly can't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 For me, I try to fix just about everything except cameras and lenses. I do most of the work on my car, and most electronic devices. If I had the service manual for the FT3, I might try it, but for $44 I got another one. Buying a used one (usually) saves one from the landfill. I am not so sure about the current recycling system for electronics. -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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