jcofer1

<p>When I bought my FE2 new in the early 80's, it came with a black strap with "Nikon 4000" embroidered on it; presumably touting the 1/4000 top shutter speed over the 1/2000 of the earlier FE. I bought an FM2n some time in the early 90's; no strap with that one.<br>

The FE2 is the only Nikon body I bought new that came with a strap.</p>

<p>I believe that some Arguses (Argi?) have to have the shutter cocked before you insert the bulb, as the flash contacts are not opened until the shutter is tensioned. At least I think this applied to the C-3/C-4/C-44 models, not sure about later models.</p>

<p>Wouter, assuming that the FT is the same as the FTN, the battery cap is a bayonet rather than a screw thread fitting. Try pressing in while you turn, that may free it.</p>

<p>Have you considered the Nikon SB-21B? Provides TTL exposure control with the FE-2/FM-3a. KEH lists one for $144 with both 52mm and 62mm adapters. Not very large. There is the SB-29 as well, which is a newer version of the SB-21; also TTL compatible, but more expensive. I think both have been discontinued, but are readily available used.</p>

<p>Mamiya 1000 DTL and 500 DTL. Around 1970-72.</p>

<p>Thought I was the only one to have this happen. Half-empty bottle, fortunately sitting in an old 11x14 print tray. What a mess...</p>

<p>The Nikon F4 with the MF-23 data back can do this, as can the F5 with the MF-28 data back.</p>

<p>Note that the Weston meter is calibrated in "Weston" film speeds, rather than ASA/ISO.<br>

Set the meter to the next speed lower than the ISO speed (e.g., ISO 100, set to Weston 80).</p>

<p>Copy of the manual <a href="http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/assets/S74715.pdf">here</a>.</p>

<p>Also note that the Weston meters have a wide (30 degree) angle of acceptance, so your readings may differ from those of a narrower angle meter system.</p>

<p>Advent of autofocus probably had an effect. Note that the N-8008 was essentially the FA with autofocus; same modes, matrix metering, etc., and it sold well.</p>

<p>Personal guess. Price made for a small target market; advanced amateurs bought the cheaper FM-2 or FE-2, pros bought the F3. The FA was perceived as a "Super FE-2" for a lot more money; but the pro wanted a more rugged camera, while the advanced amateur wanted lower cost. And neither were interested in Program mode.</p>

<p>Also, it could possibly have been seen as lower quality, due to the use of a plastic top cover, where the other Nikon models at the time used brass (except the FG and EM). Problem with this is that the composition of the top cover is not obvious at a casual glance.</p>

<p>I have read somewhere that there were problems with the shutters on the early units disintegrating, which seems unlikely, since the shutter appears to be exactly the same as the one in the FE-2, and I have never heard of problems with the FE-2 shutters. I have an early FE-2, and it has always performed perfectly. Also have an FA, bought as a demo. model just after it was discontinued; never had a problem with it either.</p>

<p>In other words, who knows. Just the right product at the wrong time.</p>

<p>I believe the slide-on diopter lenses for the Nikon FG/FG-20/EM will also fit; they fit perfectly on the X570/X700 series, as well as the XD-11.</p>

<p>Minolta used to manage to shoehorn in a pattern-projecting focus assist in some of their models (700si and 800si for sure, probably others).</p>

<p>Diopter lenses for Nikon FG/FG-20/EM will fit on the outside frame of a Minolta and work perfectly.</p>

<p>Experience with local Walmart (Cumming, GA).<br>

C41 B&W takes around two weeks, prints may have a minor color cast.<br>

E6 also takes around two weeks, 120/220 returned uncut, 35mm only returned mounted.<br>

C41 color prints made off-site by the processing lab (probably Fuji from some of the labeling).</p>

<p>This was essentially how an FP-class flash bulb worked. They had an extremely long burn duration compared to the regular bulbes normally used with leaf shutters, allowing the shutter slit to completely traverse the frame.</p>

<p>Look up the book "The Commissar Vanishes", to see how it was done by the Soviets in the good old days before Photoshop.</p>

<p>It would have been in 1955, when I was 7, with a Brownie Holiday (127 film). Either in the Covered Bazaar in Istanbul or in Bebek, the suburb where we lived. Film was processed and printed by a Turkish photographer who had a shop over a restaurant on the Bosphorus, at the end of the street where we lived. Have been clearing out my mothers house, but haven't found the negatives or prints.</p>

<p>I use a Vivitar 550FD on a Bessa R with good results. It is a 4-cell flash, bounce capable, with manual, auto and TTL modes. There are different models with dedicated TTL for different systems, but any of them will work on a plain hot shoe.</p>

<p>Possibly a preset lens? Are there two rings at the front, the aperture ring and another behind it, probably with an index line set at F/8? If so, try pulling the index ring toward the back of the lens; if it is a preset, the ring will move back under spring pressure and rotate, allowing you to select different apertures. You can then set the lens to F/2.8 for focusing and viewing, then turn the aperture ring until it stops at the aperture you selected.</p>

<p>Sounds like CLA time. Check with Mark Hama, the expert on these and other Yashica TLRs (when he did a CLA on mine he found his name inside, it was one he had assembled in the early 60s).</p>

<p>That indicates that the counter has not reset. When you open the back there should be a long metal pin protruding from the body in the upper right-hand side that is depressed by the back when it is closed; it has enough spring pressure behind it normally to force the back open when it is unlatched. If this pin sticks, the counter will not reset when the back is opened and the advance knob will not stop at each frame. Another thing; lose that strap before it breaks and your 635 ends up on the floor. It appears to be the original strap, and is probably 50 years old and completely untrustworthy.</p>

<p>Matthew,<br>

I also have the Soligor model, they are identical to the Vivitar.</p>

<p>Juan,<br>

Haunt ebay. Note that there are two almost identical systems, T4 and TX, with TX being the newer. While a TX adapter will usually fit a T4 lens it may or may not operate properly; that is, you may be able to mount the adapter, but the aperture ring will not move. I know this because I bought a "Minolta MD" TX adapter and tried it on my 75-260mm Soligor T4 and 300mm f5.5 Vivitar T4 and that was what happened.</p>

<p>I don't know if the TX lenses are labeled as such, the T4 lenses have no identifying marks. The T4 adapters likewise are not marked, but the TX ones have a "TX" label on the side facing the lens, and at least with the Nikon non-AI adapters I have, the T4 one is marked on the mount face with the mount type in orange, while the TX adapter is marked in white. Check the Minolta adapter you have and try to find a Nikon adapter of the same type. There never was a Nikon AI T4 adapter; the reason for the TX system was to allow for newer mount systems that didn't exist when the T4 mount was designed.</p>

<p>Monique,<br>

Depending on the adapter attached to the lens, only one scale on the aperture ring should be usable. This depends on the camera mount involved (Nikon and Pentax on the white scale, Canon and Minolta on the green scale, as I remember). Your lens as pictured has a Nikon non-AI adapter installed; it should operate on the white aperture scale, and the metal piece projecting from the mount is for coupling with the meter system on the older non-AI Nikon cameras (Nikon F Photomic, Nikkormat, etc.). Due to the design of the adapters, they will not damage an AI series camera, but they won't couple to the meter either. If the aperture ring rotates through both scales, it may not be coupled to the adapter properly. There is a pin on the adapter that should engage with a slot in a plate on the back of the lens that moves along with the aperture ring. It is the adapter that stops the ring from rotating through both scales, and limits it to the appropriate scale for the particular camera mount.</p>

<p>While I was in Electronics school at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1967, we attempted to recreate the American Flag picture from 1917. The original was done on the drill field at the center of the Training Center, but ours was done at Soldiers Field in Chicago.<br>

The original was much better; ours, using students from the Training Center and recruits from the boot camp, was pretty disorganized - we didn't try to duplicate the original design, we just went for a flat representation, but it still was pretty ragged. Hey, it got us out of class for a few hours each day, and a trip down to Chicago.</p>

<p>Take into account that some of these were 40 years ago, they may have gotten better (or worse) since.<br>

Home: US<br>

<strong>Love:</strong><br>

1. Beijing<br>

2. Athens, Greece<br>

3. Rabat, Morocco<br>

<strong>Hate:</strong><br>

1. Bombay (Mumbai)<br>

2. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia<br>

3. Karachi<br>

<strong>Want:</strong><br>

1. Tokyo<br>

2. Lhasa<br>

3. Xi'an</p>