Nikon EL2, Instruction Manual

Page 1: ...Nikon INSTRUCTION MANUAL ...

Page 2: ...NOMENCLATURE Shutter speed dial lock Film rewind knob ...

Page 3: ...scale Film rewind crank Film speed scale index Power check button Power check lamp Accessory shoe Aperture Distance scale index Meter coupling shoe Depth of field indicators Shutter speed scale Frame counter Meter ON index Film advance lever Film plane indicator Viewfinder eyepiece Hot shoe contact 3 ...

Page 4: ...r automatic operation as de tailed on page 13 2 Set the lens aperture to the setting appropri ate for the shooting situation at hand by turning the aperture ring as detailed on page 14 3 Turn on the meter and shutter control by simply moving the film advance lever to the 30 standoff position as detailed on page 14 4 View focus compose the subject through the viewfinder turning the lens focusing ri...

Page 5: ......

Page 6: ...operation 19 Operation via cable release 19 Focusing 20 Infrared photography 22 Film plane indicator 22 Depth of field 23 Depth of field preview button 23 Depth of field indicators 24 6 Exposure measurement 26 Automatic shutter speed selection 26 Manual shutter speed selection 28 Exposure control 29 Metering range 30 High contrast lighting situations 30 Stop down exposure measurement 32 Exposure c...

Page 7: ...earn to use in minutes To get the most out of your Nikon EL2 camera study the instruc tions carefully and practice using the controls before you load any film in the camera Keep this booklet handy for ready reference until you have mastered its basics and follow the suggestions for camera care given on page 40 The few moments you spend famil iarizing yourself with the camera will guarantee you the...

Page 8: ...of the battery as depicted on the interior of the lid After inserting and properly seating the battery snap the chamber lid shut unlock the mirror and remount the lens preparatory to shooting Caution Should the battery be installed incorrectly i e in the reverse direction in the chamber its energy will be depleted in a matter of minutes thus take extra care to insert the battery properly Also be c...

Page 9: ...iously Checking the Battery The EL2 is provided with a special circuit that enables the photographer to check the battery power condition without causing excessive battery drain which might occur by having to turn the camera on To check bat tery power simply depress the power check button and watch the power check lamp for indication of the power level If the check lamp glows battery power is suff...

Page 10: ...ly push the rewind knob down to hold the cartridge in place and then insert the end of the film leader into any of the slots in the film take up spool If necessary release the shutter and then stroke the film advance lever slowly to make sure that the leader winds smooth ly on the spool and that the film edge perforations engage with the film sprocket roller When satisfied that the film is properl...

Page 11: ...rection opposite the arrow Crank rotation indicates that the film has been loaded properly and is being advanced Then fold the crank flat for film storage After advancing the film two frames to dispose of any exposed film the frame counter at the upper right of the camera will indicate 0 now advance the film one more frame to prepare the camera for taking the first exposure Note Setting the shutte...

Page 12: ...g of the dial during shooting To set the film speed depress the film speed dial lock and while holding the lock depressed turn the ASA film speed dial until the red index mark is aligned with the ASA value for the film in use After setting the dial release the lock and test the dial to ensure that it is set firmly at the desired ASA value The meter is sensitive across the full range of from ASA 12...

Page 13: ...speed dial lock and while holding the lock depressed rotate the dial counterclockwise off of the A position when the dial is aligned with white settings of from 2 to 1000 the actual shutter speed is a fractional value of from 1 2 second to 1 1000 second while the remaining settings indicate the actual values of from 8 seconds to 1 second The red 125 setting indicates that the 1 125 second shutter ...

Page 14: ...ilm Advance Lever The film advance lever simultaneously advances the film cocks the shutter and operates the frame counter It also switches on the exposure meter in the finder and unlocks the shutter release button To advance the film stroke the lever with the right thumb in a single stroke totaling only 135 A built in locking device prevents the shutter from being released unless it is fully cock...

Page 15: ... provide for greater ease of opera tion when using the EL2 with the Auto Winder AW 1 mounted for automatic film advance With the shutter release button lock the film advance lever s meter ON OFF and shutter button lock functions are dupli cated to enable positioning of the lever flush to the body while using the Auto Winder To operate the camera via the shutter release button lock simply switch th...

Page 16: ...ng Caution Should self timer operation be performed with the camera set for automatic operation be sure that the finder eye piece is covered to prevent the entry of stray light Failure to do this can result in incorrectly exposed pictures 16 Memory Lock The convenient location of the self timer lever making for ready finger access proves advantageous when using the built in memory lock function Me...

Page 17: ...nsion is felt the film leader has left the take up spool and the camera back may be opened as explained previously After opening the camera back carefully lift the film cartridge free of the film chamber Note that as the film advance lever is stroked for the next exposure the re wind button will be released to engage the film advance mechanism Caution Be careful not to push the rewind button durin...

Page 18: ...e looks through the center of the viewfinder Cradle the camera in the left hand for addi tional support with the left thumb and index finger grasping the focusing ring From this basic stance the camera can be properly supported and easily switched from horizontal to vertical format shooting As a general rule the slowest shutter speed you should use with the camera hand held is equal to the recipro...

Page 19: ...ra movement and may result in a blurred photo graph Operation via Cable Release The shutter release button can also be tripped via a ca ble release or similar accessory for more vibration free operation when the camera is tripod mounted and op erated at slow shutter speeds And as two mounting threads are provided virtually any type cable release can be used To attach an ISO thread release Nikon mo...

Page 20: ...angefinder image coincide to form a single crisp image when using the microprism ring turn until the microprism pattern shifts to a sharp and crisp image You can also focus on the matte field that surrounds the rangefinder micro prism central area The lens can also be prefocused using the distance scale engraved in both meters and feet on the lens barrel Simply turn the focusing ring until the des...

Page 21: ...Out of focus In focus 21 ...

Page 22: ...hat when lenses having a focal length of 50mm or less are used stopped down to f 8 or below no ad justment is necessary due to the large depth of field available Note Some new optics using Nikon s Extra low Dispersion ED glass as well as reflex catadioptric lenses do not require refocusing for infrared photography Refer to individual lens instruction manuals for details Film Plane Indicator Under ...

Page 23: ...ndependently or in conjunction with one an other with any one factor capable of partially canceling the effects of the other Thus by careful selection and use the photographer can exercise wide creative control over the final picture Depth of Field Preview Button As most Nikkor lenses are operated at full aperture for ease of focusing visualization of the depth of field at the shooting aperture ma...

Page 24: ...s of the same color on the aperture scale To find the depth of field at a particular aperture first focus the lens on the subject while looking through the viewfinder Then check the numbers on the distance scale to determine the zone of focus for the aperture in use The three photos shown clearly depict the changing depth of field with the photo at the immediate right the field is shallow at the f...

Page 25: ......

Page 26: ...need of removing the eye from the viewfinder And as lighting conditions or the aperture setting change the shutter speed control circuit continues to maintain continuous and automatic control for perfect exposure every time To take a picture using automatic shutter speed selec tion first set the shutter speed dial to A the green needle in the finder will move to the upper A posi tion and remain an...

Page 27: ...50 50 i 5 60 30 15 8 4 2 1 2 4 8 BE l j j j H 2jj O fll a H J T MEn j v Hfe w KT I flKaL l vv V K B f l F S i i g Sfc aiXli 1 27 ...

Page 28: ...eter in the usual way and adjust the shutter speed dial until the green needle in the exposure meter display aligns with the desired speed then simply adjust the aperture setting of the lens until the black needle moves to over lap the green needle If deliberate under or overex posure is desired adjust the controls so that the green needle is overlapping the next higher number one step underexposu...

Page 29: ...f f 11 twice as much light as f 16 and half as much as f 8 is passed This feature characterizes the operation throughout the available range of shutter speeds and aperture settings With this in mind it s easy to see that if a correct exposure for a scene is 1 125 at f 11 then 1 60 at f 16 or 1 250 at f 8 will be equally acceptable The best combination for your needs will depend on the results desi...

Page 30: ...ness differences be tween the main subject and the background unimpor tant bright spots or dark spots can adversely influence the finder reading and thus the final exposure To pre vent under or overexposure of the main subject under these shooting conditions some corrective action must be taken to ensure proper exposure of the main subject Fortunately the finder s center weighted TTL metering acti...

Page 31: ... Metering with a bright area in the center will cause underexposure of the main subject For correct exposure first measure the main subject then recompose and shoot 3 ...

Page 32: ...on page 43 the lever must remain up as long as stop down measure ment is being performed After setting the lever mount the lens or lens accessory combination on the camera switch on the meter by moving the film advance lever to the standoff position or moving the shutter release button lock to the left and then set the controls for correct exposure as follows For fixed aperture lenses such as Refl...

Page 33: ... holding the button depressed adjust the aperture ring until the meter needles in the finder over lap Whichever mocle of operation used be sure to re lease the depth of field button prior to making the ex posure For bellows units extension rings and preset lenses set the camera to the desired shutter speed or to auto matic then stop down the lens manually until the me ter needles in the finder ove...

Page 34: ... provided for this purpose To adjust the exposure compensation ring simply lift and turn it until the index mark is aligned with the value corresponding to the amount of compensation In the example shown the index is set to the 1 position as required when performing photomicrography using Panchromatic film Original Type N v of film Panchromatic film for general use Repro copying slide copying B4W ...

Page 35: ...slowest speed is 1 4 second however as the aperture is closed the functioning shut ter speed becomes progressively slower until we reach f 8 when the slowest speed of eight seconds is function ing Auto exposure control with stop down metering When using a bellows or other extension equipment which disengages the meter coupling device it is neces sary to revert to stop down metering Certain limita ...

Page 36: ...he low end which requires a careful check The wide exposure EV range of the Nikon EL2 will encompass most lighting situations It is only under dim light or rare bright light situations that any special attention need be paid Full aperture metering The metering range is determined by the bars Section A f number range in appropriate ASA scale Section B and shutter speed 8 1 1000 sec Section C For ex...

Page 37: ...Section C 37 ...

Page 38: ...ed dial set to A is not possible however The table below shows which shutter speeds may be used with different types of flashbulbs No special adapters are necessary when using flash units equipped with an ISO type hot shoe mount such as Nikon Speedlight Units SB 3 and SB 4 or bottom mount units such as the Speedlight SB 5 For other Nikon units such as the Flash Unit BC 7 and Speed light Unit SB 2 ...

Page 39: ...of the mirror box To lock up the mirror turn the mirror lockup lever upward as far as it will go approx 45 The mirror will remain in the up position until the lever is returned to the normal po sition Note The mirror lockup lever function can be duplicated by using the self timer to trigger the camera as the timer action causes the mirror to swing up at the start of the countdown process This is c...

Page 40: ...s ordinary tissue or any other material that might scratch the lens surface also use cleaning fluids sparingly to prevent seepage and resulting damage to mechanical components When interchanging lenses finders etc your camera is susceptible to the entry of dust or other contaminants It is a good idea to clean moving body parts frequently to prevent the build up of dust here a lens brush and blower...

Page 41: ...part of the camera Lubrication should be left to an authorized service center Prior to a holiday trip or important shooting assignment test your camera including changing batteries if necessary for proper operation Observe normal battery handling procedures for maximum perform ance at all times Be sure to Clean batteries periodically wiping with a rough cloth will remove residues that might otherw...

Page 42: ... flange so that the mounting indexes on the lens and camera body are aligned and then twist the lens counterclockwise until it clicks and locks into place These steps provide for full mounting of the lens while simultaneously indexing the lens maximum aperture setting to the camera s metering circuit To mount a lens not fitted with a meter coupling ridge first lock the meter coupling lever in the ...

Page 43: ... body is used with lenses and or accessories not provided with this feature the lever must be locked up to permit ex posure measurement via the stop down method To lock up the lever prior to mounting the lens simply push in the coupling lever release and lift the lever up and out of the way for operation To return the lever to its nor mal position for operation with a lens or accessory ca pable of...

Page 44: ...f the camera and provides for effortless automatic film advance operation that com plements the camera s built in automatic exposure fea tures And by providing the freedom from manual film advance the AW 1 enables the photographer to concen trate fully on the viewfinder image and to follow even rapid action flow Power for winder operation is pro vided by six standard penlight type batteries mounte...

Page 45: ...t results use Nikon filters on Nikkor lenses Eyepiece Correction Lenses Available in nine different powers for maximum selec tivity Nikon eyepiece correction lenses permit the near or far sighted user to view and focus without wearing spectacles Diopters available are 5 4 3 2 0 0 5 1 2 and 3 with each value representing the combined lens finder dioptry Finder Eyecup The rubber eyecup can be attach...

Page 46: ...ounded by microprism ring 12mm diameter reference circle defines area of meter center weighting similar to Nikon Type K screen Reflex mirror Instant return type lockup lever pro vided 46 Exposure metering Through the lens center weighted full aperture measurement employing two silicon photo diodes SPD for fast response exposure cor rectly set either automatically or by matching two needles meter c...

Page 47: ......

Page 48: ...K K No reproduction in any form of this booklet in whole or in part except for brief quotation in critical articles or reviews may be made without written authorization from the publishers Printed in Japan 77 7 80 2 ...