fm2 motor drive advice

[TennesseJones]

I've just become the lucky inheritor of a well used old nikon fm2. It's really beaten up but fantastic.

It came with a md 12 motordrive, and I've never used one before. I think I'm doing something very dense, so I thought I'd risk a shaming and ask advice.

It works fine I think, but in order to meter I flip the normal film advance out a little bit, like normal, switching the meter 'on'. and then shoot using the md12. whiz whir great..
But when I'm finished, i push the film advance back into the body like normal and then the motor drive/rewind makes a whirring noise.
Am I accidentally rewinding the frame i have just shot? or is this just normal?

Thank you!

 

[sevo]

It won't do any damage - you can mix using motor and wind-on lever, the only thing that might be dangerous is winding on manually the very moment the motor transports the film (positively a problem with MD11/FE, but I don't know whether it will still cause damage on the MD12/FM2).

You can leave the advance lever locked, as the motor drive has its own on-off switch, and timed off - half-pressing the release button should power on the meter when the motor is enabled.

And the FM/FE(2) have no motorized rewind - so no risk of that.

Sevo

 

[TennesseJones]

thank you!
that's really helpful, as long i'm not somehow rewinding!

 

[Nikon Bob]

If you need a manual try here http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfmseries/fm2n/fm2manual/index6.htm .

Bob

 

[nikon_sam]

You can activate the meter in the camera through the MD-12...
First make sure the MD-12 is turned "On"...then push the trigger button on the MD-12 half way down...This will turn your camera's meter "On"...The camera's film advance lever does not have to be pull out like it would without the motordrive...
What you are hearing now is the motordrive advancing the film to the next frame...having the advance lever out doesn't allow the motordrive to do this in one push of the button...
What is happening is normal but you might want to use the MD-12 to turn the meter on and advance the film in one sweep...
Next time the camera is empty pull the back off and watch what happens when you let the motordrive work normally and then see how it works when you have the advance lever out...

 

[TennesseJones]

thank you everyone, that's really helfpul... and it's a great camera.