Anyone have strong opinions on Nikon MD-12?

I've had mixed results with the MD12--they seem to work sporadically--so while I agree they make the handling much easier--they can be a pain. Oh well--on to the F3 and the indestructible MD4! 🙂
Paul
 
The firing pin sits inside a round brass collar, the pin shoots out of the grip and into the shutter release on the base of my FM3a and thats fine but the collar that surrounds it smashes against the inside of the top plate of the grip. You say yours are loud but mine is a gunshot. As a measure the volume would be the same as dropping the grip onto a tile floor from about 2meters. Any ideas anyone, if it was as loud as they are supposed to be it would be fine for me. Its likely the loudest shutter on the planet, my rb67 is a shy pussycat in comparison.

Any one had this problem?
 
novum said:
Is it worth the bother on an FM2n?

Aside from the obvious benefits of a motor drive, it makes for a nice grip, but the drive just about doubles the weight of the body, doesn't it?

I ask because they are less than $40 in EXC condition at KEH, so that helped to pique my curiosity. I'll be traveling in Malaysia soon (barring a pandemic!), and I imagine a motor drive might prove useful for market scenes and other quick-changing street scenes.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind the additional weight, bulk, and noise, the MD-12 is a perfect fit for an FM2n and well worth it when you need fast shutter/film wind recovery. It makes the classic noisy motor advance sound you hear in sound effects of a still camera rapidly making a bunch of exposures.

I used one for years. Solid and durable, fast enough for most needs. (Of course, I bought mine new and never had a single problem with them—I had two because I always had at least two/three FM/FM2/FM2n/FE2 series bodies. Bought used and cheap, they've probably been beat up and are near worn out.)

G
 
I typically use motor drives most of the time with my Nikon and Olympus OM cameras in single shot mode. In taking photos of people, even family members, I find that many folks get slightly tight (and often blink) as the photo is being taken, especially when using a flash, but then relax almost immediately. Having a motor drive allows you to take the first photo and then take another very quickly before the subject tenses up a bit again. I find that many times this second or third shot is better than the first for this reason.

I have 2 MD-12 drives and have them mounted pretty much permanently on a FM3a and FE2. Once properly mounted, they have been reliable and improve handling with longer, heavier lenses. They aren't very quiet (the OM motor drives 1 and 2 models are much quieter despite being noticeably faster at 5 fps vs 3.5 fps for the MD-12, or especially compared to the Nikon F6 built in motor drive which is almost completely silent even at 8 fps!), but mine are not all that loud -- nothing like what some folks here are claiming. Most of the noise is the rather tinny shutter sounds coming from the bodies. If you want loud and annoying, try an Olympus Winder 2 -- a high pitched and loud shriek.

Anyway, I am not using the FM3a or FE2 much these days, since I got two F6 bodies, which are better than the former in pretty much every way except for being a bit heavier. I still use my OM cameras a bit too (but mainly use the F6 bodies), which I also like better than the FM3a and FE2, except for the faster flash synch speeds and superior fill flash of the Nikons.
 
I have two MD-12s. I've dropped one, cracked the case, taped it up, and it still works.

I like motor drives because they give extra mass to the camera, reducing camera shake in hand-held work. And they make the camera easier to hold with heavier lenses. I just don't take them on long walks or hikes on account of their weight.

Another good drive is the MD-15, which can supply power to the camera with no need for a button battery in the camera. But the MD-15 only works on the FA. It won't fit other models.
 
I'm truly astonished by the stories of the unreliability of Nikon's motor drives.
I've owned two F-36's, three MD-2s, two MD-4s, an MD-11, two MD-12s, an MD 14, and two MD-15s, and have never had problems with any of them.
I did replace an MD-15 when I bought a replacement FA body. The camera was literally used until it fell apart, and the drive did have a loose handle, but still worked perfectly.
To this day I still use seven drives on the film bodies I regularly shoot with.
 
Each of my F3s (4) has an MD 4 mounted. They make the camera easier to handle and power the body. The FM2ns are a different kettle of fish. One has an MD 12, the other does not. It had an MD 12 until the motor physically came apart - spring and stem dangling from the camera while the battery box went to ground while working at a barn fire. I do like the grip the MD 12 gives, but have not bought another one.
 
presspass said:
Each of my F3s (4) has an MD 4 mounted. They make the camera easier to handle and power the body. The FM2ns are a different kettle of fish. One has an MD 12, the other does not. It had an MD 12 until the motor physically came apart - spring and stem dangling from the camera while the battery box went to ground while working at a barn fire. I do like the grip the MD 12 gives, but have not bought another one.
Click to expand...
Motors stripped of their battery clips make excellent handgrips.
 
Nikon Bob said:
There is another cure for the out of sync problem and that is to lay a coin across the electrical contacts with the drive off. Then turn the MD12 on briefly then off again. The drive dogs on the MD12 should be aligned properly then. I suspect they get out of sync when the MD12 is removed from the body while still turned on.

Bob
Click to expand...

+1

The MD-11/12 can also get out of sync with the body it you shoot until you hit the end of the roll and encounter a partial wind. If you then remove the the drive before first removing the film and finishing the wind cycle the body and drive will get our of sync if you finish with wind cycle before remounting the drive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom