Anyone have strong opinions on Nikon MD-12?

novum

novum

Well-known
Local time
2:21 AM
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
216
Location
Austin/HCMC
View My Gallery
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.
 
I like mine on my FE, but it's a bit loud at times; there's nothing discreet about its operation. It does make it nicer to hold the FE though and I think it feels very well balanced.
 
I have small hands and find it too big and heavy to use comfortably on my FE2. And like racoll says, it's not something you'd use if you want to be discreet.

But it does wind the film on at a startling speed
 
I sold my MD-12, never got another motor for the FE2 and FM. It worked well, but is somewhat heavy. I prefer the N8008s or N70 with their built in motor and ability to use AI lenses. Buy an N70, use it with the Ai lenses, and have the built in flash as well. It cost less than the MD-12 these days. The viewfinders on the N70 and N8008s have much better eye-relief than the FE2 and FM. The N70 motor is very quiet.
 
Motor drives are for when you need more than one photo of an event...sports, political rallies... I have one for an F3. I used it once. For traveling it would be extra weight. Better to carry a spare lens, batteries or film. Have a pleasant & safe trip.
 
Okay, thanks to everyone! It was as I suspected: more trouble than it's worth for my purposes. The siren call of KEH's website can muddle my thinking. A 105/2.5 Ai-S might be nice . . .
 
Unreliable & prone to failure, but better than the MD-11 which it replaced. The FM / FE series bodies are much nicer without the added weight..
 
What did you say? I couldn't hear the question - someone was using an MD-12! 😉

My FM2n with MD-12 was so loud I was tempted to use it as a New Year's Eve noisemaker!

Chris
 
Last edited:
One point that was not raised is that I find the MD-12 a bit fiddly to get working when first mating to the camera body. It takes some wiggling and fiddling before it start to work. Once installed, it will keep working until the next time it is re-installed; then the fiddling begins again. Something about the contacts not mating properly, I imagine.

This is never a problem with the motor drive for my F3; or then again, not a problem for the motor drive for my Leica R bodies. You slap one of those motors on, and it works right away. Not so with the MD-12. YMMV.
 
I just bought one two days ago, for an FE2.

It feels good. I have large hands, and like the grip it provides. But, as mentioned before, it's LOUD. I was shocked/disappointed about that. I took it out, wandering around Manhattan, and in use, on the street, it wasn't so bad, but that is midtown New York City, where street noises camouflage a lot. I don't know what it will be like in Malaysia....

I like the fact that you don't have to keep the film advance arm OUT in order to meter/make exposures. That's one of the two things about the FE2 i don't like....

I think i'll keep it, as it does help me take more shots - something i need to be more and more conscious of doing. I'm usually disappointed when i get the negatives back and don't find enough to make good editing decisions. I'm trying to get away from the whole "decisive moment" BS.... For $40, it's not a bad option to have. Pack it in your luggage and try it out. If you're out in Malaysia and find it to be obtrusive, take it off. There are no other pieces to exchange.
 
I have strong opinions. I generally do not like making a 35mm slr taller - they are too tall already. And I don't particularly like the sound - it makes me think I'm a photographer in a seedy 60's movie. And ... HEY! I have a thumb on my right hand, and the winding lever gives it purpose!
 
I really like it when shooting portraits with the 105/2.5 or longer zooms. Well balanced and the ergonomics are just perfect. The weight also helps to reduce mirror slap. The button to press the shutter is well done. You really need to feel it, a different kind of shooting because you basically hold the whole camera in your right hand.
Yes, its heavy, and yes, its loud. you really are in a 70's photoshoot with that combo.
So for deliberate shots, like a portrait session, it's a nice piece of gear. And the combo (IMO) looks really nice.

So, well: I like it (but don't use it often). Last point concerning the weight issue: my F3 is almost as heavy as the FE2 + MD12... old Nikons, heavy ...
 
Motor drives? Don't leave home without them.
Had them on my FE and FE-2 and now on my F, F2 and FA.
Most important, I don't have to take the camera from my eye to advance the film, and the shutter is always cocked and ready, which is very important for time-sensitive street shooting.
Much easier to carry those older less egonomic bodies by the drive handle, and the body is easier to hold while shooting, especially with heavier or longer lenses.
The noise and the extra weight are non-issues for me as this is just how its been for over thirty years.
If they didn't cost $8,000.00 each, I'd have them on my three Nikon rangefinders as well.
 
Last edited:
Facts: Nikon motor drives are loud, heavy, and are not discrete.

I own two MD-4's and may get another later today if I buy another F3 (already own 2 F3's). I use my motor drives mostly with telephotos, where the added weight helps steady the camera for hand held available light photography. When I shoot wides I want a lite rig.

I find that with a motor drive the camera has more eyetime and I get more, better shots, and less missed shots, esspecially where focusing is more difficult due to longer focal lengths. I even shoot with a 180mm hand held.

One of my Nikons is a F3P, the ruggedized version that was made for the press. It was a real press camera that was owned by the newspaper NEWSDAY. I bought it after it was overhauled, just after returning from Operation Dessert Storm. F3P's came standard with a motor drive. With a 85/1.4 or a 105/1.8 this rig weighs literally five pounds with a AR-3 tripod base plate.

On the subway, with this camera, I feel like I am carrying a deadly weapon. It is an evil SLR!!! Taking this camera out without its motor drive would be like removing its mojo.

Calzone
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom