froyd
Veteran
Swoon .
froyd
Veteran
In my case, two of my film bodies simply cannot be used without one, so no option there! The F4s' motor drive I would not mind losing, occasionally, though I really enjoy its ergonomics, whereas the Contax G is so small and discrete with he build in drive, that I'm barely aware it's there.
GarageBoy
Well-known
Funny thing you say that, the F4 without the motor drive is the camera I wished the F3 was (I like the AF assist, the shutter, the LCD display in the viewfinder- HATE the bulk in MB20 form- I actually find it nicer to hold in F4S form)
harpofreely
Well-known
I use the smaller of the two made for my Canon F1N for grip, balance, and because it's the only way to get shutter priority AE on that body. Badass looks are a bonus.
photomoof
Fischli & Weiss Sculpture
Alas like everything extraordinarily beautiful, it had a flaw, the "sardine can" battery pack was quickly replaced by a larger, and more practical battery pack, which held C cells.
rodinal
film user
I'm using one just to spice up this camera...
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
I didn't think the F4 would be mentioned in this thread since you don't really add the motordrive to it...
Fraser
Well-known
Huss
Veteran
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
I've had winders since my first SLR, a Canon AE-1, and use them occasionally.
By far the loudest camera I ever owned was a Nikon FM2n with MD-12.
The nice vertical grip with release on the Pentax Winder MX (3 fps)
makes this diminutive camera body far more hand-holdable for me.
I've always wanted to try the rare Pentax Motor Drive MX (5 fps).
Chris
By far the loudest camera I ever owned was a Nikon FM2n with MD-12.
The nice vertical grip with release on the Pentax Winder MX (3 fps)
makes this diminutive camera body far more hand-holdable for me.
I've always wanted to try the rare Pentax Motor Drive MX (5 fps).
Chris
photomoof
Fischli & Weiss Sculpture
Jolie laide?
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
I use some cameras with integral motor drives - Nikon F4, Contax G1, GA645Zi. And I do almost always use the prism and motor drive on the M645 Pro.
narsuitus
Well-known
When I was working at a newspaper, I needed a motor drive for shooting sports and other action events. In 1971, when the Nikon F2 was introduced, I traded two Nikon F bodies for two Nikon F2 bodies because the F2 motor drives did not need to be custom fitted to each body. However, the F2 motor drives were too expensive for my budget.
Instead, I purchased a Nikon EM body with a motor drive because the cost of the EM with motor drive was less expensive than one F2 motor drive.
Later, when F2 drive prices decreased and my budget allowed it, I purchased a motor drive for all three of my Nikon F2 bodies.
Still later, I replaced my disposable backup camera (the Nikon EM) with a Nikon N70/F70 body that had a built-in motor drive.
Finally, I added an auto focus/auto exposure Nikon F4 with a built-in motor drive to my inventory.
Besides using motor driven film cameras for sports, I also used them for:
1. Weddings -- shooting with one body and remotely controlling another motor driven body.
2. Astronomy -- using the motor to advance the film to prevent accidentally moving the camera or the telescope and losing the subject.
3. Time Lapse -- using the motor to advance the film while the camera is under the control of a intervalometer.
4. Added Weight -- when shooting with long telephoto lenses (500, 1000, and 2000mm) on a tripod, it is sometimes better to use the added weight of the motor drive to reduce the swaying of the setup caused by the wind.
Nikon F4 & F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
Dralowid
Michael
I now have one and a half working motors for my SL MOT...they are good for wedging under a wheel of the car when I leave it on steep hills.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
So that the F didn't expose half a roll or a roll at random: clacketa clacketa clacketa clacketa. I've owned only two F motors, but I've used others professionally, and they've all had a penchant for hammering off several frames at a time, often when it was least expected.
Cheers,
R.
photomoof
Fischli & Weiss Sculpture
I have owned several SP, and F motors (6 or so total), which if they are properly installed and tested, and NEVER moved to another body without readjustment, will not run on.
Nikon only charged $20 for the adjustment, and it was free on new motors bought separately. I did have SP motors refuse to run, in particular the sardine can battery pack.
Can't speak for the F2, but never had an F3 run on, and I used them a lot.
But of course, other's milage may vary from mine.
Nikon only charged $20 for the adjustment, and it was free on new motors bought separately. I did have SP motors refuse to run, in particular the sardine can battery pack.
Can't speak for the F2, but never had an F3 run on, and I used them a lot.
But of course, other's milage may vary from mine.
BillBingham2
Registered User
OK, have to agree. I still have a strong lust for a RapidWinder for a Nikon RF, but odds are won't go there.
Bet you could build your own sardine can out of Lithium cells....
I think there was a now dead style of German Martial Art that used two of them (one with a 35 Cron, the other with a 90). No books or films exist of this powerful form, though there are many intake reports from various hospitals across Germany that speak very clearly to it's ability to do catastrophic damage to just about any part of the human body.
B2 (;->
sc_rufctr
Leica nuts
I occasionally use one on my R6.2 but it's a big bulky Germanic thing.
More a collectors piece nowadays than a practical accessory but it does improve the ergonomics with a longer lens.
More a collectors piece nowadays than a practical accessory but it does improve the ergonomics with a longer lens.
Dralowid
Michael
Closer to the truth than you imagine. Maybe you refer to the Leitz tandem device for two Leicaflexes with motors. It was the only way the Germans could think of making something with a higher FPS than those pesky Japanese. The result was an increased hernia rate amongst West German photojournalists who presumably were the only people on earth who could afford them (the cameras, not the hernias).