New acquisition: Nikon F2 Fotomic... jammed.

[leicapixie]

Did you try with film inside?
Occasionally some cameras NEED a film, moving sprocket wheel..
It looks like it needs a service..if all else fails..

 

[Highway 61]

Did you try with film inside?
Occasionally some cameras NEED a film, moving sprocket wheel..

The camera cannot be wound so a film inside wouldn't change things.

But - subsequentally this makes me think of telling this to the OP : open the camera back and fully manually turn the film sprockets shaft so that it cocks the shutter, then try to fire it.

This is the same as trying this by turning the top of the shaft once the shutter speeds knob has been removed, but this will be easier.

 

[Sumarongi]

I'm intrigued — I also have a kaput F2 somewhere, I bought it years ago because I just needed the (working) DP-something-finder as a present for my mother-in-law.

 

[Luddite Frank]

The camera cannot be wound so a film inside wouldn't change things.

But - subsequentally this makes me think of telling this to the OP : open the camera back and fully manually turn the film sprockets shaft so that it cocks the shutter, then try to fire it.

This is the same as trying this by turning the top of the shaft once the shutter speeds knob has been removed, but this will be easier.

Sprockets will not turn to wind shutter. 🙁

If I press the "Rewind" release button in the bottom plate, the sprockets will freewheel, enabling film to be wound back into cassette, but once the back is closed and the camera resets to "advance", the sprockets are locked.

The film take-up spool will turn with the thumb against the knurled flange of the spool (as it should?).

LF

 

[Sumarongi]

Sprockets will not turn to wind shutter. 🙁

If I press the "Rewind" release button in the bottom plate, the sprockets will freewheel, enabling film to be wound back into cassette, but once the back is closed and the camera resets to "advance", the sprockets are locked.

The film take-up spool will turn with the thumb against the knurled flange of the spool (as it should?).

Quite the same here, *IIRC*; haven't found the F2 yet, but I did find other parts I didn't even know I had, e.g.: an Exakta 250mm Meyer lens (but I don't recall to have a working Exakta, unfortunately), a Zeiss 35mm Pro-Tessar (ditto!), several extension rings (e.g. for Minolta, for Canon), then three-four cameras I really have *no* idea where they came from?! —— Sorry, I'm hijacking your thread; ha! there should be a «What Camera Clutter Did You Discover Recently In Your Own House»-thread somewhere 😉

 

[Steve M.]

It seems to be age related as you mentioned Dogman. Just google Nikon F jammed and you will see that a lot of people have had this problem, unfortunately.

 

[Steve M.]

Can you press the rewind button, cock the shutter, and fire it w/ the back open? If so, that should tell where the problem lies, or at least eliminate some of the possibilities.

 

[colker]

Is the common jamming plague striking the cameras due to their age?

Due to not using the shutter for a long time.

 

[largedrink]

Just lost my post so I'll write it again. I had a similar issue with an F2 and it was a simple fix - perhaps it will work for you. Remove the bottom plate (simple procedure). There's a prominent 3-armed rocker in the centre of the mechanism and one of the small moving parts beneath this rocker on the tripod-socket side had become jammed. All it took was a small nudge with a screwdriver to free up the mechanism. You can try gently pressing the winder to see which parts want to move, and gently nudge these to see whether they will free up (it took me 10 minutes of trial and error to find the jammed part). Take care not to dislodge any springs or fine parts

 

[Steve M.]

I think that's why the Nikkormats don't have this problem colker. They have Copal shutters. Never saw one w/ a shutter problem. Really sweet sounding shutters! Darn, now I'm lurking on the auctions looking for another one.

 

[colker]

I think that's why the Nikkormats don't have this problem colker. They have Copal shutters. Never saw one w/ a shutter problem. Really sweet sounding shutters! Darn, now I'm lurking on the auctions looking for another one.

I have that trouble on a FM and a FE...

 

[farlymac]

I think that's why the Nikkormats don't have this problem colker. They have Copal shutters. Never saw one w/ a shutter problem. Really sweet sounding shutters! Darn, now I'm lurking on the auctions looking for another one.

The Nikkormat EL, ELW, and EL2 have a common jamming issue caused by mishandling the camera when winding. You have to take the bottom plate off to clear it, and it involves a lever in the middle of the body below the film gate. I don't think it is related to LF's problem, as his is likely a different lever involved.

PF

 

[Highway 61]

Sprockets will not turn to wind shutter. 🙁

Are you sure ? This requires quite some strength in your fingers. You have to turn it to the right of the camera when you look at the camera from the back. Locking the mirror up before trying this will help (the mirror mech. won't be part of the deal then).

If I press the "Rewind" release button in the bottom plate, the sprockets will freewheel, enabling film to be wound back into cassette, but once the back is closed and the camera resets to "advance", the sprockets are locked.

Once the back is closed you can't try to make the sprockets shaft turn nor can you see it...

Closing the back will only actuate the frames counter. You can remove the camera back (there is a spring pin at the hinge) for good until the problem has cleared, this might be of some help to understand what's wrong with this F2.

The film take-up spool will turn with the thumb against the knurled flange of the spool (as it should?)

This is normal, the take-up spool is on a passive friction shaft.

Bottom line : I'm very skeptical about the posts in that thread telling about a design plague of the Nikon F2 shutter or the shutter jamming up because of some long time no use. This shutter is all ball bearings design and as one poster wrote it's probably the most reliable and robust 24x36 focal plane shutter made ever. Of course there is something wrong with this one but this might be for some other reasons than some related to how the shutter was built. One previous careless owner might have damaged something for instance. Even the best built cameras can be damaged by the "operator error" factor.

I have owned several F2 and still have two. None of mine have failed so far. The only problem I had was with dead CdS cells in a DP-11 finder.

 

[Sumarongi]

I will play with the DOF button and the motor-drive release plunger a bit, and if that fails, I might get brave and pull the bottom plate.

Re bottom plate: I found my F2 today, and hence I can say: please, do it only if you have the proper tools. In my F2's case, since the previous owner used brute force apparently, several cables are broken and at least two screws too. (I'm even not at all sure whether the thing is complete, I find that there's too much wiggling in the entire bottom area.)

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I have this anecdote from Navy photo school I tell about the F2.
My instructor was being dropped into Afghanistan with a team of combat cameramen in the early 2000s. All the gear was on a sled with a drogue chute. Personnel parachuted and the sled wasn't properly netted down so when it hit the desert floor at a few hundred mph, everything flew apart. Pelican cases containing D1s and laptops destroyed. The only camera to survive was a Nikon F2 which was dug out of the hole it made in the earth, dusted off and put back into operation with no hiccups. One sailor said "I've never seen anything kill an F4" but there it was, dead on impact along with everything else but the faithful F2.
So a jam from non-use is probably not the cause. They are not Leicas. They are like AK-47s, just a little quieter.
Phil Forrest

 

[Luddite Frank]

Another update:

Fiddled some more with the beast last night... tried every (?) combination of working the DOF button, mirror lock-up lever, rewind release button, motor-drive shutter release plunger, trying to turn the sprockets, etc.

Nothing worked. Advance lever would not move beyond "meter-on" and shutter release button still won't depress or trip.

In a "what have I got to lose" moment, holding the camera body in my left-hand, I whacked the bottom of the wind-end against the heel of my right hand a couple of times.

I then tried the wind-lever, and it easily moved through its cycle, the shutter cocked, and then fired nicely ( 1/250?).

I was able to wind again, and this time set the shutter to 1 sec; it fired and ran nicely, perhaps a little slow.

I tried to wind a third time, and things "locked-up" again, as they were at square one.

I fiddled, tapped this way and that, without success.

It showed tantalizing signs of life for a few moments.

 

[Luddite Frank]

Are you sure ? This requires quite some strength in your fingers. You have to turn it to the right of the camera when you look at the camera from the back. Locking the mirror up before trying this will help (the mirror mech. won't be part of the deal then).

Once the back is closed you can't try to make the sprockets shaft turn nor can you see it...

Closing the back will only actuate the frames counter. You can remove the camera back (there is a spring pin at the hinge) for good until the problem has cleared, this might be of some help to understand what's wrong with this F2.


This is normal, the take-up spool is on a passive friction shaft.

Bottom line : I'm very skeptical about the posts in that thread telling about a design plague of the Nikon F2 shutter or the shutter jamming up because of some long time no use. This shutter is all ball bearings design and as one poster wrote it's probably the most reliable and robust 24x36 focal plane shutter made ever. Of course there is something wrong with this one but this might be for some other reasons than some related to how the shutter was built. One previous careless owner might have damaged something for instance. Even the best built cameras can be damaged by the "operator error" factor.

I have owned several F2 and still have two. None of mine have failed so far. The only problem I had was with dead CdS cells in a DP-11 finder.

You are right about closing the back of the camera; to re-set the rewind release, one must turn the take-spool in the Advance direction.

I was reluctant to put too much force into trying to turn the sprockets; I have enough finger / hand strength to break stuff, so discretion was the better part of valor.


Thanks,

LF

 

[Noserider]

Yep had this problem a few times. The fix described is a good place to start; a lever on the bottom has another small lever that has a thin spring and that spring is just off its proper positions. You wouldn't think that small extra pressure would make a jam but if the body is dropped flat it often happens. I seem to recall the process to unjam is to release the main spring tension and before the next wind cycle identify that small spring (wire like not coiled) and reset. The next wind cycle should go proper.

 

[colker]

Have you tried contacting Nikon? I would ask their take before any of the extreme measures described in this thread.

 

[B-9]

Nikon might look at you crooked if you asked them about a F2.

If your at a loss, contact the expert, Sover Wong.