Waterman100
Established
I have a quick question: Is it possible to set the dial at an intermediate stop, such as between 1/30 and 1/60, to get a shutter speed that is ~1/45 ?
THanks for the help.
THanks for the help.
Nikon SP's shutter speed dial
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sp9107sp
Well-known
shutter speeds
shutter speeds
not on any Nikon , you would need to get a Alpa,
Jim
shutter speeds
not on any Nikon , you would need to get a Alpa,
Jim
VinceC
Veteran
The owner's manual for my S3-2000 said you can set intermediate speeds.
rbsinto
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you can also set intermediate speeds on the F2.
Last edited:
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Intermediate times can only be set for the green-marked part of the scale shorter than X-sync - as far as I can make out, the Nikon shutters regulate the slit width from that point on (which is continuous), while they (incrementally) switch timer escapements on longer times.
VinceC
Veteran
The lower speeds make sense -- that's where you tend to need the control more, anyway. I often set halfway between 1/8 and 1/15 or between 1/15 and 1/30.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
But does it work? That is, do you get an intermediate time rather than either 1/15 or 1/30 (or, worse, something entirely different)?
Checking up on the manuals, intermediate time settings were a undocumented feature on the rangefinders and F (if they worked at all). It was not until the F2 that the manual made any mention of it: "It can also be set for intermediate speeds between the marked settings for more precise exposure, except at speeds slower than 1/80 second".
I have used intermediate times on the F only at shorter than X, and that did at least not visibly misexpose, nor break the F - but that's about it, I believe it did work, but I cannot conclusively prove it, half a stop error is too small to be visible when not doing bracketed series. So I may have done a bit of useless F2 voodoo there...
I don't recommend using in between shutter speeds despite what the S3 2000 and SP 2005 manuals say. I knocked the slow speed governor out of whack doing that on one of my SP 2005s.
VinceC
Veteran
Live and learn. I know the high speeds change slit size, but I thought with slower speeds the timing mechanism was more or less a continuum.
I love the separate 1/50 speed on the S2 for flash sync. I've used it a lot for low-light shooting.
I love the separate 1/50 speed on the S2 for flash sync. I've used it a lot for low-light shooting.
Waterman100
Established
Thanks to all for leading the discussion.
I had the question because on many of my vintage Nikkor lenses, spacing between any two small apertures is very small, and it is different or impossible to set half stops. So I thought I maybe able to get around that by using intermediate shutter speeds.
But it seems from the discussion that it either cannot be done or not advisable :bang: Oh well...
Jon - do you know if Nikon repairs vintage SPs? The RF patch on mine is very usable but weak in low light settings. I wonder if Nikon can replace out some old parts to brighten up the patch. What do you think?
I had the question because on many of my vintage Nikkor lenses, spacing between any two small apertures is very small, and it is different or impossible to set half stops. So I thought I maybe able to get around that by using intermediate shutter speeds.
But it seems from the discussion that it either cannot be done or not advisable :bang: Oh well...
Jon - do you know if Nikon repairs vintage SPs? The RF patch on mine is very usable but weak in low light settings. I wonder if Nikon can replace out some old parts to brighten up the patch. What do you think?
Waterman100
Established
Jon - thanks for the suggestion. Is cleaning the back of the half mirror something I can do myself? How do I get to it?
I have done simple cleaning once, by taking out the top plate and just cleaning the VF windows, but didn't go any further.
Highway 61
Revisited
You have to remove the front plate and the top cover and use a very thin wooden pick (toothpick or similar) covered with some paper coming off a paper handkerchief and moistened with Windex or something similar, and change the paper after each swab.
Not difficult but boring and time-consuming.
Highway 61
Revisited
Yes, true.
Here are some tricks I used on two of mine with success - the parts came off and I didn't damage the camera cosmetics.
The flash post will come off when firmly gripped with one rubber dishwashing glove (and a hand inside it). Success rates are over 95%.
The release screw (part#387) inside the AR ring will come off using a new sharp tweezer bought at the pharmacy (the one designed to remove splinters). If the tweezer pins are new and carefully deeply set into the ring dots before beginning to unscrew the ring, the ring won't be damaged. Don't forget to release the small guard set screw before.
The aluminum push ring (part#443) will come off using a plastic fork which you custom make using a Tupperware pancake spatula as some raw material. Heating it with the pin of a soldering iron just before trying to unscrew it will help grantly.
Here are some tricks I used on two of mine with success - the parts came off and I didn't damage the camera cosmetics.
The flash post will come off when firmly gripped with one rubber dishwashing glove (and a hand inside it). Success rates are over 95%.
The release screw (part#387) inside the AR ring will come off using a new sharp tweezer bought at the pharmacy (the one designed to remove splinters). If the tweezer pins are new and carefully deeply set into the ring dots before beginning to unscrew the ring, the ring won't be damaged. Don't forget to release the small guard set screw before.
The aluminum push ring (part#443) will come off using a plastic fork which you custom make using a Tupperware pancake spatula as some raw material. Heating it with the pin of a soldering iron just before trying to unscrew it will help grantly.
