Why use a motor drive attachment?

Arbitrarium

Arbitrarium

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Probably totally naive but I can't quite grasp why anyone would choose to use a motor drive unless it was totally necessary to take rapid-fire photos (which you wouldn't on film unless you love wasting money).

Why would I choose to double the size and weight of my camera (potentially an exaggeration) and add a horrible conspicuous noise merely for the non-benefit of no longer having to move my right thumb slightly? It just seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

The only sensible reason I can think of is to make photography easier for people with arthritis.
 
Maybe more for looks than anything else. Not many people I know shoot action, etc with film cameras these days :)
 
Better balance and ergonomics with long telephoto lenses; e.g., the F100 was a good ergonomic fit for me with short primes, but with long lenses, I preferred attaching an MB-15 battery pack.

Another reason was extended shooting allowed with extra batteries.

Lastly, it was nice to have a shutter button on top when shooting a vertical composition.
 
Event shooting also comes to mind, where you sometimes don't have the luxury of removing your eye from the finder to wind on, or the time. Birding is another time you may need multiple frames to get just that right pose, since they tend to make quite sudden movements.

Don't forget, many later SLRs had built-in drives, so it must have been popular enough to push it out to the masses.

And it's not wasting film if it helps you get the shot.

PF
 
It made sense before the digital era, for sports, car racing, etc. Also on political events, to get just the right moment. Nowadays? not really much sense.

I got motor drive for my Olympus OM's. It had some use before the digital era (around the 80-90's I guess).

Regards
 
Back in the days it meant getting a second shot, and added counterweight for long lenses. These days I only use motors where they are integral, or where they significantly improve handling (e.g. on 120 SLRs like the M645Pro/TL in eye-level mode).
 
What Keith said. With a Nikon F3, it powers the camera, gives better balance with long or heavy lenses, and assures that the next frame is ready for use without winding the camera. This is especially helpful for those of us who shoot left-eyed. I still use them to shoot fires and other incidents for our local volunteer fire company, so a few of us do shoot film cameras at incidents that require a fast response.
 
kxl said:
Better balance and ergonomics with long telephoto lenses; e.g., the F100 was a good ergonomic fit for me with short primes, but with long lenses, I preferred attaching an MB-15 battery pack.

Another reason was extended shooting allowed with extra batteries.

Lastly, it was nice to have a shutter button on top when shooting a vertical composition.
Click to expand...
While I agree with shorter winders like the Minolta Motor Drive 1 or Nikon MD-12, the F3 winder for example is rather large and bulky.

Extra batteries haven't been much of a concern for me on 35mm SLR cameras, highly unlike my D7100 :)
 
Arbitrarium said:
...it was totally necessary to take rapid-fire photos.
Click to expand...

There's the reason right there. If you don't shoot sports or wildlife or photojournalism maybe you don't need one, but these genres (and no doubt others as well) can certainly make use of a motor drive.
 
Here are the times when I used motor drives on my Nikon F2 cameras:

When shooting fast action subjects or events.
When shooting a subject that must be shot quickly because he/she/it is being paid big money.
When shooting aerial photography.
For faster shooting of bracketed exposures.
For time lapse photography.
Camera under remote control.
For fast rewinding of the film.
When camera is mounted on a tripod, to avoid unwanted camera movement when winding film.
When camera is mounted on telescope, to avoid unwanted camera movement when winding film.
My personal preference for heavy cameras (less camera movement when hand holding).
My personal preference for larger cameras (better grip).


Nikon F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr
 
Ive always like a motor drive for convenience when im doing a job, makes sense for the sort of shooting I do where although I do try and save film I would much rather take a bad shot then miss a great one. Event shooting is probably my main use for one and hence why I got the hassy 500 EL vs the CM - I can keep going without having to change position to wind on.
 
I use motor drives almost always on my 35mm SLR film cameras (Olympus OM-4Ti, OM-2n, OM-1n, Nikon FM3a, FE2, F6 (built in). Not only is it useful in short bursts for action photos, but also in taking portraits and group shots. I find that some people tend to tense up in front of the camera, but relax a bit immediately after the first shot (especially when using flash). The motor drive allows one to immediately take another shot or two before the subject(s) can tense up again. With group shots, I like to take a short string of shots to increase the chances of getting at least one where no one is blinking. The additional weight helps counterbalance heavier lenses and the motor drive grip helps me hold the camera steadier. The grips also make holding the camera easier when using a wrist strap, which I sometimes like to do. As to the increased noise, I find the better motor drive units make much less noise than the cheaper motor winders typically used. For example, the built in motor drive for the F6 is completely silent and totally free of vibration. The Motor Drive 1 and Motor Drive 2 units for the Olympus cameras are very much quieter and smoother than the Olympus Winder 2 unit, which makes a loud screeching racket. The MD12 motor drive units for the Nikon FE2 and FM3a are a bit noisier than the OM motor drives (partially because the shutters of these cameras are a bit clacky), but are still alot quieter than the cheaper winders.
 
Don't forget, on the older and larger cameras with motor drives - the F2 Nikon comes to mind with its 10 AA batteries - the motor drive weaponizes the camera. There are times and places when that perception is helpful.
 
If you are a left-eye dominant shooter, some cameras' wind levers require you to move the camera/VF away from your face to advance the film and take the next shot. In a quickly developing situation, a motor drive allows you to keep your eye glued to the finder. Also you can, well, take pictures more quickly, which for sports, weddings, children, street photography, candid or environmental portraiture (basically everything I do with a camera) was often useful. I never worry about "wasting" film -- I bulk load and the cost of a roll of film is nothing compared the cost of missing a shot. I have many "blowing out the candles on the birthday cake" pictures that can be seen as a series of instants . . . they are sometimes more effective taken together than waiting for one moment, that won't come again.

There are, of course, many more contemplative photography styles - - large format photography requires you to slow down, for instance. But the whole point of 35mm cameras was to be mobile, nimble, flexible . . .motor drives, or the late Tom Abrahmson's excellent rapid winder for Leicas, do that in [ insert word that rhymes with "glades", is a suit of a standard deck of playing cards, and which we are all apparently too limited to figure out is not a racial slur here].

[Edit: note how many digital cameras have a "motor drive" feature. I think my little digital Olympus Pen (4 years old) will go 5 frames per second . . . I use it when I want to capture the flow of the action . . .]
 
I like my olympus winder 1. I enjoy the loud robotic sound it makes, reminds me of childhood school photos. It's like a dialogue, subject says "cheese", camera responds with "clack, WROUUUUR". I surely have zero need to use one just like I have absolutely zero need to shoot film.
 
I have drives on several bodies:
Pentax MX
Nikon F2, F3, FM, FE
Canon A-1
I have them for a couple reasons...first it's easier to carry and feels better...second, it allows me to keep my eye in the viewfinder and follow what I'm shooting...
For the Canon, I bought the winder because it was in Mint condition and I wanted something to protect the camera bottom...
 
I use them to make the camera more solid in my hands. The added mass reduces camera shake when using low shutter speeds like 1/30 or so. And although I don't need to shoot rapid fire, the motor keeps me from having to take the camera away from my eye when I want to try several shots with more than one composition. And the greater comfort with heavy lenses others have mentioned is another benefit. My FE2 or FM3a with an MD12 is a nice setup!
 
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