Difference between motor drive and power winder?

[Jack Shuman]

Can anyone help with the question: what is the difference between a motor drive and a power winder? Thanks in advance!

 

[dxqcanada]

FPS.
I remember from my Canon New F-1, the winder was about 2fps and the motor drive was about 5fps.

 

[Derrel]

Speed and size...Motor drives were larger,almost always with a handgrip (and most often a vertical trigger button) and typically took eight 1.5-volt AA batteries. Power winders were smaller, usually with no hand grip and no trigger button, and took typically four AA batteries. Typical motor drive speeds were 3.2 to about 5 frames per second; power winders were often 1, 1.5 or maybe 2 frames pr second. High-end motor drives usually had power rewind of the film; winders did not typically offer that feature. Many mid-level motor drives did NOT offer power film rewinding.

On later-era, high-end motor drives, the batteries in the motor could/would power camera functions, like the meter and shutter.

 

[Jack Shuman]

FPS.
I remember from my Canon New F-1, the winder was about 2fps and the motor drive was about 5fps.

Thank you! It seems the main difference is the FPS.

 

[Jack Shuman]

Speed and size...Motor drives were larger,almost always with a handgrip (and most often a vertical trigger button) and typically took eight 1.5-volt AA batteries. Power winders were smaller, usually with no hand grip and no trigger button, and took typically four AA batteries. Typical motor drive speeds were 3.2 to about 5 frames per second; power winders were often 1, 1.5 or maybe 2 frames pr second. High-end motor drives usually had power rewind of the film; winders did not typically offer that feature. Many mid-level motor drives did NOT offer power film rewinding.

On later-era, high-end motor drives, the batteries in the motor could/would power camera functions, like the meter and shutter.

Thank you for the detailed information! I raised this question because I noticed that Minolta XD-11 can accept AutoWinder D, but not Motor drive MD-1. Does the camera body need special contacts to accept a motor drive?

 

[Derrel]

Yes, special contacts were typically used--as well as a mechanical interconnection in the bottom plate of the camera, which connected the film advance and shutter cocking mechanism to the drive-cog system on the winder or motor drive. Typically, a small screw-in "plate" would be unscrewed on the bottom on the camera, and inside that there would be a female connector that accepted the projection prongs from the motor drive or winder; the cover for that was typically housed inside the battery compartment of the winder or drive, in a small slot; the plate was typically around the size of a dime or nickel.

Cameras designed to accept full-fledged motor drive units were typically built to withstand rapid shutter tensioning, film advance, and fast reflex mirror flapping and returning! Nikon manual focus lenses of that era were often described as having ball-bearing diaphragm mechanisms, capable of withstanding motor-driven use.

 

[Jack Shuman]

Yes, special contacts were typically used--as well as a mechanical interconnection in the bottom plate of the camera, which connected the film advance and shutter cocking mechanism to the drive-cog system on the winder or motor drive. Typically, a small screw-in "plate" would be unscrewed on the bottom on the camera, and inside that there would be a female connector that accepted the projection prongs from the motor drive or winder; the cover for that was typically housed inside the battery compartment of the winder or drive, in a small slot; the plate was typically around the size of a dime or nickel.

Cameras designed to accept full-fledged motor drive units were typically built to withstand rapid shutter tensioning, film advance, and fast reflex mirror flapping and returning! Nikon manual focus lenses of that era were often described as having ball-bearing diaphragm mechanisms, capable of withstanding motor-driven use.

Thank you again! That's very informative.