Just bought a Nikon FE, need some help

[1n5ane]

I recently picked up a mint condition Nikon FE and, to say the least, I have no idea how to use it.

My only experience with film cameras are with the full manual/mechanical variety(Nikon FG/FM), I have no experience with these newer electromechanical hybrids. I've already wasted the better half of the morning fiddling with it to no avail.

The light meter doesn't seem to move off the bottom of the scale unless either the ISO is set rediculously high (3200), or the exposure compensation is set to -2 (At an ISO setting of 400). Even with the above settings, the light meter doesn't seem to work if the aperture is set to anything above F2.8. Just to be clear, the light meter does work, it just won't move off the bottom of the scale without adjusting the above settings.

I'm finding that unless I can get the light meter to move off the bottom of the scale, every time I hit the shutter release, the shutter fires but locks open. The mirror stays up and the shutter stays locked open, the only way to close the shutter is to either turn the camera off (flip the film advance lever down). When the light meter is working (ie. After I've tweaked all the settings to force it to work), there are absolutely no issues with any of the speeds. Manual speeds still work fine.

The body is a standard Nikon FE, the lens is Nikon Series E 50mm 1:1.8.

Is there something actually wrong with the camera or is this another "quirk" have yet to learn about?

 

[dxqcanada]

Yes, I would say there is a problem that would require servicing.

 

[Derrel]

I am wondering if the AI Coupler tab is up?I am at work right now can't answer much more now

 

[1n5ane]

I am wondering if the AI Coupler tab is up?I am at work right now can't answer much more now

The lever that flicks the AI tab on the lens stays down. It appears to be connected to the mirror.

After playing with it a little more, I've noticed that the so called "exposure compensation" setting simply "compensates" by increasing/reducing the ISO. I see to have narrowed it down to several things, it appears that there may be a dead spot in the mechanism that senses both the ISO adjustment and the aperture setting.

When I'm in the deadspot, releasing the shutter locks it open(and the mirror up). I can get the shutter to close again by either adjusting the ISO knob or the aperture setting.

 

[Chucktin]

I have an FE on the shelf at home. Haven't touch it in several years. But have you tried Nikon's web site to see if older manuals are published as PDFs?

 

[Chucktin]

What your describing does not seem correct are your batteries fresh?

 

[compur]

- Did you remove the lens cap?

- Is there a filter on the lens?

- Is the lens fully mounted so it can't be rotated without pressing the lens release button?

- Does the ring surrounding the lens mount rotate in both directions when you turn the aperture setting ring on the lens back and forth?

- Does the lens diaphragm open and close when you manually move the coupling lever at the back end of the lens?

 

[Derrel]

I owned an FE for a while, in the mid-1980's, before selling it. As I recall, the light meter works after the film counter hits 0, but not before. One wants to set the shutter speed to a relatively fast speed to make the initial,blank film exposures. If the lens is set to a small aperture, like f/16 or whatever, then it's possible that the indoor shutter speeds in A mode would be very slow, into the multiple seconds, or slower. if the lens cap is on, then the speeds will be....soooo long it's not even funny...hence compur's very smart question, "have you removed the lens cap?" This question is an absolutely serious question.

As to the question compur asked, "Is the lens mounted fully so it cannot be rotated without pressing the lens release button?"---if the lens is NOT fully seated, the aperture can/will stop down to a small opening, and thus give a verrrrrry slow Auto-mode exposure time.

As to compur's question, "Does the ring surrounding the lens mount rotate in both directions when you turn the aperture setting ring on the lens back and forth?"---if this ring does NOT move freely, it will give incorrect information to the metering system. I had this ring (around the lens mount, on the body) get "sticky" after some saltwater salmon fishing use on an old FE-2...metering was whacked as a result...

******
Make sure the batteries in the camera are wiped CLEAN with a cloth and put into the camera with a clean cloth; even finger oils from just touching a pair of A-76 or similar button cells can prevent the camera from metering right. Seriously, not kidding, have "revived" many a camera at the camera store by wiping button cells with a cloth and re-installing them into a "dead" camera.

 

[1n5ane]

Hey Guys,

The advice is much appreciated.

- No the lens cap is not on (it it was, I wouldn't be able to see the light meter).
- The lens is mounted properly and doesn't rotate unless the release button is pressed.
- The aperture "sense" ring on the camera spins freely with no noticeable resistance (aside from usual spring tension).
- Batteries are fresh. Just cleaned the batteries and contacts as suggested with contact cleaner.
- The frame/exposure counter is well above 0 yet the shutter still locks open.

I've even tried hitting the shutter release with no lens installed, makes no difference, shutter still locks open mirror up.

My only indication that the shutter will lock up is that the light meter is completely dead and unresponsive. For whatever reason, as long as I keep the ISO set above 900 and keep the aperture below F2.8, the light meter functions perfectly fine and the camera works perfectly fine (even all the speeds work).

However, either dropping the ISO or increase F stops will result in the light meter being completely dead, you could point the camera at a 300W halogen lamp and the meter won't even budge. If you were to hit the shutter release in this condition, the shutter would fire and lock open.

When the shutter is locked open, you can close it either by powering the camera off, by bumping the ISO above 900 and/or by setting the aperture to F2.8 or lower. I've already tested it, the camera will happily sit there with the shutter locked open for hours.

 

[Derrel]

Does not sound all that good! Could you perhaps set the ISO dial to 1,000 or 1,250, and set the exposure compensation to Minus 2.0 EV and use ISO 400 film?

Otherwise, sounds like there's some kind of a serious problem. The only thing I can suggest is, perhaps moving the ISO control through the full range of settings; perhaps there's been some buildup of oxidization or whatnot inside, on some small component, whatever it might be, and that maybe repeated physical movement of the ASA dial, by lifting and turning it and moving it, repeatedly, might get the system to work. This is an "old school" way of fixing similar issues on metering systems...you know, back when things were more traditional wire-and-solder based, and less microchip-controlled! LOL!

How is the camera in Match-needle mode in MANUAL??? DO the speeds work? Does the meter indicate the right speed for the f/stop? Is there "a work-around"?

Is the issue that the A(perture priority automatically-timed) speed settings are wonky?

This Nikon FE camera can be used in match-diode Manual mode, or in A-mode. You've not mentioned either mode by name, and I'm not sure,100%, about your understanding of how the camera is supposed to function. I don't mean to offend...but...indoors for example, it's possible that the camera in A-mode, at f/5.6, would either flip up the mirror and "time out" a loooong,slow exposure, of say, 45 seconds indoors!

And it is also possible that the FE might be outside the actual,measurable metering range, at smaller f/stops, like f/4.5, indoors....the FE-2 OTOH could "time out" night-time exposures at ISO 64 or 100 slide film at f/8 in the three MINUTE range--even though that long and slow an exposure at that low of an ISO level is wayyyyy longer than the "official" exposure metering range. What I am suggesting is that, _possibly_ you're trying to use the camera in A mode,indoors, and that the flip-op-and-lock-open might actually be the camera trying to "meter out" a very dim,indoor situation.

But then again...maybe this is me misunderstanding what you're trying to do.

 

[Derrel]

Does not sound all that good! Could you perhaps set the ISO dial to 1,000 or 1,250, and set the exposure compensation to Minus 2.0 EV and use ISO 400 film?

Otherwise, sounds like there's some kind of a serious problem. The only thing I can suggest is, perhaps moving the ISO control through the full range of settings; perhaps there's been some buildup of oxidization or whatnot inside, on some small component, whatever it might be, and that maybe repeated physical movement of the ASA dial, by lifting and turning it and moving it, repeatedly, might get the system to work. This is an "old school" way of fixing similar issues on metering systems...you know, back when things were more traditional wire-and-solder bases, and less microchip-controlled! LOL!

 

[Tim Tucker 2]

Google *Functional Resistance Element* for the Nikon FE, apparently it had a habit of cracking. It is under the ASA dial:

Nikon FE - Features and Technical Notes Part I

Have you checked the shutter on the mechanical speeds?

 

[dxqcanada]

Have you checked the shutter on the mechanical speeds?

OP did say manual speed control works fine ... so it is an electronic component failure.

 

[1n5ane]

Thanks for the input guys. I've done quite a bit of research and I'm pretty sure the FRE for the ISO controls and the aperture is bad.

Looks like I'll be doing some camera surgery in the next few weeks.

 

[1n5ane]

Hi All, just wanted to post an update in case anyone else runs into the same issue. I just spent the last 2 hours replacing the FRE assembly and the camera now works!

After combing through every available datasheet/forum, my initial suspicions where the FRE. The same FRE is used to sense both ASA/ISO and Aperture settings.

After looking at how the light metering/timing works. it makes sense why a cracked FRE would produce the symptoms I had. The FRE is just a potentiometer, moving the dial to either side of the crack would result in the sense line either going to 0V or +3V (A properly working potentiometer would be able to produce anything between 0V and 3V). The crack on my FRE just so happened to occur around ISO setting 1000 which is probably +3V, this is why the light meter and shutter worked properly.

Turning the ASA/ISO settings down or increasing F stops would put the FRE into the 0V section, in this area, the camera thinks that the ISO/ASA setting was 0 or the aperture was infinitely small, both of which would require an infinite exposure time, hence the shutter locking open.

All in all, I'm very happy that that the camera is working. Knowing how delicate camera parts are, I was honestly convinced I'd break something but patience and a steady hand go a long ways. Perhaps if I get ballsy enough, I'll try tearing into my grandfather's old rolleicord 3 with a stuck shutter.

Parts are hard to come by but are surprisingly still available, I got my FRE assembly from Bill Rogers Cameras Repair Parts Optics Electronics