Modern Classic SLRs Series :
Nikon FE2 - Part VI

 
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The left hand side of the camera hasn't been changed much compared with the FE. But rather more of a refinement in details, cosmetic changes and enhancing features as available in the FE. Most noticeable is the exposure compensation setting from the FE 1/2 stop increments to a finer exposure scale of 1/3. The film speed is the same as Nikon FE, reads at 12-4000.

FE2 Left.jpg (13k)
While a safety lock (2) prevents user's unintended shifting of the compensation setting (Always check the dial especially when you are sharing the camera with others, the neutral point should always be at '0' (3), this is aided by a red LED warning signal in the viewfinder when activates). The indicator (1) is the safety lock for rewind action. You have turn the lever first and follow by pulling the rewind knob before the camera back can be opened. Click HERE for further details for various operational procedures on: 1) Setting the film speed; 2) Exposure compensation.

Pentaprism Housing The Nikon FE2, as with the FE comes with a fixed, non interchangeable eyelevel pentaprism; it yields a 0.86x
magnification with 50mm lens set at infinity; frame coverage is approx. 93% (Practical in most cases, if you calculate the slide mount or the cropping of the sides by commercial one hour lab for your negative prints). It is using the same rigid metal outfit to protect the all important optical viewing structure, computer circuitry, condenser lens and the metering cells inside the camera. At the lower portion is the location of the accessory shoe that takes - not just flash, but also other system components like remote receiver, flash coupler accessories etc.

Pentaprism.jpg (12k)

The main function of this ISO-type accessory shoes, of cause is still focus and designed for flash photography. You may notice that the original FE's hot shoe has a second contact for the viewfinder ready-light and automatic sync speed. The FE2 has four terminals. This is in addition to the flash synchronization contact and ground, one is for the viewfinder ready light and two new additional contacts communicate and relay flash information to the TTL flash(s) being used.
More info: Nikon SB-1 to SB-21 Speedlight/Flash Units

The TTL output control is also the stop signal contact. As soon as the TTL-SPD senses the flash output enough and the current is reversed from the Speedlight to stop firing. The monitor contact checks if the Speedlight attached is set to the TTL mode. This initiates the circuit (diode) operation for the TTL output control.

Hot Shoe illus.jpg (8k)
The ready light signal flows to the timing control when the Speedlight attached is switched on. Shutter speed is automatically set to the default of 1/250 sec on the completion of charging the Speedlight, this will caused the LED of the ready light of the camera lights up.

The ready light will perform another function, that is when you have set the ASA dial to ASA 880 or more. This will activate the stop signal to blink the ready light LED in the viewfinder to indicate out of flash exposure calculation. Why can't the FE has that as well ? No. Since the earlier FE was not designed with a TTL OTF (Through The Lens Off the film) flash metering in its design, it cannot benefits with the additional contacts (even if it has, probably for other functions). The TTL metering circuit works when shutter release turns the X contact on and the Speedlight begins to fire (Assuming a dedicated flash unit was used). The light travels out to the subject and is reflected back through the lens to the film plane and next to the SPD located at the mirror cage. The TTL SPD generates the current flow in response to the light intensity from the flash unit. The TTL metering circuit will then provide the voltage adequate to the amount of the current flow and put in into the integration circuit. The shift of the voltage will later relay to the flash output control circuit. The receiving circuit has the reference to compared with the input against it to decide when the flash out put should be cutoff for an theoretical optimum flash exposure. Other related information pertaining to flash is, even before the frame counter reaches '1', shutter speed is automatically set to default speed of 1/250 sec. on Auto or Manual mode (like if the shutter speed is set to 1/500 sec or more) with a dedicated flash attached.

Some situation where the ready light relates to TTL Ready light output control:

Ready light Should be turned on when a dedicated flash is full charged.
Ready light function when a dedicated flash is mounted Shutter Speed Setting(s) Mode
Auto
1/4000 sec - 8 sec
M250, B
TTL mode
Glowing
Glowing
Blinking
A, M, MD mode
Glowing
Glowing
Glowing
ASA setting error warning ASA 400 or below: Ready light glows in TTL mode
ASA 880 or higher: Ready light blinks in TTL mode
Ready light LED blinking after flash To be blinking after SB15/16 provides a full output on the TTL mode.
For the SB15, it will blink while the flash is being charged.
Output stop signal time EV15/ASA 50 /f1.4 Double firing for slow shutter speed Tobe be release at 1 sec or slower; not to use when ready light lights up with X contact on.


Note: SB15/SB16 was used as a guide, 'A'= Auto; 'M'=Manual; 'MD' Motor Drive setting (Flash).

Click here the see the location of the SPD sensor that works for the FE2's TTL Flash metering. The same applies to the Nikon FA which uses the same principle and for TTL OTF flash metering system. I think by now, you should realize what this simple, small wonder camera that can do for you, huh ? Now, we turn to the base portion of the camera and see what are the features available there.

Base View Map.jpg (11k)
Very straight forward, apart from the battery chamber and film rewind button, the rest are meant for motor drive operation. As the dedicated motor drive MD-12 (Earlier MD-11 can also be used) has no automatic rewind and it doesn't power the camera as with the MD15 (as you notice there are only four contact point). You can compared this with the MD-15 for the Nikon FA. All the three motor drives has been featured individually in other sections.

* Alternate 3rd party products: Soligor Power Winder | Y.I.C Power Winder

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Basic Camera Operation and additional info available in 11 parts

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| Back | to Pictorial History of Nikon Rangefinder/SLR/Digital cameras

Shared Resources: MD-11 | MD-12 | 3rd Party Power Winder Only for FM2(n)/FE2/FA | Focusing Screens | Titanium Shutter | Flash Units - | SB-15 | SB-10 | SB-16B & Other Options | Databack | Nikkor lens mount (related info)

Others:- Nikon AF-TTL Speedlights | SB-20 (1986) | SB-22 (1987) | SB-23 | SB-24 (1988) | SB-25 (1991/2) | SB-26 (1994) | SB-27(1997) | SB-28 (1997) | Nikon SB-29(s) (2000) | Nikon SB-30 (2003) | Nikon SB-600 (2004) | Nikon SB-800 (2003) Nikon AF-TTL Speedlight DX-Series: Nikon SB-28DX (1999) | SB-50DX (2001) | SB-80DX (2002)

Nikon BC-flash Series | Original Nikon Speedlight
SB-2 | SB-3 | SB-4 | SB-5 | SB-6 | SB-7E | SB-8E | SB-9 | SB-E | SB-10
SB-11
| SB-12 | SB-14 | SB-140 UV-IR| SB-15 | SB16A | SB-17 | SB-18, SB-19 | SB-21A (SB-29) Macro flash | Flash Accesories | SF-1 Pilot Lamp


weblibrary.gif   Nikon F | Nikon F2 | Nikon F3 | Nikon F4 | Nikon F5 | Nikon F6 | Nikkormat / Nikomat | Nikon FM | Nikon FE/ FA | Nikon EM/FG/FG20 | Nikon Digital SLRs | Nikon - Other models

Nikon Auto Focus Nikkor lenses:- Main Index Page
Nikon Manual Focus Nikkor lenses:- Fisheye-Nikkor Lenses - Circular | Full Frame | Ultrawides Lenses - 13mm15mm18mm20mm | Wideangle Lenses - 24mm28mm35mm | Standard Lenses - 45mm 50mm 58mm | Telephoto Lenses - 85mm105mm135mm180mm & 200mm | Super-Telephoto Lenses - 300mm 400mm 500mm 600mm 800mm 1200mm |

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Index Page
  Special Application lenses:
Micro-Nikkor Lenses - 50mm~55mm -60mm 85mm -105mm 200mm Micro-Zoom 70-180mm
Perspective Control (PC) - 28mm 35mm PC-Micro 85mm
Dedicated Lenses for Nikon F3AF: AF 80mm f/2.8 | AF 200mm f/3.5 EDIF
Depth of Field Control (DC): 105mm 135mm
Medical Nikkor: 120mm 200mm
Reflex-Nikkor Lenses - 500mm 1000mm 2000mm
Others: Noct Nikkor | OP-Nikkor | UV Nikkor 55mm 105mm | Focusing Units | Bellows-Nikkor 105mm 135mm
Nikon Series E Lenses: 28mm35mm50mm100mm135mm | E-Series Zoom lenses: 36~72mm75~150mm70~210mm


MF Zoom-Nikkor Lenses: 25~50mm | 28~45mm | 28~50mm | 28~85mm | 35~70mm | 36~72mm E | 35~85mm | 35~105mm | 35~135mm | 35~200mm | 43~86mm | 50~135mm | 50~300mm | 70~210mm E | 75~150mm E | 80~200mm | 85~250mm | 100~300mm | 180~600mm | 200~400mm | 200~600mm | 360~1200mm | 1200~1700mm

Tele-Converters: TC-1 | TC-2 | TC-200 | TC-201 | TC-300 | TC-301 | TC-14 | TC-14A | TC-14B | TC-14C | TC-14E | TC-16 | TC-16A | TC-20E

Recommended links to understand more technical details related to the Nikkor F-mount and production Serial Number:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-153.html by: my friend, Rick Oleson
http://www.zi.ku.dk/personal/lhhansen/photo/fmount.htm by: Hansen, Lars Holst
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/nikonfmount/lens2.htm
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

W A R N I N G: The New G-SERIES Nikkor lenses have no aperture ring on the lens, they CANNOT ADJUST APERTURES with any of these manual focus Nikon FE series SLR camera models; please ignore some portion of the content contained herein this site where it relates.

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A contributing effort to Michael C Liu's Classic Nikon Site.

Credit: Chuck Hester for some of his beautiful images used in this site; Ted Wengelaar®, Holland for his continuous flow of input; Lars Holst Hansen, Danish 'Hawkeye' who shares the same passion; Mr Poon from Poon photo for their input; Ms Miss Rissa (Sales Manager) & members of the Technical Service dept. of Shriro Malaysia, local distributor of Nikon cameras in Malaysia & Singapore, in providing so many useful input to make this site possible. Special thanks to Mr MC Lau, who has helped with his images of the MF-12 databack. Michael Tan, Pertama Photo (603-2926505) for lending his original Titanium Shutter Display Unit. Dave Hoyt who has prepared the introductory page and offer some images of his FE2 in this site.. Hiura Shinsaku, Nikomat ML, Japan for his contribution on all the various images; A contributing site to a long lost friend on the Net. Note: Certain content and images appeared in this site were either scanned from official marketing leaflets, brochures published by Nikon and/or contribution from surfers who claimed originality of their own work to publish in this site based on educational merits. The creator of this site will not be responsible for any discrepancies that may arise from such possible dispute except rectifying them after verification."Nikon", "Nikkormat", "Nippon Kokagu KK" & "Nikkor" are registered tradename of Nikon Corporation Inc., Japan. Made witha PowerMac.