Nikon FE Issue

keeweeman

keeweeman

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Col
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Hi all

I bought a Nikon FE from a colleague last year in a bid to try and improve my photography (intenting to get better at getting it right first time). However, i bought some cheap film just to get me going, loaded it up and went snapping. When i came to get the film developed the entire roll was blank.

Now, i can only assume one of three things at this point, firstly, i have made a balls up when loading the film (completely possible), two, the film i used is not compatible with the camera (i don't see why this would be the case), or three, there is a fault on the camera (again, possible).

I have currently got a second roll loaded up and am getting through it slowly, but because i am a little worried there is a fault on the camera i have been leaning more towards my d90 to make sure i don't miss any shots which is why its taken so long getting through the second roll. However, if there is potentially a fault on the camera what is most likely to cause it not to record the picture to the film?

I can appreciate that it is very much likely that human error is to blame since the camera is mostly mechanical rather than being electronic etc, but if i get the second roll developed and it is the same result what are the most likely causes and how fixable are they?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Col
 
Did the film engage in the take up reel and did you wind it on a few times to make sure it was engaged? If so then its probably the shutter. If not its probably that you didn't load it correctly! ;)
 
Open the back and go through the motions whilst looking through the shutter, (no film obviously!) You'll soon see if there's a problem.
 
You should expect to see the aperture stopped down and the shutter opening and closing again, and the advance mechanism turning as necessary.
 
If the shutter is opening then you should see briefly through it, especially at lower speeds. Basically, open the back up and then cock/fire the shutter. If nothing happens the shutter is knackered. Try it at 1/30 or so first as you should see it open at that kind of speed.
 
keeweeman said:
I can appreciate that it is very much likely that human error is to blame since the camera is mostly mechanical rather than being electronic etc,
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Actually, the FE is very much an electronic camera! The shutter is entirely electronically controlled.

Firstly, check the battery. The battery check is the little tab to the left of the viewfinder hole, turning it anticlockwise slightly should light up red. If it doesn't, you need new batteries.

What lens are you using?

Are you shooting on manual or auto (aperture-priority)? And what film was it, and where did you get it developed?

On the FE, the film mechanism is so quiet that you should actually be able to hear the film moving. It almost sounds like someone turning a few pages in a book at the same time. If you can't hear that, your film might be loaded incorrectly. Additionally, if the rewind lever/crank (the thing on the left hand side of the top plate) doesn't move as you do this, then the film is probably loaded incorrectly.
 
keeweeman said:
How costly on a camera of this age would getting the shutter repaired/replaced be?
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We posted at the same time - depends entirely on the "fault" (which might not be a fault at all). The FE's shutter and other parts tend to be reasonably reliable from what I hear anecdotally, so I wouldn't lose hope yet. My FE had a CLA (clean, lube and adjust) service for around £50 from a repairman popular on this forum, Miles Whitehead, although yours may not need that at all.
 
I shall have to look into all of that tonight, although i thought the FE was pretty much only battery operated in terms of its light meter (this is the FE from the late 60s i might add, although i have no idea if there has been another one aside the FE2 since). I shall check tonight anyways as i am keen to get this issue resolved asap now. I as said in the OP, i wouldn't be at all surprised if it is human error i just want to be certain.

Battery wise i changed the battery when i got it as it wasn't actually firing the shutter, i changed the battery and got the nice little clunk to say the shutter was firing again as it should.
 
I did the same with my FE when I first got it.

I was expecting the spindle to rotate in the opposite direction to the way it actually does. So loaded it, checked it seemed fine, cosed the back - snap-snap-snap. 36 exposures and nothing came out.

So I tried again and noticed it kept winding on after 36 exposures and didn't lock when it reached the end. So I took a chance and opened the back and found that the film had just come off the spindle as I first wound it on and hadn't been exposed at all.

I think I tried to shoot one roll of film 5 times that day before I got it loading properly. Purely my own ineptitude was to blame.

One key thing to check is that the winding handle on the left rotates as you work the wind-on lever on the right. That confirms the film is spooling properly and unwinding from the cannister.
 
keeweeman said:
I shall have to look into all of that tonight, although i thought the FE was pretty much only battery operated in terms of its light meter (this is the FE from the late 60s i might add, although i have no idea if there has been another one aside the FE2 since). I shall check tonight anyways as i am keen to get this issue resolved asap now. I as said in the OP, i wouldn't be at all surprised if it is human error i just want to be certain.

Battery wise i changed the battery when i got it as it wasn't actually firing the shutter, i changed the battery and got the nice little clunk to say the shutter was firing again as it should.
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The FE was late 70s, early 80s? Are we 100% we are talking about the same camera? :)

The battery powers the light meter and the shutter - this is why it has speeds going up to 8 seconds on the shutter speed, which most mechanical cameras do not have, but can be done with an electronically timed shutter (incidentally it can go up to 30 seconds or maybe even more). The FE/FE2 were both the same principle of electronically controlled compact body, whereas the FM/FM2 were the mechanical bodies.

Even if you changed the battery, it was a while ago and sometimes older cameras can be prone to quick discharging of their batteries. I haven't heard much about the FE doing it, but leaving the wind-on lever sticking outwards even just a few times might contribute to that.
 
battery was changed and the first roll of film was used within a week of the battery change so providing its the correct battery, which bearing in mind the camera "seemed" to start working again after i changed it i think it is (i was keen to play with my new toy lol). You are right on the age, my mistake i thought it was 68 not 78!

Apologies that this post sounds a little stand offish over the battery, very much not the intention!

Cheers again
 
keeweeman said:
battery was changed and the first roll of film was used within a week of the battery change so providing its the correct battery, which bearing in mind the camera "seemed" to start working again after i changed it i think it is (i was keen to play with my new toy lol). You are right on the age, my mistake i thought it was 68 not 78!

Apologies that this post sounds a little stand offish over the battery, very much not the intention!

Cheers again
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Not interpreted as such - I just know that batteries seem to be the most obvious thing, and yet can actually be the cause of so many headaches when it comes to classic cameras. Battery corrosion, bad contacts, wrong voltage, discontinued batteries, battery adapters - there's something for everyone :thumbs:

The FE is my favourite 35mm camera, and I've had plenty. It's a great thing, I'm sure you will get it resolved.

Also, I don't know if you have looked at the manual yet but if you follow the loading procedure exactly as Nikon describes it, that will reduce the chance that it is user/human error: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/nikon/nikon_fe/nikon_fe.htm
 
having now looked the camera over it seems that everything is working as it should be, which just leaves human error. Just followed the film loading instructions given so shall see how whether it was how i was loading the film that was the issue.

In terms of what i am using, the lens is a nikon 35mm prime that came with the camera, i have also tried a 50mm prime that came with it and a tamrom 70-120 lens that also came with it. Film wise the one that i have just finished off was a fuji superia iso 200, i have just put a fuji superia iso 400 in following the instructions given. Hopefully this will put an end to my woes and let me get cracking a proper with the camera!

I will update this post once i run the new film out and have this and th eprevious one developed to let people know if it worked!

Cheers again

Col
 
Best of luck - and a shot or two in the Post Your Film Shots thread would be nice if you get the chance!
 
Sorry, skip read all the replies but if the film was completely blank and was developed properly, I'd guess it didn't go through. Even if you massively under or over exposed, I would expect to see basic areas of the exposed negative shape against the film itself. Completely clear would strongly indicate to me it didn't go through.
 
When loading any camera with film I always leave the back open on the first film advance just to make sure the take up on the spool is OK.

Unless of course it is one of my APS camera,s :)
 
It is definitely taking the film through ok and so far as i could see did so on the previous roll too so i shall get the new one used up asap and get them developed when i get paid. After checking everything mentioned in the above posts though and it seemingly being fine, what could it possibly be if the roll is apparently loaded correctly?
 
JCoquillon said:
Excellent, I had the same panic with mine thinking I'd bought a dud. Took me a while to trust it after those first mistakes as well, now I do I can't fault it.
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Nikon made some absolutely stunning cameras at that period of time. The FE/FM series are wonderful. I was contemplating getting an original F or getting an F2 again, but I realised that for usability the FE has them completely and utterly trounced - and that's what I use film for, to shoot and maximum usability.
 
Yeah I love my FE, the FM2 is just great but I prefer the analogue needle style lightmeter on the FE. The FM3 is the daddy - but sooo much money - wish I could afford one to "complete" the set. By which I mean with an FM3 I'd not want/need another Nikon.

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Got an FM-2,a lovely camera.

Would like to add some more over time :)

I was reading somewhere,a pro was saying if Nikon build an digtal FM-3,he would order half a dozen,as i was one of the best cameras Nikon had build.
 
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simonblue said:
Got an FM-2,a lovely camera.

Would like to add some more over time :)

I was reading somewhere,a pro was saying if Nikon build an digtal FM-3,he would order half a dozen,as i was one of the best cameras Nikon had build.
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Thom Hogan reckoned the FM3-D reached prototype status at one point, but was abandoned. I can't remember why now. Pity.

I have an FM and an F2 (bought new), and use both of them. The FE and FE2 are excellent cameras, but I just prefer the mechanical bodies.
 
MartynK said:
Thom Hogan reckoned the FM3-D reached prototype status at one point, but was abandoned. I can't remember why now. Pity.

I have an FM and an F2 (bought new), and use both of them. The FE and FE2 are excellent cameras, but I just prefer the mechanical bodies.
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Funny, I'm the opposite. I have owned most of the compact semi-pro series (exception is the FM3a, maybe one day), and ended up selling the FM and FM2n that I owned and kept the FE, FE2 and FA. Each to their own of course!
 
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