Nikon FM dodgy meter

[Ladybird12345]

Hi to All
I have nikon fm with a dodgy meter ...
when i wind on the film
and the wind on lever comes back
the light meter comes on then goes off
when i tap on the wind on lever the light meter works
any easy fix ideas
Kind regards
B

 

[freecom2]

That sounds like the correct functioning for an FM (based on my recollection of the very similar designed FE).

From the manual:

Film-Advance Lever

The film-advance lever simultaneously advances the film, cocks the shutter and operates the frame counter. It also doubles as the Nikon FM’s meter on/off switch and shutter button lock.

To advance the film, stroke the lever with your right thumb as far as it will go. The film will be advanced a full frame. The lever automatically returns to its 30° stand-off position when released upon the completion of the film advance. The film-advance lever switches the meter on when moved to its stand-off position; it switches the meter off when moved back flush with the camera body. With the lever set flush against the camera body, it serves also as a lock to prevent accidental tripping when the shutter is cocked.

Truly dodgy meters tend to be erratic when fluctuating with no change of light, pressing/moving buttons or other obvious reasons.

 

[Ladybird12345]

it goes off when its in the stand off position i.e. 30.o
and if i tap the film wind on lever it comes on
it should come on if i tap the shutter release (which it doesn’t)?

 

[DNH]

It could just be a loose wire & an easy fix but if it is anything more then getting the parts could be a problem. You might need to find a donor body that is broken in another area for the parts.

Are you thinking of opening it up yourself to have a look or of sending it off for repair?

 

[donut]

I dont think the fm's had the meter timer they stayed on until winder was put in the lock position

 

[Asha]

Perhaps it's had a "heavy night" and is unable to behave in it's usual ( good) manner........

As for an easy fix, ....remove batteries from FM and use sunny 16 or handheld meter.

 

[NickT]

I briefly had a Nikon FE with a similar way to turn the meter on. There will be no easy fix to it, as when I dismantled the FE to find out the problem, I could see that the activation mechanism was very crude. I'm not surprised that Nikon changed to a simpler on/off switch for the FE2's meter. The whole experience left me to doubt all the 'fantastic build quality' hype about Nikons. It's certainly true of the professional F/F2/F3 models, otherwise newspaper staff wouldn't have used them. It definitely wasn't true of the FE. I did post a picture of the worn out part somewhere; I'll see if I can find it and edit this post if I do.

Edit : Yes, it's my post in this thread: https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/nikon-fe-shutter.501910/#post-5767433

 

[Ladybird12345]

Are you thinking of opening it up yourself to have a look or of sending it off for repair?

Yes i want to take a look and see if its something simple ,nothing ventured nothing gained

Perhaps it's had a "heavy night" and is unable to behave in it's usual ( good) manner........

O s*** the past comes back to haunt must try fix that too god dam demon drink..

thanks for the reply s

 

[MartynK]

I briefly had a Nikon FE with a similar way to turn the meter on. There will be no easy fix to it, as when I dismantled the FE to find out the problem, I could see that the activation mechanism was very crude. I'm not surprised that Nikon changed to a simpler on/off switch for the FE2's meter. The whole experience left me to doubt all the 'fantastic build quality' hype about Nikons. It's certainly true of the professional F/F2/F3 models, otherwise newspaper staff wouldn't have used them. It definitely wasn't true of the FE. I did post a picture of the worn out part somewhere; I'll see if I can find it and edit this post if I do.

Edit : Yes, it's my post in this thread: https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/nikon-fe-shutter.501910/#post-5767433

I agree with you about the F series cameras, but the FM/FE series had a reputation for toughness and reliability too. Many pros used them for back up in 'those days'

 

[excalibur2]

"Film-Advance Lever

The film-advance lever simultaneously advances the film, cocks the shutter and operates the frame counter. It also doubles as the Nikon FM’s meter on/off switch and shutter button lock.

To advance the film, stroke the lever with your right thumb as far as it will go. The film will be advanced a full frame. The lever automatically returns to its 30° stand-off position when released upon the completion of the film advance. The film-advance lever switches the meter on when moved to its stand-off position; it switches the meter off when moved back flush with the camera body. With the lever set flush against the camera body, it serves also as a lock to prevent accidental tripping when the shutter is cocked."

Well I wish I remembered that and silly Nikon:- went out to take some shots and didn't need the meter on as I knew the exposure, so closed the wind on lever and you guessed it..the camera wouldn't fire. So thought the camera had jammed and got back home took the bottom plate off and was puzzled and until by accident... found the cure