·INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Foreword The Nikomat ELW is Nikon's new 35 mm SLR with automatic exposure control, which is thorough-going in its accuracy, durability and is easy to operate. This new camera has made automatic film winding possible with use of the Auto Winder AW-l, a new exclusive accessory. To take pictures of good quality, it is most important that you fully understand the functions of a camera, and learn to operate the controls with ease and confid ence.
CONTENTS NOMENC LATUR E . . . . • .. .. . . . .. . .. . .. . F EATUR ES ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPECI FICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... BASIC OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery ca re . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installing t he bat te ry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery t est . . . . . . . ... .. . .. . . . . . . Repl aci ng th e bat te ry . .. . .. . . . . . . . ... Notes o n batt ery ca re. . . . . . . . . . ..
NOMENCLATURE Front (ELW body only) r - - - - - - - - - - - - Depth-of-field preview button .
NOM ENCLATURE Top (With 50 mm Fl.4 lens installed) Shutter speed indi Film-advance lever / meter on-off
Back . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Film chamber . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Film holding fork r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Battery check button r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Battery check lamp r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Film guide rails , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Viewfinder .
NIKON AUTO WINDER AW-l ;;;;;::: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coupl er Rewind button spindl e =-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Camera attaching screw =-- - - - - - - - - - - - Camera co nnecting terminal Battery chamber co ver screw r - - - - - - - - - - - Battery chamber cover r - - - - - - - - - - - - Rewind button ,..
FEATURES 1. When used with the Auto Winder AW-1, the Nikomat ELW will automatically wind the film after releasing the shutter-release button. 2. It is an auto matic exposure control camera with an aperture-priority automatic electro nic shutter speed control system . A manual shutter-speed-priority system can also be employed. 3. It is equipped with an exposure memory lock, convenient when taking pictures with severe brightness differences between subject and background. 4.
10. To avoid accidental or improper operation, the following safety locks have been provided : Refer to the nomenclature page for the location of each of these items. 11. All parts, including the built-in battery checker, hot shoe, synch terminal with screw connector, etc., have been designed with convenience in mind.
SPECIFICATIONS Type ........................................ Picture area .............................. Film used ................................ . Lens mount ............................. Viewfinder ...... ......................... Viewfinder screen .................. ..
* Full aperture F number scale .... Film winding ..... ........... ... .... .. .. Frame counter .... .. .... .. ...... ....... Self-timer .... ....... ..... ..... ............ Film rewind .. ...... ... ............... ... Accessory shoe .... ........... ..... .... . Synch terminal ... ...................... Synch contact ....... ......... ... ... .... Battery ...... ....... ....... ............ .... . Battery checker .. ...... ...... .... ...... Dimensions .............................. Weight ..........
BASIC OPERATIONS The Nikomat ELW is an aperture-priority electronic automatic exposure camera, and its handling is very easy. Before using this camera, read this section on "Basic Operations" carefully and familiarize yourself thoroughly with the camera. This will insure you obtain the best resul ts. For more detailed explanations on manual exposure, special picture-taking methods, etc., please refer to the section entitled "Applied OperatioAS", starti ng o n page 33 .
BATTERY CARE Install ing the battery Eith er a 6-volt silver-oxide or alka line-manganese battery is used to power both the exposure meter and the electromagnetic shutter-speed controlling circuits. The battery chamber is in the mirror box. 1. To install the battery, first remove the lens from the camera (see page 17) and lock the mirror in the up position by turning the milled mirror-lock lever upward to gain access to the battery chamber in the mirror box. 2.
Battery test The battery should be checked when: * A new battery is install ed. * A camera is about to be used after a long period of storage. * It is suspected that the battery has been depl eted after a lo ng period of use . Press the battery check button o n the back of the camera. A built-in battery checker lets you check the condition of the battery.
BATTERY CARE-Continued Replacing the battery When the battery check lamp does not glow when pressi ng the battery check button, replace t he battery with a new o ne. (1) Remove t he lens, and lock t he mirror in the up positio n. 14 (2) Open the battery chamber lid. (3) Ho ld the camera upsid e down, and pu sh t he battery chamb er lid . Th e battery will roll o ut of the chamber.
Notes on Battery Care Preve nting unnecessary di sc harge To prevent unnecessary discharge, set th e filmadvance lever and the shutter-release button lock in the off position, except when taking pictures. Cold resistability of battery Although both th e si lver-oxide battery and alka line-manganese battery are exce ll ent in low temperature performance, there is a marked tendency for battery performance to deteriorate below O°C (32° F) .
MOUNTING THE LENS To mount a lens, first push the camera's meter coupling pin to the right as far as it will go. Set the lens diaphragm at f/5 .6 and insert the lens into thIY bayonet mount, making sure that the coupling pin fits into the slotted prong on the lens. Twist the lens counterclockwise until it locks into place with a sharp click. In lenses having no slotted prong, mounting is done at a position where its aperture indicator aligns with the coupling pin of the camera.
REMOVING THE LENS Maximum aperture scale The above adjustment can be co nfirm ed by looking at the maximum aperture scale on the ring with the coupling pin. The scale has a range of f/l.2 to f/5.6. For example, if the 50 mm F1.4 lens is mounted on the camera, the red index mark should fall opposite the 1.4. To remove the lens from the camera, press the lens-release button and tw ist the lens to the rig ht as far as it will go. Th e lens will come loose and can be lifted ou t.
ATTACHING & REMOVING THE NIKON AUTO WINDER AW-1 To attach the AW-1 Align the spindle of the coupling portion of the Auto Winder AW-l with the slot of the coupling portion on the bottom of the ELW, and turn the camera attaching screw of the AW-l clockwise with a coin, and tighten securely. For details consult the manual for the AW-l. * Be careful not to leave a gap between the EL W and AW-l . Such a gap may disturb the proper operation of the automatic winding system and could be the cause of trouble.
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE-TAKING Loading a film ..... ........ .... .. ...... .... ............. ........ P20 Setting t he ASA film speed ... .... ... ........ ..... ...... P22 Setting the shutter speed dial at A .... .... .. ... ... ... P22 Winding the film .. ... ......... ... ............................ P23 Frame counter ....... ...... .... ..... .... ......... ............ ... P24 Setting the aperture-ring ..... ... ... ... ...... ... .. .. ...... P25 Holding t he camera ... .... ... .. ..... ... .. ..
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE-TAKING Loading a film (1) To open the camera back, slide the safety lock backward and lift up the film rewind knob as far as it goes, and the hinged camera back will pop open. 20 (2) Drop a film magaz ine into the film chamber with the film leader pointing toward the takeup spool. Push the rewind knob down to hold the cartridge in pl ace and insert the end of the fi lm leader into anyone of the three slots in the take-up spool.
knob and turn it gently in the direction of the arrow until you feel a slight resistance. This takes up any slack in the film cartridge. Then fold back the rewind crank. * Do not load the camera in bright sunlight. If no other shade is available, shade the camera from the sun with your body while loading. This will reduce any chance ot spoiling your t irst exposures due to fogging. Make two blank exposures to dispose of the first few inches of film which were exposed during loading.
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE-TAKING-Continued Setting the ASA film speed Setting shutter-speed dial at A (Auto) The ASA film-speed dial has a scale calibrated from ASA 25 to 1600 with two dots between numbers to indicate intermediate settings, such as 32 and 40.
Winding the film When advancing the film manually, keep the filmadvance lever pulled out at a 30° clearance angle so that the red dot is visible while pictures are being taken. This turns the exposure meter on. The shutter button lock shou ld be set at its locked position . (Where the red dot cannot be seen.) Apply the right thumb to the film advance lever and swing it clockwise to the right until it stops. This advances the film one frame and cocks the shutter. Always swing the lever .
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE-TAKING-Continued Blank exposure The blank exposure is to release the shutter disposing of the first few inches of film which were exposed during loading, not to take pictures. After loading the film, make two blank exposures and the frame counter indicates "0". Stroke the film-advance lever once more, and you are ready to shoot . When making the blank exposures to intercept the light, better use the shutter speed of 1/1000 sec .
Setting the aperture ring When shooting with the camera set at A(Auto), once the film speed (ASA) dial is set, the only exposure control you must do is set the len.s aperture. Turn the aperture ring on the lens barrel until the desired f/number is opposite the black line (aperture indicator) . The aperture diaphragm can be set at intermediate openings between click-stop settings for more precise exposures.
GEN E RAL STEPS OF PICTU RE-T AKI NG - Continued Holding the camera Steady camera holding is important since even the slightest camera shake at the moment of exposure can result in an appreciable loss of sharpness, especially at slow shutter speeds. Wrap the fingers of the righ-t hand around the camera body so that the index finger rests comfortably on the shutterrelease button and the thumb fits between the body and film-advance lever, and press the camera against your forehead.
out of focus The range surrounded by the broken line is the approximate frame area seen through the viewfinder, and the outer area is the actual printed picture _ in focus Prefocusing The lens can also be prefocused using the distance scale engraved in both feet and meters on the lens barrel. Line up the bl ack indicator line on top of the lens opposite the camera-to-subject distance as measured or estimated.
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE-TAKING-Continued Releasing the shutter When the shutter button is released, an exposure is made on the film. It is important when snapping the shutter not to cause the camera to shake. Press gently with the finger tip. When the shutter is released while looking through the viewfinder, the field of view is momentarily blocked since the mirror is raised. At shutter speeds slower than 1/30 sec ., the camera tends to shake if it is hand held.
Rewinding and unloading film When the frame counter indicates that the last exposure has been made or when the fi lm-advance lever can no longer be stroked *, the roll of film has been completely exposed and should be removed. Press the rewind button on the camera baseplate, and the film is ready for rewinding into the magazine. Press the rewind button securely on the bottom of the Auto Winder AW-l when it is used . The button will spring back after it is pressed, but this is normal.
GENERAL STEPS OF PICTURE -TAKING- Continu ed Photography with Automatic Exposure Contro l Th e f low chart below shows the basic pi cturetaking of auto matic ex posure co ntro l with the Nikomat ELW. Apertu re-priority Shooting A system to obtai n a correct expos ure w ith the automatic contro l of sh utter speed by setting a pert ure. Co nfirm the gree n need le in the viewfi nd er indicates A.
You can obtain a picture of correct exposure by simply snapping the shutter. .... You can obtain a picture of correct exposure; only that the shutter speed is slow, you are advised to obtain a faster shutter speed by changing the ~ aperture or to secure the camera with a tripod or something solid. You will obtain a picture of incorrect exposure; to obtain a picture of correct exposure, change the aperture to keep away the black needle in the ~ viewfinder from the warning zone of either A or B side.
Before you start shooting, double-check to make sure you have done the follow ing: 1) Installed the battery in the battery chamber correctly. 2) Checked the battery checker to see that the lamp glows with a bright orange light. 3) Returned the mirror to the origi nal viewing position. 4) Loaded the film and made two blank exposures while watching the rewind knob to see if the film is loaded correctly. 32 5) Set the ASA fi lm-speed dial for the correct speed of the film loaded in the camera.
It is hoped "that you have understood the basic operations of the Nikkormat ELW for taking pictures with automatic exposure control in the foregoing section. This second section should be studied to expand your knowledge on applied operations of photography.
TTL EXPOSURE METER Center-weighted exposure meter The exposure meter adopts the TTL center-weighted light metering system. The meter reads light over the entire focusing screen, but its light sensitivity is concentrated in the center, which corresponds to the central 12mm diameter spot of the screen. For best results, always place the main subject in this central area when metering.
Caution : To prevent battery drain, keep both the film-advance lever and the shutter-release button in the locked position to switch off the meter whenever the camera is not in use . Also note that if the black needle indicates A or B (the warning zones) - i.e. the subject is too bright or too dark, change the aperture to keep away the black needle from A or B.
TTL EXPOSURE METER-Continued Extreme-high or low light situations If the black needle remains in "A" or "B" after all possible aperture settings have been tried, then the available light is too bright or too dim to cover the meter's EV range. Switch to a new film that matches the available light or mount a neutral density (NO) filter onto the lens to cut down on the amount of light or use artificial light to increase luminosity, whichever is appropriate.
• Auto exposure control at full aperture For example, with an f/1.4 lens and ASA 100 film, the ELW's automatic shutter will function down to one second with the lens set at 1.4, and proportionately slower as the aperture is closed. Using a standard of ASA 25 film, you may be assured of at least a four second speed regardless of the aperture of the lens used as long as the lens is set at full aperture (refer to Table). Using ASA 400 at f/l.
TTL EXPOSURE METER-Continued • How to read the EV range chart The chart indicates the EV (for ASA 100) vs. shutter speed range. To determine the shutter speed range, note that the bars in section A indicate the responsive range of the ELW's photosensitive CdS element (i .e. , f/8 covers EV6-22, f/16 covers EV8-22) for the f-stop in use. In Section 8, note the f-stop being used on the appropriate ASA scale.
EV Range Chart Section B Section C 1/2 1/4 - 1/8 i ~ 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/ 125 ~ ~ 1/2 50 1/500 1/1000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ~ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 f - -- - - - - -IE xposure value for ASA 100 - - - - - - --1 1.4--1 2---1 2.
EXPOSURE CONTROL The shutter speed dial and the use Th e manu al shutter speeds ra nge f ro m 4 to 1/1000 sec., plus B. Th e orange numbers on the dial represent full seco nds whil e those in white represent fractions of a second . The red 125 stands for 1/125 sec. , the highest shutter speed which can be used to synchronize with a speedlight. Do not set the dial at an intermediate position between clickstop settings.
Manual exposure control Manual expos ure is used in the fo ll ow ing situations: 1. Wh en a photograph is to be taken at a certain shutter speed, regard less of the ex pos ure meter needle indication. 2. When the shutter speed is set by making a stop-down measurement. 3. Wh en Bulb(B) ex pos ure is being used for time exposures. 4. When a flashlight is used. 5. When a special photographic technique is to be employed, such as repro-copy photography and macro photography.
EXPOSURE CONTROL-Continued Lens aperture diaphragm Depth-of-field preview button The Nikomat ELW can be used with any Nikkor interchangeable lens with a Nikon F bayonet mount. Except the reflex lens, these lenses are eq uipped with aperture diaphragms, and graduated with a stop by stop scale from full aperture to the minimum stop number. When a Nikkor lens is mounted on to the camera, it is designed to stay open at full aperture even when the aperture ring is turned down .
Stop-down exposure measurement Full-aperture exposure measurement is not possible with the following lenses and accessories. either beca use the lenses nave no auto diaphragms or because the diaphragms will not couple with the meter. Therefore, the stop-down method of measuring exposure with the lens aperture diaphrag m manually stopped down to the taking aperture must be user! . First, push the coupling pin as far to the right as it will go.
COMPENSATION OF EXPOSURE Due to special lighting conditions, or in situations of high contrast such as occur in repro-copying, it may not be desirable to take the picture as is. The amount of exposure the film receives is determined by a combination of the lens aperture and the shutter speed. Since the two are interrelated, different combina· tions will give the same amount of exposure. The best combination depends on the results desired .
How to Use Memory Lock First place the subject in the central part of the viewfinder, or better still, if the subject is accessible, move in on it to make a close-up reading of that particular portion you wish to emphasize. Then press the self-timer/memory lock to the left; the light based o n the main subject is now frozen. With the memory lock lever still pressed to the left, move back to get your desired composition and shoot. The shutter has been released at the speed on the memorized reading.
COMPENSATION OF EXPOSURE - Continued Repro-copying, slide-copy ing and photom icrography Some exposure compensation may be necessary depending on the type of film and t he subject, or the original slide. The numbers in the tab le be low show the exposure compensatio ns in sh utter-speed ~ Repro·copying & slide-copying Type of film B&Wor color photo Panchromatic film for general use No compensation necessary' Letters or figures on light background Exa mpl e 1.
DEPTH OF FIELD Depth of field refers to a zone within which blur (or lack of definition) will be negligible and everything can be accepted as being in sharp focus. Depth of field extends a greater distance behind the subject in focus than in front. It depends on two factors- reproduction ratio and aperture. The smaller the aperture and the greater the reproduction ratio, the greater the depth of field.
SELF-TIMER The built-in self-timer, usable for both automatic and manual-override shutter-speed settings, allows delayed exposures of approximately 10 sec. It activates when the lever is turned downward (counterclockwise) as far as it will go. When the shutter-release button is pressed, the timer starts. I ndependent of the shutter mechanism, the timer can be set either before or after the shutter is wound. Do not use at "B" setting. * Do not operate the self-timer when making a time exposure.
MIRROR LOCK The reflex mirror must be locked in the up position when the battery is replaced, or during microsco pi c photography, where even the minutest shake mu st be preve nted. Th e mi rro r must also be locked when using the Fisheye-Nikkor 6 mm f/5.6 or the OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10 mm f/5.6 lenses since their rear elements protrud e into the ca mera body and interfe re with mirror move ment. To lock the mirror, turn the mill ed mirror-lock lever upward.
FLASH SYNCHRONIZATION The Nikomat ELW is designed to synchronize with various types of flashbulbs at almost all shutter speeds and with the speedlights at speeds up to 1/125 sec. Either a bulb or speedlight flash unit slides over the accessory shoe on top of the pentaprism housing. For units with a hot shoe, the accesso ry shoe has a hot-shoe contact which eliminates the need for a synch cord.
Remember that the camera's auto exposure control works only with constant light sources such as sunlight or photo floods and not with an instantaneous source such as a flashbulb or an electronic flash. Caution : Flash units without a hot shoe may fire accidentally when being slipped into place or when a flashbulb is inserted. Although not recommended, accidental firing may be prevented by covering the hot-shoe contact on the camera body with electrical tape.
ACCESSORIES 53
NIKON AUTO WINDER AW-l The Auto Winder AW-l is installed on the Nikomat ELW and makes possible the automatic film winding by one frame, of which speed is approx. 0.5 sec./frame, by pressing the shutter button alone. This accessory, which is small in size and weight, is convenient for repeated shooting, since it allows you to take pictures without moving your eye from the viewfinder.
FIL TERS Nikkor lenses and Nikon filters are compatible with each other, Therefore, for best results, use Nikon filters, which are made of optical glass, ground and polished so that both surfaces are optically flat and parallel. They are available in both screw-in and series mounts, depending on the lens. No exposure compensation for filters is necessary with the Nikomat ELW, except the R-60, which is used for infrared photography.
LENS HOOD The use of a lens hood is recommended at all times to prevent extraneous light from striking the lens surface and causing flare or ghost, and also to protect the lens against damage . Nikon lens hoods come in four types depending on the lens: screw-in, snap-on, slip-in and built-in. They are calculated precisely fo r each focal-length Nikkor lens to provide maximum protection against stray light.
OTHER ACCESSORIES Eyepiece correction lenses The nine eyepiece correction lenses are designed to perm it nearsighted or farsighted users to view and focus without t heir glasses. Available in - 5, -4, - 3, - 2, 0 +0.5, +1, +2 and +3 diopters, each representing the combined dioptry of the lens an d the finder . These lenses are screwed into the place from where the eyepiece window has been removed.
Good camera care is common-sense care. Treat your Nikomat ELW as you would any valuable precision instrument. Although ruggedly constructed to stand the rigors of normal use, it may still be damaged by shock, heat, water or misuse . Here are some basic tips for keeping your camera in top condition: Extreme temperature changes The Nikomat ELW functions fau!tlessly in a temperature range of 55° to - 15°C. Even within this range however, avoid suddenly exposing the camera to temperature extremes- i.e.
(Nikon) NIPPON KOGAKU K.K. No reproduction in any form of this booklet, in whole or in part (except for brief quotation in critical articles or reviewsl, may be made without written authorization from the publishers. Printed in Japan (77.3.
