Nikon EH EL2 User Manual

Nikon

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE

Shutter-speed dial lock Film rewind knob

Distance scale

Aperture/Distance scale index

Focusing ring

Aperture ring

Meter coupling ridge

ASA film-speed dial

ASA film-speed scale

Film rewind crank

Film-speed scale index

Power check button

Power check lamp

Accessory shoe

Meter coupling shoe

Depth-of-field indicators

Shutter-speed scale

Frame counter

Meter ON index

Film-advance lever

Film-plane indicator

Viewfinder eyepiece

Hot-shoe contact

3

BRIEF GUIDE TO CAMERA HANDLING

The Nikon EL2's conveniently-placed controls
and fully automatic shutter facilitate operation
under even rapidly changing conditions. After
performing the preliminary steps as presented
in "Preparation for Use" (pages 8 ~ 12), shoot­ing with the Nikon EL2 is as simple as:

1) Set the shutter speed dial to "A" to prepare
the camera for automatic operation, as de­tailed on page 13.

2) Set the lens aperture to the setting appropri-

ate for the shooting situation at hand by
turning the aperture

14.

3) Turn on the meter and shutter control by
simply moving the film-advance lever to the
30° standoff position, as detailed on page 14.

4) View/focus/compose the subject through the

viewfinder, turning the lens' focusing ring as
necessary to achieve a sharp image (see pages
20-

25).

5) Assume a shooting stance and depress the

shutter button to expose the film (see pages

18 and 19).

ring,

as detailed on page

CONTENTS

Foreword 7
Preparation for use ' 8

Installing the battery 8
Removing the battery 9

Checking the battery 9

Loading the film 10
Prior to shooting 11

Operation of camera controls 12

Setting the film speed 12
Setting the shutter speed 13
Setting the aperture 14

Film-advance lever 14

Frame counter 15
Shutter release button lock 15
Self-timer 16
Memory lock 16

Unloading film 17
Holding the camera 18
Shutter release operation 19

Operation via cable release 19

Focusing 20

Infrared photography 22
Film-plane indicator 22

Depth of field 23

Depth-of-field preview button 23

Depth-of-field indicators 24

Exposure measurement 26

Automatic shutter speed selection 26
Manual shutter speed selection 28
Exposure control 29
Metering range 30

High-contrast lighting situations 30
Stop-down exposure measurement 32
Exposure compensation adjustments 34
EV range of the camera 35

Flash synchronization 38
Mirror lockup 39
Tips on camera care 40

Changing the lens 42

Coupling lever lock/release operation 43

Accessories 44

Features/specifications 46

6

FOREWORD

The Nikon EL2 camera offers the serious photo­grapher the highest standard of quality, performance,
convenience and versatility available in an auto 35mm

SLR camera. The EL2 is engineered to take the guess­work out of photography with automatic features
anyone can learn to use in minutes. To get the most
out of your Nikon EL2 camera, study the instruc­tions carefully and practice using the controls before
you load any film in the camera. Keep this booklet
handy for ready reference until you have mastered its

basics, and follow the suggestions for camera care
given on page 40. The few moments you spend famil-

iarizing yourself with the camera will guarantee
you the best results and increase your picture-taking
enjoyment many times over.

7

PREPARATION FOR USE

Installing the Battery

The exposure measurement and shutter control circuits
of the EL2 are powered by a single 6-volt (type 544)
battery mounted in the battery chamber at the bottom
of the mirror box. To install the battery, first remove
the lens (if mounted) from the camera body (see page

42) and lock up the mirror (turn the lockup lever
upward as far as it will go, as described on page 39) to
gain access to the battery chamber. Then, open the

battery chamber (slide the lid to the left, then up)
and install the battery, making sure to properly align
the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of the
battery as depicted on the interior of the lid. After

inserting and properly seating the battery, snap the
chamber lid shut, unlock the mirror and remount the
lens preparatory to shooting.

Caution:
reverse direction) in the chamber, its energy will be depleted in
a matter of minutes; thus, take extra care to insert the battery
properly. Also, be careful not to touch the shutter curtain and
mirror surface while installing the battery.

for a long period; this will prevent leakage within the camera.
Also,
under cold-weather conditions; otherwise, the battery may fail
to function. (See "Tips on Camera Care" on page 40 for
additional information.)

Should the battery be installed incorrectly (i.e., in the

Note:

Remove the battery when the camera is not to be used

keep the camera as warm as possible when operating

Removing the Battery

The battery chamber's built-in ejector-type mechanism

makes for easier removal operation when removing/
replacing the battery. To remove the battery from the
camera, take off the lens and lock up the mirror as
mentioned previously. Then, while holding the camera
upside-down, release the battery chamber lid and push
it slightly toward the back of the mirror box until the
battery drops free of the chamber. After removing the
battery, install a fresh one as explained previously.

Checking the Battery
The EL2 is provided with a special circuit that enables
the photographer to check the battery power condition
without causing excessive battery drain which might
occur by having to turn the camera on. To check bat­tery power, simply depress the power check button
and watch the power check lamp for indication of the
power level. If the check lamp glows, battery power is
sufficient. If the lamp fails to glow, battery positioning
should be checked;

then,

if the lamp still fails to glow,

replace the battery.

Note:

When checking battery power, hold the button depressed
only long enough for the check lamp to glow; prolonged de­pressing only serves to drain battery power.

PREPARATION FOR USE-continued

Loading the Film
Slide the camera back latch release at the side of the
rewind knob to the rear and, while holding the release
back, lift the rewind knob up until the camera back
pops open. Then, with the rewind knob in the up
tion,

drop a standard film cartridge (a Nikon reloadable-

posi-

type cassette cannot be used) into the left-hand film
chamber with the film leader aligned along the film
guide rails.

After positioning the cartridge and film leader properly,
push the rewind knob down to hold the cartridge in
place and,

then,

insert the end of the film leader into

any of the slots in the film take-up spool. If necessary,
release the shutter and,
lever slowly to make sure that the leader winds smooth­ly on the spool and that the film edge perforations
engage with the film sprocket roller. When satisfied
that the film is properly feeding and
ly along the film guide rails, snap the camera back shut
to seal the film chamber. (Also, see "Tips on Camera
Care"

on page 40.)

Caution:
direct exposure to sunlight to prevent inadvertent "fogging"
of the

film.

When loading

then,

stroke the film-advance

is

traveling correct-

film,

be sure to shade the camera from

Prior to Shooting

Fold out the rewind crank and turn it gently in the
direction of the engraved arrow until you feel a slight
tension;

this tension indicates that there is no more
slack in the film cartridge. (Be sure not to rewind the
film back into the cartridge.)
Set the shutter-speed dial to one of the fixed-speed set­tings (see page 13), advance the film via the

film­advance lever (see page 14) and make two blank ex­posures to dispose of the initial portion of the film
exposed during loading. While advancing the

film,

check
that the rewind crank turns in the direction opposite
the arrow. Crank rotation indicates that the film has

been loaded properly and is being advanced. Then, fold
the crank flat for film storage.
After advancing the film two frames to dispose of any
exposed

film,

the frame counter at the upper right of
the camera will indicate "0"; now advance the film one
more frame to prepare the camera for taking the first

exposure.

Note:

Setting the shutter-speed dial to one of the fixed-speed
positions (rather than to "A") prior to making blank exposures
will provide for the most rapid loading as this action will pre­vent the camera from selecting a slow speed, as might be the
case should loading be performed with the lens cap in place.
However, be sure to resetthe dial to "A" if automatic operation
is to be performed.

OPERATION OF CAMERA CONTROLS

Setting the Film Speed

As film response sensitivity during exposure to light

(called "film speed") varies with film type, adjustment
of the camera's metering circuit is essential to ensure
uniform exposures under all operational conditions.
Thus,

a film-speed dial (ASA graduations) is provided
for this purpose, with a safety lock mechanism built-in
to prevent accidental shifting of
To set the film speed, depress the film-speed dial lock
and,

while holding the lock depressed, turn the ASA

the

dial during shooting.

film-speed dial until the red index mark is aligned with

the ASA value for the film in use. After setting the
release the lock and test the dial to ensure that it is set
firmly at the desired ASA value. The meter is sensitive
across the full range of from ASA 12 to ASA 3200.
The film-speed dial has two graduations between each
pair of numbers for intermediate settings such as 64,
80,

125, etc. The figure below indicates the values for

all intermediate settings.

dial,

12

Setting the Shutter Speed
The Nikon EL2 is set for automatic or manual shutter
speed selection via the shutter-speed dial positioned to
the right of the finder, with setting operation possible
at any time either before or after the shutter is wound.
The dial is provided with positions for automatic ("A"),
speeds of from 8 seconds to
setting.

To set the dial for automatic shutter speed se-

lection,

simply rotate the dial clockwise until the green

1/1000

second, and a "B"

"A" (automatic) setting clicks and locks into place
aligned with the shutter-speed scale index at the base
of the

dial;

the built-in locking mechanism ensures that
the dial cannot beaccidently shifted from the automatic
position during shooting.
To set the dial for manual shutter speed selection used
during "match-needle" exposure measurement, simply
depress the shutter-speed dial lock and, while holding

the lock depressed, rotate the dial counterclockwise off
of the "A" position; when the dial is aligned with white
settings of from 2 to 1000, the actual shutter speed is a
fractional value of from 1/2 second to

1/1000

second,
while the remaining settings indicate the actual values
of from 8 seconds to 1 second. The red "125" setting

indicates that the 1/125 second shutter speed is the
fastest speed providing X synchronization for use with
electronic flash units. At the "B" setting, the shutter

remains open as long as the shutter-release button is
depressed.

If you have forgotten to install the battery,
the shutter gives a mechanically fixed speed of 1/90
second regardless of the dial position. (See "Flash

Synchronization" on page 38 for additional infor­mation on flash photography.)

Note:

The Nikon EL2 consumes battery power at all shutter­speed dial settings and, thus, is subject to the same limitations
on battery life (i.e., approx. 10 hours continuous operation
with fresh batteries) even at the "B" setting.

OPERATION OF CAMERA CON

Setting the Aperture

The ring fitted at the base of the lens adjusts the size of
the aperture (or opening) in the iris diaphragm. To pre­set the lens aperture, turn the aperture ring until the de­sired f/number setting on the scale is aligned with the

index mark provided on the
also be set to intermediate apertures between the click­stop settings for more precise exposures.

lens.

The iris diaphragm can

ROLS —

Film-Advance Lever

The film-advance lever simultaneously advances the

film,

cocks the shutter and operates the frame counter.

It also switches on the exposure meter in the finder
and unlocks the shutter-release button. To advance the
film,

stroke the lever with the right thumb in a single
stroke totaling only 135°. A built-in locking device
prevents the shutter from being released unless it is
fully cocked and the film advanced a full frame. At the
completion of film advance, release the lever and it
will return to the 30° standoff position ready for shut­ter release.

Note:

Do not apply pressure to the film-advance lever while

making an exposure.

continued

Frame Counter

The frame counter operates automatically to show how
many frames have been exposed. When the camera back
is opened for loading, the counter is reset to the "S"
(start) position, two frames before "0." Once the

camera is loaded and the back closed, each

film-

advance/shutter-release sequence will cause the frame

counter to advance one position until the maximum 20
or 36 frames have been exposed. The dial of the frame
counter is calibrated with dots (for odd numbers) and
figures (for even numbers), and with settings of "S,"
"20"

and "36" in red.

Shutter Release Button Lock

A special control is fitted around the base of the shut­ter release button to provide for greater ease of opera­tion when using the EL2 with the Auto Winder AW-1
mounted for automatic film advance. With the shutter

release button lock, the film-advance lever's meter
ON/OFF and shutter button lock functions are dupli­cated to enable positioning of the lever flush to the

body while using the Auto Winder. To operate the
camera via the shutter release button lock, simply

switch the lock to the left to reveal the red meter ON

index; in this position, the meter is on and the shutter

button is unlocked for normal release operation. When

not using the Auto Winder, switch the lock back to the

right and operate via the film-advance lever.

Note:

Whenever the camera is stored, be sure that the shutter
release button lock (as well as the film-advance lever) is set to
the "meter-OFF" position to ensure against accidental battery

drain.

15