Position:Home>Visual Arts> How do I tell if my film camera is working?

You have a Nikon FTn!. The meter on top is a largish block of a thing and is prone to failure with age!. I have 2 of them and both meters are kaput!. Fini!. Dead, and hardly worth the $200 +/- to fix!. I now use a hand held light meter when using them!.!.

However, on the side of the top mounted meter is a small button, actually 2 of them!. One on top and one right on the side next to it!.

One is for on, the side button and the other is to turn it off!. But !.!. if you push the side button in you should see the bar in the light meter move and it should go near the middle of the V in the view finder!. This is the battery check!. If this don't work you have either a dead pair of battery's or your light meter is dead!.

When working, the FTn's meter was one of the most accurate and sensitive of it's time!. It was hard to beat back in the 60's and early 70's!.!. Then the F2 came out, then F3!.!. The rest is history, but the ol' Nikon F is almost un-breakable as cameras go and the light meter going away is not a bad thing, just find a old Luna Pro light meter and you will have the full ability the camera had!.!.

Bob - TucsonWww@QuestionHome@Com

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Unlike a digital camera, there's no instant feedback with a film camera!. As the others have said, you won't really know until you get your film developed!. You should be able to see the meter working in the viewfinder!. It will have either a needle that will be centered when the exposure is correct, or a couple of lights to indicate over and under exposure!. also, you can tell that the film is advancing correctly if the rewind knob turns when you advance the film!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Hello there!.!.!.

The camera you have is really pretty complicated!.!.!.!. meaning there is no auto or program!. You will have to do everything manually to see if it is working!.

I really think you should take your camera to your teacher and ask him to take a look at it before you waste film!. The camera needs to be set at the correct settings or you will think there is something wrong with it!.!. even if there isn't!.

If you don't have an user's manual, you should also google to see if you can download a copy so that you can learn about this camera!.

I have just the same camera!. It is very sturdy and made well and if yours is in good working order, it ought to take great pictures for you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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first determine if the camera itself is working!.

Put some film in it, iso 100, 200, or 400 and start taking pictures using the Sunny 16 rule!.

the Sunny 16 rule works this way:

If there are no clouds outside (and, of course if you are taking pictures outside), set your f stop at 16 and your shutter speed at 500 for ISO 400, at 250 for ISO 200, and at 125 for ISO 100!.

If there are some clouds, but not a lot, move down to f 11 or f8!. The more clouds that you have, clock down to f 5!.6 or so!.

If the camera is working right, then you will get photographs!. If it is not, say the shutter speed is off or something, then you will know something is wrong!.

As for the light meter, put a battery in it and try it out!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

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if you have loaded the film according to your manual, the best way to test if its working would be to shoot a roll of film and run it into your local one hour photo and have it developed!. if you come back with pictures your good to go, if not then have someone (like your teacher) look at your camera and see what your doing wrong or if its not working!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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load per instruction!. take pictures!. develop filmWww@QuestionHome@Com

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