Motor drive vs. power winder

[jx...@lehigh.edu]

A Nikon MD-12 motor drive costs over $300, while a power winder (independent
make?) costs only $40-$50. The power winder is said to provide 2 fps single
or continuous shooting. Is it basically a motor drive? Why is such big cost
difference? Thank you for your help.

John

[FishFotoJr]

Just my opinion, is just skip the winder, and get a drive. Winders are
weak, break, and are not worth much. For the technical specs call Nikon
at 1(800)Nikon US.

A winder is cheap alternative to a drive, it has a slower driva capacity
, and can not really handle a "heavy finger".
the MD-12 is time proved ( I have two), and is durable, and can run
hundreds of rolls of film.

Steven E. Frischling
Freelance News Photographer
NYPD Working Press #0067

Too young to be respected; Too old to not be taken seriously; INVINCIBLE!;
Fear was just a word in the dictionary; Life was a right, not a gift;
Death was only a concept; STRENGTH!--Nikon F4s ad 1992

[Alan Peterman]

As someone who has had both..depends on what you like and want
to do. Me - I don't like power winders or drives since the
size and weight are NOT what I want on my FA. Since I only
use one infrequently, I decided to sell my MD-12 (which are
usually available for around $150 used) and kept the cheapo
Rokunar winder. It is fine when I do need a powered exposure
system, and I NEVER need faster exposures - I'm not into
movies. If you plan on shooting over 100 rolls a year with
power drive go for the more rugged Nikon unit...otherwise
take the money you save and buy another lens or more film..

--
Alan L. Peterman (503)-684-1984 hm & work
a...@qiclab.scn.rain.com Tigard, Oregon 97224
As I get older the days seem longer and the years seem shorter!

[na...@ibm.net]

A "power winder" does not necessary mean it cannot support continuous
shooting. Many of them can. Well, so, what is the difference between
a "power winder" and a "motor drive"? The speed (fps). A motor drive
gives you faster frames per second.

Note that even if a motor drive gives you 6 fps, 6fps is not enough
at all for your 35mm SLR to be a movie camera. Think in this way:
Suppose you use 1/250 sec of shutter speed and take 6 pictures
in a second. Now you exposed accumulated 6/250 sec out of the
one second in which you kept pushing the release. Stated differently,
244/250 of the one second were not exposed.

The why people prefer faster motor drives? There is a very good reason.
Faster motor drive allows you to prepare for the next shutter chance.
You never keep pushing release for seconds. You always look for the
exact shutter chance. But you can be prepared very quickly to the next
shutter chance as soon as you finich taking one picture when you have
a fast motor drive.

On the other hand, a slow winder is almost meaningless in my opinion.
You can wind by yourself!!!!

Talking about the big price difference, it may be, just may be associated with
the quality or reliability of the product. That is, the cheap winder may
not be good quality. I cannot tell since I do not have that particular
winder myself.

Naoki
na...@ibm.net
from Japan