nizo 801 HELP!

david richardson · September 28, 2010

Hello I'm a photographer who's moving onto super 8. I'm shooting soon and just brought a beautiful nizo 801. But I messed around with it and I've somehow jammed the +1 button in. I'm not sure how it's meant to come out.. I understand that this opens the aperture by a stop. I haven't got the time to test it and wondered what effect this will have on super 8 film. Will everything be overposed? I assume it'd look alright with black and white but colours might look off..

Many thanks!

Micbress · September 28, 2010

hi,

the black and white is better a bit underexposed (we're talking about Tri-x 7266), the color negative will be better if overexposed (+1/3).

Martin Baumgarten · September 28, 2010

Hi David,

Sorry to hear about your camera problems. On the NIZO S-801, the Backlight Button is springloaded for only temporary use on short filming shots...having to be held in by your finger. If yours doesn't come back out/up, then the spring and/or switch detent are defective or have moved out of position. You will want to have full and correct exposure control in making movies, since reversal filmstock is like shooting slides, and requires nearly accurate exposures; being within 1/2 Stop or less or where it should be for best results. You do NOT want to use the camera without first conducting some tests to see if it is accurate to use, both metering and/or manual aperture settings.

I recommend trying a test to see if the exposure is locked in Backlight mode (+1 Stop) and if so, to repair the camera:

[1]. See if holding the camera sideways to the left allows the button to come back out.

[2]. Measure the exposure off a plain wall, and try and see if there's a variation between holding the camera on its left side, upright, and on its right side. If there's an exposure change of 1-Stop, then as the button moves back in it is affecting the switch.

[3]. If no change in exposure reading during Step 2 above, then repeat while holding the camera upright and lightly pushing against the button which is still pushed in. If it's only the spring that is out of position or broken, the light pressure will activate the switch on the circuit board and you should notice an exposure reading change of +1.

[4]. If none of the above changes anything, compare the meter reading from the camera as it is, against a known accurate light meter. Compare readings, factoring in a -1 Stop to compensate for the large zoom lens optics and viewfinder prism which rob some of the incoming light. If the readings are off by 1-Stop, then the camera is NOT reading normally, but with the +1 Stop Backlight factor activated. However if the readings are within a 1/2 Stop or better of each other, the camera is metering normally and you should be able to use it normally. Although I recommend a film test FIRST prior to committing it to any project.

[5]. I recommend getting this repaired. If parts or a good repair tech isn't available affordably for you, then the easiest option is to just have the button removed so the NIZO meter stays in normal mode. This is something any camera repair tech should be able to do for you, or you might even be able to do so yourself. It just requires removal of the side cover, carefully, then removal of the Backlight Button and spring parts from the center of the Filter Knob control on the circuit board.

[6]. Remove the panel cover screws, then remove the panel, making sure NOT to move the knobs from the Normal Setting positions. Remove the Backlight Button and spring parts carefully, using tweezers. Take care not to upset any other settings of the knob potentiometers on the circuirt board. Then carefully replace the side panel, paying strict attention to making sure the knobs all seat back into the spots where they belong. If the cover panel is seated correctly, replace the panel screws carefully, making sure not to overtighten them. Test the knobs to make sure all function correctly. I suggest putting a tiny piece of some good tape over the opening to prevent dust from entering.

Hopefully you can sort out your camera so you can use it.

[7]. If repair is NOT an option at this time, and the meter is working and stays in the Backlight +1 mode, you can still use the camera....but in Manual Mode ONLY. Meter your subject, then reset the meter in Manual Mode factoring a -1 Stop setting from the reading the meter provided. This will at least allow you to use the builtin light meter and the camera, albeit in manual exposure mode. Of course, to make sure the exposure meter is working correctly, you will need to make sure you have the correct 1.35 volt batteries or the closest WEIN Zinc Air cells which are 1.4 volt.

Good luck!

Martin Baumgarten

Alessandro Machi · September 29, 2010

I would not recommend opening the camera up because it is very easy to have a knob or button move, then when closing the camera back up, a new problem that did not previously exist now exists. You might want to try gently toggling the plus one button with a toothpick to see if it pops back up.

If you determine that the plus one function is actually now on all the time, you can still frame your shot, read the f-stop, then switch to manual exposure mode and move the f-stop one stop under. Please keep on mind that on wide shots, it is possible that your backlight shots will be underexposed and the plus one will actually help you.

Watch out for spotlight scenarios. Whenever you have a "spotlight" pointed at the key components of your scene, then the plus one is about the worst thing you can have on. However, on wider shots and shots with a lot of contrast, I tend to like a slight "automatic" overexposure because the automatic meter is usually going to over react and underexpose to bright spots in the frame area, so the plus one may end up being the perfect offset in some situations.

david richardson · October 1, 2010

Thanks so much for your help guys. Really handy!! I'm going to test it out first I think. It's so frustrating.. I brought this camera because of the Auto exposure.. grr. Still it is a mighty fine looking camera.

Martin Baumgarten · October 2, 2010

He's correct, it is easy to have a knob move out of position. I should've also stated that it's very helpful to use a fine grade electrical tape to tape down all knobs and buttons on the side cover BEFORE removing it. Taping them in a cross pattern will keep them from moving or dropping out. A good grade electrial tape will also not leave any sticky residue on them after you remove it later.

[PLEASE, do make sure NOT to move any of the small circuit board dials which mate to their corresponding knobs on the cover panel!]

So....if for some reason you decide to tackle this yourself, first set all controls to their NORMAL settings, Power Switch the center off position, and then tape them down carefully, each with two pieces of tape making an X. You don't need to tape the Power Switch, just make sure it's in the center or off position. Then unscrew the four panel cover screws carefully. Once unscrewed, lift off the cover panel gently and upward, so as to not cause anything to move underneath.

Since the tape will hold both the Meter Battery Check Button and the Backlight +1 Exposure Button in position, they won't fall out. Once the cover is off, there aren't any boobytraps to spring up at you. The only two springloaded areas are the small spring for the Meter Battery Check Button at the top of the circuit board, the the small spring loaded metal button for the +1 Backlight Button. Now, carefully examine this backlight button, using a small pin or tweezers, work it up carefully and see if it pops right up back to position. It could've just been some debris in there that caused it to stick in the first place. If it pops up okay, and you can depress it gently with your finger and it comes back up, all might be okay. If not, then there's a problem with the spring underneath it. It's quite possible to just remove it with the tweezers and set it aside so that it's not activated at all. This way, you'll just have normal exposure, and should you need to do a backlight compensation, just do it in manual mode. The spring can be replaced and it can be repaired, but to get more into explaining that would possibly be too involved for you here. I just wanted to keep it easy so that you could sort this nice camera out fairly quickly IF you wanted to try it yourself.

Once finished, carefully position the cover panel exactly back over the camera and gently lower it back down into position. Once in position, make sure it's sitting correctly on the camera body. If it's higher on one side, it might just mean a gentle nudging of the knob(s) closer to that side to get it to sit down. Once it's in correct position, then carefully replace the four screws, and screw them down carefully. Do not fully tighten them until they are all in position, then tighten one down and go to the screw diagonally opposite and so forth. Remember, very gentle torque here, this is not an engine cylinder head! Once together, carefully remove the electrical tape that you had holding the knobs in place, and try out the camera. Hopefully, all will be well, and at the very least, you'll have a working camera without the Backlight Button functioning. Good luck either way! I decided to go into more detail and post this, since many others use these fine NIZO cameras and might want a go at it themselves.

Alessandro Machi · October 5, 2010

Taping the buttons down on the outside of the camera is an excellent idea, lol, I wish I had suggested it to the various technicians who have tried to service my Eumig's with marginal success.

So is possibly taking a digital still or two at every step of the process.

Ironically, the plus one function might also be a benefit when shooting negative film stock. The beauty of many of the top of the line super-8 cameras is that there are work arounds to some problems that may develop. When the manual exposure meter stopped working on my Eumig, I was able to use the fade in, fade out button to get the meter where I wanted, and then I would on the fly flip the dial to the non working manual meter exposure, which would stop the exposure dead in its tracks.

Sometimes I would have to do it a few times as I would not lock it at the right moment, but the point was I could still manually meter even without a functoning manual meter. And of course, the meter stopped working after a service call in which the camera was lubed, but in exchange I lost the manual exposure feature.

david richardson · October 19, 2010

Many thanks everybody. I opened it up and lifted it up from inside. There didn't seem to be a spring, but now it meters perfectly. Thanks for everybodies help! The camera was a beaut to use now I just need to get the film processed and telecined.. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap HD service around London?

Many thanks!