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Mirror Up mode question


Larry_G1664882113

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<p>I am using my D7000 for landscape photography and wonder if I should be using the mirror up function on a tripod to minimize blur caused by vibration. Currently on the tripod, I use the timer function, setting the camera to fire the shot 2 seconds after I press the shutter release. I do not have a shutter release cord or remote for this camera. Would I be better off in Mirror Up mode? Then I guess I would have to manually press the shutter release twice to take the picture with the mirror up. Which is better the 2 second delay or the mirror up? Thanks. Larry</p>
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<p>On the D7100, the mirror up mode selected from the shutter modes is not a cleaning mode, but used to reduce mirror slap. I would expect it to be the same for the D7000. There is a distinctly different "mirror lockup for cleaning" menu entry, which does not depend on the shutter button, but raises the mirror and opens the shutter until power is cut off, so there can be no accidental shutter closure.</p>

<p>I experimented a little with my wife's D7100, because I had heard from another source that there is some mirror slap on this (which I don't get on the D3200, oddly enough), and it does show up a little on a tripod, though not hand held. </p>

<p>What I'm not entirely sure of is whether this is mirror or shutter vibration. If it's shutter vibration you can do little to avoid it except to avoid the speeds at which it appears. If it's mirror vibration, one possibility is the menu option for adding a one second shutter delay. This waits a second between raising the mirror and firing the shutter.</p>

<p>If you're on a tripod, you can also raise the mirror by switching to Live View. </p>

<p>What I don't know in this case is whether the self timer also causes a shutter delay. Some cameras do that, and some don't. My D3200 does not, but others may.</p>

<p>Obviously the self timer cancels user-induced shake, but if it does not separate mirror and shutter operation, it won't help with mirror shake. </p>

<p>Since this is a digital camera, I would experiment with it. Put it on the tripod and take a careful shutter button shot, then take a self timer shot, then go to the menu and select the shutter delay and try that. Pixel peep the results. </p>

<p>Though the menu entry is inconveniently deep on this model, the infrared remote is very cheap, with third party remotes going for about 6 bucks. If the only issue is user induced shake, then this can be a nice alternative to the self timer. </p>

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<p>I think using M-Up on the drive mode is probably ideal if you are looking for the most stable tripod shooting. I have used this on D200 and D300, and basically the first shutter trip raises the mirror, and the second shutter trip opens the shutter. If you just press the shutter once, the mirror raises and I think the shutter automatically opens after 30 seconds. A kind of de factor 30 second timer. Or you can get a remote to release the shutter, once mirror is raised.</p>
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<p>You can use exposure delay mode, which raises the mirror and then waits for a second or however long it is set to wait, and finally opens the shutter and captures the shot. Or you can use a remote release (e.g. MC-DC2) in M-UP mode to press once to lift the mirror + wait a bit + press again to open the shutter, and get control over exactly when the shutter is opened (independently of when you tell the camera to lift the mirror). You can also put the camera in live view mode and open the shutter from that, in which case in modern Nikons the mirror stays up the whole time (in older ones such as the D700, in LV, if you pressed the shutter it would first let the mirror down and then take it back up, creating no doubt some vibration, but this shouldn't be the case in recent cameras). </p>
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<p>The ML-L3 is a good option to use for a remote as you get access to it mode via the i button on the D7100, one of which is "Remote Mirror-Up". Im not sure if the D7000 has the i button though. Third party ML-L3's are a fraction of the price of Nikon ones.<br>

One other thing to consider is VR, which should be switched off when using a tripod. I make this mistake frequently.</p>

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<p>Third party remote releases can be had for less than $10 on Fleabay. I have had one for about 7 years now and it still works flawlessly. Don't bother with Nikon's, it is expensive and no more capable than one you can get for about a third of the price. Nikon most likely does not make theirs either, it is re-brand.</p>
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<p>With my D7000 on a tripod, I would turn the dial to mirror up mode, and then I would use the delay, and that method is much better than the timer, especially when shooting long range, like at the moon, but the remote makes all the difference. If the remote really isn't an option, your highest percentage of sharp & 'in-focus' images will come when you set your camera on a solid tripod, set your exposure delay to 'on', set the dial to 'mirror up', then press your shutter button, and give it a couple of seconds to settle the vibrations from the mirror lifting (the longer the lens/focal length, the longer I wait, because a heavier lens may allow/cause more vibration), and then press the shutter button again when you're ready. Oh, and I set my AE-L/AE-F button to do my focusing, my shutter button does not focus, so it is pre-focused when I press the shutter button to take the image.</p>
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<p>I agree with everybody about a remote release of some sorts , be it wired or wireless, is an essential part of the solution to get minimal vibration when this is critical foe a shot.<br>

I combined the need for a remote with the need for off camera flash, by aquireing a yongnuo yn-622N-TX & YN622n triggers, allowing me to trigger flash from the camera in any mode I like, and triggering the camera ( and flash if required) remotely ...<br>

two problems solved with one solution <br>

Off course many other radio triggers will do the same thing, but this set was for me the best affordable solution at the time...</p>

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