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Help! D800 Cannot Change Aperture


warren_wilson

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I am currently in Mandalay with my Nikon D800.

 

The camera seems to want to keep the aperture wide open. For instance, if I use the 70 - 200 f/2.8, it sits at f/2.8 with the display blinking and will not let me change the aperture (in any mode - though I normally keep it in A).

 

I have tried a re-set. I have cleaned the contacts and spun the various controls to see if it is something there. I recall this used to be a problem with really old gear when I didn't have the lens physically indexed to the body, but don't know what is going on here. I am hoping this is some simple thing I am overlooking.

 

I doubt there is a Nikon-savvy camera shop any closer than Bangkok, and there are a lot of miles between here and there.

 

I would appreciate any suggestions: this is a very photogenic place!

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First of all, fully charge your EN-EL15 battery and use a fresh battery. Do you have multiple batteries with you.

 

How many lenses do you have with you? Do they all exhibit this issue? All Nikon 70-200mm/f2.8 have no aperture ring, such that aperture setting on the lens shouldn’t be an issue. You may have bad electronic contacts if the top LCD keeps on blinking.

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Thank you for your responses.

 

I have several lenses -- the 70 - 200 f/2.8, a 14 - 24 f/2.8, a 105 macro f/2.8 and a walking around lens. They all behave in the same manner.

 

Te battery is not low, but I will give it a boost.

 

Although the display blinks with the number of the widest aperture available on the lens, when I DO take an exposure, it seems to pinch down to the smallest aperture -- that lever that opens and closes the diaphragm does not seem to be working -- in other words, although the display blinks the number of the widest aperture, when the shutter is activated, the lens appears to remain closed to the smallest aperture.

 

I speculate this because in conditions that might normally ask for 1/120 at f/8 (sunny f/8 kind of thing), I need an lengthy exposure (eg. 1/4 second).

 

I keep hoping it's just something simple I am overlooking -- like on old lenses if you did not have them locked at the widest aperture, they would act similarly.

 

So far the bustling markets of Mandalay have not given me much reassurance that there is a qualified Nikon tech anywhere in the city!

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Thanks, Mary. Manual mode does the same thing -- I think the communication between the CPU and the lens CPU is down.

 

Yeah. I have a terrible little backup camera. A Coolpix. It is very similar to a camera in some respects, at any rate. (It's OK, but like going from a nicely-tuned sports car to a second-hand pickup truck).

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display blinking

OK, more shooting in the dark (excuse the pun):

 

(1) The attached screen shot is from the D800 manual - just in case the described is the problem. and solution.

(2) I am not sure if "re-set" actually resets Exposure Compensation. So check your Exposure Compensation to see if it's in neutral position.

(3) Not sure if you take a D800 user manual with you. If not, this link is handy and may (or may not) help:

https://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D800_EN.pdf.

Good luck Warren.

 

Also, it may be a good idea to think about buying a nice point and shoot (such as a Canon Powershot). The photos can be amazing.

 

Most important of all: Enjoy your trip. :)

 

 

 

 

Trouble.thumb.jpg.218a015fa65980c575e049162072dc4c.jpg

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You guys are awesome, taking the time to help a bedgraggled guy who started to hate the weight of his useless camera bag.

 

I appreciate the link to the owner's manual in particular -- I didn't bring it, and have been wishing I did. The good news is that being obsessive, I sat and did repeated factory resets maybe a half dozen times in a row and that seems to have done the trick.

 

Since I have pretty much destroyed my normal backup (D300) with hard use, it might be time to dig deep for an 850 and demote the old 800. That's what I'm telling my wife, anyway.

 

Thanks again -- I appreciate the ethic a great deal.

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If the battery is fine, this problem is/was likely caused by bad electronic contacts around the lens mount, probably on the canera side since it had the same problems with several lenses.

 

I would leave it alone for now since it is working, but I would thoroughly clean those contacts at home. Nikon manufactures both the D810 and D850 in Thailand. The OP is not far from a new body. :rolleyes:

 

Since photography is important when I travel, I typically take three camera bodies. Last year, a friend when to Scotland. His travel images of some castles captured with an iPhone 7 looked great on a large monitor. It was outdoors with plenty of light and the tiny phone sensor provided lots of depth of field for landscape images. Phone cameras seem to be a decent backup for travel photography.

Edited by ShunCheung
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Thanks, guys. Myanmar is a fine place for both the people and the images -- this time I have taken quotes from many great photographers and pasted them randomly ahead of time into my journal, so as I write in it, I am continually reminded of the thoughts of the great: Steve McCurry, Dorothea Lange, Yousuf Karsh, Alfred Steiglitz etc. It is inspirational to start the day with a thought like, "Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field."

 

And having such fine compadres as this group is also inspirational. So thanks.

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Again, if photography is important to you, definitely bring a backup body. If one lens fails, for example, if you cannot use your telephoto lens, at least you can take pictures and then crop. It is not ideal but at least you can still take pictures. If your only camera body fails, you are totally stuck. The D800E and D500 are somewhat different, but at least the EN-EL15 battery and SD memory cards are common.
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I would leave it alone for now since it is working, but I would thoroughly clean those contacts at home. Nikon manufactures both the D810 and D850 in Thailand. The OP is not far from a new body. :rolleyes:

 

Since photography is important when I travel, I typically take three camera bodies.

 

I consider a back up body essential, especially on trips. Mine is a very small D5300. Very capable, and doesn't take up much space. It's also a great camera for walking around a crowded city. I also take a third camera, usually either a Nikon F3T with three small lenses or Leica IIIc with four tiny lenses.

 

 

Kent in SD

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