D90 mirror lock up work around?

<p >The D90 doesn’t have a mirror lock up function, but I read somewhere that it’s possible to set a 1 second delay that will counteract the mirror vibration. Unfortunately I can’t find any information on how to set this delay. Have I been led astray?</p>

<p>Custom Setting d10 - Exposure Delay Mode<br>

Page 183 of the English manual.</p>

<p>It's called "Exposure Delay Mode", Custom Setting d10, on page 183 of the manual.</p>

<p>It's virtually the same thing as the self-timer firing off after 1 second, though only 2, 5, 10 and 20 sec. can actually be selected for the self-timer.</p>

<p >Thanks! In your experience, is the exposure delay effective? Is it comparable to a real mirror lock up?</p>

<p>A one-second delay should be more than sufficient for any vibration from mirror slap to die down. In fact, personally I prefer the 0.4 second on the D2X and D200, but apparently plenty of people prefer a slightly longer delay.</p>

<p>The main issue for a long delay is that you start losing control of the precise moment the image is actually captured. That probably does not matter if you are inside a studio and have full control of the environment. For outdoor wildlife or flower macro type shots, 1 second can make a big difference. I wish Nikon would add user-selectable delays between 0.4 and 1 second.</p>

<p>Well, outside of mirror lock up it's the best you can do. I was out shooting film the other day and had the camera set to a 2 sec. self-timer delay on a tripod. For some telephoto shots I could definitely see through the viewfinder that getting my hands off the camera after pushing the shutter release was making a difference.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Not the same as self-timer. Self-timer only helps with vibration caused possibly by your finger pushing the shutter button and delays the mirror/shutter combined action, but does not help reduce any vibration caused by the mirror up movement.<br>

With the exposure delay mode mirror action is separated from shutter action by 1 second time delay, allowing mirror caused vibration to decay.</p>

<p>Good to know. I was not aware of this function. Is it exclusive to the D90? Do you have to use the menus to toggle this mode on and off, or is there a physical button or dial that can enable it <em>a la</em> MLU mode on a D700?</p>

<p>Thanks to Frank for pointing out the differences between "exposure delay mode" and the self-timer.</p>

 

<p>This same feature is on the D100, D200, D300, D700, D2 and D3 families (and perhaps some others). The delay on the D2 and D200 was 0.4 second as I mentioned earlier but it is 1 second on the current models.</p>

<p>On some older film bodies such as the FM/FE series, the self timer would trigger the mirror at the beginning of the self timer cycle so that you get the so called "pseudo mirror lock up."</p>

<p>On the D80 the Exposure Delay Mode is Custom Setting 31 and is the same as the D200 with a 0.4 second delay.</p>

<p>After i read your feedback, i had a try with my D90 and the results are definately better. Thanks to all for the tips.</p>

<p>Thanks for this thread -- I was poring through the D90 manual last night looking for "mirror lock-up." This was exactly what I was looking for.</p>

<p>Quick questions?: If you use the D90 exposure delay to cut down on vibrations will a finger press on the shutter have dampened out by the time the shutter fires or is it still a good idea to use the remote? Second, can you use the timer AND the exposure delay on the D90?</p>

<p>The main source for vibation is the mirror slap, and that mainly affects shutter speeds around 1/15 sec. Therefore, one second should be more than sufficient for everything. Just make sure you press onto the shutter release button gentally.</p>

<p>Hi Guys,<br>

I want to us my D90 for some time lapse sequnces,using an interval timer, so want to lock the mirror up to save wear, any ideas. </p>