F3 Cancel long exposure

Hi folks

 

Just wondering if anyone knows how to cancel a long exposure while it's in

progress. I'm talking about one done in 'auto' mode on the Nikon F3, ie.

equivalent to aperture priority mode, so the camera has determined the exposure

length based on light and aperture. Is there any way, once the shutter has been

open for, say, a few minutes, to say 'ok, enough', and force the shutter to

close again?

 

Thanks

John Carvill

I think you just turn the shutter speed dial a bit, but haven't tried this in years.

Hi Conrad. I think it's only in Mode 'T' where you can end the exposure by turning the shutter-speed dial. As far as I can tell there's no way, in 'A' mode, to end the exposure early.

 

I've asked this question about the F3 specifically but it applies to any SLR really. So many times I've accidentally taken a shot on my D70 digital SLR and found myself in an unintended long exposure situation. I've often wished there was some sort of override switch so you don't have to wait fore the exposure to end.

Turning the shutter speed dial from A to something else will work, but I can't be sure you're supposed to do that. Nikon was always quiet about metering beyond 8s, so it's no surprise I can't find it in the manual.

 

I also understand that in T mode, you're supposed to trip the shutter with the manual lever by the lensmount, but I always forget, and nothing bad seems to happen.

I always found turning the shutter speed setting to a shtter speed other than "A" would close the shutter.

> Turning the shutter speed dial from A to something else will work, > but I can't be sure you're supposed to do that.

 

I didn't know that.

 

>I also understand that in T mode, you're supposed to trip the >shutter with the manual lever by the lensmount

 

I thought that was optional.

 

In any case I've always thought it a bit odd that you end a T mode long exposure by turning the shutter-speed dial, since it's quite hard to do that without moving the camera at least a little bit.

 

Cheers

John

I've used the autoexposure mode quite a bit to take photographs under moonlight (not of the moon itself) and streetlights at night. The exposures are surprisingly accurate, even when they extend to 30 minutes.

 

Turning the shutter speed dial from "A" to any other setting will close the shutter. However it's necessary to press and hold the button in the center of the dial to release it, making it difficult to control.

 

If I expect the exposure to be less than a few minutes, tho', to avoid undesired light streaking from jiggling the camera I'll first shade the lens with one hand while turning the shutter speed dial with the other. At night a hand should be effective enough but you could also use a hat, whatever. Just try to avoid contact with the camera before blocking the lens.

In "T" mode you can press the main shutter and then move the dial to release. You do not need to use the manual shutter.