Nikon D3100 blurry picture problem

<p>Hello,<br>

My Nikon D3100 has just developed a problem where it produces blurry pictures. If I shut it off for a little while it will not do it when it's first turned back on. I can actually hear it acting differently when it's producing a blurry picture. I'm fairly camera illiterate which will not help here but it sounds like something is getting stuck for an extra half second. For instance with a normal picture there are two clicks, when it's producing a blurry picture there are three. <br>

Thank you for your help with this matter and if there is anything I can do here to help you help me please just let me know. I can record it happening, post pictures or try different settings. Thanks again. </p>

<p>Also, it appears that it works fine if the flash is on which is very odd to me.</p>

<p>Bryan, what "mode" is the camera set to. My first guess is that your shutter speed is too slow. Try putting the camera into "P" mode and check to see if you have any exposure compensation. You should be able to see these settings in the info screen.</p>

<p>Hey Chip, I've been using, and experiencing the problem, in both the auto mode without flash and the close up setting (flower).<br>

I can get it to work just fine in P mode but I'm also not able to turn the flash off in that mode. It does seem that the shutter speed is too slow, however it's strange that it just started to happen without me adjusting anything. To me at least it seems like a hardware problem.</p>

<p>deleted because post late...</p>

<p>If it's working all right in P mode, then perhaps some other setting changed.</p>

<p>The flash should not be automatically activated at all in P mode. If you pop it up it will always flash. There's no way to turn it off while it's up, so when you don't want it, just shut it. </p>

<p>If you can't figure out what has changed, one quick thing to do is to go to the menu and reset everything. If the result is from an accidental change that will undo it. Of course it will also undo any intentional changes, so make sure you make note of any you want to keep. </p>

<p>Perhaps light is low and Auto-ISO feature is off? This would explain longer shutter times. Using flash in automatic modes usually results shutter times between 1/60s - 1/200s. You might want to look for Auto-ISO settings, that it is on and treshold time is around 1/60s or 1/(lens focal lenght).</p>

<p>I would add one other thing. In the playback menu, there is an entry that allows you to select various optional display screens when you play back an image. Included are some that show "EXIF" information, which is the information the camera stores on each image it takes, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and so forth. If you enable the additional information, you can analyze a picture more easily. You can shuttle between different display screens with the up/down arrows, and whichever one you choose remains the display for all until you change it, so you don't need to look at them all every time.</p>

<p>What lens do you use?<br>

It's just a hunch, but if you hear a noise when this happens, there has to be something mechanical that doesn't work as it should. Given you did not have this issue before, I'm going to <em>assume</em> (bad practise!) that it is not settings, mode, shutterspeed - but I do agree with whoever told you to check all that.<br>

The one thing that has mechanics and is related to blurriness is VR - do you use a lens with VR, and if yes, if you set VR to off, does the noise go away? Can you try with another lens possibly?</p>

<p>Bryan, are you using "Live View"sometimes ?<br>

IF so then the extra noise is from the mirror fist going down before opening again to take the picture.<br>

Since this takes a little extra time(while you are keeping the shutter control depressed..).<br>

It might also indicatewhere the blur comes from, since you need to keep the camera still during the shot, and if you move too soon the picture shows "movement"...</p>

<p>Could you post an example of a blurred picture maybe , so we can see if it is an out of focus issue, a movement during exposure, or mayb a defect in VR ? </p>

<p>Hello all, the help here is amazing, you guys and gals have a great forum!<br>

I'm using the 18-55 with VR lens.<br>

I took several more pictures this morning with VR off. It was on the no flash mode, just below auto. It took about 5 pictures the correct way and then the problem started again. I turned the focus to manual and it started to work correctly again for two more pictures and then went back to being blurry.<br>

I always use the LCD in the back which I can only assume is "Live View". I will try taking some pictures without the LCD on and see if that makes a difference. I just took some pictures without using Live View and it's very snappy and works perfect just like before. I tried it with a few different settings and with VR and Focus both on and off. It seems to work perfect no matter what. The problem must be tied to the Live View.<br>

I pushed the flash down when trying it in P mode and sure enough that turned the flash off. I was trying to turn it off in the settings. The problem is even worse when in P mode. I wish I knew the terminology to make this easier but there is an initial click followed by a delay before another click and then a third. When it's working correctly I believe the first two are back to back. When it's blurry it's that second click that is delayed. In P mode that delay is substantial.<br>

Hopefully that explanation will help narrow down the problem since someone out there must know what's happening inside and what each click is doing. <br>

<br /> Auto ISO is still on, I can see it on and the numbers are changing as I change the light in the picture.<br>

Should I go ahead and reset my settings?</p>

 

<p>Bryan, reset sounds reasonable. You might also upload one of your blurry shots so that folks can take a look at the EXIF data to aid diagnosis.</p>

<p>Resetting helps, even when it would not resolve the problem. It will make troubleshooting easier because all of your settings would be in a 'known state', so it is easier to try one setting at a time to understand where things go wrong.<br>

Plus, uploading some photos as Chip said helps a lot.<br>

Frankly, I think a good first step too is to start using the viewfinder more. DSLRs are relatively heavy, and their ergonomics are designed for using the camera will peeking through the viewfinder. They're far from ideal for shooting from the rear screen (live view) - it is a lot more difficult to keep the camera steady that way, plus the autofocus in the viewfinder-mode is faster and more responsive. I can understand that it is a change in habits if you came from point and shoot cameras and/or cellphones, but long term it helps getting the best from your camera.</p>

<p>As mentioned before, there will be more clicking in Live View (LCD Screen) mode than in Viewfinder mode. When you take a picture in Live View, the shutter is open while you view. So first the shutter must close, then the exposure occurs ( AF and VR operate, shutter opens then closes again) and then the shutter must open once more. In viewfinder mode, the mirror flips up, the exposure is taken, and then the mirror flips back down, but the whole sequence is much faster and the clicks not discernibly separate. The timing of clicks in Live View may vary a good deal depending on how quickly auto focus is achieved.</p>

<p>Users vary, but I have considerable difficulty holding a camera steady when sighting with the rear LCD, and if I were experiencing this problem the first suspect would be simply not getting a good percentage of shots held steady enough. In Live View with Auto ISO on, the default shutter speeds tend to stay pretty low except in bright daylight. It might be worthwhile to go to the menu and raise the minimum shutter speed at which ISO changes, and see if your percentage improves. </p>

<p>But I agree with Wouter, that one big improvement is likely to be switching to the viewfinder. It's not only easier to hold steady, but the AF works more consistently. </p>

 

<p>Bryan,<br>

You say your delay challenge is worse in "P" mode and in manual it is gone.<br>

So question for you then : Do you have "red Eye Reduction " switched on ?<br>

This does not work in Manual mode, and delays down the moment the shutter is actuated after depressing the release button, giving the effect of the second click being deleyed when the camere thinks that flash is needed, so it becomes dependend on the light when P mode is on.</p>

<p>Hope someone can help:<br /> I have a Nikon D3100 with a 18-55mm lens purchased new in Dec '13. It has seen light usage and has not experienced any damage. Recently, I noticed the camera having difficulty or slow response with focusing on objects. I attributed this to a nearly full memory card and replaced it with a brand new one to no avail. More recently, the camera not only had difficulty focusing but would fail or delay to shoot. The camera then would only shoot in very limited modes (i.e. 'sport' mode) but no other. As of today, the camera will not shoot in any mode nor will it focus. I believe it is safe to assume the two are related (bad circuit board perhaps?). I have attempted to shoot in all modes and with the lens in both "A" and "M" settings and with "VR" both selected and de-selected. When I depress and release the shutter release, I can hear the camera make slow 'clicking' sounds, as if it is attempting some physical task. I have thus far: 1) Assured the battery is fully charged, 2) replaced the memory card with a brand new one (which is matched to the manufacturers specs), 3) Attempted to shoot in all lighting conditions, both indoor and outdoor, 4) Selected 'reset shooting options' in the menu, 5) Assured I am only using the viewfinder to look through, 6) Removed and re-installed the lens twice. Any thoughts/suggestions would be most appreciated.</p>