Even in manual mode, camera sometimes still wont take the picture

[zack_mccrory]

<p>Hey Guys,</p>

<p>This is a very basic question, im sure... but its driving me nuts.<br>

<br /> <br>

Sometimes when i push the shutter button, my camera refuses to take a picture. It seems to be in situations where there may not be enough light for an ideal image.</p>

<p>I hadn't noticed it much (my D40 used to do it, but my D90 had hardly ever done it) untill i was messing with my AB400 monolight yesterday. If i turned off the modeling light and aimed the camera at something that didn't have much light on it, even in manual mode it would not take the picture.</p>

<p>Is there a way to get the camera to take the picture, regardless of what its metering tells it?</p>

<p>Im just afraid that im going to get in a situation where im doing a photo shoot with a model, and my camera is going to start "arguing" with me about if i have enough light or not when using the somewhat weak modeling lights on my AB400.</p>

[carlwakefield]

<p>Zack I have no exspirence with your nikons. But there must be some automated option actived if you put your camera in Manual and have set the time and appature and set the lens to manual focus then it must fire everytime regardless of the light sitution focus or sitution. I don't know is there an auto ISO or other feature active?</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Double check your settings. In Manual mode your DSLR should ALWAYS take a picture when the shutter is pressed, so long as you have room on the memory card etc.</p>

<p>Your camera will never "argue" with you in Manual mode, that's why it's called Manual, not Auto.</p>

<p>You can't use your in-camera meter with your Alien Bee flash. Metering the modeling lights is not applicable to the exposure you want, or are going to get.</p>

<p>Start at ISO 100, set your shutter speed to 1/200 and your f-stop to f/11. Take a picture, with the Alien Bee. If the histogram looks right, you're close. If the histogram is all bunched up at the right edge, turn down the power on the AB. If the histogram is all bunched up at the left end, open your aperture.</p>

<p>Repeat until you get a good exposure.</p>

<p>Get "Light - Science & Magic" to learn how light works, read the Studio and Portrait topics under the "Learning" tab at the top of this page, and visit Chuck Gardner's site at http://super.nova.org/DPR/ for tips on portrait lighting.</p>

<p><Chas></p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>" If i turned off the modeling light " - looks like the camera has less light and difficulty to auto focus.</p>

<p>You must set the camera to manual exposure, AND manual Focus, to avoid what you described</p>

[nathan_meador]

<p>I've had this happen, but only in low light and using 'auto focus' and the camera can't confirm that your subject is in focus. Happens with certain textures...but if you change to 'manual focus' it should fire every time regardless of what the camera "thinks" is in focus.</p>

[pmj]

<p>It may have to do with focussing. If the camera is set to AF-S (AutoFocus Single, i.e., the setting on the camera, not the lens designation) it will probably refuse to take a picture unless it has acquired focus. You could try manual focus. In AF-C (AutoFocus Continuous) it should always take a picture.</p>

<p>Please note that I don't have a D90, but this is what my F100 and D200 would do.</p>

[william_supko]

<p>Is your lens set to automatic or manual focus? If you lens is set to manual focus and your camera is set on manual the shutter should release. If your camera is in automatic focus mode there may not be enough light on the scene for the lens to find a proper focus point. Usually if the camera can't focus it won't fire. Just my two cents.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Right. Even when you have your <em>exposure</em> set to manual, your camera may still be set to focus priority (not release priority) when it comes to AF. So, if the camera isn't satisfied that things are in focus, it won't want to release the shutter. Now, you go shift to manual focus, too, and that would solve the problem... but at the risk of not having things in focus.<br /><br />This is one of the reasons that people use fast lenses, even when they intend to make the exposure itself stopped down. A fast lens gathers more light <em>before</em> the exposure, and gives the AF system more to work with in a darker setting.<br /><br />Read the the AB manual - you'll see a comment about what sort of light bulb you can use for the modeling light. You can increase the wattage from the default bulb provided - and that will give you more to work with. Don't forget that you can also turn the monolight's modeling light brightness tracking off so that it's on full brightness while doing things like composing/focusing. That's not as helpful when dealing with moving subjects, of course. Do you have the AF focus assist light on your camera set to turn on? That can help matters.</p>

[william_supko]

<p>Awww Patrick beat me to a response, sorry for the repeat post. I do not have the same camera but I agree, I think most slr cameras operate this way.</p>

[zack_mccrory]

<p>It sounds like its probably in the focusing then.<br>

<br><br>

I had everything else set up correctly for the AB400... camera settings were ISO100, my desired aperture, 1/125th shutter speed, white balance set to flashes, etc.<br>

<br><br>

So i guess my next question is... when you hold the shutter button halfway down it focuses... it seemed like it was focusing correctly but the AF-Points just weren't lighting up like they normally do.  Is there a way to make it auto focus, and even if the camera doesn't think it has clear focus on something, still take the photo when i push the shutter button down the rest of the way?<br>

<br><br>

I dont want to try to manually focus this thing... gives me nightmares thinking back to when i still had my D40 trying to use my 50mm f/1.8.<br>

 </p>

[zack_mccrory]

<p>One more thing to ad... the lens i was using was a fast lens (Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, set at 2.8).<br>

<br><br>

I only noticed it when i was aiming the camera places where the AB wasn't directly aimed.  None of the shots i actually wanted to take were a problem, but it made me think "what if it did this to me when i was wanting to shoot something important"</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>When you say "places where the AB wasn't directly aimed," how were those other places lit?</p>

[zack_mccrory]

<p>I was just in my computer room with the AB set up facing a book shelf area. </p>

<p>The regular lights were on in the room, so it wasnt dark in there. I was just aiming at thing like the very top of the bookshelf where the monolight wasn't directly aiming, just to see what kind of spillover it had up there from the AB.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>That would all be completely unrelated to the AB, then. Did you turn off Auto ISO?</p>

[zack_mccrory]

<p>Im aware that it has nothing to do with the AB...<br>

<br><br>

As stated above... ISO was set to 100.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>I asked, because it's possible to set the ISO to, say, 100... and still have auto ISO engaged. Which means that the camera might still be trying to evaluate the light it's seeing, and consider the exposure to be to be too low, and hence no shutter release. But when you bring the view over to where the modeling light is providing a little more, the camera considers you within bounds. Again, just ruling out variables, here.</p>

[joseph_lynn]

<p>I shoot Canon, but use the same lens as you almost all the time. I too have expirienced this problem. It is from the "ify" auto focus on that lens. Its a great lens for the price but one of the drawbacks is the AF. I always just switch to manual focus on the lens, more work but it gets the job done. I have never had it refuse to fire when the lens was in manual, no matter how dark or out of focus.<br>

If you think the AF was close, just use AF to focus and switch to MF, without changing the subject distance, to take the shot. Also maybe try using one AF-point and recomposing, thats what I do.</p>

[allardk]

<p>I too would love a custom setting on my camera (canon 40D) that allows me to completely override the focus priority without going to manual focus. I find that AF is usually faster than MF and I don't push the shutter button if I think focus is too far off. Sometimes getting the shot is just more important than anything else. The only way I know how to do this is going to servo AF, which can be annoying for other reasons. If somebody knows a trick to do this I'm all ears.</p>

<p>allard</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>This is the main reason I prefer the "release priority" option on my D2H with either single or continuous servo AF. I'd rather get a slightly out of focus shot than miss a shot when doing action oriented or candid photography.</p>

<p>For handheld closeups and even macro, tho', I do prefer "focus priority". I'll set the lens to minimum focus, then squeeze the shutter release button and it'll reliably trigger only when in sharp focus. Very handy for those occasions when I don't have a tripod. Also helps with careful studies of moving subjects such as kids and pets. Zero in on the leading eye, squeeze the shutter and when the eye is in sharp focus in the focus bracket zone, it'll trigger.</p>

<p>Very nifty to have both options. I wasn't aware that not all Nikon dSLRs offered this.</p>

[michael s.]

<p>Zack wrote:</p>

<p><em>" ... but the AF-Points just weren't lighting up like they normally do ... "</em></p>

<p>Your camera was not achieving/locking focus, as noted above, probably due to low light/low contrast.</p>

<p>Two choices: </p>

<p>1. Try either the <strong>CH</strong> (continuous high) or <strong>CL</strong> (continuous low) mode for shutter release, rather than <strong>S</strong> (single). But beware: as long as you press, your camera should continue to fire. Hence the term "continuous" :-)</p>

<p>2. Try manual focus (although I understand your hesitation, your D90's improved viewfinder vs. the D40 should make that a bit easier).</p>

[carlwakefield]

<p>Allard, you can change a custom function on your 40D, not sure of the top of my head but it achieves your goal. You set the star button to be the focus button. to autofocus you press the star button otherwise you are manual. I will check the details and confirm I have used my canon this way. For sure many others two. You camera always shoots in this mode in or out of focus. Regards Carl</p>