uiuiko Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 I just bought a D7500 with the Nikkor 200-500mm zoom lens. It's my first step up from point-and-shoot and is primarily for wildlife. I took it out this morning to test and found that it won't shoot at any shutter speed faster that 1/500. I'm using all auto settings at this point, and I was out on a clear sunny day, much of the time in open fields. When I tried shutter priority and set the shutter speed to 1/1000 I just got the flashing indicator that it couldn't focus. Is there a limitation I don't know? A setting I'm missing? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) It may be setup to shoot at shutter speeds no faster than 1/Focal length in use. That's an option in the auto ISO setup in any capture mode and is probably built-in to all-auto option. The 500mm maximum focal length could mean you are limited to 1/500 second shutter speed at most. PHD (point here dummy, a term I heard a LONG time ago by the owner of now-closed Woodmere Camera in NY who always had a listing in Shutterbug magazine...LOL) modes place all sorts of restrictions on the user, as the camera assumes you want nothing to do with the settings and will not allow you to intercede until you take the camera out of all-auto where you can use your own preferred settings. Change the exposure mode to either Shutter Priority or Manual, which should allow you to set any shutter speed you want. That'll tell you if the cameras shutter speeds are working properly or not. Edited October 21, 2022 by Greg M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) That you did try shutter priority (sorry, missed that initially) probably means the issue is in the auto ISO setup, assuming you do have ISO set to auto and also, assuming there really is no electronic/mechanical issue with the camera. Edited October 21, 2022 by Greg M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin Barkdoll Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Try resetting the camera. Test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Doo Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 How about setting shutter to more than 1/500 in Manual Mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, Greg M said: It may be setup to shoot at shutter speeds no faster than 1/Focal length in use Errr, make that SLOWER than 1/FL....! To avoid camera shake... however, the 200-500mm's VR gets you about 3 stops, so 1/60 is OK, >75% of the time. Remember that's camera shake, not subject movement....😉 10 hours ago, uiuiko said: set the shutter speed to 1/1000 I just got the flashing indicator that it couldn't focus Which one is that? I don't have a D7500. Edited October 21, 2022 by mike_halliwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBu Lamar Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 You need more light or turn the ISO higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CvhKaar Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 14 hours ago, uiuiko said: . When I tried shutter priority and set the shutter speed to 1/1000 I just got the flashing indicator that it couldn't focus. There is no relation between shutter speed set and the camera being able to focus ... If you have set "Focus Priority" and auto focus, and the camera does not find anything to focus on ( blue sky .. egal surface without any contrast, white sheet or any other situation without any contrast, then it will refuse to take a picture because there is nothing to focus on. If yo have switched autofocus ön"on the camera and öff" on the lens, it wil not focus either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uiuiko Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 I may have misspoken a bit; I'm new to this. When I choose shutter priority and set the shutter to 1/1000, the aperture indicator in the viewfinder flashes, which I understood to mean "underexposure"; I was probably wrong to say it couldn't focus. I'm confused because so many reviews say this lens is great for wildlife photography, but if the max aperture it allows isn't sufficient for a faster shutter speed I don't see how it can be. I did try resetting the shooting menu but that didn't seem to make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBu Lamar Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 27 minutes ago, uiuiko said: I may have misspoken a bit; I'm new to this. When I choose shutter priority and set the shutter to 1/1000, the aperture indicator in the viewfinder flashes, which I understood to mean "underexposure"; I was probably wrong to say it couldn't focus. I'm confused because so many reviews say this lens is great for wildlife photography, but if the max aperture it allows isn't sufficient for a faster shutter speed I don't see how it can be. I did try resetting the shooting menu but that didn't seem to make a difference. Your maximum aperture is f/5.6 and if you use ISO 100 in the brightest condition the shutter speed would be 1/800. If it's any less bright than that the shutter speed would have to be slower otherwise underexposure would occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uiuiko Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 I was in bright mid-day full sun and the shutter speed never got faster than 1/500. I have found that I can change the ISO to 400 and get faster shutter speeds in sunlight, but then extremely slow in even a bit of shade. I previously had ISO on auto; was I wrong to expect that the camera would change the ISO for me when I set the shutter speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 If you did not buy the camera new, (or even if you bought it new from a shop) you might try the two button reset to factory settings. Then spend some time with the manual, camera in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Initiate Auto ISO. Pop it on Manual. Set f to 5.6 and shutter to 1/1000 and go and shoot stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Naka Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 That is a pretty big jump from a P&S. I suggest you find a local camera shop and PAY them to teach you how to use the camera and lens. It is NOT going to be a short lesson. I think you have a LOT to learn. How Auto ISO works, differs by the camera brand and model, and this can get confusing. In some cameras, it will NOT raise the ISO until the shutter speed drops to 1/focal length of the lens. So if you set the lens to 500mm. In P or A mode, the ISO will not rise until the shutter speed drops below 1/500 sec. Then the camera will raise the ISO to maintain a shutter speed of 1/500 sec. I do not remember how Auto ISO behaves in S mode. In M mode the camera will adjust the ISO to maintain correct exposure at the set aperture and shutter speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CvhKaar Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Another thing to watch is how the light measuring mode is set, if you set it for center or center weighted, thae camera tries to use optimal speed , ISO etc. for the center of what you see in the view finder, if you set it to measure the whole frame, or part of it then it also wants to find an average for the whole fram, so a bit of dark shade at the edge of the frame will influence the whole picture.. I , for me, with a long lens ( tele lens) always choos for center- or center-weighted modes, using a wide lens i use different modes depending on what i want to stand out .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgelfand Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 21 hours ago, uiuiko said: I may have misspoken a bit; I'm new to this. When I choose shutter priority and set the shutter to 1/1000, the aperture indicator in the viewfinder flashes, which I understood to mean "underexposure"; I was probably wrong to say it couldn't focus. I'm confused because so many reviews say this lens is great for wildlife photography, but if the max aperture it allows isn't sufficient for a faster shutter speed I don't see how it can be. I did try resetting the shooting menu but that didn't seem to make a difference. You forget you have another parameter you can use in conjunction with shutter speed and aperture- ISO. Rather than write about it here is a link to a video by Steve Perry, a very good wildlife photographer. He explains it better than I can. The Auto ISO "trick" may be used with shutter priority or aperture priority as well as full manual. Of course you have to keep an eye on the ISO the camera chooses; a very high ISO will noise image. but in many cases it is the choice between a noisy image or no image. LINK 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Doo Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 (edited) Best thing since sliced bread. I never looked back since I began to do this several years ago. Just be aware of the ISO value that you can accept in a situation - adjust your aperture and/or speed accordingly if the ISO is higher than your tolerance. Edited October 23, 2022 by Mary Doo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 10 hours ago, Mary Doo said: Best thing since sliced bread. I never looked back since I began to do this several years ago. Absolutely! Most of the time my choice of aperture/shutter speed is dictated by the subject, not the light available. With something like the 500mm PF, I'll use it wide open 90% of the time, so f5.6. Shutter speed will depend on what the wildlife is doing, so fast BIF will be 1/1000+, if it lands on a post push it down to 1/125. Auto ISO provides the rest. Metering pattern is usually centre-weighted with Exp. Comp. in auto ISO, dark bird against a white sky may be +2EV, pale butterfly on dark foliage maybe -2EV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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