Mirror-up with Time (- -) for long exposure

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

Hope someone can advise me. I take long exposure shots using Time (- -) mode (manual mode + remote control) on D610, but can't seem to find an option for mirror-up. Is there simply no way for mirror-up when using Time (- -) mode, except activating Live View mode which automatically locks mirror-up?

Thank you all in advance!

Digital Shutterbug · Aug 24, 2015

If you are doing long exposures, the extremely short duration of the mirror movement is too short to have an effect on vibration movement in the photo. What am I missing? What other reason is there to use mirror up?

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

Actually long exposures are when you want to use mirror up most. Any movement at all can have a negative effect on the shot.

Why not use bulb mode for the long exposures and remote which allows mirror up. I will then use my phones stop watch to keep track of time

Digital Shutterbug · Aug 24, 2015

I respectfully disagree. When your exposure is measured in seconds, the tiny fraction of a second of vibration created by the mirror moving up is such an extremely short portion of the overall exposure as to be insignificant.

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

well you are in the minority in that train of thought. I am guessing you don't do much long exposure

Digital Shutterbug · Aug 24, 2015

You are entitled to your opinion.

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

its nikon's opinion as well. the feature is designed for long exposure photography. THe longer the exposure the more vibration affects it.

its also good for long tele lenses

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

Thanks for all the feedback!

myshkin said:
Why not use bulb mode for the long exposures and remote which allows mirror up. I will then use my phones stop watch to keep track of time

Bulb mode is called Time mode when used with a remote shutter release (i.e. release mode dial is set to remote control), but in this scenario, there seems no way to use mirror-up (FYI, I shoot with manual mode, not aperture priority, as exposure always goes over 30 secs). Looks like activating Live View is the only way to keep mirror-up. Am I correct?

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

Joey LLN said:
Thanks for all the feedback!

myshkin said:

Why not use bulb mode for the long exposures and remote which allows mirror up. I will then use my phones stop watch to keep track of time

Click to expand...

Bulb mode is called Time mode when used with a remote shutter release (i.e. release mode dial is set to remote control), but in this scenario, there seems no way to use mirror-up (FYI, I shoot with manual mode, not aperture priority, as exposure always goes over 30 secs). Looks like activating Live View is the only way to keep mirror-up. Am I correct?

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THat is odd because this is how I shoot long exposures. I don't own the 610 so maybe it is different but I use my 810 in manual mode, bulb shutter setting with mirror up and remote. I have never had an issue using mirror up with bulb. maybe this is not allowed with the 610 but that would be surprising to me. You are clicking your remote twice correct? You need to hit the button twice - first to put mirror up and second to take the shot.

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

on the 610 is mirror up on your dial aloing with timer, CH, etc.? This is where you switch to mirror up on the D810 and all my other nikon cameras. Its not a setting in the menus.

EDIT - just checked and mirror up is on the 610 dial. Mup is its label. Once you have this selected it should work unless your remote doesn't support it.

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
THat is odd because this is how I shoot long exposures. I don't own the 610 so maybe it is different but I use my 810 in manual mode, bulb shutter setting with mirror up and remote. I have never had an issue using mirror up with bulb. maybe this is not allowed with the 610 but that would be surprising to me. You are clicking your remote twice correct? You need to hit the button twice - first to put mirror up and second to take the shot.

Yes, clicking my remote twice, but the first click starts the exposure and the second click ends it... If shooting with aperture priority mode (exposure less than 30 secs), it works as described by you, though (first to put mirror up and second to take the shot).

By the way, in your case, do you click the button for the third time to end the exposure (i.e. first to put mirror up, second to start exposure, third to end exposure)?

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

No i don't hit a third time. I can either keep my remote button pressed for the duration of the shot or my remote has a lock that I can engage and once I am ready to stop the shot I unlock it and it automatically stops the shot.

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

Last try to see if something is getting missed.

1. select Mup on your dial.

2. select manual mode

3. select bulb for shutter speed

4. Install remote

5. press button twice and keep held down on second press for duration of the shot.

beyond this I really don't know but I doubt the 610 can't do this

Digital Shutterbug · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
its nikon's opinion as well. the feature is designed for long exposure photography. THe longer the exposure the more vibration affects it.

its also good for long tele lenses

That means you have seen in writing something from Nikon saying that. Please give me a reference to that source.

The longer the exposure the less mirror vibration effects the image. The vibration created is of very short duration, as I have already said. How can that vibration be seen in the photo? If the vibration lasts for 1/10 s. (Simply a wild guess. I would expect it's much shorter.), what portion of a 15 s. exposure is that? It's more than 7EV down from the total exposure. You won't see it.

The general recommendation is to use mirror lock up on exposures in the 1/15 s. to 1 s. range. That can vary a bit from camera to camera due to dampening abilities in the cameras. Anytime the exposure exceeds about 1 s. you can forget about mirror vibration having any visible effect on the photo. When you are measuring the exposure is seconds, mirror lock up gains you nothing.

I'll be waiting for you to show me where Nikon (or any other manufacturer) states that mirror lock up should be used in long (multiple seconds) exposures.

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
No i don't hit a third time. I can either keep my remote button pressed for the duration of the shot or my remote has a lock that I can engage and once I am ready to stop the shot I unlock it and it automatically stops the shot.

I see. My remote shutter release is a simple one, can't do any fancy things, haha.

Would be great if anyone can confirm having the same problem (well, it's not really a problem, though). Thanks!

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
Last try to see if something is getting missed.

1. select Mup on your dial.

2. select manual mode

3. select bulb for shutter speed

4. Install remote

5. press button twice and keep held down on second press for duration of the shot.

beyond this I really don't know but I doubt the 610 can't do this

Thanks for this! This is not what I normally do, so let me try and get back to you later. By the way, as for step 4, I'm using a wireless remote (Phottix PH10004 IR Remote Camera Trigger for Nikon). It doesn't matter? Or, it has to be a cable remote that can be connected to the camera body?

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

I don't think the type of remote should matter but it does appear that remote lacks the lock feature. I use the nikon wired remote but I have used those cheap IR ones in the past and never had an issue.

Installing order for remote doesn't matter I was just trying to list everything.

Joey LLN · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
I don't think the type of remote should matter but it does appear that remote lacks the lock feature. I use the nikon wired remote but I have used those cheap IR ones in the past and never had an issue.

Installing order for remote doesn't matter I was just trying to list everything.

Cool, thanks! I'll definitely try this soon and see how it goes. Thanks for all this!

myshkin · Aug 24, 2015

I stand corrected I don't see nikon mentioning Long Exposure. Only tele and macro.

With that said I will continue to use Mup. Why would a vibration at the beginning of a 30sec exposure help sharpness. I don't get that thinking that its so long a exposure it will not matter. If there is movement during the exp it will show. I doubt the mirror does much vibration especially with the 810 but its good practice.

Digital Shutterbug · Aug 24, 2015

myshkin said:
I stand corrected I don't see nikon mentioning Long Exposure. Only tele and macro.

With that said I will continue to use Mup. Why would a vibration at the beginning of a 30sec exposure help sharpness. I don't get that thinking that its so long a exposure it will not matter. If there is movement during the exp it will show. I doubt the mirror does much vibration especially with the 810 but its good practice.

I appreciate your reply and effort to look up the data.

I would never contend that mirror vibration could in any way help. I'm sure you didn't really mean to say that I thought it would. However, when the portion of the exposure during vibration (of any kind, not just mirror vibration) is an extremely short portion of the photo exposure, it just doesn't add enough light on the sensor to be seen.

Have you ever put a very dense ND filter on and taken a photo of an intersection with lots of moving traffic? If not, try it. Take something like a 30 s. exposure. Cars zipping thru the image will not be seen. It's because they weren't in one place long enough to record their image. It's no different with any vibration. If the vibration lasts for a substantial portion of the exposure, even stationary subjects will be blurred. But, when the movement is of significantly short duration, its effects are minimal on the photograph.

Mirror-up with Time (- -) for long exposure

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