Fuji S3

[peteandrepete]

Hello again
About to do a wedding again this weekend and in testing exposures
(I worry a lot) I came across a happening that needs an explanation.
While composing a shot I pressed the shutter release and nothing happened....

again and again. switched off and then on and then it happened again NO shutter action..fresh batteries were inside after a little delay it worked ok

I spoke to my local digital Guru nad he says this has happened to him also and it also happens to other digital camera. Perhaps the camera shuts down while downloading (?) but it works during bursts...
This would be a great happening as the bride comes down the aisle
Any explanation friends?? thanks for your help in advance
Don't say a sticky wicket (switch) or I will really panic. :=(

 

[mmmmmmmm]

On occasion my S3 and S2 just would not release the shutter. I thought that the camera was bad or the lens-or both. I have found out that sometimes the nikon lens mount is the problem. Just twist the lens right or left a little to make sure all the contacts on the lens makes contact with the camera body contacts. This should elimiate the problem. You might even have to clean the contacts where the lens and body meets.
My 2 cents
David Miller

 

[FlossTycoon]

Turn off the red eye reduction feature on the camera. The white light on the body turns on and the shutter seems to lock up until it is ready to release.
--
Alan, in Montana

 

[Richard H]

Sounds to me like you are using the vertical release. This doesn't bring the camera out of "sleep" mode unless you've had the buffer upgraded.

You need to either hit the top shutter release to "re-awaken" the camera

Or switch it off/on

Or set the camera not to go to sleep

Or develop a nervous twitch that presses the button every 30 seconds like I have !!!!!!!!!!!!! see what I mean

Richard H
http://www.halfday.co.uk

 

[Richard H]

It does sound weird the white light is the focus assist lamp switching off red eye reduction won't effect this lamp If you really want to switch the lamp off it's CSM option 15
--
Richard H
http://www.halfday.co.uk

 

[Robert Strom]

Are you sure you didn't accidently put it in manual focus and have the camera set to not fire unless the picture was in focus?

Just a thought.

Robert
--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com

 

[Rikki]

Are you sure you didn't accidently put it in manual focus and have
the camera set to not fire unless the picture was in focus?

Just a thought.

Robert
--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com

How do you set this option?

Sometimes when I go to take a shot with my S3 it doesnt take a shot at all, it just kinda flashes a little on the viewfinder LCD

 

[Robert Strom]

Are you sure you didn't accidently put it in manual focus and have
the camera set to not fire unless the picture was in focus?

Just a thought.

Robert
--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com

How do you set this option?

Some lenses have a man/auto switch. On the S3 there is a small lever on the front of the body labled C S M which is Continous focus, Single focus or Manual focus.

Sometimes when I go to take a shot with my S3 it doesnt take a shot
at all, it just kinda flashes a little on the viewfinder LCD

No answer for this problem...

Robert

--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com

 

[Walter S Matthews]

Need more information to answer the question.

If you are using a flash, and I'll assume it is the SB800, you have to have good contact with the hot shoe pins or the camera won't fire. You can verify that this is the problem because when you just take out the flash, the camera will fire again.

If you are using the cables that run to the flash, either the SC 28 or SC 29, with a flash bracket-and which I highly recommend, then you have two connections that you have to make sure are working. Again verify the camera first by taking out the hot shoe connection and the camera will fire.

One of my S3's, actually my oldest, tends to do this and it is scarry when it happens because you assume there is something wrong with the camera.

You can also get the problem, as Dave said, by having the lens not all the way home but this is not a likely thing to have done.

 

[steveaps]

make sure the palm of your hand is not pressing on the portrait shutter button at the same time, if so you will get the symptons you describe.
trust me it happened to me

 

[Robert Strom]

make sure the palm of your hand is not pressing on the portrait
shutter button at the same time, if so you will get the symptons
you describe.
trust me it happened to me

Happened to me too but it wasn't a matter of the camera not firing, it just kept hunting for focus because my palm was half depressing the vertical shutter button. I thought I had ghosts in the machine, but once I figured out what was happening and locked the vert button I was good to go.

robert

--
http://www.streamlinestudio.com

 

[mmmmmmmm]

This one happened to me also!! I thought that I had a defective camera. took it to Tallyn's in Peoria thinking I had to buy a new Camera for the weekend wedding.

Felt like a fool when the salesman was turning off the vertical camera release the moment I handed the S3 to him. this saved me about $2000.
Robert is right, check out the vertical release
David Miller

 

[claypaws]

Here's a nother possibility to add to the lens contact and vertical release theories.

It has happened to me too and I never use the vertical release (I keep it locked). But I have noticed that the camera likes to achieve autofocus specifically for the shot you are taking.

So if you have just taken a shot and then try to take another one, focussing on the same point, the camera sometimes seems not to recognise that it already has a good focus. If you check the viewfinder, you'll then find that the focus indicator is flashing rather than steady. It can't do anything about this since the focus is already where it should be.

I have found two routine ways round this. One is simply to autofocus on something in the scene at a different distance and then autofocus again on your intended focus point. This forces the camera to actually move its focus again to your desired point and it should then lock correctly.

The second way is to defocus the lens manually by turning the focus ring a bit closer and then autofocussing again.

These have worked for me and though it's a bit irritating, I can live with the workaround.

I hope your problem isn't more serious than that!

I think I may have had the same problem not only between two shots but even when focusing, recomposing and then trying to release the shutter. In that case, the method of defocusing with the manual focus ring avoids having to lose the composition.