No mirror lock up on DLSR - what effect on exposures.

[seaodyssey]

Hello to all.

I have a Nikon D200 which does not have mirror lock up for exposures.
What sort of exposure times would having mirror lock up be beneficial
I assume that it would differ with each lens used, ie more noticable on telephoto than on wide angle

I'm trying to improve sharpness, I had a good solid tripod and a remote release.

Thanks

Pete

[Graystar]

The D200 has an exposure delay mode, described on page 158 of the D200 manual.  It is Custom Setting “d5:Exposure Delay Mode”.  When this option is set to On, the camera will raise the mirror and wait for 0.4s before opening the shutter.

I believe the shutter range where mirror lockup is effective is between 1/40s-1/60s to 1/15s-1/8s.  It is this range where the exposure time is a large portion of the settling time.  The camera can take 1 s to settle, but the bulk of the large movements is in the first 1/4-1/2 second.

That said, debates rage as to the actual times...and the above likely represents only one viewpoint.

[viewfinder]

It's actually fairly outrageous that a camera of that supposed quality and cost does not have a mirror lock-up/control, however, I suspect there are plenty more.   Personally, I have always viewed lock-up as vital in any SLR type of system, if only for peace of mind.

The answer is to use the cameras self-timer which is intended for getting yourself in the picture.   Most DSLR's have both long and short duration timer.   Usually the short one is 2 seconds and the mirror flips as soon as the shutter is pressed.   This leaves nearly two seconds for any movement to cease before the shutter trips.

As with everything to do with photo gear, you need to test carefully before using on anything important.

[Graystar]

Wait a minute...page 26 of the D200 manual says that there is a Mirror Up shooting mode.  What’s wrong with that mode?

I knew about Exposure Delay Mode on my D90, so I just checked the D200 manual to see if the D200 had one as well (which it does.)  But now I see the Mup shooting mode.  That should give you want you want.

Also, at least on my Nikon D90, using any of the timer modes does not raise the mirror at the beginning of the count down.  I can, however, combine Exposure Delay mode with any release mode.  I would imagine that the D200 is the same way.

[Dennis Carbo]

Not sure I understand - The D200 has mirror lock up , i use it all the time. It also has it when using the delay timer (as a previous post said)

[DaveJ]

There are three mirror lock up variants on the D200, one for cleaning (mirror up), one with the self timer (exposure delay), and lastly a traditional MLU. The latter is selected from the shooting mode selector on the top left of the camera. Once selected, the first trigger press lifts the mirror, the second trigger press fires the shutter, and then the mirror returns to the down position. You will need a cable release.
Dave Jolley
http://www.pbase.com/hockingphotos

[seaodyssey]

Thanks for the reply, I must have missed that bit vital bit of info, will check it out later on.

It does not Help having "Mirror Lockup" in the Table of contents at the front of the manual and "Mirror up" in the index at the back..


Many Thanks again