Mirror Lock Up

[wh0128]

Alright, so I know my camera pretty well and can guide through the menu very well, but one thing I've never really figured out was the "Mirror Lock Up" function for my D50. I read a magazing talking about Mirror Lock Up and macro shooting but I had no clue what they were talking about. So my question is, and probably a few others, is what exactly does the Mirror Lock Up function do besides enable you to clean the sensor? Does it enable you to do super long exposures or what? Thanks for anyone that can provide a good explanation.

[Honest Gaza]

My understanding is that it is useful for "low light" where any camera shake will be detrimental to the final picture. As an example, if you wanted to snap a picture of the stars and leave the shutter open for several minutes to capture more of the light....the activation of the mirror could cause enough camera shake to result in a "trail" across the photo (obviously, if the shutter is left open for an extended period, trails will result anyway from the Earth's rotation)

Similar camera shake would also efect Macro shots.

By activating mirror lock-up, this will hopefully be eliminated/reduced.

[colemanr]

All true, but the "mirror lockup" function on the D50 (another many Nikon dSLRs) can only be used for sensor cleaning.

Rob

[wh0128]

All true, but the "mirror lockup" function on the D50 (another many Nikon dSLRs) can only be used for sensor cleaning.

Thank you Gaza and colemanr for your answers. This is what I assumed when I could not take a photo while the camera was in "Mirror Lock Up". I went and looked at a review on the D200 and it seems to have the capability of taking a photo while the mirror is locked in place and records an image. I might have to upgrade with in the next year.

[tcadwall]

This is all correct. - and one of the smaller reasons I am impatiently waiting for the stars to align so that I can upgrade to the D200. Actually though, I don't take very many shots at all where I would utilize that feature.

[Ray Schnoor]

This is all correct. - and one of the smaller reasons I am impatiently waiting for the stars to align so that I can upgrade to the D200. Actually though, I don't take very many shots at all where I would utilize that feature.
You don't have to wait as long to upgrade to the D80, which does utilize mirror lock-up to take photos.

Ray.

[tcadwall]

Thanks Ray, but that is only a "minor" reason.

I have weighed it out, D80 / D200, and for me it will be the D200. If it takes too long to justify the purchase (not *really* about saving up - since it is a business expense) I might end up with a D300(?).;)

Don't get me wrong. If the D80 was around when I bought my last camera(D70s), it would have won out. But since knowing then, what I know now, was not possible... Of course if I did know then what I know now, I would have just gotten the D200 in the first place.:D

--- Sorry about that last paragraph. My wife is a blonde, and I think it is catchy ---

[wh0128]

It is catchy tcad, and it goes for me too. If I had known how much I would be into photography and how much better the D200 is than the D50, then I would have waited to purchase the D200 rather than jumping on the boat and going straight for the cheaper camera. I think my D50 was around 800$ with lens and a 1gb SD Extreme III memory card, but only if I had saved up and waited another month, I may have had the money to buy the D200 and the 50mm f/1.8 and then save up more for my 80-200mm f/2.8. The mirror-lock up feature would be really nice to have because I would love to take some night photography of stars and stuff without the camera shake.

[tcadwall]

Of course then we would be talking about how much we wish we would have known then what we know now, cause we woulda saved up for a D2Xs!!!:D

[wh0128]

Of course then we would be talking about how much we wish we would have known then what we know now, cause we woulda saved up for a D2Xs!!!:D

HAHAHA yeah right man, I'm only 19 and I don't have $5000 to buy one of those, and by the time I do get enough money Nikon will be full frame and that is what I'll be shooting for.