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MIRROR LOCKED UP
Apr 2, 2017 09:38:22 #
ChackbayGuy
Loc: South Louisiana
Thanks, will try that sequence. Not sure I've done it in that order.
Apr 2, 2017 12:54:45 #
Apr 2, 2017 12:58:14 #
[quote=Bill C]i did that and the mirror is still locked up. i get Err on the LCD.[/quote
Try another lens. If it persists, it needs servicing
Try another lens. If it persists, it needs servicing
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Apr 2, 2017 13:05:25 #
[quote=LoneRangeFinder][quote=Bill C]i did that and the mirror is still locked up. i get Err on the LCD.[/quote
Try another lens. If it persists, it needs servicing[/quote]
Are Canons so poorly designed that you have a lens on in order to raise or lower the mirror??
Try another lens. If it persists, it needs servicing[/quote]
Are Canons so poorly designed that you have a lens on in order to raise or lower the mirror??
Apr 2, 2017 13:27:56 #
Winslowe wrote:
Are Canons so poorly designed that you have a lens on in order to raise or lower the mirror??
Since he says D-80, he's probably referring to a Nikon D80 from about 2006.
Apr 2, 2017 13:28:26 #
Winslowe wrote:
Are Canons so poorly designed that you have a lens on in order to raise or lower the mirror??
I understood this to be a Nikon.
Apr 2, 2017 13:35:57 #
LoneRangeFinder wrote:
I understood this to be a Nikon.
My mistake, you and Jerry are right. In that case, why would you recommend trying a different lens?
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Apr 2, 2017 14:29:26 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
"Mirror Lock Up" and a mirror that's stuck in the up position are two very different things!
MLU is a feature on many SLR and DSLR... used with slow shutter speeds to prevent internal vibrations from "mirror slap" that can blur images.
In some cameras when MLU is enabled, it can be set to only occur for one shot or can be set so that it occurs with all subsequent shots until its cancelled. Check to see that MLU isn't enabled (if the camera has it).
A stuck mirror is a problem that can occur for several different reasons.
When you trip the shutter of an SLR, a clockwork mechanism runs through a cycle that lifts the mirror, runs the shutter, then drops the mirror back down. Wear and tear on the rather complex mechanism, broken or weakened springs, damaged parts, lack of lubrication or failing light seals can cause this cycle to fail to complete and/or stop the mirror from properly dropping back down in place. Some cameras also might stop mid-cycle if a battery is dead, but this is not common on older, mostly mechanical cameras.
Lack of lubrication due to dried out grease or evaporated oils and failing light seals are the causes that are most easily fixed. A professional repair tech can tell you if either (or both) are needed. These are generally not simply DIY jobs. Proper re-lubrication often requires a thorough cleaning first, to remove dried up greases and oils that are gunking up the mechanism. There are foam or fabric light seals a number of places inside a camera, but one of the most obvious is around the perimeter of the mirror when it's in the up position. Over time those seals tend to get worn and start to disintegrate, so that pieces from them get into mechanisms causing them to jam. And sometimes the adhesives used to keep seals in place get gummy, adhering to the mirror and preventing it from dropping back down into place.
I wouldn't expect too much, but it won't hurt to turn the camera off and back on a couple times. Or try a fresh battery... or a different lens. Also if the camera has depth-of-field preview, try using that (sometimes the aperture actuating mechanisms are inter-related with the mirror/shutter mechanisms). But I rather doubt any of these will help.
You might try GENTLY coaxing the mirror to drop back down with a fingernail. But be very, very careful... Those mirrors are fragile and front-surfaced with vaporized aluminum, which is quite easily damaged (making for a much more expensive repair... if it's even possible). If you can gently pull it down slightly but it wants to snap back up, the mechanism is frozen mid-cycle for some reason. But usually the cycle will complete and let the mirror drop (but the problem isn't really solved and will likely reoccur). Also look for any sign of crumbling particles or shreds of foam light seals in the mirror box... as well as any gummy substance around the perimeter of the mirror (assuming you can get it to drop down to see it's edges).
Excessive wear or damage to the mechanisms is a bigger problem. In modern cameras there also may be an electro-mechanical device that's failed for some reason or just due to a broken circuit. But in any case, it's a job for a pro to fix. So if a fresh battery or lens change or a couple actuations of depth of field preview don't do the trick, you should find a qualified repairer, get them to look at the camera and give you a quote. Hopefully all the camera needs is a service sometimes referred to as a "CLA" or "clean, lubricate and adjust". Back in the day of mechanical cameras, it wasn't uncommon to have those done every one or two or three years, just as a matter of course. Like changing the oil, checking the various fluids and adjusting the tire pressure on your car.
NOTE: Early Nikon F were somewhat prone to problems with their mechanisms sticking. I know that for this reason some newspaper equipment pools - where cameras are really given a "torture test" through heavy daily use - stopped using them and switched to other brands that required less frequent servicing. Canon from the 1960s and 70s with their horizontally running, cloth shutter also are prone to sticky and slow-running mechanisms from dried up lubrication, especially if left sitting unused for a long time ("shutter squeal" is a symptom... rather common on Canon A-series in particular). I have no idea about the later Nikon DSLRs, such as the one(s) in question here. While the clockwork mechanism was purely mechanical in earlier SLRs, many modern DSLRs use motors or magnets to drive the mirror up, and in some cases back down as well. Modern cameras also tend to use parts made of or coated with materials to require little or no lubrication, so servicing is less frequently necessary. But wear, tear and failure will eventually happen, in any case.
MLU is a feature on many SLR and DSLR... used with slow shutter speeds to prevent internal vibrations from "mirror slap" that can blur images.
In some cameras when MLU is enabled, it can be set to only occur for one shot or can be set so that it occurs with all subsequent shots until its cancelled. Check to see that MLU isn't enabled (if the camera has it).
A stuck mirror is a problem that can occur for several different reasons.
When you trip the shutter of an SLR, a clockwork mechanism runs through a cycle that lifts the mirror, runs the shutter, then drops the mirror back down. Wear and tear on the rather complex mechanism, broken or weakened springs, damaged parts, lack of lubrication or failing light seals can cause this cycle to fail to complete and/or stop the mirror from properly dropping back down in place. Some cameras also might stop mid-cycle if a battery is dead, but this is not common on older, mostly mechanical cameras.
Lack of lubrication due to dried out grease or evaporated oils and failing light seals are the causes that are most easily fixed. A professional repair tech can tell you if either (or both) are needed. These are generally not simply DIY jobs. Proper re-lubrication often requires a thorough cleaning first, to remove dried up greases and oils that are gunking up the mechanism. There are foam or fabric light seals a number of places inside a camera, but one of the most obvious is around the perimeter of the mirror when it's in the up position. Over time those seals tend to get worn and start to disintegrate, so that pieces from them get into mechanisms causing them to jam. And sometimes the adhesives used to keep seals in place get gummy, adhering to the mirror and preventing it from dropping back down into place.
I wouldn't expect too much, but it won't hurt to turn the camera off and back on a couple times. Or try a fresh battery... or a different lens. Also if the camera has depth-of-field preview, try using that (sometimes the aperture actuating mechanisms are inter-related with the mirror/shutter mechanisms). But I rather doubt any of these will help.
You might try GENTLY coaxing the mirror to drop back down with a fingernail. But be very, very careful... Those mirrors are fragile and front-surfaced with vaporized aluminum, which is quite easily damaged (making for a much more expensive repair... if it's even possible). If you can gently pull it down slightly but it wants to snap back up, the mechanism is frozen mid-cycle for some reason. But usually the cycle will complete and let the mirror drop (but the problem isn't really solved and will likely reoccur). Also look for any sign of crumbling particles or shreds of foam light seals in the mirror box... as well as any gummy substance around the perimeter of the mirror (assuming you can get it to drop down to see it's edges).
Excessive wear or damage to the mechanisms is a bigger problem. In modern cameras there also may be an electro-mechanical device that's failed for some reason or just due to a broken circuit. But in any case, it's a job for a pro to fix. So if a fresh battery or lens change or a couple actuations of depth of field preview don't do the trick, you should find a qualified repairer, get them to look at the camera and give you a quote. Hopefully all the camera needs is a service sometimes referred to as a "CLA" or "clean, lubricate and adjust". Back in the day of mechanical cameras, it wasn't uncommon to have those done every one or two or three years, just as a matter of course. Like changing the oil, checking the various fluids and adjusting the tire pressure on your car.
NOTE: Early Nikon F were somewhat prone to problems with their mechanisms sticking. I know that for this reason some newspaper equipment pools - where cameras are really given a "torture test" through heavy daily use - stopped using them and switched to other brands that required less frequent servicing. Canon from the 1960s and 70s with their horizontally running, cloth shutter also are prone to sticky and slow-running mechanisms from dried up lubrication, especially if left sitting unused for a long time ("shutter squeal" is a symptom... rather common on Canon A-series in particular). I have no idea about the later Nikon DSLRs, such as the one(s) in question here. While the clockwork mechanism was purely mechanical in earlier SLRs, many modern DSLRs use motors or magnets to drive the mirror up, and in some cases back down as well. Modern cameras also tend to use parts made of or coated with materials to require little or no lubrication, so servicing is less frequently necessary. But wear, tear and failure will eventually happen, in any case.
Apr 2, 2017 14:51:24 #
I too have an Nikon F Photomic which is in great condition considering it to be over 50 years old. Regarding mirror lockup, the mirror will stay locked up until you make sure the setting on the ring around the shutter button is set to A (advance) rather than R (rewind). Obviously no batteries involved except for the "Photomic" unit which I found not very functional even when I first got the camera back in the '60s and thus went to just manual with a handheld light meter. Actually this was good because it forced me to really learn about the exposure triangle.
Apr 2, 2017 15:57:56 #
Did you, accidentally and unkowingly, turned on the "video" button? If so, the mirror stays open and locked up.
Apr 2, 2017 16:45:24 #
amfoto1 wrote:
"Mirror Lock Up" and a mirror that's stuck in the up position are two very different things!
It's the same with people. A man can be stuck up, and a man can be locked up, but you will seldom find a locked up man who is stuck up.
I don't think the OP was being super-technical in stating his problem. I think his problem is, "The mirror is up, and I can't get it down."
I wait with bated breath for a conclusion!
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