# Press shutter once to take picture, it stays closed, press again and it opens



## bschaefer (Jan 9, 2013)

I have a canon 60d. It takes video fine and it takes pictures when in live view. However, when I look through viewfinder and take a picture, the shutter doesn't automatically release. I have to press it a second time to hear the second click. It does still take the picture though so a bit confused. Help please .


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## K3nt (Jan 9, 2013)

bschaefer said:


> I have a canon 60d. It takes video fine and it takes pictures when in live view. However, when I look through viewfinder and take a picture, the shutter doesn't automatically release. I have to press it a second time to hear the second click. It does still take the picture though so a bit confused. Help please .



Sounds like you have 'Mirror Lockup' enabled. Look through the manual and your cameras settings on how to change it.


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## infared (Jan 9, 2013)

[/quote]

Sounds like you have 'Mirror Lockup' enabled. Look through the manual and your cameras settings on how to change it.
[/quote]

+1


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## shutterwideshut (Jan 9, 2013)

K3nt said:


> bschaefer said:
> 
> 
> > I have a canon 60d. It takes video fine and it takes pictures when in live view. However, when I look through viewfinder and take a picture, the shutter doesn't automatically release. I have to press it a second time to hear the second click. It does still take the picture though so a bit confused. Help please .
> ...



+1000.  .


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## rpt (Jan 9, 2013)

infared said:


> > Sounds like you have 'Mirror Lockup' enabled. Look through the manual and your cameras settings on how to change it.
> 
> 
> 
> +1


+10000
Happened to me last week After a night of shooting star trails and forgetting to reset the lockup


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## bschaefer (Jan 9, 2013)

Sweet, thanks all. I definitely didn't switch it on purpose. I took a picture of some Thai kids and showed them the result. One got all excited and started pressing buttons. Perhaps that's what happened.

Any who, after reading about it, it actually seems handy.

Do you guys use the mirror lock up feature often?? I enjoy night photography and it seems useful.


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## RLPhoto (Jan 9, 2013)

rpt said:


> infared said:
> 
> 
> > > Sounds like you have 'Mirror Lockup' enabled. Look through the manual and your cameras settings on how to change it.
> ...



Its over Nine Thousand! ;D


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## James Billett (Jan 9, 2013)

I use lockup feature if I know I'm going to be printing big (A3+) from my 5dmkII. Some people argue that vibrations are caused by the mirror flicking up when an exposure is made. Unless you need absolute image quality don't worry.|

Also if you're going to use mirror lockup often make sure your camera is dust free inside as with the mirror lockup you have a greater chance of getting dust on your sensor.


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## dstppy (Jan 9, 2013)

I had this happen to me the other day after using FoCal. I couldn't figure it out, so I 'reset all' and restarted . . . then couldn't figure why there were no CR2 . . . that got reset by the reset. D'oh!


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## rpt (Jan 9, 2013)

RLPhoto said:


> rpt said:
> 
> 
> > infared said:
> ...


I was posting and had entered +1000 but before I could post it, *shutterwideshut* posted his with a +1000! So I was forced to raise the bid!


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## sawsedge (Jan 9, 2013)

Yes there is absolutely a difference in quality caused by mirror vibrations. Mirror lockup definitely reduces the vibrations in the camera.

It's easy to test. Use a sturdy tripod, focus accurately, use a remote release. Try something at 1/8 and 1/15 sec. Do this both with and without mirror lockup. The greater the magnification, the easier it is to see the difference.


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## Drizzt321 (Jan 9, 2013)

bschaefer said:


> Sweet, thanks all. I definitely didn't switch it on purpose. I took a picture of some Thai kids and showed them the result. One got all excited and started pressing buttons. Perhaps that's what happened.
> 
> Any who, after reading about it, it actually seems handy.
> 
> Do you guys use the mirror lock up feature often?? I enjoy night photography and it seems useful.



For night photography where you are generally using exposures significantly longer than 1/focal length guide, then mirror movement can actually cause a bit of unwanted vibration which can affect the final output, especially if you are going to be doing a large print.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jan 9, 2013)

Generally, I just use liveview. Its the same as mirror lockup for most applications, and you don't end up wondering what happened.


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## Sporgon (Jan 9, 2013)

The practical effects of mirror slap are quite shutter speed sensitive, the ones where impact ( pun intended !) are greatest being the 4th to 20th range which is where sawsedge has rightly suggested is best range to test. Once you get longer than about half second any vibration created is unlikely to show in the recorded image. 

If you're shooting night shots then you won't see any benefit from locking up the mirror, especially with the small, light mirror in an APS camera. In the days of film I used a Pentax 6x7 - the mirror was massive and boy did that vibrate !! Mirror lock up was mandatory !


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## infared (Jan 9, 2013)

bschaefer said:


> Sweet, thanks all. I definitely didn't switch it on purpose. I took a picture of some Thai kids and showed them the result. One got all excited and started pressing buttons. Perhaps that's what happened.
> 
> Any who, after reading about it, it actually seems handy.
> 
> Do you guys use the mirror lock up feature often?? I enjoy night photography and it seems useful.



I agree about Mirror Lock up being useful for slow exposures on a tripod.
Liveview is a good way to go too as it locks up the mirror. Use Liveview ESPECIALLY if you are doing multiple exposures for say, HDR. Much faster. The mirror locks up just once and all the exposures are made, and then the mirror goes back down. Very convenient. 
Vibrations for the mirror are significant. I was in an abandoned factory a couple of weeks back and was using a carbon fiber tripod, with weigh on it for added stability. I was shooting on a solid concrete floor. I could actually feel the vibrations from the mirror in the balls of my feet when I was doing my test shots. At first I thought I was mistaken...but I did some more tests and amazingly it was true. To me...that was significant vibrations from that mirror. Amazing.


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 9, 2013)

Live View has another advantage - in addition to the mirror being locked up, Live View uses an electronic first curtain. There is an additional component of vibration added by the opening of the mechanical first curtain that's eliminated with Live View (the second curtain causes vibration, too, but since that vibration starts as the second curtain closes, it's irrelevant because the exposure is over).


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## pj1974 (Jan 9, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> Live View has another advantage - in addition to the mirror being locked up, Live View uses an electronic first curtain. There is an additional component of vibration added by the opening of the mechanical first curtain that's eliminated with Live View (the second curtain causes vibration, too, but since that vibration starts as the second curtain closes, it's irrelevant because the exposure is over).



Thanks Neuro for your such insightful, accurate input. With posts like the one above, your knowledgable and generous contribution is so much appreciated.

It's good to know the benefits of live view. I have been using it more and more lately (including some landscape bracketed exposure shots - ie for HDRs). Good to know all the technical advantages. 

Again, cheers. 

Paul


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## pj1974 (Jan 9, 2013)

infared said:


> bschaefer said:
> 
> 
> > Sweet, thanks all. I definitely didn't switch it on purpose. I took a picture of some Thai kids and showed them the result. One got all excited and started pressing buttons. Perhaps that's what happened.
> ...



Wow, infrared... I'm so glad you shared this.

I had a similar experience just the other day (believing I could feel vibration caused by my DSLRs mirror going up and down). Then I thought, 'Nahh... I must be mistaken or it's just the sound and my imagination'. (I had also put my hand on my steady Manfrotto tripod... to 'check', but believed I was overly sensitive to things).

So I will be doing more HDRs using live-view I think!! And thankfully my camera batteries do last quite long, even with live-view 

Cheers.

Paul


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## TexPhoto (Jan 10, 2013)

This and many other features always get left on accidentally. I always do it with the damn self timer. Need it, set it camera goes into bag. An hour/day later bigfoot appears in front of you, you grab the camera and shoot! Damn it whats it doing?


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## verysimplejason (Jan 10, 2013)

I use mirror-lockup for long exposures on tripod. It lessens the effect of the mirror slap.


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 10, 2013)

TexPhoto said:


> This and many other features always get left on accidentally. I always do it with the damn self timer. Need it, set it camera goes into bag. An hour/day later bigfoot appears in front of you, you grab the camera and shoot! Damn it whats it doing?



That's why my C1 setting is always a tripod setup - timer, MLU, etc.


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## weixing (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi,
On more advantage for live view over mirror lockup is that with mirror lockup, you can't prevent or limit motion blur cause by subject moment, but with live view, since you can see the subject (at 10x), you can took the shot at the moment when the subject is perfectly stationary... good for birding at low light without flash... ;D

Have a nice day.


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## rj79in (Jan 10, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> TexPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > This and many other features always get left on accidentally. I always do it with the damn self timer. Need it, set it camera goes into bag. An hour/day later bigfoot appears in front of you, you grab the camera and shoot! Damn it whats it doing?
> ...



Good idea ... I think I'll do that too! Thanks Neuro


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## K3nt (Jan 10, 2013)

Good to hear the problem's solved. 
This is now getting off topic, but I'd like some advice/comments please. I've never actually used LiveView in any real way. So here's what I need to know:
I want to go out and photograph star trails, you know the kind, several hundred shots stacked to make to final image. Now if I set my camera for 30second exposures, continuous shooting and lock my cable release, it'll obviously keep taking shots until a) I tell it not to or b) the battery runs out.
The question: If i use LiveView to focus and avoid all those nasty tremors and slaps, will the screen stay on all the time and drain my battery? Can I tell it not to stay on?
I'm shooting a 7D.


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## rs (Jan 10, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> TexPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > This and many other features always get left on accidentally. I always do it with the damn self timer. Need it, set it camera goes into bag. An hour/day later bigfoot appears in front of you, you grab the camera and shoot! Damn it whats it doing?
> ...


Yes - configuring C1/C2/C3 for your various different shooting scenarios (even if MLU is not part of one of them) is an ideal way to avoid the surprise of taking the camera out of the bag and it not behaving as you'd expect. As long as you select the right C mode for what you're doing, you'll never get any nasty surprises.


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## verysimplejason (Jan 10, 2013)

K3nt said:


> Good to hear the problem's solved.
> This is now getting off topic, but I'd like some advice/comments please. I've never actually used LiveView in any real way. So here's what I need to know:
> I want to go out and photograph star trails, you know the kind, several hundred shots stacked to make to final image. Now if I set my camera for 30second exposures, continuous shooting and lock my cable release, it'll obviously keep taking shots until a) I tell it not to or b) the battery runs out.
> The question: If i use LiveView to focus and avoid all those nasty tremors and slaps, will the screen stay on all the time and drain my battery? Can I tell it not to stay on?
> I'm shooting a 7D.



No, at least in my TI1. It's replaced by a counter/timer.


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## rs (Jan 10, 2013)

K3nt said:


> Good to hear the problem's solved.
> This is now getting off topic, but I'd like some advice/comments please. I've never actually used LiveView in any real way. So here's what I need to know:
> I want to go out and photograph star trails, you know the kind, several hundred shots stacked to make to final image. Now if I set my camera for 30second exposures, continuous shooting and lock my cable release, it'll obviously keep taking shots until a) I tell it not to or b) the battery runs out.
> The question: If i use LiveView to focus and avoid all those nasty tremors and slaps, will the screen stay on all the time and drain my battery? Can I tell it not to stay on?
> I'm shooting a 7D.


As the 7D has a top display, so while taking the photo in live view, the rear screen will display nothing.

However, astro photographers normally uses stacking in combination with a motorised equatorial mount - that way each shot will be of the same bit of sky with no motion blur of the stars, and the stacking software puts the frames together to reduce noise and increase the detail of the stars.

Star trail photos are made with very long exposures - just put your camera in bulb mode for that type of shot.


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## weixing (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi,


K3nt said:


> Good to hear the problem's solved.
> This is now getting off topic, but I'd like some advice/comments please. I've never actually used LiveView in any real way. So here's what I need to know:
> I want to go out and photograph star trails, you know the kind, several hundred shots stacked to make to final image. Now if I set my camera for 30second exposures, continuous shooting and lock my cable release, it'll obviously keep taking shots until a) I tell it not to or b) the battery runs out.
> The question: If i use LiveView to focus and avoid all those nasty tremors and slaps, will the screen stay on all the time and drain my battery? Can I tell it not to stay on?
> I'm shooting a 7D.


 What you should do is switch to manual focus, focus manually via life view and then turn off the LCD during actual shooting. You don't need life view or mirror lockup for long exposure, so off the LCD which will preserve battery power and reduce the heat generate by the LCD (improve noise performance).



rs said:


> As the 7D has a top display, so while taking the photo in live view, the rear screen will display nothing.
> 
> However, astro photographers normally uses stacking in combination with a motorised equatorial mount - that way each shot will be of the same bit of sky with no motion blur of the stars, and the stacking software puts the frames together to reduce noise and increase the detail of the stars.
> 
> Star trail photos are made with very long exposures - just put your camera in bulb mode for that type of shot.


 The ideal way of taking Star trail is to use a single long exposure via bulb mode, but using DSLR, we can take the digital way... by taking many part of the trail using shorter exposure and then combine them together to form a single trail... the different is not obvious if you plan it carefully, the lens is wide enough and you don't 100% pixel peek. The advantage of this method is that you can limit the noise and you still can take a long star trail if your sky is quite light polluted.

Anyway, IMHO, 30s is still a bit too short for this type of shooting unless he don't have an external timer controller.

Have a nice day.


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## PeterJ (Jan 10, 2013)

I always use live-view myself and the self-timer if not using a release. The thread just reminded me I saw the following vid on YouTube of a 5D shutter in operation filmed at 2000fps I thought was fairly interesting:

Slow motion camera shutter - Canon 5D 2,000 fps


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## rpt (Jan 10, 2013)

PeterJ said:


> I always use live-view myself and the self-timer if not using a release. The thread just reminded me I saw the following vid on YouTube of a 5D shutter in operation filmed at 2000fps I thought was fairly interesting:


That is revealing! Not just interesting, very revealing! So, from an engineering perspective, after I saw the video for the first time, I wondered why the stars I shot last week looked like Nike logos when I did not lock the mirror. Well, you need to understand that in the second half of the clip you see that the mirror bounces. Now understand that the camera is sitting on top of at least three and a half to four feet of Aluminium (or Carbon fiber - which I believe would be more flexible so even worse...). So as the first slap of the mirror pushes vibrations down the tripod, there is movement and that would cause shake...

SO! Lock mirror or shoot in Live View...

Duh! (that unique expletive was aimed at ONLY me...)


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 10, 2013)

rpt said:


> Now understand that the camera is sitting on top of at least three and a half to four feet of Aluminium (or Carbon fiber - which I believe would be more flexible so even worse...). So as the first slap of the mirror pushes vibrations down the tripod, there is movement and that would cause shake...



FWIW, one advantage of carbon fiber is that it actually damps vibrations better than aluminum. Wood is even better than CF, but no one wants to lug around a set of heavy wooden legs...


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## Drizzt321 (Jan 10, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> rpt said:
> 
> 
> > Now understand that the camera is sitting on top of at least three and a half to four feet of Aluminium (or Carbon fiber - which I believe would be more flexible so even worse...). So as the first slap of the mirror pushes vibrations down the tripod, there is movement and that would cause shake...
> ...



I beg to differ, apparently some people do or this would be for sale. Heh, cheaper than some pro legs even, and only 6.2 pounds!


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