Nikon D50

[DisneySuiteFreak]

5 minutes before my DD's 7th birthday party today, I took out my camera (Nikon D50)...... went to start taking pics (on auto focus) and the lens will NOT focus... keeps going in and out... it just won't be happy and find a focal point???? I tried switching over to my 55-200mm lens to see if it was the lens or the camera.... THAT lens worked fine, but for indoors, it was just not able to be used because I needed more distance. I had to rely on my little Canon Powershot for pics (so glad I at least had a back-up!!!) I tried blowing any dust out from inside the camera body.... wiped down both ends of the lens w/ my lens cloth...changing the camera battery.... NADA. Can't get it to work? My Ritz camera closed down near me-that's where I used to go when I had any issues because there was a VERY savvy camera guy there.... I don't know what else to do other than to buy a new lens but I was hoping to hold off to buy the D90 next year....??? Thoughts? suggestions??? Thanks in advance!!!!!

When you say the 55-200 worked fine but couldn't be used indoors because you needed more distance, where were you when you tested out the 55-200? Were you outdoors? Did you try to test your 18-55 outdoors to see if it would focus? Usually if it's zooming in and out it's trying to achieve focus but it could be that with the kit lens you didn't have enough light indoors to do that. Did you try bumping up the ISO or double checking where the AF point is placed in your viewfinder? Also, ditto-ing Jeff, you could Manual Focus...

 

[ukcatfan]

Did you check to see if the connectors on the lens could be dirty? That could prevent the lens and camera from communicating properly.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Usually if it's zooming in and out it's trying to achieve focus but it could be that with the kit lens you didn't have enough light indoors to do that. Did you try bumping up the ISO or double checking where the AF point is placed in your viewfinder?

That would be my first thought as well. You said you were in Auto Focus but what Mode were you shooting in? If it was Auto Mode, presumably your flash would have popped up... If you weren't in Auto Mode, you might have had to set flash to fire yourself. It is in these types of situations that fast lenses work really well with or without flash.

 

[GrillMouster]

Lenses autofocus at their maximum aperture, and the max aperture of a variable-aperture zoom lens changes at different focal lengths. In dark environments (like indoors) autofocus can do a lot of "hunting". Since our eyes adjust to low light, you may not perceive "low light" as the camera does.

So, if I had to guess the problem was either too low light or the contacts on the lens need cleaning. You can find good tutorials on how to clean the contacts on both your lens and camera body on YouTube. Make sure you go over the tutorials several times before actually attempting.

 

[medicjch]

Any tips? I seem to fight with it all the time. Trying to take pictures of the castle, Main Street, Fantasmic.....you get the idea! Any help is appreciated.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Oh no! What kind of problems are you having?

Are you using:

• higher ISOs (ex. ISO 800)
• larger apertures (smaller f-numbers, ex. f/2.8 or larger)
• no flash
• slower shutter speeds for stationary objects

Can you post some of the night-time pictures you've taken and describe some of the problems you've encountered? As a DSLR, your Nikon D50 should be pretty good at handling night-time shots.

Let us know!

 

[Bojo]

Night time photos equal longer shutter speeds; a tripod, or monopod is critical to crisp, clear pictures (along with the appropriate ISO, f-stop & shutter speed of course!).

 

[medicjch]

I can't post any pictures now as I am at the parks and don't have a way to download my pics. I've turned my flash off but I find my shutter stays open too long causing my pictures to blur. I've tried different settings but I just don't think I know enough to set them correctly. I know a tripod is best, but is the any setting you recommed that I start with, and then just make adjustments? Thanks for the help.

 

[disneyboy2003]

What settings have you tried?

You'll probably have to be in Manual mode and make the adjustments I wrote above. If you're hand-holding the camera (ie. no tripod), then I'd recommend:

• ISO 800-1600
• keep your aperture as wide open as you can (smallest f-number), and
• as slow a shutter speed as you can without blurring the image (ex. 1/10 - 1/30 sec?). For Fantasmic, you'll need faster shutter speeds, cuz the characters are moving (ex. 1/100 sec?)

Also, what lens are you using? If you weren't already at the parks, I would have recommended that you buy / borrow / rent a lens that had an aperture of at least f/2.8 or larger (smaller f-number). A lot of folks here really like the 50mm f/1.4 or the 30mm f/1.4 lens for about $400.

If you're at the parks, what are you doing on this message board?!?! Go back out there and enjoy yourself! (and take lots of pictures, too!)

 

[medicjch]

Well I'm posting from the trusty iPhone while waiting for a show. I tried you tips and I'm getting much better results. I knew I was doing something wrong but just kept getting frustrated so thanks fir pointing me in the right direction

 

[Steve's Girl]

If you don't have a tripod with you, a trash can or other stable object can help with the longer shutter speed shots of the castle, fireworks, etc.

 

[Groucho]

Like the others said - tripod, tripod, tripod. That is key. Your lens is also very important - if you're using a kit lens, you will be limited in what you can get away with at night.

No tripod means looking at other ways to stabilize the camera. If you use trashcans, etc, try setting the camera to a 2-second delay before taking the photo - that will make it easier to get a sharp photo because your finger won't be pressing the shutter when it actually takes the photo.

If you need to hand-hold, set your ISO to 1600 and try using Aperture Priority and go for the lowest number it will let you use. If you are using a kit zoom lens or similar, this number will change as you zoom. Try shooting as wide as possible, this will allow you to use a larger (smaller number) aperture which will help.

 

[andyboy]

Thanks in advance for all your tips - much appreciated

I just moved up from my Nikon 4800 P&S to a 'new to me' D50 mated to a Tamron 18-200 lens.

I am cruising with DCL on January 2nd and looking for any tips in using the camera effectively so I can walk away from the trip with some decent shots and exploit the benefits of the DSLR somewhat.

I will likely 'backup' some of the shots by shooting again in full program mode however I am looking to move from the safety of the full program modes and venture into some Aperture/Shutter priority shooting.

Would be grateful for any advice you could send my way!

Cheers!

Andy

 

[ssanders79]

My tips...

1. Read the manual
2. Read the manual again
3. Experiment
4. Try to use manual mode. If you understand that you should have no problems with Shutter/Aperature Prio modes.
5. Most importantly... HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Icemann]

Bryan Peterson Understanding Exposure and Understanding Close-up Photography plus the manual, experiment on your own ask questions here.Nikon has some pretty good stuff on-line.The different photography stores have some stuff on-line also.And the the most imporant thing is to have fun and don't getted bumed because you missed a shot It will happen.Google your question and you will be overwhelmed with answers And what ssanders79 said too

 

[docusmc1]

I have a Nikon D50 2 years old used once for trip to WDW for sale. Has lens and all in orginial box and nikon bag. To make a offer PM me @ docusmc1@msn.com

 

[NateNLogansDad]

What lens?

 

[docusmc1]

NIKKOR 28-80 mm

 

[ukcatfan]

Just an FYI, but you are not allowed to sell things on the DIS.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

http://www.customminds.com/nikon/

For the record, I was not involved in this at all. I'm just posting the link. My insanity has bounds.