D90 long exposure.

[tman52]

I guess this is probably a pretty novice question to ask, but is there any way that I can change the exposure settings to have the shutter be open for several minutes?

Also, other than the nifty 50, what would you guys recommend for a good portrait lens?


Thanks,
Jacob

 

[SCraig]

Set it to manual, change the shutter speed to "B" and the shutter will stay open as long as you hold the button down. If you have a ML-13 remote use it. Then it takes two presses of the release on the remote; one to open the shutter and one to close it.

 

[KmH]

Page 85 of your D90 user's manual "Long time exposure with remote control" - Bulb shutter mode is only available when the shooting mode is set to Manual.

You will also want to look at page 167 - Long exposure NR (Noise Reduction)

Wireless remote
Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control

Wired remote
Nikon MC-DC2 Remote Release Cord

As far as a portrait lens, it depends how many people will be in the portrait and your budget.

I occasionally used a nifty-50 mm prime, but more often I used a $700 24-85 mmf/2.8-4 zoom, a $1200 80-200 mm f/2.8 zoom, though I most often used a $4700, 200 mm f/2 prime lens to shoot portraiture of individuals and couples.

Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF AF Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens

This 85 mm f/1.4 lens is nicknamed "The Cream Machine" because of the world-class, smooth circle of Confusion (CoC, or bokeh) it produces. However, the less expensive 85 mm f/1.8 delivers a good quality CoC too.
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens

Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens



Portraiture requires a variety of lenses, there is no one size fits all solution, and your budget is usually the deciding factor.

 

[tman52]

Thanks a for the advice and information!

 

[MrSleepin]

i have a d80... does the remote work in bulb mode for me as well? i wouldn't see why not.

also, if you wanna go the cheaper route, go with the rokinon manual focus 85mm 1.4

got mine on ebay for $220 in minty condition!

 

[RichardsTPF]

Will it damage the camera to keep the shutter opening for such long time?

 

[Patrice]

Will it damage the camera to keep the shutter opening for such long time?

You have to be very very careful in this situation. There is a high likelihood of subject micro-movement during the exposure. This could smear some of the photons across the quantum gates between the photosites thus resulting in a forever blurred image.



edit: all bull**** - just make sure your batteries are well charged and you are good to go. Some will say that leaving the shutter open too long has a risk of burning pixels. Look in your user manual, I doubt it says that anywhere in there.

 

[michaeljamesphoto]

Any 85mm or 105mm lens would be good for portraits, but the faster lenses will give you much more bokeh, yet most are soft at large apertures. For portraits, if you are going for a soft image, then by all means shoot with the lens wide open. The manual focus versions of these lenses are going to be more affordable and are available quite widely on the used market (you likely won't be using autofocus for portraits, I hope not anyway)

 

[RichardsTPF]

all bull**** - just make sure your batteries are well charged and you are good to go.

So the answer is NO