Nikon D40 slow response

[Gulf Coast Susan]

I've more than 30 years experience in news photography and now only shoot for my own pleasure. Have a Nikon D40 and am flummoxed by its slow response when I touch the shutter release button on the SECOND shot. The first shot is always quick. I have to wait 2 or 3 seconds after each shot to capture the next. GAHHHHH
I must have fouled up a setting.
Can anyone offer suggestions regarding how I can solve this problem?
Thanks

 

[snowbear]

Welcome aboard.

I only run into slowness issues when I try burst mode while shooting raw - it can't write to the card fast enough and the buffer fills. Have you tried a different memory card?

If you think it might be a setting, try a green-dot reset: simultaneously push the "+" key at lower left on the back and the "info" key to the left of the shutter. Both buttons are labeled with a green dot.

 

[Gulf Coast Susan]

Thank you so much! I'll try those tips tonight.

 

[TheLost]

The D40 is 8 years old.. It also can only shoot 2.5 FPS.

Its not a bad camera... but you cant expect it to preform like a 'modern' DSLR

 

[Derrel]

It's been a while since I used the D40. We used to have one. I'm wondering if maybe turning OFF the image review, so it does not automatically display the just-shot file, might help. And, you are in Continuous drive mode, and not Single frame shooting mode, right? A delay of two to three seconds makes me think the issues above might be possible sources of the problem. ALSO, if the camera is in autofocus, Single mode, it will NOT fire until focus is definitely dead-on, as opposed to autofocus, Continuous mode, in which focus is irrelevant, and the camera will fire if the focus is good, or off, no matter what, whenever the shutter release button is mashed down on. SO, check the focusing mode, and also the drive mode, and make sure both are in Continuous mode.

The two-button reset is a good idea. It will as I recall, re-set the camera to JPEG capture mode. Ken Rockwell's Nikon D40 User's Guide article has a wealth of tips on how the various settings interact with the real world, and is a great way to learn about some of the gotchas that various cameras happen to have.

 

[Gulf Coast Susan]

It's been a while since I used the D40. We used to have one. I'm wondering if maybe turning OFF the image review, so it does not automatically display the just-shot file, might help. And, you are in Continuous drive mode, and not Single frame shooting mode, right? A delay of two to three seconds makes me think the issues above might be possible sources of the problem. ALSO, if the camera is in autofocus, Single mode, it will NOT fire until focus is definitely dead-on, as opposed to autofocus, Continuous mode, in which focus is irrelevant, and the camera will fire if the focus is good, or off, no matter what, whenever the shutter release button is mashed down on. SO, check the focusing mode, and also the drive mode, and make sure both are in Continuous mode.

The two-button reset is a good idea. It will as I recall, re-set the camera to JPEG capture mode. Ken Rockwell's Nikon D40 User's Guide article has a wealth of tips on how the various settings interact with the real world, and is a great way to learn about some of the gotchas that various cameras happen to have.

Thanks Derrel. I am shooting in single frame mode, autofocus mode. Will adjust both to see if that makes a difference in response. Tried the reset and had not results. Will continue reading.

I appreciate this forum very much!