Help with my Nikon d800!

[CThomas817]

So yesterday I shot portraits outdoors at a local park on an overcast day. I started shooting around 3:30 pm and my camera was operating perfectly fine. I was using a Nikkor 85mm 1.8g lens. Around 4:30pm, the camera started struggling to fire. ISO was at 400, shutter around 1/250th, aperature close to wide open (maybe 2.2). There was plenty of contrast in the photo/the camera was focusing and I definitley was not too close to the subject. Battery had plenty of juice. I had to wait about 30 seconds and then it would fire. Once it fired the histogram was more than acceptable and the child's face was tack sharp. Any idea what the issue could have been?

One other thing I should mention is that I was shooting a child who was sitting relatively still when this happened. I was still in AF-C from when she was moving around. Would that have had an effect?

Thanks

 

[goodguy]

Maybe you left camera on timer so it counts 10 seconds till it fires ?

 

[KmH]

You tripped the shutter 30 seconds before the shutter actually opened and made the exposure?

 

[CThomas817]

Definitley not on a timer. I know my Nikon basics pretty well by now. I was shooting the entire hour prior with no issues getting great, properly exposed shots.

And no it wasn't that it fired 30 seconds after tripping the shutter - the shutter wouldn't trip period. I was at 1/250th of a second. The camera went from working perfectly fine to not working without any settings being touched. Basically I kept trying to fire and maybe after 30 seconds of attempts the shutter finally tripped. Almost like how it doesn't fire when it can't focus only in this situation I had focus.

This is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted? Like I said, battery was good. I shot about 250 frames over an hour and a half.

 

[Designer]

This is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted?

That is concerning. I wonder if the previous owner had that issue and it was not resolved? You might have to send it in for a checkup.

 

[SCraig]

this is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted? Like I said, battery was good. I shot about 250 frames over an hour and a half.

Shutter count is part of the EXIF data in every photograph that you shoot. Just need an EXIF data reader to pull it out and there are plenty of those around.

 

[astroNikon]

In your Custom Settings what are
a1, and
a2
set for ?

What exact lens were you using and what exact distance were you to the subject?
Can you provide the photo with EXIF data ?

normally for portraiture AF-S is used, not AF-C.

without any documented information to go on we can just guess. But I would guess since you were on AF-C, you may have been too close for the lens/AF system to focus on and it may have kept hunting. But, who knows. There's no information on distance, the image, etc etc. (ie, normally when ppl say it wasn't "this" .. it normally is ... )

Does the camera work fine now?
have you tried a Reset just in case?

But we're just guessing and you can reject all guesses until we have much more info to go on.

 

[CThomas817]

In your Custom Settings what are
a1, and
a2
set for ?

What exact lens were you using and what exact distance were you to the subject?
Can you provide the photo with EXIF data ?

normally for portraiture AF-S is used, not AF-C.

without any documented information to go on we can just guess. But I would guess since you were on AF-C, you may have been too close for the lens/AF system to focus on and it may have kept hunting. But, who knows. There's no information on distance, the image, etc etc. (ie, normally when ppl say it wasn't "this" .. it normally is ... )

Does the camera work fine now?
have you tried a Reset just in case?

But we're just guessing and you can reject all guesses until we have much more info to go on.

In your Custom Settings what are
a1, and
a2
set for ?

What exact lens were you using and what exact distance were you to the subject?
Can you provide the photo with EXIF data ?

normally for portraiture AF-S is used, not AF-C.

without any documented information to go on we can just guess. But I would guess since you were on AF-C, you may have been too close for the lens/AF system to focus on and it may have kept hunting. But, who knows. There's no information on distance, the image, etc etc. (ie, normally when ppl say it wasn't "this" .. it normally is ... )

Does the camera work fine now?
have you tried a Reset just in case?

But we're just guessing and you can reject all guesses until we have much more info to go on.

When I get home to the original file I will upload. Sorry I thought I mentioned in my OP that the lens was a Nikon 85mm f/1.8g. I was definitley not too close... easily 15 feet from the subject. I was in AF-C as just prior to this shot as I was taking pictures of children running toward me. No way I would have maintained focus in AF-S. This particular shot the child was sitting on the ground.

I haven't used the camera for a full shoot since but it was working intermittently when this started to happen.

 

[CThomas817]

 

[snowbear]

Nice shot.

I think thei is the shutter count:
ImageNumber 10466

Have you since tried a different lens? I would, to see if the problem stays or goes.

 

[CThomas817]

Nice shot.

I think thei is the shutter count:
ImageNumber 10466

Have you since tried a different lens? I would, to see if the problem stays or goes.

Not yet but good idea... thanks!

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

Definitley not on a timer. I know my Nikon basics pretty well by now. I was shooting the entire hour prior with no issues getting great, properly exposed shots.

And no it wasn't that it fired 30 seconds after tripping the shutter - the shutter wouldn't trip period. I was at 1/250th of a second. The camera went from working perfectly fine to not working without any settings being touched. Basically I kept trying to fire and maybe after 30 seconds of attempts the shutter finally tripped. Almost like how it doesn't fire when it can't focus only in this situation I had focus.

This is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted? Like I said, battery was good. I shot about 250 frames over an hour and a half.

He took so many that the shutter count rolled over. [emoji6]

 

[CThomas817]

Definitley not on a timer. I know my Nikon basics pretty well by now. I was shooting the entire hour prior with no issues getting great, properly exposed shots.

And no it wasn't that it fired 30 seconds after tripping the shutter - the shutter wouldn't trip period. I was at 1/250th of a second. The camera went from working perfectly fine to not working without any settings being touched. Basically I kept trying to fire and maybe after 30 seconds of attempts the shutter finally tripped. Almost like how it doesn't fire when it can't focus only in this situation I had focus.

This is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted? Like I said, battery was good. I shot about 250 frames over an hour and a half.

He took so many that the shutter count rolled over. [emoji6]

I'm a female, thanks, and that's not what I was saying. I was saying that I took 250 frames with no problem before this started happening so that it was understood that the camera was not on a timer or some other setting causing the problem. I was not suggesting that the 250 frames sent the shutter count over. I mentioned shutter count with speculation that I may have bought the camera with over 200,000 cycles and it may have had the issue from the get-go since this is only my second time formally using it.

 

[benhasajeep]

Definitley not on a timer. I know my Nikon basics pretty well by now. I was shooting the entire hour prior with no issues getting great, properly exposed shots.

And no it wasn't that it fired 30 seconds after tripping the shutter - the shutter wouldn't trip period. I was at 1/250th of a second. The camera went from working perfectly fine to not working without any settings being touched. Basically I kept trying to fire and maybe after 30 seconds of attempts the shutter finally tripped. Almost like how it doesn't fire when it can't focus only in this situation I had focus.

This is a used camera and although I bought it in excellent condition, there was no shutter count provided. Could the shutter have exhausted? Like I said, battery was good. I shot about 250 frames over an hour and a half.

He took so many that the shutter count rolled over. [emoji6]

I'm a female, thanks, and that's not what I was saying. I was saying that I took 250 frames with no problem before this started happening so that it was understood that the camera was not on a timer or some other setting causing the problem. I was not suggesting that the 250 frames sent the shutter count over. I mentioned shutter count with speculation that I may have bought the camera with over 200,000 cycles and it may have had the issue from the get-go since this is only my second time formally using it.

The total shutter count can be obtained in the EXIF data if you would like to know. There are also several sites online that will give it to you if you download a photo to their site.

 

[coastalconn]

When the camera wasn't responsive was the green write light on in the back? Could be a a faulty card.