mirror lock up question

[MHB]

I just read in Scott Kelbys book about using mirror lock to get sharper photos. Could you just keep your camera on mirror lock or are there times when its not smart to use it?

 

[Forkie]

I think he means when you are using slow shutter speeds. Having the mirror locked up when making long exposure minimises vibration from the mirror flicking up and down which helps prevent camera shake.

It's not smart to always have your mirror locked up for two reasons:

1. Your mirror isn't actually always locked up. You have to press the shutter to raise the mirror and again to take the shot. There's a lot of potential for loosing shots by forgetting you need to press it twice!

2. Locking the mirror up all the time will leave your sensor exposed to dust, moisture and all sorts of nasties.

 

[Garbz]

Not to mention locking the mirror up all the time will result in a camera that fails to focus, fails to meter, and fails to show anything through the viewfinder

What are you trying to get sharper photos of? Mirror slap has a very distinct vibration signature and thus there's a very VERY narrow set of shutterspeeds in which it's useful. That speed is dependent on the lens obviously. I would say when your shutterspeed is somewhere around 1/5th to 1/10th of your focal length then start to worry. Longer shutterspeeds means the vibration doesn't contribute to the image, and shorter shutter speeds means that very VERY brief slap won't be visible in the picture.

Mirror lockup has zero effect in day to day shooting and even less effect if it's a manual process (i.e. needing to press the button twice vs a simple time delay) if you don't use a remote control.

 

[KmH]

Not to mention locking the mirror up all the time will result in a camera that fails to focus, fails to meter, and fails to show anything through the viewfinder

QFT.

It really helps if you have a basic, fundamental understanding of how a DSLR camera works. How Does a DSLR Camera Work? | eHow.com

 

[JTPhotography]

You don't need to leave your mirror locked up all the time, only in certain instances.

It would make no sense to leave it locked up when you are hand holding with somewhat fast shutter speeds, as your hand movement is likely to be contributing to lack of sharpness (if any) moreso than movement created by the mirror.

Using ML on very long shutter speeds also makes no sense. If it takes 30 seconds for the light to burn into the sensor and create the image, then any movement that results from the very short mirror slap is irrelevant.

I use it when I am on a tripod, shooting exposures from, say 1/100th of a second to 4 seconds (roughly). It is particularly useful when shooting macro or a long telephoto shot in low light, where movement is magnified by the lens. Macro and moon photos are perfect examples of when to use ML.

 

[Edsport]

Mirror lockup is only useful if you're using a tripod and using a cable release or remote. Use the cable release to press the shutter button to lock up the mirror and wait a couple secs for the camera to stop vibrating then take the shot. If you're pressing the button by hand mirror lockup has no benefit becasue you'll be touching the camera to take the shot...

 

[tirediron]

...2. Locking the mirror up all the time will leave your sensor exposed to dust, moisture and all sorts of nasties.

Ehhh??? Whatchewtalkin' 'bout Willis????

 

[KmH]

2. Locking the mirror up all the time will leave your sensor exposed to dust, moisture and all sorts of nasties.

The image sensor of a DSLR would still be covered by the shutter curtains.

 

[JTPhotography]

Mirror lockup is only useful if you're using a tripod and using a cable release or remote. Use the cable release to press the shutter button to lock up the mirror and wait a couple secs for the camera to stop vibrating then take the shot. If you're pressing the button by hand mirror lockup has no benefit becasue you'll be touching the camera to take the shot...

I agree. However, I use the 2 sec timer instead of a remote cable release most of the time. Just as with the cable release, ML with the timer works the same. I only use a cable release for fireworks, lightning, and night photos, and when I am shooting exposures longer than 30 seconds. For anything less, I just use the timer.

 

[sekhar]

Yeah, but both the timer and the cable release are meant to reduce shake introduced by your hand. These won't stop the vibrations caused by the movement of the mirror, which can mess up the shot if using extreme telephoto, for example. It's better to lock the mirror up for those cases...I believe this is what the book had in mind.

 

[JTPhotography]

Yeah, but both the timer and the cable release are meant to reduce shake introduced by your hand. These won't stop the vibrations caused by the movement of the mirror, which can mess up the shot if using extreme telephoto, for example. It's better to lock the mirror up for those cases...I believe this is what the book had in mind.

Exactly, which is why I use ML in combination with the timer or cable release, but only in certain instances, which I outlined in my first post in this thread.

 

[Edsport]

Mirror lockup is only useful if you're using a tripod and using a cable release or remote. Use the cable release to press the shutter button to lock up the mirror and wait a couple secs for the camera to stop vibrating then take the shot. If you're pressing the button by hand mirror lockup has no benefit becasue you'll be touching the camera to take the shot...

I agree. However, I use the 2 sec timer instead of a remote cable release most of the time. Just as with the cable release, ML with the timer works the same. I only use a cable release for fireworks, lightning, and night photos, and when I am shooting exposures longer than 30 seconds. For anything less, I just use the timer.

Oops, i forgot about the 2 sec timer...

Yeah, but both the timer and the cable release are meant to reduce shake introduced by your hand. These won't stop the vibrations caused by the movement of the mirror, which can mess up the shot if using extreme telephoto, for example. It's better to lock the mirror up for those cases...I believe this is what the book had in mind.

What do you mean "these won't stop the vibrations cause by the movement of the mirror"? The timer, remote and cable release allow the vibrations to settle before taking the shot...

 

[BrianV]

The mirror itself causes vibration.

Some cameras flip the mirror to the up position when the self timer is released- I'm guessing a modern DSLR could do this in firmware if they do not already.

The original purpose of the Mirror Lockup on the Nikon F was for the highest speed setting on the motor drive. You would view up until the last instant that the shutter was released. If you wanted to "just" lock up the mirror, you wasted one shot to do it. I have one that was modified, an extra release for locking it up.

 

[Edsport]

The mirror itself causes vibration.

Some cameras flip the mirror to the up position when the self timer is released- I'm guessing a modern DSLR could do this in firmware if they do not already.

The original purpose of the Mirror Lockup on the Nikon F was for the highest speed setting on the motor drive. You would view up until the last instant that the shutter was released. If you wanted to "just" lock up the mirror, you wasted one shot to do it. I have one that was modified, an extra release for locking it up.

Yes the mirror causes vibration i understand that but using a cable release or timer (in combination with mirror lock up) allows the vibration to settle before taking the shot. I'm speaking for Canon and have no idea about Nikon...

 

[BrianV]

Even among manufacturers: mirror-up with actuation of self-timer, or multi-function cable release, tends to be model specific. If this feature is important, best to research the individual model before buying. It would be nice if manufacturers standardized operation across their line-ups. Any camera that moves the mirror to the up position ~0.5s before the picture is taken allows enough time for vibration to settle. Somewhere I have an old Shutterbug issue from the 90s that measured how long it took for vibration to settle on various cameras.

I used to have a Canon Pellix: semi-transparent mirror. Legend has it that the Nikon F High-Speed with fixed-mirror was made using the same mirror. Nikon bought Canon cameras and took the mirror out, used it in their special run cameras.