Nikon D3000 i have a few Questions

[Pete_Syl]

hi i have a d3000,
My 1st question is how or what settings do i need to look into or what adjustments do i need to make to be able to take pix in low lighting.
every time i try to take a pic a night or in the dark w/ or w/o flash it will say low lighting and when i snap the shutter will close and not reopen... whats up with that.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing to do, is take the camera out of 'full auto' mode, if that's what you're using.
The next thing to do, is read up on the basics of exposure. Learn about shutter speed, aperture and ISO...and how they work together to control the exposure of your photo.

You can take photos in low lighting, but you will need to use settings that will give you a usable level of exposure....likely a rather long shutter speed. And if your shutter speed is long (slow), then any movement (by the camera or subject) will cause blurriness in the photo.

 

[KmH]

You need to configure the camera so it can gather as much light as possible.

• a wide open lens aperture
• a slow shutter speed
• a high ISO setting

In low light, auto focus will not work well and may cause shutter issues if the camera thinks focus has not been achieved.

The light meter in the camera cannot anticipate how much light a flash will provide. Flash TTL mode fires 'pre-flashes' the camera can measure and use to adjust the flash power level.

You don't say what shooting mode, metering mode, flash mode, lens, flash unit or flash mode you are using.

FWIW, the complete D3000 User's manual is on the software disk that comes with the camera. Or, you can download it here Nikon Product Manuals available for download

 

[_KC]

what i do with my d3000 usually when i take pictures is use aperture mode and choose let it choose the shutter speed but for your situation the M mode or manual mode is the way to go, if you aren't sure how to use it just mess around with changing the settings of the aperture and shutter speed until the photo looks good enough for the whole time you are wanting to use the camera in that particular time period of shooting in the low lighting. But if you really want to learn a lot about photography and how to use all the features on your camera i suggest Langford's Advanced or Basic Photography Book the newer ones. That book will teach you everything and i mean everything!

 

[shadowlands]

I honestly sometimes miss my former D3000. People beat it up in reviews, but I honestly enjoyed mine. I was surprised at how well it performed.

 

[jrizal]

I honestly sometimes miss my former D3000. People beat it up in reviews, but I honestly enjoyed mine. I was surprised at how well it performed.

it's not a "loser" camera but is known for not so good low light performance. But knowing its limitations it can still be a perfomer. People often expect more and forget what it really - a capable entry level DSLR and not any other high performance camera.

 

[jrizal]

hi i have a d3000,
My 1st question is how or what settings do i need to look into or what adjustments do i need to make to be able to take pix in low lighting.
every time i try to take a pic a night or in the dark w/ or w/o flash it will say low lighting and when i snap the shutter will close and not reopen... whats up with that.

As mentioned earlier learn basics of photography especially on the exposure triangle. As for shutter not functioning in low light, I suspect that it is taking a lot of time to get light to the extent you are getting impatient. If you can still shoot with a flash or under good lighting, then I believe there is othing wrong with your camera.