Questions about my D300

mpriest13

Ok..these are probably stupid questions to most people but I can't seem to figure them out....:scratch


1. My D300 changes shutter speed automatically in MANUAL mode. Why does it do that and how do I make it stop? I will be shooting and can see the shutter speed drop as I take several images. It is very inconvenient. I understand how the shutter speed would change in Aperture priority as you adjust the F-stop but it shouldn't change in Manual mode should it?

2. I seem to have lost my FPS...at least after three frames. No idea why. I haven't changed at thing. I used to get 6FPS for many frames in a row but now I only get it for three in a row.


I have gone through the manual several times in search of answers to these questions but have been unable to figure it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

angevin1

mpriest13 wrote: »

Ok..these are probably stupid questions to most people but I can't seem to figure them out....


1. My D300 changes shutter speed automatically in MANUAL mode. Why does it do that and how do I make it stop? I will be shooting and can see the shutter speed drop as I take several images. It is very inconvenient. I understand how the shutter speed would change in Aperture priority as you adjust the F-stop but it shouldn't change in Manual mode should it?

2. I seem to have lost my FPS...at least after three frames. No idea why. I haven't changed at thing. I used to get 6FPS for many frames in a row but now I only get it for three in a row.


I have gone through the manual several times in search of answers to these questions but have been unable to figure it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

By the Numbers.....

1. No. but since you say it is doing so, then are you by chance leaning on the rotating dial with your forefinger (if reverse is used, or thumb if not) while shooting?

2. CF Card Changed? Reformatted in camera? Changed to RAW or RAW + JPEG and /or another size?
Try changing it back to JEPG only, that ought to reap a result you're perhaps looking for.

mpriest13

angevin1 wrote: »

By the Numbers.....

1. No. but since you say it is doing so, then are you by chance leaning on the rotating dial with your forefinger (if reverse is used, or thumb if not) while shooting?

No...I thought the same thing but it is happening with literally nothing being touched. I thought maybe the camera was bracketing and automatically adjusting up or down one stop but it often times jumps many stops, not just one. It is really starting to become a problem. I pretty much can't shoot manual, I have to shoot AP or SP only.

Mike J

Have you tried the two button reset? The Green Qual button and the +/- button?
The other thing I could think of is if you had it set to bracketing by exposure. Did you do any HDR shots?

mpriest13

Mike J wrote: »

Have you tried the two button reset? The Green Qual button and the +/- button?
The other thing I could think of is if you had it set to bracketing by exposure. Did you do any HDR shots?

No idea why I didn't do that before... I did the two button reset and it fixed both problems. Thanks!!!!

Ozzwald

When you use the 2 button reset, what exactly does it reset? Will it wipe the custom settings in your shooting profile menu?

cab.in.boston

Ozzwald wrote: »

When you use the 2 button reset, what exactly does it reset? Will it wipe the custom settings in your shooting profile menu?

After two button reset, these settings will be set (from Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to D300):

Image quality/size - Large JPEG normal
ISO 200
Picture control - any modifications removed
Auto White Balance, 0 adjustment, default "choose color temp" set to 5000K
Focus area - central sensor
Flexible program canceled
Exposure lock - off
Exposure Compensation - 0
Flash Exposure Compensation - 0
AE lock hold - off
Bracketing - off (bracket increment reset to 1/3 stop, 1 for WB bracket)
Flash - front curtain sync
FV lock - off (lock is canceled if on when buttons pressed)
Multiple exposure - off.

2-button reset does not reset Custom Settings. You can reset the camera to factory defaults using another procedure, but the 2-button only resets the above settings.

I keep meaning to program a shooting menu bank and get in the habit of resetting it every time I put the camera away, b/c I have too many times forgotten that I'd changed ISO to 1600 or whatever and it takes me a few minutes to remember the next time I pick up the camera. It's good practice to get in the habit of ensuring that the camera is always in the same condition every time you pick it up. I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet...

Matthew Saville

Just a note for future reference,

Even in Manual mode, your shutter speed CAN get "locked" down to 1/60, or at least 1/250, when you turn on a flash. There's a custom setting that allows you to fiddle with that.

May not have been the problem, though. Might have just been that you've got your command / sub-command dials mixed up or accidentally bumped. Do you by any chance use a battery grip?

=Matt=