D5000 Help Please

Beck

Beck

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Hi, I only got my D5000 2 days ago, been messing about and taking photos, then came today, i had it on "auto" mode and went to live view and it wouldnt let me take a photo unless my lens was on Manual? in the bottom right hand corner of the screen the code r21 kept coming up, why is this? is this normal? but if i changed my screen view from live mode to just showing me all my aperture etc and my lens on auto or manual it would take the picture, if that makes any sense ! i started to panic thinking something maybe wrong? I am a complete noob to the world of DSLR's so i have nooooo idea:shrug: Many Thanks.
 
Beck said:
Hi, I only got my D5000 2 days ago, been messing about and taking photos, then came today, i had it on "auto" mode and went to live view and it wouldnt let me take a photo unless my lens was on Manual? in the bottom right hand corner of the screen the code r21 kept coming up, why is this? is this normal? but if i changed my screen view from live mode to just showing me all my aperture etc and my lens on auto or manual it would take the picture, if that makes any sense ! i started to panic thinking something maybe wrong? I am a complete noob to the world of DSLR's so i have nooooo idea:shrug: Many Thanks.
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Hi Beck

I've been looking through the manual - can you confirm which lens you are using and that it works correctly (Auto-Focus) in Auto-mode, but not liveview.

I can't find any ref for an r21 fault code
 
Hi, its one that came with the camera, a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm (VR) if thats any help? i know zilch about it all :amstupid: Yes, when on Auto it will focus fine if im using the viewfinder but when i put it onto live mode it wont take a photo. Thankyou for replying. Becky.
 
r21 isn't an error code it means that the buffer has space for 21 images.
 
Just googled the r21 code and apparently it means : r21 means stands for "remaining XX" (number of shots until the camera's buffer fills). I will have to look up what the buffer etc is now lol, god help me haha.
 
Right this might be of interest the r21 is number of photos you could take without running out of space in the buffer.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=171274

As for not being able to take a picture, could this be because the camera has not focused and if not in focus it won't take a picture (i think).

Anyway, set the camers to another mode "P" "A" or "S" and forget about Auto. "P" is effectively auto but allows you control over more settings.
 
At least I got in first with the r21 message :)

Auto & P are virtually identical but one of them will pop up the built in the flash.
 
cowasaki said:
At least I got in first with the r21 message :)

Auto & P are virtually identical but one of them will pop up the built in the flash.
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I spent a little too long hunting for an obvious answer.

I guess that's a fair point to make about the flash.

Playing with my D5000, it won't take a photo if it is not in focus when using the viewfinder, but in liveview it will. This is very interesting as it might explain why I get soft photos using liveview. Hum ... more reasearch on this.

All sorted Beck or still puzzelled?
 
Ahh ok, i have just tried Auto, M,A,S and P mode and at first i thought it wasnt going to take a picture but then i kept it held down for about 1-2seconds and it took the photo, maybe like mentioned it is focus, and it took a while longer to focus automatically? could that be it?. if so, is it normal to have to hold it down that long? it makes a noise where u can hear the adjustments going on, where as if i have it in manual on the lens it will shoot right away.
 
Beck said:
Ahh ok, i have just tried Auto, M,A,S and P mode and at first i thought it wasnt going to take a picture but then i kept it held down for about 1-2seconds and it took the photo, maybe like mentioned it is focus, and it took a while longer to focus automatically? could that be it?. if so, is it normal to have to hold it down that long? it makes a noise where u can hear the adjustments going on, where as if i have it in manual on the lens it will shoot right away.
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I have found that the auto focus in liveview is slow and you need to keep the button pressed for a what seems an age (a real pain infact). However, form my recent tests it will still take a picture even if it doesn't focus !! you can check focus by either seeing the square go from red to green or hear the beep (if switched on).

I tend to only use the liveview for framing especially when mounted on a tripod.
 
I assume the D5000 comes with a thick white booklet called a Manual?

When all else fails, read that.Also try a book by Andy Rouse called "Beginners Guide to DSLR" you may loathe the guy, but the book is a good read for a beginner............:thumbs:
 
fracster said:
I assume the D5000 comes with a thick white booklet called a Manual?

When all else fails, read that.Also try a book by Andy Rouse called "Beginners Guide to DSLR" you may loathe the guy, but the book is a good read for a beginner............:thumbs:
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The r21 thing appears to be an error message so the user then hunts through the manual for error messages. Not finding an error message "r21" they ask, which is what has happened here. This has been asked before and to be honest it is not a sign of lazyness more a sign of it not being obvious.
 
fracster said:
I assume the D5000 comes with a thick white booklet called a Manual?

When all else fails, read that.Also try a book by Andy Rouse called "Beginners Guide to DSLR" you may loathe the guy, but the book is a good read for a beginner............:thumbs:
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Thanks, but i did refer to the manual briefly and couldnt come across it and as the forum does say " Talk Basics -
If you are new to photography, or just have a question you think is basic, then fire away! Absolutely no question is too silly or basic for us in here", so thats what i did Lol :) and i may just look at the book, think i defo need it haha :D
 
DrRusty said:
I have found that the auto focus in liveview is slow and you need to keep the button pressed for a what seems an age (a real pain infact). However, form my recent tests it will still take a picture even if it doesn't focus !! you can check focus by either seeing the square go from red to green or hear the beep (if switched on).

I tend to only use the liveview for framing especially when mounted on a tripod.
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Ok, glad to know its "normal" thankyou for all your help and sorry for all the Q's and thankyou to all for all your info and help :)
 
cowasaki said:
The r21 thing appears to be an error message so the user then hunts through the manual for error messages. Not finding an error message "r21" they ask, which is what has happened here. This has been asked before and to be honest it is not a sign of lazyness more a sign of it not being obvious.
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Manual - page 6 - Viewfinder - icon 12 - "memory buffer capacity"

page 66 - The Memory Buffer - buffer size - remaining 21

It is all there in the Manual ............I suggest a few evenings reading...:shrug:
 
Yardbent said:
Manual - page 6 - Viewfinder - icon 12 - "memory buffer capacity"

page 66 - The Memory Buffer - buffer size - remaining 21

It is all there in the Manual ............I suggest a few evenings reading...:shrug:
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I see what you are saying but the immediate thing is to look for this "r21" error message which you cannot find so easily (yes you found it and pointed out where but you know it is due to the memory buffer and not an error!). I would agree that if someone read the entire manual then things like this would not get posted but who is going to read the entire manual before using their new camera? Have you seen the size of the D700/D3 manuals, for example :D. This question has been posted several times so maybe it is not as clear as it could be.
 
cowasaki said:
.....I would agree that if someone read the entire manual then things like this would not get posted but who is going to read the entire manual before using their new camera? ..............
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me....:lol::lol::lol:.....there again I'm a bit anal that way

put my new D5000 on "P" then spent 3days in the taxi reading ....:thinking:

ok ok - it's not that difficult stepping up from a D40 menu-wise but I do wish more would "read before post"...........:cool:
 
Mmm . . . Sadly, a lack of tolerance from 'them than know' it would seem? Beck admits, she is a 'noob on DSLR' so give her the benefit of your experience . . . :naughty:

Nikon destruction books can be very daunting . . . :thinking: most modern camera destruction books are like the old video player instruction, only fathomable by ones grandchildren :shrug:

However Beck, as a D5000 owner, I would suggest steer clear of the painfully slow 'live view' for a while, get to know it as a conventional camera, where it fair zips about. I found, it sort of came automatically after a while, on the few occasions I have used LV:thinking: Thats unless you really want video . . . then of course, some would say, you should have bought a video recorder . . . :naughty:

CJS

Error corection CJS
 
CJS said:
Mmm . . . Sadly, a lack of tolerance from 'them than know' it would seem? Beck admits, she is a 'knob on DSLR' so give her the benefit of your experience . . .CJS
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not at all.... i bought my D5000 just 13 days ago.. I believe Nikon put the manual in there for a reason .......:D

however - i do admit to have the hindsight of having owned a D40

Becky - actually the Nikon manuals are a bit rubbish really
buy one of the D5000 User Guides from Amazon ...they are SO much better....:thumbs:
 
Oh dear, didnt want to cause a stir, maybe i should of just looked in my manual :| but i didnt know what the code "r21" meant and i couldnt see or didnt know where to look in my manual for info on the "not taking a picture" issue, i will in future read my manual 'more'! damn, more reading lol. Sorry for the ignorance. and thankyou for the people who took their time in answering me. Beck :)
 
Yardbent said:
Becky - actually the Nikon manuals are a bit rubbish really
buy one of the D5000 User Guides from Amazon ...they are SO much better....:thumbs:
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As I said, intolerance:thinking:

Please dont slate me, and then admit, having given it a bit more thought . . . it was a tough call for Becky.

I'm not the pushover that you think Becky might be! . . . and before you jump to a personal defence, dont bother, I wont rise, there is no defence, the forum is here to help.

I hope someone is as help full to you when you hit a problem with your NEW D5000, I dont like arrogance, of any kind!:boxer:

CJS
 
CJS said:
...... Beck admits, she is a 'knob on DSLR' so give her the benefit of your experience . . . :naughty:

CJS
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:eek::eek::eek:

She admited no such thing.

a noob perhaps.:razz:

Bit of a Freudian penis there I think :D

Completely Off Topic but it made me giggle.

Yes I am a schoolboy at heart.

Tony
 
Big Tony said:
:eek::eek::eek:

She admited no such thing.

a noob perhaps.:razz:

Bit of a Freudian penis there I think :D

Completely Off Topic but it made me giggle.

Yes I am a schoolboy at heart.

Tony
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Whoops, got that wrong, sorry Becky :lol: But the centments still stands, 'no one is perfect, here to help' . . . :bonk:
 
Big Tony said:
:eek::eek::eek:

She admited no such thing.

a noob perhaps.:razz:

Bit of a Freudian penis there I think :D

Completely Off Topic but it made me giggle.

Yes I am a schoolboy at heart.

Tony
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Haha me too, didnt want to correct it as its a very true statement tbh Lol and thankyou CJS and to everyone else again :D
 
Right, can we keep it civil please. This is the basics section and as such, RTFM comments are officially VERY unwelcome - this section was created for exactly such questions and so they didn't get such replies! If thats the only answer you can give, then this section is perhaps not for you.
[oh, for the record, I have had a D70s, D200, D300 and D700, and never yet read an entire manual, as pointed out already they are bibical and often cause more confusion than they solve]

By the same token, argumentative and/or personal responses to such comments are equally unwelcome - if you feel a response is offensive, unhelpful or unnecessary, please use the rtm button and let the staff deal with it, IF they feel it appropriate to do so.

:nono:


Becky, ignore the silliness, have huge amounts of fun with your new camera and don't be afraid to ask as many silly questions as you feel necessary, as you have already seen, there are plenty of people willing to help out :thumbs:
 
Yv said:
Right, can we keep it civil please. This is the basics section and as such, RTFM comments are officially VERY unwelcome - this section was created for exactly such questions and so they didn't get such replies! If thats the only answer you can give, then this section is perhaps not for you.
[oh, for the record, I have had a D70s, D200, D300 and D700, and never yet read an entire manual, as pointed out already they are bibical and often cause more confusion than they solve]
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I have to say this is particularly unhelpful in itself.

Whilst a RTFM might be a tad excessive, RTM is a wholly valid response: Yardbent's initial post was just that.
In this instance, a brief read of the introductory 'Getting Started' chapter would have been all that was required to realise that 'r21' was not the same as 'ERR' ...
Just looking at the diagram illustrating the viewfinder layout tells you this.

Granted no-one wants to read all of the manual, but advocating that it's not worth the effort at all is pretty daft, as is the implication that anyone who does is also daft.

Perhaps instead of RTFM, something like "The answer to your question is to be found on page** of your user manual..."
In this way the OP learns for themself rather than just being told the answer - which, as any teacher will tell you is not the way to 'learn' anything at all...

If there is still confusion then by all means pop back here and state that "After reading the manual, I am still puzzled by...."

That's how it should work here.
 
Then perhaps you should reread my post Rob, I said I hadn't read an entire manual, not that I hadnt read one at all, or that no one else should.

I also stand by what I said - this section is for exactly this kind of question, where finding the answer in the manual isn't necessarily as obvious to a new user as it would be to those more experienced. How you feel it should work and how it actually does work in reality despite our best efforts in the past, is the very reason the basics section was opened.

However, I do agree that pointing someone in the direction of the correct bit of the manual in a friendly manner is a good idea.
 
Arkady said:
How experienced do you need to be in order to read?
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I still refer to my manuals on occasion. However, I recognise the points being made on both sides,I should have mentioned a page number, but I don`t have a D5000 manual.

Try the Andy Rouse book though, it is a decent read for a beginner.....:thumbs:
 
Mmm . . . reading loads of unfamiliar terms can be intimidating . . . Whilst I know its not quite the same, as a dyslexic, I struggle on occasions with new products and can therefore imaging the horror and frustration that a newbie might experience.

I'm afraid you who have years of experience often laps into techno speak with out a thought for new or less able members in what ever fashion (dyslexia is a recognised disability) . . . for instance, I have no idea what 'RTFM' might be???? I suspect it might be listed on site index, but where to look?

Therefore, my original feelings hold, 'Talk Basics', means just that, a gentle guide in the right direction, fair enough, but it was not like that, the response to a new member was aggressive. Thats my last contribution to this thread :exit:

I apologise to any who I have upset in my 'fight for right' :thinking: But as I have said, I'm no pushover when it comes to basic manners!

CJS
 
There's two sides to this, I think - and neither is helped by IT-disconnect that happens with online messaging...what might appear to be genuine advice is sometimes percieved as a slight, tempers get frayed, flaming starts breaking out, people get banned.

We all started somewhere, and before the benefits of internet forums, in ye oldene days of filme we read the manuals because that's all there was.
The tech-speak is usually explained in a glossary of terms somewhere in the manual, there is a simple section and an in-depth section...

Even my D3 manual has a 'getting started' section at the front with real 'Photography for Dummies' explanations that assume no prior knowledge whatsoever.

People with manual-phobia need to sit down at the kitchen table with a cup of strong coffee, a packet of jaffa cakes and embrace the horror...

It's fun, you know - this 'learning' stuff...
 
I have to agree with what Rob is saying. With all my cameras I have had a quick browse through the manual first of all and if I get stuck thereafter I pick it up and find my solution. I've only asked on forums, that I can recall, if i am still stuck afterwards.

I actually learned a whole bunch about my 1Ds by simply reading the part about custom functions which are all detailed in the manual.
 
i bought my first DSLR a few months ago without a manual & i seem to be getting along ok. i can see some improvement in my pics the more i use/learn it. i do remember having a similar issue in the first few days but a bit of online digging answered my questions :thumbs:
if that hadn't worked i would have asked on here & in that situation an RTFM response wouldn't have helped much either :shrug:

generally there's a good crowd on here & i'm sure somebody would have posted a pdf link to the manual anyway :)
 
I agree with Rob on this one. The manual isn't just lobbed in the box to increase the shipping weight or to improve the box's balance. Most cameras available these days have batteries that need charging before the camera can be used - a perfect hour or 3 to sit down and at least read the getting started chapter and getting an idea as to what information's available on the display(s).

Even with compacts, how many people (not us, we know better, don't we?) realise that they can actually turn their flashes off (or, indeed, force them on) when needed?

We shouldn't need to tell people to RT(F)M, IMO, they should do so before asking - I'm sure Yv remembers someone from another forum wondering how to turn his D50 on... Some people will not have manuals, having bought 2nd hand, although I would be rather suspicious of a camera that came without one TBH. I'll also admit that Nikon manuals aren't exactly written to be gripping stuff! I've found the Magic Lantern guides far better written and far easier to follow and worth the investment to get more out of my bodies.

I do have to admit that I didn't take my manual on holiday this year (good job too - they weighed the bag and I had to stick a couple of lenses in my pockets!) but I did have a PDF of it in my netbook, which I did take. Didn't need to refer to the manual but it was there if I had needed it and the paper one is now back in the bag.
 
Ok, i get it.. "read the manual". Only wanted an answer not an arguement! Sorry too all that i "rubbed up the wrong way" with my ignorance!.. i will in future definately read my manual and think twice about posting again. Thanks to all that gave an answer anyway.
 
hello all
I am a newbie here too. Had a D5000 for 12 months now, still read manual and still get confused.
Any help is appreciated

Peter
 
pal53 said:
hello all
I am a newbie here too. Had a D5000 for 12 months now, still read manual and still get confused...Any help is appreciated..Peter
Click to expand...

Peter
as well as the magic lantern books mentioned above [ from Amazon]

i found David Busch excellent for my D40

"link" to D5000

also I have ordered this one ..."link"
 
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