My Nikon seems to be turning itself off

peter fran

peter fran

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Peter Francis
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Past couple of nights I’ve been doing some star trails of 30 second exposures up to 2 1/2 hours.Every now and then I go outside to check the camera and it looks like it’s switched off.When I check the camera the battery still has plenty of charge left and there’s loads of room left on my sd card.The wired shutter remote has plenty of battery power left too.It HAS been cold the past couple of nights but I can’t think why it’s stopping recording images after about 60-90 mins.I have a D5300.Any ideas?
 
0 degrees is the limit they are meant to operate in, I guess prolonged use at or below that temp could make it play or outright break the camera in extreme case
 
I suspect it’s to do with the cold weather...however, I thought they would be able to handle it...
 
Is the battery getting very cold, so doesn't deliver the required power output, so the camera detects this and powers off?
 
Ravinder said:
I thought they would be able to handle it...
Click to expand...
Indeed!

Cold batteries are shown as "empty" no matter
their actual condition at room temperature. I do
not see your problem being there as I don't think
UK is in a cold front like Canada is there days.

I think it has more to do with the intervalometer
set up or its internal battery — if a remote.
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
Indeed!

Cold batteries are shown as "empty" no matter
their actual condition at room temperature. I do
not see your problem being there as I don't think
UK is in a cold front like Canada is there days.

I think it has more to do with the intervalometer
set up or its internal battery — if a remote.
Click to expand...

Yeah it only goes to 10 Fahrenheit sometimes

A Canadian thinks that's not cold but the rest of the world disagree
 
GTG said:
but the rest of the world disagree
Click to expand...


…minus the Russians and the Scandinavians perhaps? :rolleyes:

Very rarely, central Europe has short cold fronts. For these,
I got an external power source under my coat and a special
connector to the camera battery compartment in the grip.

As long as my body temperature permits me to survive, the
camera is not what I'd have to worry about!. :D
 
Conversely, could it be with 2.5 hours of long exposures, the sensor is getting too hot and shutting down for that reason?

Just thinking out loud!
 
Most Nikon cameras have a 100 shot continuos limit and therefore will only fire 100 exposures before stopping. To get around this unlock and re lock the shutter remote and this resets the count to zero. You can do this at anytime even mid exposure .
 
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This afternoon I set the camera up exactly how I did last night...but indoors.
I put a freshly erased sd card in and battery and set it running.Came back later to find it had stopped and had taken exactly 100 shots so the post Martin Cornwall had posted seems to be correct.
 
Just to add I used this shutter release.
Lost the instructions for it but from what I understand I believe I set it up correctly
 
Byker28i said:
Sounds like it's just something built into the camera software. Still at least you are aware of it now and the workaround.
Click to expand...
You're probably right.Is there a setting on an intervalometer which could bypass this?
 
It's a firware setting on the lower end camera's though it's even on my D750. PITA but just remember to unlock relock the shutter release before the 100 shot limit is near.
 
GTG said:
0 degrees is the limit they are meant to operate in,
Click to expand...
I thought that must be wrong. So I checked the D5300 user manual (page 78). Wow. It's not wrong.

View attachment 117341

Incidentally I checked some other manuals and these figures seem to be pretty standard. Even a Nikon D5 or Canon 1D X Mk II is only rated down to 0°C.
 
StewartR said:
I thought that must be wrong. So I checked the D5300 user manual (page 78). Wow. It's not wrong.

View attachment 117341

Incidentally I checked some other manuals and these figures seem to be pretty standard. Even a Nikon D5 or Canon 1D X Mk II is only rated down to 0°C.
Click to expand...

Yep, and interestingly the UK is incredibly humid and is often going over 85% humidity.

Just a quick check now and we are almost at the limit today at 82%.
 
GTG said:
Yep, and interestingly the UK is incredibly humid and is often going over 85% humidity.

Just a quick check now and we are almost at the limit today at 82%.
Click to expand...

Shock, horror News today - Nikon cameras only usable in the UK 20% of the year!
 
chuckles said:
Shock, horror News today - Nikon cameras only usable in the UK 20% of the year!
Click to expand...

Probably because they have to use RHOS lead free solder that has half the life expectancy of leaded solder and it susceptible to failure due to high humidity causing faulty electronics.

The military don't use RHOS soldering because it is crap
 
chuckles said:
Shock, horror News today - Nikon cameras only usable in the UK 20% of the year!
Click to expand...
And all other manufacturers too (quick google shows both canon and Sony have the same limit). It's likely to be an industry environmental specification standard that the camera electronics are designed to work normally under or not cause deterioration/damage of th electronics. It's not saying the cameras can't be used outside of these conditions, but would need some additional protection. If cameras were made to a higher environmental specification they would cost far more, and many users probably don't use them outside of the current condition limit to warrant a higher specification.
 
GTG said:
Probably because they have to use RHOS lead free solder
Click to expand...

Wasn't this the reason behind the demise of the Hasselblad Xpan?
 
chuckles said:
Wasn't this the reason behind the demise of the Hasselblad Xpan?
Click to expand...

Not sure, I know it has upset a lot of people and businesses.

It has not quite been around long enough for the full effects to surface, yet
 
"my Nikon seems to be turning itself off"

Sounds like my ex
Sorry not constructive but I couldn't resist
 
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