Is it safe to turn off a Canon 450D during a long exposure, and how can I stop it early?

Asked 7/14/2013

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I'm shooting long exposures on a Canon 450D / Rebel XSi and sometimes need to pack up before the exposure finishes because of changing weather. If I switch the camera off while the shutter is still open, can that damage the camera? The camera says it's still recording after I turn it off. Is there a safe way to end the exposure early so it can save the image while I put the lens cap on and pack up?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

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Since you are talking in the context of long exposure shots, there are two possible scenarios when Long Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR) is enabled:

1. The shutter is still open and recording the scene. In this case, if you turn off the camera the shutter will close immediately and the exposure in progress will be recorded. No LENR dark frame will be recorded. There will be a short delay before the camera is completely powered down, but it will be completely safe to go ahead and move the camera and remove the lens during this time.

2. The shutter is closed and Long Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR) is recording a dark frame. In this case, if you turn off the power during the recording of the dark frame, the camera will complete the dark frame and save the image before powering down. It is completely safe to go ahead and move the camera and remove the lens during the recording of the dark frame, as the shutter is closed.

If Long Exposure Noise Reduction is not enabled, turning the camera off when the shutter is open will result in the shutter closing immediately and the image being saved before the camera is completely powered down. It is safe to go ahead and move the camera during this time.

Please note: In all cases the EXIF data will reflect the selected shutter speed and LENR option selected at the beginning of the exposure, not the actual time the shutter was open or whether a dark frame was actually generated and applied to the photo.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

13y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—turning the camera off during a long exposure should not harm the camera. If the shutter is still open, switching the camera off will generally close the shutter and save the exposure up to that point. If Long Exposure Noise Reduction is enabled, the camera may then continue with or finish its dark-frame processing before it fully powers down, which is why it can still show that it’s recording.

What you should not do is remove the battery, because that can prevent the file from being saved.

If you need to stop the shot early, the practical approach is to end the exposure and let the camera finish writing the image. You also don’t have to power the camera off immediately just to move it—putting on the lens cap while it finishes is fine if you simply need to block more light. The result will be an underexposed image compared with the planned exposure time, but it won’t damage the camera.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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