Why does a Nikon D90 sometimes ignore the shutter button?
Asked 8/1/2011
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2 answers
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My used Nikon D90 occasionally won’t respond to the shutter button at all—half-press or full-press—even with the AF switches set to autofocus. Cycling the power makes it work again. I’m using the Nikon 18-105mm kit lens. What could cause this?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
13
Unless your unit is defective, by default most DSLRs will not release the shutter if:
- Focus has not been acquired.
- The flash is charging
- The buffer is full
1 and 2 can be over-ridden using the custom settings. If you go to MF or AF-C (which defaults to Release-Priority) you should not experience this due to #1. If the flash is down (and no flash is attached to the hot-shie), you your next experience this due to #2.
3 happens when the camera is waiting to write to the memory card. If you get a faster memory card, the limit can be pushed further but only up to a point. It happens if you keep shooting consecutive shots quickly.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Several things can make a D90 seem to ignore the shutter button:
- In AF-S mode, the camera may refuse to fire until focus is acquired.
- If the flash is charging, shutter release can be delayed.
- If the buffer is full, the camera may be busy writing to the memory card.
- If the camera is set to IR remote mode, pressing the shutter button on the body may not work normally.
- With the 18-105mm kit lens, poor lens/body contact is also a possible cause. One reported fix is gently re-seating or slightly tightening the lens; if another lens works reliably, that points to a lens contact or mount issue.
To narrow it down, try: switching to MF or AF-C, making sure remote mode isn’t enabled, waiting for card writes/flash charging to finish, and testing with a different lens. If it still happens after those checks, the body or lens may need service.
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