Why does my Canon 600D shoot in Live View but not through the viewfinder?
Asked 6/26/2015
5 views
2 answers
0
My Canon 600D will take photos normally in Live View, but when I switch back to using the viewfinder and fully press the shutter, the view goes black and the camera seems to freeze. If I press the shutter again, it returns to normal. What setting causes this, and how can I fix it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
8
It seems like you have mirror lockup enabled. The first full press of the shutter button will cause the mirror to move up (just as it does before taking a normal photo using the viewfinder) but the shutter will not be opened. A second full press of the shutter button will activate the shutter to take the photo. If the shutter is not pressed again for 30 seconds after the first press that locks up the mirror, the camera will automatically release the mirror back down to its normal resting position without taking a photo.
Set your dial to TV, AV, M - Anything other than Fully Automatic Exposure modes, otherwise this will not work.
- Go in to Custom Function III : Autofocus/Drive
- Scroll to Screen 8 - Mirror Lockup
- Select 0:Disable
This should release the mirror.
If it doesn’t, you may need to hard reset the camera. That is to remove the Battery and the internal clock Battery and leave it over night. Once the power goes back on, it generally resets minor malfunctions.
Originally by user34085. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user34085
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This behavior matches mirror lockup being enabled.
On a DSLR, using the viewfinder requires the mirror to flip up just before the photo is taken. With mirror lockup turned on, the first full press raises the mirror and blacks out the viewfinder, but does not take the photo. The second full press fires the shutter. If you wait, the mirror will usually drop back down without taking a shot.
To turn it off on the Canon 600D:
- Set the mode dial to Tv, Av, or M (not full Auto)
- Open the menu
- Go to Custom Function III: Autofocus/Drive
- Find Mirror lockup
- Set it to Disable
That should restore normal viewfinder shooting.
If it still doesn’t work after disabling mirror lockup, there may be a mechanical issue and the camera should be checked.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Nikon D3200 gives “Press shutter release button again” when switching to Live View
Nikon D5100 shows an error when switching to Live View
Why is Live View black in Manual mode on a Canon T3i until I half-press the shutter?
Why does my Nikon D5100 stop taking photos after a few shots?
Why does my Canon 6D Mark II need two presses to take a photo through the viewfinder?