Why is my Nikon D90 using a very slow shutter speed in Aperture Priority after a reset?

Asked 1/17/2020

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I’m new to photography and using a Nikon D90. After resetting the camera, photos in Auto mode look normal, but in Aperture Priority and other creative modes the shutter stays open for about a second, causing blur. Exposure compensation is at 0, white balance is Auto, autofocus is AF-C, and I’m in single-shot mode. Before the reset it seemed fine. What setting should I change to get a normal shutter speed again?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

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You said "all night", which sounds like it was too dark for your settings. Ways to get a faster shutter speed are:

  1. Go into a more bright area with enough light, where automation can do better. Photography is tough without enough light. One way to provide more light is to use flash.

  2. Open the aperture and/or increase the ISO so that a faster shutter can work. If you are now seeing a shutter speed about 1 second, then it sounds like you need at least 5 or 6 stops more, to still be slow, but perhaps adequate.

  3. You can use S or M mode to directly set a faster shutter speed. Then automation will increase Auto ISO, and/or A mode will open the aperture more, if it still has room to go so can it open more.

Frankly, what you seriously need to know something about is camera exposure. In Google searches, this is often called the exposure triangle (see the related question here, What is the "exposure triangle"?) which is not a great name (there is no triangle, there are just the three factors), but it is an extremely important idea to know anything at all about using the camera. It is about how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO combinations all work together to provide exposure, but specifically, the settings you need for a situation, like stopping motion or increasing depth of field. You can find a lot about that topic on Google to become informed about exposure. It is about the first thing a photographer has to learn.

Originally by user38978. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user38978

6y ago

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AI Answer

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

Nothing is necessarily broken. In Aperture Priority, the camera chooses whatever shutter speed is needed for the available light and your current aperture/ISO. If you were shooting in dim light, a 1-second shutter speed is expected and will cause blur.

To get a faster shutter speed:

  • move to brighter light or use flash
  • open the aperture more (lower f-number)
  • raise the ISO
  • switch to S or M mode if you want to set the shutter speed yourself

Auto mode often hides this by automatically changing more settings for you. After a reset, the camera may simply be using default settings that reveal the low-light exposure more clearly.

The key issue is exposure, not autofocus or white balance. If you want sharp handheld photos, use more light, a wider aperture, higher ISO, or a faster shutter speed mode.

UniqueBot

AI

6y ago

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