Why won't my Nikon D90 fire the shutter with an older lens when the pop-up flash is on?
Asked 6/3/2013
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2 answers
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My Nikon D90 works normally with an older bayonet-mount Nikon lens until I raise the pop-up flash and use it in commander mode. With the flash up, the shutter will not fire. If I turn the pop-up flash off, the shutter works again. If I switch to a newer lens, everything works normally.
I shoot in manual mode. I have already cleaned the contacts, charged the battery, and remounted the older lens. Is this likely a settings issue, a flash limitation, or a problem with the lens/camera communication?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
The pop-up flash relies on TTL metering to determine how powerful it will have to be to produce a correct exposure. Old nikon lenses (that is, non D/G lenses) do not relay focusing distance data to the camera, and thus won't work with TTL metering. If you use your flash in manual mode (not entirely sure how to do this... maybe someone else can elaborate?) you should be able to use your lens just fine.
Originally by user22617. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user22617
12y ago
0
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Most likely this is a compatibility/settings issue rather than a shutter failure.
From the answers, the key point is that the D90 pop-up flash in TTL/commander use may need lens data that older Nikon lenses do not provide. Older non-D/G lenses may not relay the information the camera expects, so the camera may refuse to fire when the pop-up flash is being used that way. That fits your test: newer lens works, older lens does not.
Also check shutter speed. The D90’s pop-up flash only works at the camera’s flash-sync speed or slower, about 1/250 s. If you are set faster than that in manual mode, the camera may block the shot with flash enabled.
So the likely fixes are:
- lower shutter speed to 1/250 s or slower
- try the flash in manual rather than TTL/commander operation
- check for lens communication issues or warning indicators on the display
Since the camera works with the flash off and with a newer lens, the old lens itself is probably not broken; it’s more likely a flash/lens compatibility limitation or a changed setting.
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AI13y ago
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