Subject is too dark subject is too dark subject is too dark etc.

I can't fathom this thing out. I thought I was getting somewhere with it but the past couple if days I've been getting this error message that says 'subject too dark' and it wont let me shoot. It doesn't seem to matter what I set it too. I take a shot in auto and then use the same settings in M or P and then it wont let me shoot. Also, it's like the button sticks on my remote, some gadget I bought of Amazon that plugs into it. Not sure if it's the button or what but yesterday the camera kept hanging and only came back to life when I unplugged the remote kind of thing. I thought it was because I was pressing the wrong button but not sure now.

Anyone know? Just trying to take some moons shots, but it's not working and I gave up, and now I'm pissed off. Just take the picture, whether it's too dark or not, just take the ***ing shot! I'LL KNOW if it's too dark. Maybe I want it to be too dark! Tell me when it's too bright.

I can't say exactly what you are experiencing in various modes, but if the shutter does not fire in M mode, the cause is likely that the camera wants to achieve focus. If it is too dark, the camera will not be able to auto focus. In that case, you need to set the lens to manual also. So manual mode on camera + put the lens in manual and the shutter will fire.

Calm yourself, grasshopper and reread your manual and above all things do not buy strange third party do-dads off of Amazon. S tick to Nikon asseccories and all will be well.

It was focused fine, nothing to do with that. i think it's something to do with not so much the remote but the end bit being plugged in. I don't know. Can I not set it to just take the shot even if it thinks it's too dark?

RON said:

Calm yourself, grasshopper and reread your manual and above all things do not buy strange third party do-dads off of Amazon. S tick to Nikon asseccories and all will be well.

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Nikon didn't have a gadget for this. Something is not working right. I don't know for sure if it's this remote.

I didn't like the software much on my coolpix either, maybe I should have bought a canon instead.

dr_eyehead said:

It was focused fine, nothing to do with that. i think it's something to do with not so much the remote but the end bit being plugged in. I don't know. Can I not set it to just take the shot even if it thinks it's too dark?

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Most likely you can set it to fire even when the camera is not in focus.
If it is in focus and the shutter wont fire, then you may have hardware problems.

Also How do you know that it was in focus?

It sounds to me that the subject is too dark.

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Onto the problem, if you don't understand the "gadget" from Amazon, unplug it and the remote, put them aside.

Set the camera to Aperture mode, f7 should do it. Camera on tripod, focus on the moon, both lens and body in manual focus, VR off if you have it. Spot meter mode and role the EV back to about -3. Disable auto ISO and set it for 100 or as low of a number to get over 1/300th. Make sure active D lighting is off also. Use the on-board timer to actuate the shutter. Mess around with the ev compensation until you get a good exposure.

Something is in some auto mode, flash, focus, exposure, who knows. Don't get frustrated, there is some reason buried in the menus, you just have to come across it.

Have you moved the exposure compensation...

dr_eyehead said:

Nikon didn't have a gadget for this. Something is not working right. I don't know for sure if it's this remote.

I didn't like the software much on my coolpix either, maybe I should have bought a canon instead.

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Yes, you should’ve bought Canon.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Blacktop said:

Also How do you know that it was in focus?

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I autofocused it, took a picture, and then looked at in playback at full zoom, after which I had turned the auto focus off manually. Maybe that's the problem, turning the autofocus off with the button, and then the camera expects the lenses to move and they don't and it computer malfunctions..

Anyway, I went back out and again it wouldn't let me take any pictures, tried taking the battery out etc.. After much exasperation I finally discovered that it would let me take photos in the mode where you view the scene on the monitor that's too bright from for night photography, and after some playing around, while the moon was setting I discovered that I could also again take pictures in the viewfinder mode despite the fact it still says 'subject is too dark'

It seemed to like taking out of focus shots in auto mode, then after that nothing. I ended up just focusing it manually anyway.

pedroj said:

Have you moved the exposure compensation...

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yes (bonus 4 characters! !"£$%)

eidian said:

Yes, you should’ve bought Canon.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

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I didn't tell it to not snap when the light was too low, or can find anywhere to disable this annoying feature. How am I supposed to learn when the light is too dark if if wont let me take photos with the light too dark? Tell me after I've taken the freaking shot! Oh yeah, it was too dark or something, I see what what you mean, thanks sofwtare...

No this is/was more like... sorry, I can be arsed working right now, and the reason why is this, it's too dark. leave me alone. It's too dark not matter what you set the camera as, haha!

Maybe a default reset might help if the problem is not long term...

pedroj said:

Maybe a default reset might help if the problem is not long term...

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Yes if all else fails pull the plug. Reset and start again. If that does not work. you start thinking that you have to pay someone to fix it.

dr_eyehead said:

I didn't tell it to not snap when the light was too low, or can find anywhere to disable this annoying feature. How am I supposed to learn when the light is too dark if if wont let me take photos with the light too dark? Tell me after I've taken the freaking shot! Oh yeah, it was too dark or something, I see what what you mean, thanks sofwtare...

No this is/was more like... sorry, I can be arsed working right now, and the reason why is this, it's too dark. leave me alone. It's too dark not matter what you set the camera as, haha!

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Did you try what i said in post 2?
Camera set to manual. lens set to manual. snap picture. shutter will fire. You might see the 'too dark' message, but shutter will fire. You can even take a picture with the lens cap on in this mode. test that out rather than just dismissing the suggestion. If it does not work, your camera is broke, OR you missed something in the suggestion. Aperture and S mode should work similarly, but try it in M with lens on manual too. From there, follow [MENTION=4399]Rick M[/MENTION] 's suggestions for settings. Leave the gadget off for now, you need to get more comfortable with the camera or determine if it is broken.

nickt said:

Did you try what i said in post 2?

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I just tried to take some snaps with the lens cap on in manual mode (F10, exp 1/80, iso=100, EV=0 in case it matters).
-When in auto-focus it wouldn't take a shot.
-When either the camera or the lens was set to manual it then snapped, both with the shutter release button on the camera and the remote.
-Didn't seem to display the 'subject is too dark' when I was taking the blank shots, but it did flicker on briefly a few times.
-it seems the button on my plug in remote does stick which explains the camera appearing to lock up the other day after taking shots
( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ramozz-Remote-Control-shutter-Release/dp/B00C1Y01T8/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i )

Looks like it's working ok thus far, but will investigate further. I am certain I had the lens set to manual focus last night in aperture mode and it seemed as though the camera was overriding my intentions and not allowing me to take photos, even though I had just taken a shot in auto mode and then turned off the auto-focus and tried to repeat exactly the same shot in M or A with the same settings, or the same aperture setting.

Does it matter whether I turn the auto-focus off on the lens or the software?

Could this be anything to do with the AE-L/AF-L function? I tried to use that the other day but can't seem to get the hang of it/not quite sure what it does. I've worked out how to set how it functions, ie. hold down or one click, but whenever I try to use it it just seems to do the opposite of what I think it's doing....

Thanks for the help in all these matters, I'm sure I'll get to the bottom of this, if it's faulty maybe I can take it back and get them to agree an upgrade to the D3300 (can tell you now I am missing the pull out screen)

That was slightly exasperating last night, it wasn't an amazing scene just by back garden with all the street lights, but it was a good opportunity to play around with the settings for moon shots etc. Got some nice shots of the ISS going overhead (although slightly shaky because my remote wouldn't work) and I think I may have captured a couple of meteors. Can't wait to get out somewhere on a proper dark/clear night, I tried taking some star shots and it seems to have the ability to capture stars that are indiscernible to the eye.

I might be wrong on this, but I think the 'subject too dark' message has nothing to do with the problem at hand which would be (if I'm not mistaken, that is) focus related. Somewhere in the "custom settings" there's one that makes the camera only shoot when "proper" focus is achieved. It's called something like "AF Priority" and you want it set to "shutter priority" instead so that it shoots whenever you feel like it.

Have a look anyway, ...

Had a look and didn't manage to find anything in the options for that before my battery ran out, so just recharging now. Maybe something to do with P or S mode? I looked in the manual and searched for AF priority and didn't find anything.

Maybe also something to do with AF-A, AF-C or AF-S different 'servo' modes of autofocus operation?

Agree the subject too dark message has no bearing on shutter release.

If the lens has A and M on the autofocus switch then manual focus has to be selected with the lens switch. If the lens has M/A and A on the autofocus switch, then manual focus can be selected with the camera AF Mode menu.

If an A M lens is set to A, then the shutter will not be released until the camera is able to focus the lens, regardless if manual focus is selected or not in the camera AF menu. The manual mode in the camera AF menu only affects a lens with M/A (autofocus with manual override).

The other time the shutter will be disabled is with a low battery.

Eyelight said:

Agree the subject too dark message has no bearing on shutter release.

If the lens has A and M on the autofocus switch then manual focus has to be selected with the lens switch. If the lens has M/A and A on the autofocus switch, then manual focus can be selected with the camera AF Mode menu.

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The lens I am using only has A and M as the options, yet if I have my camera set to A on the lens I can still disable auto-focus using the software. Maybe I am misreading you but what you said there doesn't sound right.

If an A M lens is set to A, then the shutter will not be released until the camera is able to focus the lens, regardless if manual focus is selected or not in the camera AF menu. The manual mode in the camera AF menu only affects a lens with M/A (autofocus with manual override).

The other time the shutter will be disabled is with a low battery.

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