Metering not working properly - stuck at 30s

doms

Senior Member
Hi,

a couple of month ago, during shooting, exposure meter suddenly spiked to 30s, saying "subject is too dark".

The problem went away after turning the camera on and off.
The same thing happened about a month later.

I solved it by tapping the camera gently and re-inserting the battery.

But in the last week, this happened 5 or 6 times - it happened again today and I'm stuck at 30s - now there's nothing I can do to make exposure metering work again.


It can happen when the from the moment the camera is on or the during shooting, occurencies seem random.


For example, exposure meter is stuck at 30s at iso 100 f1.8, then 15-20s at double iso or aperture etc., camera always says "Subject is too dark", exposure meter always shows underexposure.
I usually use aperture priority, but If I switch to manual and set a good exposure (by trial and error, checking the histogram), the photo turns out fine.


Any ideas?
Thanks
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.

I would first try a master reset to set all camera setting back to factory default. If this fails to resolve your issue, I think your camera needs to go to the camera doctor.
 

doms

Senior Member
Hi, thanks for the welcome.

Resetting didn't do the trick, so I guess I'll have to visit the doctor's office like you said... Is there anyone who could give me a rough estimate for repairing the light metering system? I hear these things can be expensive to repair.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Howdy and welcome to Nikonites!

So the problem only occurs in aperture priority mode? In manual mode you can meter and shoot correctly? It sounds like exposure compensation is set to cause you to overexpose your images. Manual mode wouldn't take that into account, but the more auto modes like aperture or shutter priority would.
 

pforsell

Senior Member
I wonder... I haven't had that particular issue, but sometimes dirty lens contacts can create havoc and really weird problems. Before sending it out I'd clean the lens contacts both in the lens and in the body.

Remove the lens. Use a pencil with an eraser in the end, and gently rub the lens contacts and the camera contacts with the rubber. Make sure that any and all debris you create falls to the floor and not into the lens or camera. Then re-seat the lens a couple of times. Does the problem persist?
 
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doms

Senior Member
RocketCowboy: Rereading my post, I didn't explain properly when talking about aperture priority - I was trying to say that I usually shoot in aperture priority, but that this is off the table now due to my problem. No matter which combination of lens, settings, and shooting mode I use or how many settings resets I perform, calculated exposure is always 30s and "Subject is to dark" is always displaying.

Except when I point it right into the light (like 10 cm (4 in.) away from the lightbulb) and crank up the ISO - I can get to 1/1,3 seconds exposure at best, and even then the Subject too dark message is still displaying.

So my only option is using manual, but I need to adjust the exposure (while underexposure meter is blinking and the message displaying) and check the histogram before I get the optimal exposure and that this is time-consuming.


pforsell: thanks, it was worth a shot, but no luck.
 
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What is the Exposure Compensation set on. I have seen this problem a couple of times. Someone accidently set the exposure compensation on something extreme and does not realise it. Check to see what it is set on.
 

doms

Senior Member
I sent the camera for repairs and asked them to let me know how much it will cost. I didn't clearly understand what the problem was because I was focusing on driving, but it was something about malfunctioning AF assembly that needs to be replaced... Anyway, It's gonna take around 130€ and 2 weeks. FML.

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I wish this was a quick fix but unfortunately, it isn't.
 

popolo

Banned
Don't worry, you can fix this issue with two methods first one is simple reset and second one update your camera to latest and new firmware version. Get details of these both methods in Nikon D3200 Manual. Hope this will help you.
 
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