help with nikon d40

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kybear

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when i put the camera on manual or shutter priority it just keeps saying subject to dark no matter what shutter speed i choose,aperture priority gives me a long shutter speed but manual and shutter priority gives me the same no matter what speed i choose any ideas anyone would be grateful thanks
 
Most likely explanation is that it is too dark! Try outside in daylight and reduce shutter speed until exposure reads correctly.
 
Not too familiar with the D40, but give this a read LINK it is Ken Rockwells user guide to the D40, which is easier to follow than the Nikon manual, and actually explains what the settings do. It may be something is not set correctly, or has been altered.

Now the warning Ken should be taken with a pinch of salt, but his user guides are clear and simple to follow.
 
Honestly? Learn the basics of exposure, and what each mode does.

Sorry, no way to sugar coat this one.
 
kybear said:
when i put the camera on manual or shutter priority it just keeps saying subject to dark no matter what shutter speed i choose,aperture priority gives me a long shutter speed but manual and shutter priority gives me the same no matter what speed i choose any ideas anyone would be grateful thanks
Click to expand...

The d40 will tell you that all the time, at least mine does!! If R04 flashes in the right corner of the viewfinder, it's basically telling you that flash is recommended. Use a tripod, and set it to what you want, take the picture and look at the results.:thumbs:
 
It's too dark. Simple as that.

You set the shutter speed. The camera calculates what aperture is needed for a correct exposure. The aperture is wider than the lens can manage. So you get an error message.

You need to slow down the shutter and/or increase the ISO.
 
right what condition are you shooting at? Shutter speed will not give you a condition, because if say you have set for 1/60s and it's a pitch dark room then even with the fastest aperture know to man f1.2 you won't get much on a shot with ISO6400 even.

And with manual you have no chance.

Aperture Priority - set the aperture and computer will calculate the require shutter speed. This is the best as shutter speeds can vary from 1/2000s to 30s which gives you a massive range of exposure.

Shutter Priority - set the shutter speed and computer will calculate the required aperture size. This is limited to the largest possible aperture size you have on your lens. This is not very versitle and thus give you the message that the exposure is too dark.

Manual - you choose, well if you know what you are doing then fine. Else, avoid.

So under the dark conditions, use aperture always. (I always use aperture, unless its sports, or motion stop pictures or compiling HDRs or nightshots or similar temperal based shots)

you question isn't with regard to D40 specifically, but understanding how each mode works in all camera's. I hope this info helps you a bit.
 
puddleduck said:
Honestly? Learn the basics of exposure, and what each mode does.

Sorry, no way to sugar coat this one.
Click to expand...

harsh but very true my friend, you should consider the Nikon D40 Field Guide. very good for knowing nothing about how a camera work and some basic level intro into exposure. But you need to play with the camera and unfortunately read a bit more about exposure and understand lighting more :shrug:
 
ricky1980 said:
right what condition are you shooting at? Shutter speed will not give you a condition, because if say you have set for 1/60s and it's a pitch dark room then even with the fastest aperture know to man f1.2 you won't get much on a shot with ISO6400 even.

And with manual you have no chance.

Aperture Priority - set the aperture and computer will calculate the require shutter speed. This is the best as shutter speeds can vary from 1/2000s to 30s which gives you a massive range of exposure.

Shutter Priority - set the shutter speed and computer will calculate the required aperture size. This is limited to the largest possible aperture size you have on your lens. This is not very versitle and thus give you the message that the exposure is too dark.

Manual - you choose, well if you know what you are doing then fine. Else, avoid.

So under the dark conditions, use aperture always. (I always use aperture, unless its sports, or motion stop pictures or compiling HDRs or nightshots or similar temperal based shots)

you question isn't with regard to D40 specifically, but understanding how each mode works in all camera's. I hope this info helps you a bit.
Click to expand...

it does not matter which shutter speed i set outside on a tripod,the shutter uses the same speed if i put it on aperture priority it works the shutter stays open for the lenth of time the camera sets.
 
ricky1980 said:
harsh but very true my friend, you should consider the Nikon D40 Field Guide. very good for knowing nothing about how a camera work and some basic level intro into exposure. But you need to play with the camera and unfortunately read a bit more about exposure and understand lighting more :shrug:
Click to expand...

I know how exposure works but i feel this may be a fault in the camera.
 
When i first got my D40 i used to look what the settings were in auto, I adjusted
the manual settings to the same and used it as a starting point to play around.

If it was a fault with the camera i would have expected it to show up in auto too
 
kybear said:
it does not matter which shutter speed i set outside on a tripod,the shutter uses the same speed if i put it on aperture priority it works the shutter stays open for the lenth of time the camera sets.
Click to expand...

does the picture come out well when you use aperture priority? if so thats the correct shutter speed then
 
kybear said:
it does not matter which shutter speed i set outside on a tripod,the shutter uses the same speed if i put it on aperture priority it works the shutter stays open for the lenth of time the camera sets.
Click to expand...


thats the whole point about shutter priority. it sets the shutter speed. the camera fixes the shutter speed and try to adjust the aperture to fine tune the exposure.

I would suggest you try a shutter speed of 10s under your "dark condition" and use ISO 100 and see if the camera complains again under shutter priority.

if the camera doesn't let you choose the 10s shutter speed then there is something wrong
 
ricky1980 said:
thats the whole point about shutter priority. it sets the shutter speed. the camera fixes the shutter speed and try to adjust the aperture to fine tune the exposure.

I would suggest you try a shutter speed of 10s under your "dark condition" and use ISO 100 and see if the camera complains again under shutter priority.

if the camera doesn't let you choose the 10s shutter speed then there is something wrong
Click to expand...

it does not matter what i set the shutter speed at even if its 1/125 or 40 seconds i get the same result could this be a fault with the camera, it does the same on manual cant get a long shutter speed.
 
ok so when you use AP i can go to a shutter speed that the exposure needs which your camera can achieve, but when you choose SP your lens is not fast enough to cope with it, so adjust your shutter until it gets to a speed your lens can cope with then take another shot and it should be exposed the same
 
so if you choose 30 secs in shutter priority it still shows an error or the picture is too dark?
 
kybear said:
when i put the camera on manual or shutter priority it just keeps saying subject to dark no matter what shutter speed i choose,aperture priority gives me a long shutter speed but manual and shutter priority gives me the same no matter what speed i choose any ideas anyone would be grateful thanks
Click to expand...
What shutter speed & aperture settings are OK on A but do not work on S or M?
 
OK kybear, I think it's time to show us what's going on. That's the only way we're going to get to the bottom of this.

Set the camera to aperture priority and take a picture. Make a note of what aperture you chose and what shutter speed the camera selected. Switch to manual, dial in those same settings, and take the same picture. Post both pictures here, with EXIF data intact, and we'll be able to disgnose the problem much more quickly.
 
Suvv said:
What shutter speed & aperture settings are OK on A but do not work on S or M?
Click to expand...

Sorry - I meant which shutter speed & aperture settings are OK on A but not on S or M. Give us some figures to play with :)
 
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