Mirror Lockup

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Hi all,

I'm keen on improving my landscape photography, I've had my (first) Camera for just coming up to two years now and have learned quite a bit but I want to take it further now and improve how I use light and composition in my landscape photos now to hopefully yield better photos, but one of the things which I have been aware of for sometime now but never tried out is Mirror Lockup.

Infact I've only just this minute enabled it and found out how to through a guide on the Internet. My question is, will it really improve my shots, I've read a couple of conflicting things about it, one article on the Internet saying that it doesn't improve the sharpness of their shots and others swearing by it.

So as well as hoping to go and put into practice what I've read about hyperfocal distance this weekend I'll also be trying my shots with Mirror Lockup, but wondered if there are any circumstances where it shouldn't be used when it comes to landscape photography etc.
 
Well what camera do you have and how do you use it at the moment?

If handheld at fast shutter speeds then no don't bother.

If off a tripod after viewfinder composing then a 2second timer and mirror lock up for sure.

Alternatively if you use live view you already have the mirror up so just 2 second timer.

Incidentally live view and zooming into 100% with depth if field preview enabled is a far better way if achieving critical focus then hyperfocal method.
 
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Craig_85 said:
Well what camera do you have and how do you use it at the moment?

If handheld at fast shutter speeds then no don't bother.

If off a tripod after viewfinder composing then a 2second timer and mirror lock up for sure.

Alternatively if you use live view you already have the mirror up so just 2 second timer.

Incidentally live view and zooming into 100% with depth if field preview enabled is a far better way if achieving critical focus then hyperfocal method.
Click to expand...

It's a Canon 700D. It will be for landscape on tripod, I have been using Live View for virtually 100 percent of my landscape photos so it'll have effect at all whether I enable MLU with it on? Not quite sure I understand what zooming into 100 percent with DOF preview enabled means?
 
When you are in live view the mirror is already up so the sensor can see in live time what the lens is seeing.

The mirror referred to is the mirror which reflects the image from the lens up to the viewfinder prism when you are not in live view. The motion of this can cause a small vibration. If you are shooting in live view then you are correct it is not applicable.

In liveview use the zoom button to magnify the image, move around it using whatever control pad/joystick your camera has then manually focus. The depth of field preview button is normally near the lens mount in the front of the camera. You will need to disable exposure preview in liveview or it will all go dark if shooting stopped down which you should be. But the advantage is you will see what is actually going to be in focus when you take the picture, not only what is in focus at maximum aperture which liveview displays when the dof preview button is not depressed.

What I do is select an assumed appropriate aperture zoom in to the closest detail in the foreground I want to be sharp, then press down the dof button and slowly focus towards infinity whilst holding it down until the point it starts to go out of focus then pull focus back a hair. Move zoomed area to background and check it Is adequately sharp. Take picture.

Or amend aperture and or focus stack!
 
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I always use Live view and never use mirror lock up.

Oh yeah I remember the Only camera 1 of the cameras I have that has a mirror is this on the right but I mostly use the one on the left which does not have a mirror imagine that.

E-M5II compared to OM2sp 2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Mirror lock up is worth using for those cameras that have the feature in order to reduce the vibration.
 
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Craig_85 said:
When you are in live view the mirror is already up so the sensor can see in live time what the lens is seeing.
Click to expand...
This depends on the camera... I know my earlier Nikons (D300/D3 era) cycled the mirror along w/ the shutter curtain (to clear the sensor) when photographing in live view. The latest Nikons don't cycle the mirror, but I'm not certain exactly when this change occurred. I don't *think* any Canons cycle the mirror, and I don't know about other makes/models.
 
Hi Joel,
@sk66 is correct different cameras push 'mirror lock up' under different guises. My old Nikon F4 has true mirror lock up, which is, lock the mirror up, which will stay up until you unlock it. So when it's locked up, nothing then happens till you press the shutter release again to fire the shutter. When the exposure is complete, you manually drop the mirror.
A lot of DSLRs encorporate the function together with a timer. Typically with an action something like the following, press shutter release, time delay, mirror moves up, time delay, shutter releases, time delay, mirror down.
There are many variations of operation on a similar theme.

BEWARE, check the function of 'Your' live view. Some cameras when in live view WILL drop the mirror and lift it again when the shutter release is pressed. So do not go under the illusion that just because you are in Live View the mirror is locked up. (Which is why Mirror up is a slightly different function).

So check out the function on your model.

So first I guess you understand why it's there and what it's for...? In short its there to subdue vibration, most people think it's just from the inherent mirror slap which is indeed true, but where it really comes into its own, is on the occasion that you have the camera mounted on, shall we say a less than sturdy mount, and that can include, dodgy cheap or lightweight ball heads and tripods, camera propped up on a rock or fence post and on bean bags etc etc. Also remember the bigger the lens you have hanging on the end of your camera the more momentum there will be if it moves.
So when the mirror activates if the tripod isn't rock solid or the ball head isn't locked down those vibrations can be transmitted through the camera and any opportunity for it to move on its mount will increase the vibration, with the net result a loss of sharpness.
You may well not see any difference between using it, or not if you have a solid tripod and your head is locked up tight. A lot of landscape togs will even steer clear of tripods with centre columns in order to lessen any camera vibration.
So you see it's as much about knowing when to use it as anything else.
The most important is a good tripod and remote shutter release.

Have fun and also remember hyperdeamicknurdle distance isn't a silver bullet, experiment with your focusing and don't put 100% trust in pure theory!:)
 
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Another thing to look for is the option to use an "electronic shutter" function. On most cameras that have it it is "electronic front curtain" and can be enabled along w/ M-Up. This allows you to eliminate the movement/vibration of the mirror and one of the first of the two shutter curtains. The second curtain closes at the end of the exposure so it's movement/vibration is of no real concern.
 
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smr said:
Hi all,

I'm keen on improving my landscape photography, I've had my (first) Camera for just coming up to two years now and have learned quite a bit but I want to take it further now and improve how I use light and composition in my landscape photos now to hopefully yield better photos, but one of the things which I have been aware of for sometime now but never tried out is Mirror Lockup.

Infact I've only just this minute enabled it and found out how to through a guide on the Internet. My question is, will it really improve my shots, I've read a couple of conflicting things about it, one article on the Internet saying that it doesn't improve the sharpness of their shots and others swearing by it.

So as well as hoping to go and put into practice what I've read about hyperfocal distance this weekend I'll also be trying my shots with Mirror Lockup, but wondered if there are any circumstances where it shouldn't be used when it comes to landscape photography etc.
Click to expand...

mirror lock basically is for long exposures to take away any vibrations opening and closing, usually this helpful if usings small apertures down to f64..ergo some really detailed shots and with a flat field macro lens...with or without tubes
it isnt an essential for landscape....but a solid tripod is and a remote release....
even if you are wanting a lot of dof....i dont think using your standard lenses over the 2/3 min aperture...ie f11 on a f 16 lens is a good choice
in general far away things arent needed to be so sharp as near ones
each lens has an optimum aperture for best resolution
use that...and your speeds probably wont be under 1/16...tripod!!
and hang a weight from underneath with a bungie if there is a bit of wind around

your landscape will always win out with good composition and good lighting
lighting comes in three flavours
quantity..exposure
quality...prescence
direction..modelling
each should be present to light a view, give mood, and show topography

hope that helps
 
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Great reading guys, thanks.

Starting to wonder whether my tripod (which is a manfrottoe befree) is good enough. As well as that it has developed a bit of a fault whereby the locking mechanism on the head doesn't work properly so I will need to replace anyway I think. Trying to choose which tripod to go for is a bit difficult with there being so many. I'll have to read up more on my Camera and the MLU feature in LV to see what exactly the function is.
 
If you really want to test the tripod stability and technique, tape a laser pointer to the camera as far away from the tripod head as possible, and point it at a wall at least 10ft away (farther is more sensitive). Then go through the process of taking some test shots while you watch the laser dot dance around the wall. A very good tripod/head will have very little movement when the mirror is locked up with a remote release, and it will settle very quickly.
 
smr said:
Great reading guys, thanks.

Starting to wonder whether my tripod (which is a manfrottoe befree) is good enough. As well as that it has developed a bit of a fault whereby the locking mechanism on the head doesn't work properly so I will need to replace anyway I think. Trying to choose which tripod to go for is a bit difficult with there being so many. I'll have to read up more on my Camera and the MLU feature in LV to see what exactly the function is.
Click to expand...

The befree range are travel tripods and will be sound enough most times but a sturdier tripod would be worth investing in a sturdier tripod for those occasions where weight is not an issue height or being sturdier is.
 
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alfbranch said:
The befree range are travel tripods and will be sound enough most times but a sturdies tripod would be worth investing in a sturdier tripod for those occasions where weight is not an issue height or being sturdier is.
Click to expand...

Slik 88 is the tripod i use...decent pan and tilt head with spirit level and quick release socket

http://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Slik-88-Tripod/114293589

i had a gitzo ball and socket head on my giant benbo tripod...but it cost ££

the slik head is just as solid imho....but try that test
 
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