another mirror lock-up question

[tsw910]

Guys,

been searching through a few threads about mirror lockups ..

please correct me if im wrong

so far i have gathered that when to use a mirro lockup

- long exposure shots, night time shots, still up-close shots ..

and also, how long should i wait to flip the mirror back down ? when do i know ?

and should i use it all the time ? even at faster shutter speeds ?

im sorry for sounding like a newb :o .. but i really want to capture some awesome shots with my new 20D ..

please help !

[plater]

I use the mirror lock up on extra long focal lengths on a tripod. It will let the vibration caused by the mirror to settle before the shutter opens.
Good luck,
Bruce

[robertwgross]

All you have to wait is a fraction of a second.

It is the "up-slap" that you are concerned about, not the "down-slap".

In other words, snap one, mirror goes up, snap two, the shutter opens and then closes, mirror goes down.

Without mirror lockup, the mirror goes up and rattles for maybe a tenth of a second. It isn't much, but it can affect some shots with shutter speeds in the neighborhood of 1/8th to 1/30th, give or take.

I would not use it for ordinary photography.

---Bob Gross---

[ScottE]

You don't have to flip the mirror back down, the camera does that when the exposure is completed. If you are using any exposure method other than Manual, the camera takes an exposure reading before you press the shutter button on your remote release the first time. That flips up the mirror. You then pause a second to let vibrations die down an press the shutter button on your release a second time. That causes the shutter to open. When the exposure is completed the shutter closes and the mirror flips back down.

If you are using M (manual) exposure, you take your exposure reading and set your aperture and shutter speed before you flip up the mirror.

Using mirror lock up is considered to be most effective at shutter speeds between about on second and 1/30 second, especially when using a long telephoto lens or a macro lens at very short distances. The vibration caused by the mirror flipping is most pronounced at those settings. For longer exposures, the shutter is open for such a long time that vibrations during the first fraction of a second don't matter very much. For shorter exposures, the exposure is completed before the vibration causes much movement.

If you intend to make very big enlargements and want to get the most out of your camera and lens it is a good idea to use a solid tripod, mirror lock up and a remote release as much as possible, regardless of shutter speed. At shutter speeds faster than 1/30 second, the amount gained is not very pronounced, but it is there. I have seen tests that showed noticeable improvement at speeds up to 1/125 second.

[tsw910]

thanks for the info guys ! .. this really helps me alot

[GyRob]

Another way of working long exsposure's is to just set your shutter lets say its 15sec at f5.6 fire the shutter with your hand in front of the camera ( NOT TOUCHING ) then move your hand out of the way to start the exsposure no need to mess about with mirro lock .
Rob.

[crispypie]

Hi,

something I found very useful with mirror lockup is to use the timer. Set the time delay on, press the shutter once the mirror locks up and after 5 seconds the shutter fires. No need to touch the camera again and no need for remote release, (Not much good if you need time trigger the shutter at an exact instances though).

Chris