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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / October 2006D70s / D50 dim viewfinder?
I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim viewfinders. I mean extremely dim, like it was turned off. I checked at the new D80 and it did not have the same problem. Then I went to Best Buy and noticed the D70s was just a dim but the D50 was normal. My question is does the D70s and D50 need power to lit the viewfinder? How else can it be so dim? Thanks >I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at >Circuit [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > My question is does the D70s and D50 need power to lit the > viewfinder? Yes, the viewfinders need power supplied to the camera for the finders to be at normal brightness. If there is no battery or AC power, they will be very dim. > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Thanks If they can't bother to power up their cameras, I wouldn't buy from them. You want to see what is in the viewfinder and get a little instruction on how to set the menus. I know at best buy they have a problem of folks stealing the batteries, but there has to be a way of putting the camera on AC. Tom I know that if there is no memory card in my D50, then, when I look through the viewer (with an uncapped lens attached to the camera), I see an incredibly dark gray/GRAINY image when I power up the camera. At first I assumed that my camera was defective, but I inserted a memory card, repowered the camera, and then I saw a reasonable image in the viewer. This must be Nikon's memory-card equivalent to "remove the lens cap". I'm not saying that this is what you're seeing, but the gray/grainy image that I saw was so profoundly awful that I assumed either the camera was defective, or I (as the user) was doing something wrong. Scott >I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim viewfinders. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Thanks > I know that if there is no memory card in my D50, then, when I look through > the viewer (with an uncapped lens attached to the camera), I see an > incredibly dark gray/GRAINY image when I power up the camera. then something is wrong. > At first I > assumed that my camera was defective, but I inserted a memory card, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > was so profoundly awful that I assumed either the camera was defective, or I > (as the user) was doing something wrong. there is absolutely NO requirement that a memory card be inserted in a d50 for a bright viewfinder - it only needs a battery installed to not be dark. in fact, there is a custom function (cf #4) to enable the camera to take pictures without a memory card inserted. many camera stores have it set that way for demonstration purposes and to avoid theft of the memory card. to show how forgetful I was, I tried a test, removing the battery and/or memory card, and it was indeed the lack of a BATTERY, not a memory card, that caused the dark, grainy gray viewer. My only plea for leniency in being so mistaken is that I seem to have caught the flu this year before anyone else that I know of, and I'm in a mildly fevered (and thus delirious!) state. ;-) S >> I know that if there is no memory card in my D50, then, when I look >> through [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > stores have it set that way for demonstration purposes and to avoid > theft of the memory card. You are forgiven ..... this time only. Chicken Soup. Lots of it. And copious quantities of Tequila. > to show how forgetful I was, I tried a test, removing the battery and/or > memory card, and it was indeed the lack of a BATTERY, not a memory card, [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> stores have it set that way for demonstration purposes and to avoid >> theft of the memory card. > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim > viewfinders. I mean extremely dim, like it was turned off. I checked at > the new D80 and it did not have the same problem. The "viewfinder" being the optical viewfinder can be dimmer if the lens attached to it is small aperture (say f/4.5) on one camera v. f/2.8 on the other camera. Or, it may have been in stopped down view mode (DOF preview) and that can look dim if the selected aperture was small. If you're talking about the display on the back, then the settings may have been set to low brightness to save battery power.  Signature-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch. > > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the other camera. Or, it may have been in stopped down view mode (DOF > preview) and that can look dim if the selected aperture was small. Nikon G series lenses are automatically stopped down to their smallest aperture all the time. They do not even have an aperture ring. A D series lens has a lock on the aperture ring that locks the lens at the smallest aperture for use on Nikon's newer SLRs (not just the DSLRs). This enables the camera to control the aperture instead of setting it on the aperture ring. Since the lens is locked at the smallest aperture, the camera opens the lens to the widest aperture for viewing, focusing, and estimating exposure. It needs power to do this. Otherwise, you are looking through the viewfinder and seeing the same image that you would, essentially, see with the lens at the smallest aperture that it has and with the depth of field preview button pushed. > > > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > > > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > image that you would, essentially, see with the lens at the smallest > aperture that it has and with the depth of field preview button pushed. I should amend that slightly. The viewfinder appears slightly brighter when the battery is installed than when it is not, even with no lens attached. This is probably due to the focus areas being lit up; they do not appear without the battery, and other things having to do with autofocus and viewfinder information. Even though it appears brighter, however, does not necessarily mean that it actually is brighter. It is probably just a little clearer. >> > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit >> > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > image that you would, essentially, see with the lens at the smallest > aperture that it has and with the depth of field preview button pushed. Have you actually thought through your last two posts for this thread. More to the point, have you used the D2 series at all. If so you would realize that none of your "dim viewfinder" explanations apply to the D2 series, be it battery in, battery out, dead battery or fully charged battery. I can't comment on the D70s & D50 not having used them but I can on the D2 series and can assure you the viewfinders do not dim as per your explanation. Therefore, the reference to "all the Nikon DSLR's" in your posts doesn't apply. Bob > Nikon G series lenses are automatically stopped down to their smallest > aperture all the time. They do not even have an aperture ring. A D [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > image that you would, essentially, see with the lens at the smallest > aperture that it has and with the depth of field preview button pushed. nikon g lenses lack an aperture ring - that's all. they are only stopped down when off the camera; when attached, they are wide open. no power is required to keep them open, since the linkgage is mechanical. try it. >>>All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the >>>viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > no power is required to keep them open, since the linkgage is > mechanical. try it. I can't believe the amount of misinformation in this thread - all explanations above are incorrect, as are all the other wild guesses. Nikon G lenses are ALWAYS wide-open at the smallest aperture number for the lenses' focal length setting (be it f/2.8 or f/3.5 or 5.6 or whatever), whether mounted on the camera or not. The aperture does NOT stop down when the camera is powered down, and it does NOT stop down when removed from the camera body. The aperture stops down ONLY when the shutter button or DOF preview is depressed. At all other times the lense is always wide open. I believe only one person got the info right - the reason the viewfinder darkens when the battery is removed is due to the LCD overlay in the viewfinder darkens when there is no power supplied to its circuit. >>>>All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the >>>>viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens wide [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > darkens when the battery is removed is due to the LCD overlay in the > viewfinder darkens when there is no power supplied to its circuit. And as I've said, the last paragraph DOES NOT apply to the D2 series at all. Why people insist on spouting off about the operation of equipment with which they have absolutely no experience remains one of life's mysteries. Unbelievable!!! Bob >> I believe only one person got the info right - the reason the >> viewfinder darkens when the battery is removed is due to the LCD [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > And as I've said, the last paragraph DOES NOT apply to the D2 series > at all. Perhaps, but since the topic at hand is the D70s/D50 models, it's not really applicable here. Although I understand another person claimed all Nikon models did this. I don't believe the D2 series have on-demand grid lines that can be turned on/off through the custom menus but use a screen change instead, so they don't have an LCD overlay? > I can't believe the amount of misinformation in this thread - all > explanations above are incorrect, as are all the other wild guesses. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > The aperture does NOT stop down when the camera is powered down, and > it does NOT stop down when removed from the camera body. It does stop down when removed from the camera body. Just look at one to see. A G lens is essentially always set for minimum aperture, so it will stay stopped down unless the camera is holding it open, which it will do whenever it's mounted. It doesn't stop down when power is removed, though; that is entirely mechanical. And the D2-series cameras don't have the LCD overlay in the viewfinder, so they don't get dimmer at all when power is removed. SignatureJeremy | jeremy@exit109.com >> The aperture does NOT stop down when the camera is powered down, >> and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > so it will stay stopped down unless the camera is holding it open, > which it will do whenever it's mounted. So I found out...I'll go sit in the corner now. > It doesn't stop down when power is removed, though; that is entirely > mechanical. And the D2-series cameras don't have the LCD overlay in > the viewfinder, so they don't get dimmer at all when power is > removed. At least I got that part right...phew! > Nikon G lenses are ALWAYS wide-open at the smallest aperture number > for the lenses' focal length setting (be it f/2.8 or f/3.5 or 5.6 or > whatever), whether mounted on the camera or not. > > The aperture does NOT stop down when the camera is powered down, and > it does NOT stop down when removed from the camera body. it most certainly DOES stop down when removed from the camera. you can SEE the aperture blades physically opening and closing as the lens is attached and removed. in fact, the same thing happens with non-g lenses too, if they're set to anything other than wide open. with the lens off the camera, you can open the aperture by physically moving the aperture coupling lever with a finger. let go, and a spring inside the lens pulls it closed. try it. > The aperture stops down ONLY when the shutter button or DOF preview is > depressed. At all other times the lense is always wide open. when attached to the camera, yes. >> The aperture does NOT stop down when the camera is powered down, >> and [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > try it. Dang you're right...I had it backwards. I didn't have a bright enough light shining into the lense to see it the first time so I thought the spring pressure was holding it open, and the camera closed it. Learn something new every day. I hope I was right about everything else! :-) > >>>All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the > >>>viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > overlay in the viewfinder darkens when there is no power supplied to > its circuit. All I can say is I tried it myself with my D200. Remove the battery with no lens attached and the viewfinder becomes only slightly darker -- the LCD. Remove the battery with a lens attached and the viewfinder becomes a lot darker. If it is not the lens being stopped down with the battery removed, what is it? >>>>>All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the >>>>>viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > becomes a lot darker. If it is not the lens being stopped down with the > battery removed, what is it? The lens focuses more light? I tried at various apertures on a D200 and not a noticeable difference. SignaturePaul Furman http://www.edgehill.net/1 Bay Natives http://www.baynatives.com >>>I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit >>>City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Nikon G series lenses are automatically stopped down to their smallest > aperture all the time. They do not even have an aperture ring. Minolta AF lenses are "stopped" down when off the camera, but mounting them opens them up all the way. (Minolta AF lenses have been aperture ring free since the beginning and I believe Nikon's aperture-ringless lenses are the same: should be wide open when mounted). Cheers, Alan > I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit > City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > My question is does the D70s and D50 need power to lit the viewfinder? > How else can it be so dim? All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens wide open to make the viewfinder brighter. If you remove the batteries, the lens stops down to its smallest aperture and the viewfinder appears very dim indeed. >>I went shopping for a new D70s or D50 today. I first stopped at Circuit >>City and looked at their D70s and D50 which both had very dim [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > lens stops down to its smallest aperture and the viewfinder appears > very dim indeed. The D200 gets much dimmer at any aperture. > All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the > viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens wide > open to make the viewfinder brighter. If you remove the batteries, the > lens stops down to its smallest aperture and the viewfinder appears > very dim indeed. nope.. try it and listen to the lens - nothing moves. in fact, take the lens completely off and insert/remove the battery. the difference is clear. the reason for this is that there is an lcd overlay in the viewfinder. without power, it is much darker. > All the Nikon DSLRs need power, but it is not really for the > viewfinder. The power is needed to hold the aperture of the lens wide > open to make the viewfinder brighter. If you remove the batteries, the > lens stops down to its smallest aperture and the viewfinder appears > very dim indeed. No power is required to hold the aperture open, and it certainly doesn't stop down when power is removed. SignatureJeremy | jeremy@exit109.com Hi, Thanks for all the replies. I finally bought and received my new D70s today. Here is what I have observed. Brand new D70s body with 18-70mm lens attached with no battery == dim viewfinder like what I observed at Best Buy. After two hours of waiting for my new battery to recharge, I inserted the battery and now the viewfinder is bright as it should be. I did go back to BestBuy to check out their display model, but I think it is broken because the battery indicator claims it is full, but the viewfinder remains dark. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > it is broken because the battery indicator claims it is full, but the > viewfinder remains dark. Very likely. Was looking at cameras at a Circuit City and the D50 they had on display was only showing half an image in the finder. Popped the lens off and the mirror fell out. I dropped it back in, replaced the lens, quietly left the store, and resolved to never, _EVER_ buy a floor model from Circuit City. |
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