Cramming the Shutter Release

[dugarner]

I had my camera on a tripod last night, set to ISO 200/ f 10/ 10 seconds to try to get a long-exposure shot of the International Space Station. It is very visible with the naked eye, but right after sundown last night it was the only thing in the sky for the first couple of minutes of visibility.

I focused on infinity by finding something at maximum focal length, held the focus down, and recomposed the shot with the ISS in the viewfinder. I had it set on 2 sec delay timer. I held the button down, and down, and down, and it kept trying to refocus.

On my Fuji, it would second-guess me for one cram of the button, but then if I held it down again for another 2 seconds or so it would go ahead with the shot. My Canon would not take the shot, even though at those settings the light meter told me it was properly exposed.

Tips? Thanks!

[Amson]

Was the camera and lens set on manual focus? For shots like this and hdr I always manual focus.

[dugarner]

Carolyn, I tried it with both auto and manual focus. What this camera does that can be helpful---and not so helpful---is that even on manual focus, it will try to fine-tune the focus by moving the focus ring incrementally. So I would get it focused, and then the camera would start "hunting" again. I need to read the book, I guess, and find out how to lock the focus.

[Amson]

Have you set both the lens and camera to manual? I am sure you have. What a pain if manual is not a true manual. I use full manual focus most of the time and would not like camera interfering...

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by Amson

Have you set both the lens and camera to manual? I am sure you have. What a pain if manual is not a true manual. I use full manual focus most of the time and would not like camera interfering...

Yes, I did. I think I read in the manual that that functionality allows for some "fine tuning" beyond what is achieved in manual focus alone. I don't know if that's what is causing the problem---why it's not just firing when I push the shutter release. Regardless of whether or not it's in focus, it should let me take the shot. I guess it's trying to help me do better. I just don't want it to.