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Recently I have noticed that my Nikon D90 makes a strange sound and sort of shifts mirror up if you look at the viewfinder eyepiece after you release the shutter-release button.

If you try to shoot it via Live View, you don't see this issue at all.

It only happens when you try to shoot without live view, you literally can see in the viewfinder eyepiece that something(probably mirror) shifted a little to upward position, plus you can hear a short noise when it gets shifted after shutter-release button was released.

Did anybody had this kind of issue? Any solutions about fixing it?

Thanks.

I guess I wasn't quite clear in my explanations. The thing is, the flip-up mirror, literally flips up a little bit(probable several milimeters), after you took a picture. So what you see in the viewfinder after you release the shutter, is that the area that you see gets shifted upwards, kind of like your mirror got stuck somewhere, and then shifted to it's original position. Plus the strange sound is still there after you take a picture using a Live View. Did anybody had this kind of issue? I'm not sure it's a hardware mulfunction or not. I had this camera for 3 years, and never encountered this kind of problem.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I have the same problem with my Nikon D5200. I can hear a noise when turning on the camera plus the noise looks like it's the mirror flapping. When you look at the view finder, the image is moving. How did you solve your problem? I'm having a hard time reaching out to Nikon customer service \$\endgroup\$
    – Bim Estrada
    Nov 24, 2016 at 11:34

4 Answers 4

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It looks like the reflex mirror is not resetting correctly after you take a picture. This likely means that there is a problem with the mirror mechanism. In this case, your D90 will likely need to be serviced.

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It's the VR element in your VR lens that's moving. The click you hear is the VR system turning on and off.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ If that were the case, the sound would also be apparent in live mode, while the OP states the noise doesn't occur in live mode. \$\endgroup\$
    – Therealstubot
    Aug 14, 2012 at 20:51
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You have a DSLR, or digital Single Lens Reflex camera. There is indeed a mirror that redirects light from the lens up through the pentaprism into the viewfinder. When you press the shutter button, the mirror has to "flap" up, covering the bottom of the viewfinder pentaprism to block out any light that may come in there, allow exposure, then flap back down. That happens for every shot unless you use a mirror lockup feature, however with mirror lockup, you can't actually see your subjects through the viewfinder between each frame.

enter image description here

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  • \$\begingroup\$ In addition, it doesn't happen in Live View because the mirror is permanently up in this mode to allow light to constantly hit the sensor. \$\endgroup\$
    – ElendilTheTall
    Apr 22, 2012 at 14:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thank you, I guess I wasn't quite clear in my explanations. The thing is, the flip-up mirror, literally flips up a little bit(probable several milimeters), after you took a picture. So what you see in the viewfinder after you release the shutter, is that the area that you see gets shifted upwards, kind of link your mirror got stuck somewhere, and then shifted to it's original position. Did anybody had this kind of issue? I'm not sure it's a hardware mulfunction or not. I had this camera for 3 years, and never encountered this kind of problem. \$\endgroup\$
    – Kanat
    Apr 22, 2012 at 14:19
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Kanat: Generally speaking, the mirror, when it flips up, should flip up all the way and completely block light to the viewfinder. If you can indeed SEE the mirror during and after the shot is taken before it flips down, there might actually be something wrong. I would take it to a Nikon dealer and see if they offer any kind of repair service, or send it in to Nikon for repair. You shouldn't be able to see the mirror when it flips up...all you should see through the viewfinder is blackness. \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Apr 22, 2012 at 15:24
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Check your settings, there's a setting called "Exposure Delay Mode" in the shooting/display menu ( d10 menu item ), for special cases, where the mirror is flipped up a second before the picture is exposed. The setting is for astrophotography, where the torque of the mirror flipping might shake the camera slightly, so the setting flips the mirror, then waits to take the picture. After the picture is exposed, the mirror returns. You're hearing the mirror flip, then the shutter, then the mirror returning.

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