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How can I take long exposures on a Nikon D7000 with a wireless remote? I've read the existing question on this, but the answers there are not working for me. "Bulb" shows up when the shutter control is set to single mode, once I change to remote mode, the display changes to "---". Further, when I open the shutter with the remote, the shutter shuts on its own 30 seconds later - I do not get a chance to keep it open for longer.

What could be the difference between my setup and those of the earlier question which worked for the poster?

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  • Are you using the ML-L3? And do you mean 30 seconds? Or 30 minutes?
    – inkista
    Oct 22 '14 at 0:23
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    Before we close this, let's make sure it really is a duplicate. The OP linked the original question, and stated the solution there did not solve his problems. I would prefer to see us investigate the question, root out the real problem, and possibly retitle this to better depict the issue at hand. In the end, I think that is a better approach to simply closing as a duplicate, as it would provide better internet search results, and possibly head off additional questions about the same thing if people can find the right answers for different, yet similar (not duplicate), issues.
    – jrista
    Oct 22 '14 at 18:30
  • @Richard Collyer Are you sure the shutter is closing or is the self timer lamp only lighting up every thirty seconds (to let you know the shutter is open) but the shutter is still open? What do the EXIF info for your exposures give for the shutter value?
    – Michael C
    Oct 23 '14 at 23:01
  • the shuttle does closed after 30 seconds and I am using the ML-L3.
    – Richard Collyer
    Oct 25 '14 at 15:23
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It may not possible to do what you want with the D7000 and a wireless remote. The D7000 User Manual is inconclusive on this point. Page 73 indicates you can take exposures up to 30 minutes with the remote, but page 81 seems to say that when in Remote release mode the shutter will close after thirty seconds or when you press the button again, whichever occurs first.

My preferred method for making exposures longer than 30 seconds without touching the camera (any camera with the needed connector) is to use a wired remote. There are also a plethora of non-Nikon branded wired remote cables that fit the D7000. I recommend getting one that includes a built in intervalometer. I own a similar model that works well with my Canon cameras.

With a wired remote you can operate the shutter from behind the camera and also have the ability to do a half press before releasing the shutter. You can use the viewfinder or the LCD screen in Live View to be sure of the framing and focus. Most wired remotes have a lock that holds the button down for Bulb exposures without having to physically hold it with your finger.

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You can use also the Nikon ML-L3 infrared remote for exposures up to 30 minutes. A press on the button opens the shutter and a second one closes it, see page 73 of the manual. The 30 seconds mentioned on page 81 are the maximum delay between the first press of the button on the remote and the opening of the shutter when the remote control mode is remote mirror-up.

I took this three minutes long exposure (188.5 s from exif data) with the following steps:

  • selected the Quick-response remote option in the Remote control mode menu
  • rotated the release mode dial to remote mode
  • rotated the main command dial until two dashes appeared in the display where normally there is the exposure time
  • pressed the button on the remote a first time
  • waited for about three minutes
  • pressed the button on the remote a second time
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    What the manual says is interesting, but not what I am experiencing. I press the button once and the shutter opens. I do nothing and 30 SECONDS later the shutter closes. The manual is either incorrect, or many of us are misunderstanding Nikon.
    – Richard Collyer
    Oct 26 '14 at 23:18
  • I added a sample photo with the detail about how I took it
    – matteol
    Apr 18 '15 at 10:20

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