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  1. #1
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    Built In Nikon Interval Timers and Overheating

    Hoping there are some Nikon people here with some experience with this.

    I'm trying to use the built in interval timer setting on my D200 to take some star trail shots. I have the intervalometer setup with 33" intervals and 30" exposures. I can't get it to give me anything shorter on the interval. 32" and 31" gives me a wicked long gap between the exposures. So that's a pain in the ass, but it's what I have to live with for the built in intervalometer apparently.

    Problem #2. The camera only shoots for a very short amount of time. I've tried a couple times and I'm only able to capture about 40 shots or so before the camera turns off. I think the battery/camera is overheating because the area around the battery gets super warm. The camera shuts off and doesn't even show the info screen like it usually does when the battery is dead. Just dead.

    Anyone have any experience with this?

  2. #2
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    I never tried exposures that long on my D200. I think the longest I did was around 15-20 seconds. What I found was the sensor would heat up, giving lots of red around the edges of the image.

    That's all I got - sorry can't be more help.
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  3. #3
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    I've never used the D200, but I used to own the D50, which is an older and lower level model. I used to shoot simple astrophotography with it and never had overheating problems. Longest single exposure I did was 30 minutes. Also did exposures of 3 minutes, 1 minute, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and everything in between (but not for . Yes, the battery got warm, but nothing leading to shutdown. Since the D200 is supposed to be a better camera than the D50, I cannot imagine that's normal.
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  4. #4
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    Thanks guys. It's obviously a rather old camera and I'm not the original owner so I doubt I'll have any luck with Nikon but I'll bring it to my local Nikon shop and see what they have to say.

    OEM batteries FWIW, as well.

  5. #5
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    I've done similar intervalometer settings on my D300 for nighttime timelapses...no overheating issues at all. Might be the transfer time from the sensor > camera > memory card (lack of coffee so I'm forgetting the official photog term)...also if the D200 has long exposure noise reduction, and thats on, that would be 2-5 seconds additional processing after the exposure which would gum up your intervalometer settings.

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  6. #6
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    NR is off, VR is off, and I'm writing JPGs to a 30mb/sec card so I don't think that's the issue. I'm really leaning towards something is the matter with the camera because this doesn't seem like it's normal.

  7. #7
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    IIRC, there are a couple of different noise reduction settings. One for high ISO, one for long exposure. Make sure they're both off. That's the most likely cause of the necessity to have more than one second difference between interval length and exposure time.

    As for it shutting down - that definitely doesn't seem right. I did lots of shooting of sunsets and other stuff using the intervalometer, though the exposure times weren't very long.
    ...Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain...

    "I enjoy skinny skiing, bullfights on acid..." - Lacy Underalls

    The problems we face will not be solved by the minds that created them.

  8. #8
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    Long exposure and High iso NR are both off. I checked with the local nikon shop and they seemed to think that a software update might fix the shutting off problem? Something about the camera not being able to accurately read the battery level?

    EDIT: updated the firmware...camera took 85.5 shots and then died again.
    Last edited by OverTurn; 04-09-2012 at 11:32 PM.

  9. #9
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    This appears to be a battery thing and not a camera thing. D200 batteries are only good for about 80 30" exposures apparently. Thanks for the help everyone who mentioned something.

  10. #10
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    Makes sense. I do recall my D200 went through the batteries. My D7000 has way better battery performance.

    See if you can find a battery grip for it - that should solve the issue.
    ...Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain...

    "I enjoy skinny skiing, bullfights on acid..." - Lacy Underalls

    The problems we face will not be solved by the minds that created them.

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