Nikon D300s shutter button not working intermittently. Have to turn off and on to get back to work. It's not a focus problem. I've been using this camera daily for a year.

You may download a copy of the manual from here.

By default the AE/AF Lock only holds while you hold down the AE/AF Lock button on the back of the camera. If you've changed the configuration so that this button locks the AE/AF, you can unlock it either by pressing the button again or by turning the camera off and on again.

Do you get the 'push shutter button again' or 'turn off and on again ' message? If so the motor in the SQ unit that charges the shutter and moves the mirror up and down has failed. A very very common problem. The part is on constant back order at Nikon, and good luck getting it anyway as Nikon is going to stop selling parts to anyone in just a few weeks.

The shutter will not release if the camera is unable to obtain focus. If the switches on both the camera body and the lens (if equipped) are set to auto focus, the camera will prevent the shutter from releasing. The most common cause of a focus problem is the lack of light. The "focus assist" light on the front of the camera will come on automatically for a moment in dark places to help the camera gather enough light to focus. If you haven't disabled the light in the menu, make sure it isn't obstructed.

You can override the whole auto focus issue by setting the switches on the camera / lens to "manual focus" instead. Of course, this means that you are shifting the responsibility of focusing from the camera to you. The camera will release the shutter every time in this situation.

If you still have problems, provide the mode you're running and the lens you're using & I'll try to help out some more. I hope this helps & good luck!

Dear Robert,
RELAX. Take a deep breadth. Your D3100 is working perfectly. I'm a proud owner of this little genius of a DSLR myself.

What you've stated as a problem, is in-fact the D3100's auto-focus at work.


When the shutter button is pressed half-way, it focuses the subject. When it is pressed the full way, it snaps the pic. Simple.

So, you should be happy, that your camera is working fine.

Have fun, save your memories, and this camera will go a long way.


Gimme a thumbs up too please ;-)

Rebel K

Yes, buy it here at Continental Photo,XXX, ask for vic
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Yes, though it's an older flash unit and cannot be used in the iTTL mode. The "Other Flash Units" section of the D300s manual (page 350 in my copy) lists the modes in which the flash may be used. Another concern is that the flash may not work well with certain lenses. The "Usable lenses and cameras" section of the SB-29 manual (page 5) discusses this.

If you need manual, you can download the D300s manual from
http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16525/kw/D300S/r_id/116678
and the SB-29 manual from
http://butkus.org/chinon/nikon/nikon_sb_flashes/nikon_sb_flashes.htm

You cannot take a picture when your camera has not been focused yet. This is done by pointing your selected focus point on your subject, then click the shutter button halfway / half-pressed until you here a beep or see a dot on the lower left portion of your viewfinder. Once you have locked your focus, press the shutter button all the way down to take the shot.

I had the same problem. My issue was with all my lenses. I solved it by going to the menu and selecting the custom setting menu (pencil icon). Then from the right menu select the AE-L/AF-L and press OK. Then make sure it is set on AE/AF Lock. Presto...all my lenses worked on auto-focus.

"... Autofocus Lock ("AF-L"). Pressing the AF-L (Autofocus Lock) button enables the Nikon F4 to lock the focus. Simultaneous lock of AF-L and AE-L is possible. "'FREEZE FOCUS" - is another great function in the F4. It allows automatic shutter release when subject enters a pre focused distance - available with Nikon MF-23 and/or the 250 exp. MF-24 Multi-Control Back. i.e. with the shutter button fully depressed, the shutter is automatically fired when a subject comes into a preset manually focused position. This function is recommended for sports races because the racing course is usually known beforehand. It also works well in wildlife remote control photography, scientific, forensic and other technical photography. ..."