Eyepiece cap and Long Exposures

padi89

Hi,
As above, im just wondering as i was reading through my manual (Nikon D40), that it was recommended to use the eyepiece cover for taking long exposures.Its said to stop any stray light entering the viewfinder.Do people here use theirs and if so when and when not are they used?
Im new to this and i am finding the "Understanding Exposure" book brilliant.Thanks in advance.

GristlyEnd

I use mine for long exposure IR shots. If it's an exposure of a second or less, I don't bother.

One of these day's I'll pick up that book. God knows how many times it's been recommended here.

snellers

yep definately use the cover for long exposures. some people use a 'homemade cover' if their camera hasn;t got one but as long as it blocks the light then that's all that matters.....whatever you do it is imperitive that you don;t touch the camera or tripod during the long exposure as it will ruin the sharpness of the image. Either use a remote / cable release or at the very least put the camera on a timer (from a cost perspective a basic cable release will only cost a few euros and prevent any camera shake....which you are likely to encounter if camera on a timer as you physically have to interact with the shutter release button at the start)

best of luck!