Why am I losing communication between corded remote shutter release and camera?

The 650-1300 lens does not have the electronics to communicate with the camera. You have to use it in the Manual exposure mode, without any help from the camera's light meter.

The D80 doesn't have the LiveView capability, which lets you use the LDC monitor instead of the viewfinder for framing your pictures. This has nothing to do with the lens. Nikon introduced this capability with the D3 and D300, which came out after the D80.

I'm going to assume you mean the ML-L3 remote. If I'm wrong, please post a comment specifying the remote you are using.

Set the camera's shooting mode to one of the remote modes. Quick remote fires the camera when you press the button on the release. Delayed-response remote waits two seconds to let you hide your hand behind your back before it fires the camera.

The ML-L3 is an infrared remote, so it must be pointed in the general direction of the infrared receiver on the front of the camera.

The Nikon MC-EU1 Remote Cord is an accessory available for the Nikon COOLPIX 880/885/990/995 4300/4500/5000/5400/5700/8700 cameras. The MC-EU1 Remote Cord is 80 cm long and allows the camera to be fired remotely like a cable release for a film-based camera.

The MC-EU1 Remote Cord's main function is to prevent camera shake. As well as the shutter release function, the MC-EU1 has the following functions.
1. operate the camera's zoom remotely,
2. advance or return images in the playback mode,
3. Controlling interval photography, automatically fire the cameras over a given interval.
Note this is the only Nikon remote cord available NIKON COOLPIX cameras and is only compatible with the cameras listed.

The Nikon MC-EU1 remote cord has two Interval modes, A and B

In Interval Mode A: the first photograph is taken at the start; and subsequent photographs taken at the specified time intervals, thereafter.

In Interval Mode B: the first photograph is not taken until the specified time interval has passed and subsequent photographs taken at the specified time intervals.

These modes can be selected by pressing the MODE button. The device cycles through settings in the order, Remote Mode, Interval Mode A, and Interval Mode B. When the Remote Mode is selected, the LCD panel displays Remote; when Interval Mode A is selected, Interval appears together with the letter A and Interval Mode B is indicated by Interval and the letter B.


The interval Modes, allow you to take photographs one after the other at a selected interval, which can be set in increments of one second to any value from two minutes to twenty-four hours. Interval modes are only available when the camera is in recording mode and cannot be used when the camera is in playback mode.

Setting the Interval

1. Setting the camera to recording mode and the remote cord to Interval Mode A or B, the interval setting will be shown in the remote cord LCD display. Items currently selected for editing will flash. Each time the selection (SEL.) button is pressed, the item selected will change as shown below.


Select the desired time by altering the settings (second [S], minute [M], or hour [H]) one at a time. While the item is flashing, press the down button to decrease the time set, or the up button to increase the time set. The value displayed will change by one each time either button is pressed.

2. After adjusting settings, press the selection button until the display is no longer flashing.

Starting Interval Mode Photography

• Half-pressing the remote shutter-release button has the same effect as half-pressing the shutter-release button on the camera, readying the camera to take a photograph. If the interval is set to less than two minutes when the shutter-release button is half-pressed, the interval display will flash. Choose an interval of two minutes or more.

• Full-pressing the remote shutter-release button has the same effect as full-pressing the shutter-release button on the camera, starting interval mode photography.

• When the camera enters interval mode, it will either take a picture and then begin the count to the next photograph (Interval Mode A), or begin the count to the first photograph (Interval Mode B). The Interval indicator in the LCD display will flash while interval mode is in effect.

Ending Interval Mode Photography

• Half-pressing the remote cord shutter-release button while an interval mode is in progress stops the interval photography.

• Photography will also stop should you run out of available space on the compact flash card; In this case, the number of exposures remaining displayed in the LCD panel will be 000.



The MC-EU1 has a feature that when the zoom button is pressed twice in rapid succesion, the camera will start zooming until this function is cancelled by pushing the button a third time. If this function is not cancelled, no other function is possible with the MC-EU1. If the MC-EU1 does not respond as expected please ensure you have not activated the zoom function.

I use a cable release on my D300 quite often and in all modes (timed, multiple or single exposures). I am not aware of any special programming or set up requirements. If the release works on one camera and not the other, then you are correct in your diagnosis.
Contact Nikon service. The number and info is on the Nikon web site.
There are two locations. I have had good luck with the El Segundo location.

Check to see if somehow the "noise reduction" setting is on. This in effect takes two separate exposures on each shutter release, so it (sometimes) doubles the time the mirror is up. I'm not sure where it is in the menus on a D300.

Also, just a terminology point, but the "shutter" in this camera is a combination of the mirror (what we usually call the shutter) and the electronics which samples the sensor for a limited time. It's a little like the mechanical shutter on a film camera that was behind the mirror....back in the day when they made them from titanium.

The "so what" of this is that even if it sounds like it's not releasing as fast as it used to, the exposure can still be accurate if the electronics are sampling correctly. It's only when moving to slow exposures that the mirror speed/up time makes a difference.

are you using mirror lock-up or live-view feature?

Perhaps it is a focusing problem- try it on manual focus setting to see if the problem still persists...

send it back to NIkon..

lawsuit, take them to small claim court, Nikon will settle...

See second post