When in Live-View and Manual (M) exposure mode, I can control the shutter-speed with the command-dial but the aperture does not respond to the sub-command dial. This does not occur when using the viewfinder (not in live-view) and does not occur in Aperture-Priority (A) mode, only in both Live-View and Manual.

I am baffled by a camera. :(

Is this Nikon D7000 defective? It seems to have changed hands quite a bit, so it is possible.

Can D7000 owners try this if they have not yet:

  1. Set the mode-dial to Manual (M) exposure.
  2. Use the front and rear dials to change aperture and shutter-speed.
  3. Confirm the previous step works.
  4. Enter Live-View mode.
  5. Use the front and rear dials to attempt to change aperture and shutter-speed. Note
  6. Confirm that changing the shutter-speed works between 1/30s and 1/8000s.
  7. Confirm (or not) that changing aperture does not work.
  8. Go to Aperture-Priority (A) mode and confirm that changing aperture works.
  • 2
    Is this the same as dpreview.com noted: "Live View aperture control ... When you enter Live View, the camera will stop down to the currently set or metered value (offering an undocumented depth-of-field preview in the process), but what it won't then do is readjust the aperture opening 'live' if you change it. It will honour the set aperture when actually making an exposure, and indeed return to live view at that aperture afterwards; alternatively you can force it to readjust by exiting and re-entering live view."? – Leorex May 28 '11 at 7:40
  • Do you have a D7000? That is not exactly what I observed. As described, I CAN change the aperture in Aperture-Priority mode under Live-View but NOT in Manual mode. It does not honor the set aperture either in M mode, not does it change on any of the displays. – Itai May 28 '11 at 13:52
  • I don't have a D7000. I (mistakingly) thought a Nikon friend had one, however they pointed out the review I linked - thought it might provide some information while you wait for an answer. – Leorex May 28 '11 at 15:16
  • We D7000 users are all expecting a firmware update that will fix this problem. I saw that they announced the D7100. Hope this issue is fixed because is a really pain while filming - every time you want to change aperture you need to exit live-view mode, change aperture, and come back to live again. – user17322 Feb 21 '13 at 9:48

The D7000 won't change how the aperture is stopped down until you take a picture or restart live view mode, but you should be able to change the displayed aperture value using the front dial.

Running through your steps, I am not able to reproduce your problem. I can change the displayed aperture value using the front dial in live view mode, just as I can with live view off.

Make sure you're not accidentally holding any buttons when turning the dials. Also, Custom setting f7 (Release button to use dial) will hijack the dials after you press almost any button until you press that button again or half-press the shutter.

  • 2
    Good. You confirmed that you had a different behavior and almost found the cause. The guilty party as 'Manual movie settings'. When set to ON, the aperture cannot be changed and shutter-speed is restricted to 1/30s or faster. Turning it Off, makes Manual exposure in Live-View work as expected. – Itai May 28 '11 at 23:17
  • Yeah, it seemed more likely that some setting was changed than your camera being defective, especially since aperture could be controlled outside live view. – Evan Krall May 29 '11 at 19:38

Nikon D7000 Movie Mode Settings Explained (video)

If you have the Manual movie setting ON, the D7000 only allows changing the shutter-speed between 1/30s and 1/8000s.

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