Just yesterday I planned to shoot some candids and my D70 completely seized up on me. When we removed the lens we found the mirror had locked up. The camera man finally had to gently move it with his fingertip, as taking out the battery and other possible solutions didn't help. Has anyone ever experienced this before? I had it happen on my old film cam, but never a digital. I know I've put the D70 to hard use and it's paid for itself. I just didn't think I'd be shopping so soon for another, which is my only option since there is no guarantee the lock up won't happen again. Of COURSE I fell in love with the new D300. "sigh" Any feedback on this would be super. Jodie

not sure if the d70 has 1 but on my camera theres a custom function to keep the mirror locked up...have you accidently caught something liek that?

Oh yes,  what a great thought.  I had that lock feature on my old film cam, too.  But, in order to choose mirror lock up on the D70 I have to go to the menu and manually select it in three steps.  There doesn't seem to be a way for it to be chosen randomly or by accident.

Thanks so much for your reply and for that idea as I will keep track of my menu functions now.

Jodie

I tried mirror lock up today and Personally don't like it. Maybe when I shoot night life it'll be a different story coz then it'll be on a tripod and set up and I suppose the mirror lock up will help...

Maybe it's a glitch with the D70's? Maybe they put a cheap motor in it. Honestly that;s what I would say it is, I doubt it;s a software issue...

Are you sure the battery is good ?

The mirror requires battery power to flip down as well as flip up. If the battery did not have enough power to flip it down again it would stop mid cycle and that causes a big problem as it will not reset itself.  This is the reason they tell you to use the mains adapter when using mirror lock up. 

Touching the mirror is likely to cause a focusing problem and the focus will need to be reset by Nikon unless you are very brave.  Check your focus with the longest telephoto you have if the image in the viewfinder is sharp but out of focus in the saved image it needs servicing. The problem will affect AF and manual focusing.

Mirror lock up, at the end of the day, is after all, is to stop vibration from tripod...you will find the carbon tri's are more suitable as they tend to dampen the vibration  more than the conventional tripods!
Press the shutter once to lock up, wait a few secs for the vibration to die down , press again, viola!
(best with  a remote release)!

Mirror lock up on the D70 is purely for cleaning purposes and not used to take a photograph with.

When the camera/clerk released the lock up he did say the battery was low but then proceeded to take at least 2 dozen more shots with my camera right there in the store.  Prior to that, the mirror locked WHILE taking a shot with the new 800 flash on -  so maybe it was a low battery issue.  I just purchased the 80-200mm VR lens so I'll check the focus on the full size image ASAP.

Very interesting and thanks VERY Much!

Jodie

Sorry Mr Onslow...just know about Canon!!

That was a bit sharp!!!

I appreciate all the feedback I can get.  I still own a Canon, too!  And I am open to hearing from experienced people with good information.

Thanks to all who replied so far.  We're all in this together and I value your support.

Jodie

Ok I am glad the problem was fixed and it is a good point to make sure the batteries are fully charged to avoid such mishaps, more of a potential problem in the colder winter months.

However, rather less of a problem than the shutter getting stuck..

@Odie;
Yes, Onslow is correct...the D70 ONLY allows mirror lock-up for cleaning purposes.  He is also correct that manually poking at the mirror can cause focussing problems...so, be sure that the clerks "fix" has not caused you more problems.....

Technically, the firmware will NOT allow you to release the shutter button once the battery gets too low....been there, done that....so, I don't think it was a battery issue.

A few things to note;

1. Make sure you have the latest firmware on the cam
2. If you have any quirky things happen, it sometimes helps to do a camera "reset" to unscramble it's brains...check your cam's manual regarding the reset function...

My D70 is 3 years old now....and have taken oodles and oodles of shots with the SB800....no problems so far.

Hope your situation was just a "camera having a bad day"....