How to Change the Live View Auto-Off Timer on a Nikon D5300

By default, the Nikon D5300’s Live View will turn itself off after 10 minutes. You can bump that up to a maximum of 30 minutes.

Nikon D5600 Live View Auto Off Timer
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By default, the Nikon D5300’s Live View will turn itself off after 10 minutes. That’s good for preserving battery life and protecting the sensor from overheating, but there are times you might need it longer. An example is if you’re using a Nikon D5300 as a webcam for live streaming video.

On the D5300, the maximum time you can keep the Live View active unattended at a stretch is 30 minutes. You can find this setting under:

Custom Setting Menu (pencil icon) > C Timers/AE Lock > Auto off timers > Custom > Live View > 30m

Nikon D5300 Live View Auto Off Timer
Nikon D5300 Live View Auto Off Timer
Nikon D5300 Live View Auto Off Timer
Nikon D5300 Live View Auto Off Timer
Nikon D5300 Live View Auto Off Timer

How to Keep Live View Active Longer Than 30 Minutes

There’s no way in the camera’s settings to disable the auto-off timer or set it to longer than 30 minutes.

If you need to keep it active longer than that, it’ll require some manual intervention. But not much. You can press any button to reset the clock. The two buttons I find most convenient and least likely to risk interrupting the video stream are:

  • exposure compensation button (+/- near shutter)
  • AE-L/AF-L button on the back

You can also lightly touch the shutter with a half-press, but that risks throwing off the focus.

David Coleman / Photographer

David Coleman

I'm a professional freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here. More »

6 thoughts on “How to Change the Live View Auto-Off Timer on a Nikon D5300”

  1. It is now possible to disable the timeout on the Live View on the D5300.
    The solution involves unofficially patching the official D5300 Nikon Firmware v1.03, and then applying the modified firmware to the camera.

    First you download the official D5300 Firmware v1.03 from Nikon, and extract it so you get firmware’s .bin file.
    Second you go to the web-based patching utility found at http://simeonpilgrim.com/nikon-patch/nikon-patch.html.
    On that site you upload the official D5300 firmware and then choose the no timeout option and then write out the modified firmware. Rename the modified firmware file to the same name as the original firmware filename. Move that modified file to an SD card and apply the firmware to the camera as per the usual firmware upgrade steps.

    The result now is that when you select the 15 minute timeout option, it no longer functions as a 15 minute timeout but rather unlimited timeout.

    If you do plan to run the camera live view for an extended period of time (many hours) then my suggestion is to buy a dummy battery adapter so that you run the camera off of an AC electrical outlet. It also runs cooler this way. The dummy battery I use is, “Bescor Nikon EN-EL14 Dummy Battery with AC”

    I confirmed this works as I’ve done this to my D5300.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the information. I’m glad you found a solution.

      I’d just add the usual warning for anyone else wanting to do this that things can go wrong when patching the camera’s firmware, including permanently disabling the camera and voiding the warranty. So it’s something to be done with much care.

      Reply
    • Thank you so much for sharing this! It has helped me use my D5300 for streaming and video call! Couldn’t thank you enough!

      Reply
  2. I cannot get my camera to reset the video timer by touching any button. Is there something else I need to do first in the settings menu?

    Reply

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