New to D-SLR cameras and still trying to figure everything out, any tips for shooting at night?? I've been messing with the shutter speed but pics not coming out real well .. thanks
moving objects @ night? WOW - I would definitely love to see that one
I've had decent luck outside with a tripod, 30+ second exposure, and I like the lowest fstop and around ISO400 - 800. Nikolai has some incredible night shots, search for some of the recent threads about it.
I've found that the most annoying thing about night shooting is the cascading noise. If you have an older camera (like mine) you have to use low ISO and longer exposure. With a new camera you can use higher ISO and faster shutter. You get the idea.
My only recommendation is take some hot chocolate or something, 30 seconds is a LOOOOOOOOONG time for someone with zero patience like me.
For the first time out I would recommend trying out forcing your body to the desired ISO (no autoISO), shutter priority and click the wheel until the body says you'll get a decent exposure. Use that as a starting point (it will no-doubt be wrong, but close) and with a basic understanding of how f-stops and shutter speeds work you'll be sitting pretty in 5 minutes (hot chocolate). OR there is always the bracketed shooting. Tried that before too, set the bracket to stops or something and see which one looks best then tweak from there (holding the button for 90 seconds? HOT CHOCOLATE.)
Hope you get something out of all this jabber
I make it policy to never let ignorance stand in the way of my opinion. ~Justiceiro
"Your decisions on whether to buy, when to buy and what to buy should depend on careful consideration of your needs primarily, with a little of your wants thrown in for enjoyment, After all photography is a hobby, even for pros." ~Herbert Keppler
I love shooting at night with a DSLR. So does waxy too. Google waxy and night shots or search here on dgrin for waxy and night shots.
Set your ISO to 800 or 1600 and embrace the noise. Put your camera in Manual Mode - throw away the auto, beginner modes and use Manual Mode for shooting at night. Your meter will frequently be wrong about exposure. Learn to read and use the histogram to evaluate the exposure. Shoot in RAW. These same suggestions apply to lots of other types of shooting as well - nothing really new.
Find some lights - there is no real point in shooting a black cat in a coal mine.
Neon is lots of fun, and usually needs 1 or 2 stops of (-) Minus Exposure Compensation.
f6.3 1/100th ISO 800 - 5/3 EV
Capture lights and ambient light at the same time
f2.8 1/15th, ISO 1600 -1/3 EV
f8.0, 0.6 secs ( held on the window sill of my car door ) ISO 1600
You will need a good tripod for really dark scenes.
f22.0, 20 ( twenty ) seconds , ISO 100, - 1 2/3 EV
And don't forget B&W at night either
f9.0 30 seconds , ISO 200 + 1 EV
If you are serious about photography, invest in a good tripod and learn to use it. It will improve the quality of your images in many ways, and always makes a good lens that much better. Use of a tripod will permit shooting at your camera's lowest ISO settings which will greatly decrease the noise issue as well.
If your camera system has IS lenses ( Image Stabliization ) they can be great help as well.
f4.5, 1/15th sec handheld, ISO 800
Join the rest of us vampires and get out there in the darkness and shoot!!
I think PF said it all. He also reminded me that it's been a while since I wandered around at night.
I rely almost completely on my histogram to tell me what I'm doing. I use either very fast glass and high ISO, or a tripod (always have a tripod with you.)
We need to do some more vampire shooting around here.
Indeed!
I shot a lot at night before I got anything I thought was worth posting. For a while, I was very frustrated. But then I started seeing the light a bit differently, I guess.
BTW, I think one of the tricks to shooting at night... is to not shoot at night!
Soon after the sun dips below the horizon the sky turns a gorgeous shade of blue for a few moments. It can make for some lovely night shots that are, in fact, shot at dusk. Next time you see a "night" cityscape, look for color in the sky. It's a giveway!
I can resist
Here is one I took last year. I keep going back to it and playing with it but never finish. I agree with the right after sunset approach it really makes for some great skies.
I recommend a low ISO (I usually use 200 for night shots). Use a tripod & high number apertures (f16+). I have a bunch more in my gallery if you're interested.
My formula: f/8.0 + 1 sec exposure + ISO 100 + tripod = equals my set starting point. It's usually spot on. If I need to adjust, I bracket my time (i.e., I change the length of my exposure and leave my aperture alone). I find for grabbing lights, I hover around 1 sec to 1.5 sec. For much darker areas, I will go all the way up to 30 sec. And bring a flashlight.
1.3 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
0.6 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
If you're trying to shoot the moon, use the settings above but start your exposure time at 1/250 sec (sounds crazy to use such a fast shutter speed at night, but trust me--otherwise, you're just going to get a white orb), and bracket the time from there.
Good luck! And be sure to post some of your shots.
Great thread... i'm just starting out with dslrs and have just been out once shoooting at night... just messing around with the settings, as i'm just getting used to my new dslr...
Exposure:30 sec (30)Aperture:f/22Focal Length:55 mmISO Speed:800Exposure Bias:0/6 EV
With different White Balance settings:
Exposure:0.002 sec (1/500)Aperture:f/5.6Focal Length:200 mmISO Speed:200Exposure Bias:0/6 EV
Please tell me you folks are using noise removal software and it's not just a Canon thing. I shoot with Nikon (and love it). I also use Noise Ninja and get good results. But this stuff is amazing.
Harlan Bear, shooting at night at ISO 100, should not have that much noise.
In addition, most Canon DSLRs can shoot nicely at 800 or 1600 ISO with minimal noise, and noise reduction softwear can render it even less visible.
White lenses rule ( That was a joke for those that are not paying close attention - I have said some very nice things about Nikons in the past - I even shoot with one - What the heck!! I own and still use my CoolPix 995 )
Please tell me you folks are using noise removal software and it's not just a Canon thing. I shoot with Nikon (and love it). I also use Noise Ninja and get good results. But this stuff is amazing.
Very nice images, everyone
I'm a Nikon gal. As pathfinder said, ISO 100 helps a ton with avoiding digital noise. If I have to juice up the ISO, I will use Noise Ninja if I think the noise detracts from the image overly much.
Please tell me you folks are using noise removal software and it's not just a Canon thing. I shoot with Nikon (and love it). I also use Noise Ninja and get good results. But this stuff is amazing.
Very nice images, everyone
I use the in-camera Noise Reduction...it seems to work well. The only downside is the wait...for example, if you use a 30 second shutter, it takes an additional 30 seconds to apply the noise reduction. Not a big issue, especially considering how clean the shots look.
My advise is to keep the ISO low, you shouldn't have that much noise.
My other suggestion, as I mentioned above, is to use higher number aperture...you can usually get some nice starburts effects with slr lenses. Doesn't work with point & shoots (no physical aperture blades).
Here's one I particularly like...I think this was f22.
This is a great thread! I've been trying to learn decent night photography for some time, and sometimes I'd like to use longer than 30 s exposure time. Beyond that, 20D is in "bulb" mode, but then I'd obviously need some kind of remote control to keep the shutter open as long as needed?
What are my options equipment wise? Can anyone recommend me something or otherwise guide me to the right track?
I shot the photos below when experimenting for LPS15, in bright moon light and already hit the 30 s barrier.
Exposure Time: 30s (30/1)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm in 35mm)
This answers a lot of questions. Here I thought it was just to scare off the wildlife and give the birds a good target.:D
Just kidding, of course. Some of my best friends have Canons.
This is a great thread! I've been trying to learn decent night photography for some time, and sometimes I'd like to use longer than 30 s exposure time. Beyond that, 20D is in "bulb" mode, but then I'd obviously need some kind of remote control to keep the shutter open as long as needed?
What are my options equipment wise? Can anyone recommend me something or otherwise guide me to the right track?
Take a look at the Canon RS-80N3. Canon has the old T3 version for their older film cameras (I have a 630 and one of those also) and the N3 version for their digital cameras and some of the new pro style film cameras (EOS-3 and EOS-1V for instance). So be careful as to which one you buy. I have seen cheaper versions on e-bay and have heard of mixed results with their reliability. I already had the RS-80N3 when I first heard of them so I never bothered.
My suggestion would be to just get out there and take heaps of pics at many different combinations going up or down the various settings in increments. Once back at home you can see which ones worked and didn't, and remember the settings that worked for next time. Then you can do some more fine tuning.
This is a great thread. Some very nice pics on here. Here is my addition. The bright spots are blown out, but I like the overall effect.
So be careful as to which one you buy. I have seen cheaper versions on e-bay and have heard of mixed results with their reliability. I already had the RS-80N3 when I first heard of them so I never bothered.
I only use the Ebay cheap shutter cables & I feel the reliability is pretty good. My primary reason for using cheap ones is, I have a tendency to lose things while night shooting...specifically shutter release cables & lens caps. I'm probably on my 5th or 6th Ebay cheapie shutter release cable...only one was faulty (and that may have been my fault, used it in the rain)...the others were lost.
Speaking of shooting at night, Any tips on taking a picture of a car at night using existing light? As an example, taking a pic on a dealership lot which is well lit with those large lights that illuminate the whole area. what settings.ie, shutter speed, ISO, aperature would be recommended? I would be using a tripod and my Canon 10D. Any input would be appreciated or if anyone has a pic of a car night pic would help. Thanks
CANON 1D 10D 40D
EF50MM 1.4
EF50MM 1.8 MKI
EF28-135MM IS USM
EF 17-40MM F4L
EF 70-200MM f4L
CANON 580EX
Comments
http://www.jonathanswinton.com
http://www.swintoncounseling.com
I've had decent luck outside with a tripod, 30+ second exposure, and I like the lowest fstop and around ISO400 - 800. Nikolai has some incredible night shots, search for some of the recent threads about it.
I've found that the most annoying thing about night shooting is the cascading noise. If you have an older camera (like mine) you have to use low ISO and longer exposure. With a new camera you can use higher ISO and faster shutter. You get the idea.
My only recommendation is take some hot chocolate or something, 30 seconds is a LOOOOOOOOONG time for someone with zero patience like me.
For the first time out I would recommend trying out forcing your body to the desired ISO (no autoISO), shutter priority and click the wheel until the body says you'll get a decent exposure. Use that as a starting point (it will no-doubt be wrong, but close) and with a basic understanding of how f-stops and shutter speeds work you'll be sitting pretty in 5 minutes (hot chocolate). OR there is always the bracketed shooting. Tried that before too, set the bracket to stops or something and see which one looks best then tweak from there (holding the button for 90 seconds? HOT CHOCOLATE.)
Hope you get something out of all this jabber
"Your decisions on whether to buy, when to buy and what to buy should depend on careful consideration of your needs primarily, with a little of your wants thrown in for enjoyment, After all photography is a hobby, even for pros."
~Herbert Keppler
Set your ISO to 800 or 1600 and embrace the noise. Put your camera in Manual Mode - throw away the auto, beginner modes and use Manual Mode for shooting at night. Your meter will frequently be wrong about exposure. Learn to read and use the histogram to evaluate the exposure. Shoot in RAW. These same suggestions apply to lots of other types of shooting as well - nothing really new.
Find some lights - there is no real point in shooting a black cat in a coal mine.
Neon is lots of fun, and usually needs 1 or 2 stops of (-) Minus Exposure Compensation.
f6.3 1/100th ISO 800 - 5/3 EV
Capture lights and ambient light at the same time
f2.8 1/15th, ISO 1600 -1/3 EV
f8.0, 0.6 secs ( held on the window sill of my car door ) ISO 1600
You will need a good tripod for really dark scenes.
f22.0, 20 ( twenty ) seconds , ISO 100, - 1 2/3 EV
And don't forget B&W at night either
f9.0 30 seconds , ISO 200 + 1 EV
If you are serious about photography, invest in a good tripod and learn to use it. It will improve the quality of your images in many ways, and always makes a good lens that much better. Use of a tripod will permit shooting at your camera's lowest ISO settings which will greatly decrease the noise issue as well.
If your camera system has IS lenses ( Image Stabliization ) they can be great help as well.
f4.5, 1/15th sec handheld, ISO 800
Join the rest of us vampires and get out there in the darkness and shoot!!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I rely almost completely on my histogram to tell me what I'm doing. I use either very fast glass and high ISO, or a tripod (always have a tripod with you.)
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
We need to do some more vampire shooting around here.
Nightingale and I love Brusters too
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I shot a lot at night before I got anything I thought was worth posting. For a while, I was very frustrated. But then I started seeing the light a bit differently, I guess.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Soon after the sun dips below the horizon the sky turns a gorgeous shade of blue for a few moments. It can make for some lovely night shots that are, in fact, shot at dusk. Next time you see a "night" cityscape, look for color in the sky. It's a giveway!
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Here is one I took last year. I keep going back to it and playing with it but never finish. I agree with the right after sunset approach it really makes for some great skies.
Mike
Mike Mattix
Tulsa, OK
"There are always three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth" - Unknown
thanks for everyones input, I'm experimenting with a lot of these ideas.
1.3 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
0.6 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
If you're trying to shoot the moon, use the settings above but start your exposure time at 1/250 sec (sounds crazy to use such a fast shutter speed at night, but trust me--otherwise, you're just going to get a white orb), and bracket the time from there.
Good luck! And be sure to post some of your shots.
Exposure:30 sec (30)Aperture:f/22Focal Length:55 mmISO Speed:800Exposure Bias:0/6 EV
With different White Balance settings:
Exposure:0.002 sec (1/500)Aperture:f/5.6Focal Length:200 mmISO Speed:200Exposure Bias:0/6 EV
Facebook Page
Flickr
Please tell me you folks are using noise removal software and it's not just a Canon thing. I shoot with Nikon (and love it). I also use Noise Ninja and get good results. But this stuff is amazing.
Very nice images, everyone
Website
In addition, most Canon DSLRs can shoot nicely at 800 or 1600 ISO with minimal noise, and noise reduction softwear can render it even less visible.
White lenses rule
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I'm a Nikon gal.
Agreed, many times over.
The challenge I'm having is in keeping the lights from not only blowing out but "blooming" as well, while getting any detail in the less-lit areas.
This is was multiple exposures and layered in PhotoShop, and I still didn't get what I was trying for.
my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
I use the in-camera Noise Reduction...it seems to work well. The only downside is the wait...for example, if you use a 30 second shutter, it takes an additional 30 seconds to apply the noise reduction. Not a big issue, especially considering how clean the shots look.
My advise is to keep the ISO low, you shouldn't have that much noise.
My other suggestion, as I mentioned above, is to use higher number aperture...you can usually get some nice starburts effects with slr lenses. Doesn't work with point & shoots (no physical aperture blades).
Here's one I particularly like...I think this was f22.
Good luck...
Thank you....that's kind of you to say.
Bill
What are my options equipment wise? Can anyone recommend me something or otherwise guide me to the right track?
I shot the photos below when experimenting for LPS15, in bright moon light and already hit the 30 s barrier.
Exposure Time: 30s (30/1)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm in 35mm)
Exposure Time: 30s (30/1)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 400
Yea, I have ISO envy. My D70 only goes down to ISO 200:cry
But it is a Nikon
This answers a lot of questions. Here I thought it was just to scare off the wildlife and give the birds a good target.:D
Just kidding, of course. Some of my best friends have Canons.
Website
This is a link to B&H Photo for the release:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/164276-REG/Canon_2476A001_Remote_Switch_RS_80N3.html
Hope this might help
Mike Mattix
Tulsa, OK
"There are always three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth" - Unknown
My suggestion would be to just get out there and take heaps of pics at many different combinations going up or down the various settings in increments. Once back at home you can see which ones worked and didn't, and remember the settings that worked for next time. Then you can do some more fine tuning.
This is a great thread. Some very nice pics on here. Here is my addition. The bright spots are blown out, but I like the overall effect.
http://www.michaelhelbigphotography.com
http://www.thewildpig.blogspot.com
I only use the Ebay cheap shutter cables & I feel the reliability is pretty good. My primary reason for using cheap ones is, I have a tendency to lose things while night shooting...specifically shutter release cables & lens caps. I'm probably on my 5th or 6th Ebay cheapie shutter release cable...only one was faulty (and that may have been my fault, used it in the rain)...the others were lost.
Good luck...
Bill
Here are a couple I took on the weekend, after this thread inspired me to get out and play at night.
http://www.michaelhelbigphotography.com
http://www.thewildpig.blogspot.com
Sparkyphotography.net
EF50MM 1.4
EF50MM 1.8 MKI
EF28-135MM IS USM
EF 17-40MM F4L
EF 70-200MM f4L
CANON 580EX