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How to take photos at night?



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 9th 07, 03:34 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
Sarath
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Posts: 7
Default How to take photos at night?

I've a Canon S3 IS. While taking photos are night, it's getting
blurred. Is it possible without using Tripod?
Also the ISO amount getting higher in the Auto mode. So the photos
taken at automode are not good enough in the day light. I used to set
ISO 80 as default.

  #2  
Old May 9th 07, 04:16 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
[email protected]
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Posts: 67
Default How to take photos at night?

On May 8, 10:34 pm, Sarath wrote:
I've a Canon S3 IS. While taking photos are night, it's getting
blurred. Is it possible without using Tripod?
Also the ISO amount getting higher in the Auto mode. So the photos
taken at automode are not good enough in the day light. I used to set
ISO 80 as default.


Try this if subject is reasonably nearby; it works for me with a
semipro Sony digicam. Set ISO on top speed - and use flash to get
some background details. This is great for photographing "Christmas
light homes," etc.

No $4 to park! No $6 admission! http://www.INTERNET-GUN-SHOW.com

  #3  
Old May 9th 07, 08:08 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
Fred Lotte
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Posts: 11
Default How to take photos at night?

In article
.com,
Sarath wrote:

I've a Canon S3 IS. While taking photos are night, it's getting
blurred. Is it possible without using Tripod?
Also the ISO amount getting higher in the Auto mode. So the photos
taken at automode are not good enough in the day light. I used to set
ISO 80 as default.


I came across this just yesterday.

http://www.lostamerica.com/technique.html

Samples of his work, accessed from the links at the top of the
page, attest to the validity of his technique.

He gives a links to other night photography sites at the bottom
of the page.

--
Fred Lotte

  #4  
Old May 9th 07, 10:49 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
Garry Knight
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Posts: 25
Default How to take photos at night?

Sarath wrote:

I've a Canon S3 IS. While taking photos are night, it's getting
blurred. Is it possible without using Tripod?


I only got my S3 ten days ago and, so far, the few night shots I've
attempted (without a tripod) have been blurred, despite the IS. I've had
better luck with my Casio EX-Z700 compact. There's a hand-held night shot
taken with the Casio on my website for comparison: 1st column, 6th row, but
it was more late twilight than night.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/garrykn...os/photos.html

You haven't said what you've tried: Program, Av, Manual, Night Scene, or
what. If you've tried Night Scene and it hasn't worked, you could try going
to the SCN setting and select Night Snapshot or Indoor - in fact, I would
try both. But if you're going for long-exposure effects, you'll no doubt
want to get it working using Tv or M.

I carry an extendable table-top tripod (about 6-7 inches high) with me at
all times, which can help stability. A bean bag can also be useful when you
can't find a level surface. And a Gorilla Pod can be useful for gripping
onto all kinds of objects. (How many pockets have you got? :-)

But for tack-sharp night shots, you really need a solid tripod.

Also the ISO amount getting higher in the Auto mode. So the photos
taken at automode are not good enough in the day light. I used to set
ISO 80 as default.


Not quite sure what you're saying here. If you set Auto ISO, it's bound to
select a higher ISO if it thinks it can't get a "correct" exposure with the
best aperture/time combination it has at its disposal in whichever mode
you're in.

I use 80 during the day, but you might want to switch to Auto, High Auto, or
manually set 400 or 800, depending on which mode you're shooting in, at
night. Then set it back to 80 for day shots. Yes, you have to remember to
do this, but this is what we get when we choose a camera that gives us this
amount of control.

You could try switching to Manual mode and setting F2.7 at about 1/10 sec
then half-press the shutter and if you get a red number, up the time until
you get a 0 in the top-left corner of the EVF, but if the light's too low,
you're going to end up with exposure times of 1-3 seconds or more and then
the blur's almost inevitable. As an experiment, in my room with a 100W
light bulb, on F2.7 I get red numbers from 1/30 up to 1/10, and I don't get
a 0 until I go to 0.4 seconds. So you'll probably need to go higher than .4
even if you're directly under a street light.

Of course, if you're doing landscape shots and want maximum depth of focus,
then you'll want F8, so your exposure times are going to go to over a
second, and you're in Shaky City right from the start.

I'm a relative beginner, but I think you're asking specifically about the
S3, so you might also like to ask in a Canon-S3-devoted forum, for example
the Night Photography forum at http://www.s3users.com/forum/index.php, or
the Discovery S3 site when it's back up. You could also ask in the Canon S3
forum at Flickr; there's at least one thread on this subject there.

--
Garry Knight


  #5  
Old May 10th 07, 02:29 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
Sarath
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default How to take photos at night?

On May 10, 6:49 am, Garry Knight wrote:
Sarath wrote:
I've a Canon S3 IS. While taking photos are night, it's getting
blurred. Is it possible without using Tripod?


I only got my S3 ten days ago and, so far, the few night shots I've
attempted (without a tripod) have been blurred, despite the IS. I've had
better luck with my Casio EX-Z700 compact. There's a hand-held night shot
taken with the Casio on my website for comparison: 1st column, 6th row, but
it was more late twilight than night.http://homepage.ntlworld.com/garrykn...os/photos.html

You haven't said what you've tried: Program, Av, Manual, Night Scene, or
what. If you've tried Night Scene and it hasn't worked, you could try going
to the SCN setting and select Night Snapshot or Indoor - in fact, I would
try both. But if you're going for long-exposure effects, you'll no doubt
want to get it working using Tv or M.

I carry an extendable table-top tripod (about 6-7 inches high) with me at
all times, which can help stability. A bean bag can also be useful when you
can't find a level surface. And a Gorilla Pod can be useful for gripping
onto all kinds of objects. (How many pockets have you got? :-)

But for tack-sharp night shots, you really need a solid tripod.

Also the ISO amount getting higher in the Auto mode. So the photos
taken at automode are not good enough in the day light. I used to set
ISO 80 as default.


Not quite sure what you're saying here. If you set Auto ISO, it's bound to
select a higher ISO if it thinks it can't get a "correct" exposure with the
best aperture/time combination it has at its disposal in whichever mode
you're in.

I use 80 during the day, but you might want to switch to Auto, High Auto, or
manually set 400 or 800, depending on which mode you're shooting in, at
night. Then set it back to 80 for day shots. Yes, you have to remember to
do this, but this is what we get when we choose a camera that gives us this
amount of control.

You could try switching to Manual mode and setting F2.7 at about 1/10 sec
then half-press the shutter and if you get a red number, up the time until
you get a 0 in the top-left corner of the EVF, but if the light's too low,
you're going to end up with exposure times of 1-3 seconds or more and then
the blur's almost inevitable. As an experiment, in my room with a 100W
light bulb, on F2.7 I get red numbers from 1/30 up to 1/10, and I don't get
a 0 until I go to 0.4 seconds. So you'll probably need to go higher than .4
even if you're directly under a street light.

Of course, if you're doing landscape shots and want maximum depth of focus,
then you'll want F8, so your exposure times are going to go to over a
second, and you're in Shaky City right from the start.

I'm a relative beginner, but I think you're asking specifically about the
S3, so you might also like to ask in a Canon-S3-devoted forum, for example
the Night Photography forum athttp://www.s3users.com/forum/index.php, or
the Discovery S3 site when it's back up. You could also ask in the Canon S3
forum at Flickr; there's at least one thread on this subject there.

--
Garry Knight


Dear Garry,
Thanks for your detailed reply. I tried with Both Night Scene and
Program mode for the shots. But none of this could help me out
Seems I should try with some manual configuration. I am a very
beiginner in the matter of Photography. My knowledge is not good
enough on these matter

Regards,
Sarath

  #6  
Old May 10th 07, 07:02 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
Randy Berbaum
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Posts: 214
Default How to take photos at night?

Sarath wrote:

: Dear Garry,
: Thanks for your detailed reply. I tried with Both Night Scene and
: Program mode for the shots. But none of this could help me out
: Seems I should try with some manual configuration. I am a very
: beiginner in the matter of Photography. My knowledge is not good
: enough on these matter

Unfortunately in any challenging photo situation you will have to do some
trading off to get your image. In low light situations you have a choice
of options that can be mixed or traded. You can add light (such as a
flash). You can increase the time the shutter is open (but this increases
the odds of blur when hand held). You can increase the ISO (but this
increases the "graininess" of the final image). You can increase the
f-stop (but the lens limits how far you can go). You can use a stable
platform to hold the camera steady, such as a tripod (which will allow you
to slow the shutter speed for non-moving subjects).

Everything is interrelated. If you double the ISO you can decrease the
shutter speed by half (reducing blur) while keeping the same f-stop. Or
you can increase the aperture by one full stop (halving the f-stop
number) to reduce the shutter speed by half, while keeping the same ISO.
So ISO, Shutter speed, and aperture are all interlinked. a change in one
will affect one or both of the others.

So you will have to do something to give the camera enough light exposure
to work. It can be a combination of things. So for example you could
increase the ISO one or two steps (not "too much" additional grain) and
add some additional light (a 100w light bulb off to the side lighting the
area) and find a stable prop to steady the camera allowing slighty longer
shutter speeds (such as leaning on a streetlight pole to steady your
hands). Even something like practicing squeezing the shutter gently
instead of stabbing at it and reduce camera shake to an amazing level.

Of course how much you have to adjust will depend on just how low the
light is. A "night shot" taken in a small room lit with one or two medium
wattage bulbs will be easier to adjust to than trying to take shots of a
bat flitting in you back yard using only star light.

Even IS can not make up for all motions. It only helps to stabilize the
small motions of the camera when hand held. It can't make up for a subject
in motion. Even if you have a perfectly stable camera, and all the
lighting is perfect, if the subject moves durring the time that the
shutter is open the image of that subject will be blurred. The further it
has moved the more blurred it will be. In fact if the moving object moves
far enough the object may blur into total invisibility. This can be a
handy thing to do on purpose as you can use this technique to get rid of
distracting moving objects when they may detract from your unmoving
primary subject.

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL

 




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