Night Shooting

D

D_Aitchison

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Edit My Images
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Hello all.

I'm struggling to get decent photos in low light. I have an EOS 400D but have no idea how to use it in the dark or low light.

While in florida i tried to get a picture of verious things including the castle at Disney in very low light, only for them to turn out rubbish.

I will post an example later on if it helps.

Regards,

David
 
Yes, post your pics.

What settings were you using, lens etc?

In low light if you are trying to get a decent shutter speed you'll have to bump your ISO right up. Use M od Av and set a wide aperture to allow the most light through.

If you are using a tripod (reccommended for low light) then you won't need as high an ISO or as wide an aperture. But post your pics so we can see what you did and make sure that the exif info stays in too please!
 
tripod is the biggest help in low light - first thought


maybe settings - ie setting sensor to expose for 1 section of picture over another? - where it compensates for a light or a dark portion over other to the expense of the opposite

or having iso set too high and the grain/noise being a problem?
 
The 400D is very capable in low-light, i've taken so many shots at night with it, so can only assume it's a setting/lens combo issue. Post a copy of the picture and i'm sure we can solve it. But if you're trying to use it handheld in low-light you're going to have to ramp the ISO up and drop the f/ (just incase you were trying to shoot it at ISO100 F/7 :p)
 
Thanks for the replies, i'll get the pics up as soon as.

I tried using it on P setting and playing with the settings, but to no avail. For these particular shots i was just using the kit lens, which i know isn't great and as i was tramping around disney a tripod seemed like excess baggage. Must try harder, I know.

Thanks for the pointers.
 
If you don't want to go for full Manual mode yet (although I reccommend using it) switch to Av instead. It will give you a bit more control than P and will let you select your preferred aperture - for low light shots this is essential. Select a higher ISO 400/800 even 1600 if you must and this will bring your shutter speed up. Shoot in RAW too as this gives you the highest chance of later recovering photos that you'd have lost as JPEGs.

If you don't have a tripod, don't panic. Lamp-posts, walls, in fact any firm inanimate object can act as your tripod - either sit your camera atop a wall or hold it against a post etc - this will keep your camera steady and help you use slower shutter speeds.
 
I have a 400d which is my first SLR, i've taken a few night shots with it and i've been really pleased with them. As already said, if you don't have a tripod use whatever there is to hand. I used a table and took a nice shot of the swimming pool on holiday with the moon in shot, i think the settings i used were ISO100 f5 30 secs IIRC on the kit lens
 
i would steer clear of P setting when night shooting and definately go M if you can or if not AV but like everyone said make sure your ISO is above 400 at least. remember aswell that a good lens can help your camera keep its ISO low. nifty fifty 1.8 is a cracker for low light shooting.
 
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