Taking photos at night (lens, photoshop, camera, best shots)

[Hoosier]

Originally Posted by Brill

A good thread, was just about to ask the same thing myself. I have a Canon Powershot A540. I took some night pictures over the summer and they came out blurry. I didn't mess with anything on the camera, I just used the default settings when setting the camera to "nightscene"

I didn't use a tripod when taking these, that was my first though is just a shakey hand. But I took pictures of the same scene during the day and they come out fine. Any thoughts? Here are a few of the pictures I took, pictures are from a place called Seven Falls in Colorado Springs.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2729/img0317bq7.jpg

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4448/img0318nq6.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5189/img0322lb1.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4503/img0327ex4.jpg


My camera does have a manual mode, max shutter speed is 15 seconds, F2.6 - F8.0 and ISO 80 - 800. Also has modes to give aperture or shutter speed priority.

The last one came out the best. I've been there before and it's absolutely a beautiful place! I usually have to buy the postcards to get the night shots.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Hoosier

Can you explain what noise means.

Digital noise in a photo are things that degrade the photo quality. For example, sometimes the photo looks sort of grainy. Sometimes the photo may show streaks of green, blue, and red colors, etc.

For that reason it's not a good idea to push the ISO too high. Now, some top of the line digital SLR cameras and lenses give you more room to do such things.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Brill

A good thread, was just about to ask the same thing myself. I have a Canon Powershot A540. I took some night pictures over the summer and they came out blurry. I didn't mess with anything on the camera, I just used the default settings when setting the camera to "nightscene"

I didn't use a tripod when taking these, that was my first though is just a shakey hand. But I took pictures of the same scene during the day and they come out fine. Any thoughts? Here are a few of the pictures I took, pictures are from a place called Seven Falls in Colorado Springs.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2729/img0317bq7.jpg

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4448/img0318nq6.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5189/img0322lb1.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4503/img0327ex4.jpg


My camera does have a manual mode, max shutter speed is 15 seconds, F2.6 - F8.0 and ISO 80 - 800. Also has modes to give aperture or shutter speed priority.

I have an a540 as well. You can use the manual overrides to get just about any night shot that you want. Just remember, if you keep the aperture open longer than normal, you'll definitely need a tripod. But RayinAK is definitely the expert here. Great shots Ray!

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Hoosier

Can you explain what noise means.

Look at the three pictures I posted above and compare the night sky. In the second shot, the sky has a lot of grain, compared to the sky in the other two shots, which are deep black -- the grain in the second picture is noise.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Brill

I didn't use a tripod when taking these, that was my first though is just a shakey hand. But I took pictures of the same scene during the day and they come out fine. Any thoughts?

A camera records images by taking in light from the objects being photographed. In daylight, there's a lot of light, so even with the shutter opening and closing very fast (i.e. high shutter speed) and the shutter opening a very small amount (i.e. high f-stop), there's still enough light to capture a scene.

At night (or low light), there's not as much light coming into the camera. So you need to keep the shutter open long (i.e. slow shutter speed) and/or keep it open a large amount (i.e. low f-stop) so that enough light can get into the camera to capture the image.

The reason you get blurry/streaky shots at night is because since the shutter is held open longer, even minute hand shakes will translate into the image being captured. Another possible reason is that many auto-focus systems have trouble focusing in low light. Try manual focus if available, or try auto-focusing on the edges of what you're trying to shoot.

In lieu of a tripod, try placing your camera on a table or wall, of even on the ground to remove shakes. If you have a very long exposure, sometimes even the act of pressing and releasing the camera's shutter button is enough to create vibration. In those cases, I take pictures using a timer, so that at the moment the camera takes the picture, I'm not touching the camera at all. Or, I'll push the shutter button, and keep my finger depressed on the button until the shutter closes -- just taking the finger off can introduce some vibration.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

You've gotten some excellent advice Hoosier, I agree use the tripod, low ISO, timer and mirror lock up if you have it. Experiment, have fun.

[Hoosier]

Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

You've gotten some excellent advice Hoosier, I agree use the tripod, low ISO, timer and mirror lock up if you have it. Experiment, have fun.

All excellent advice as my dear friend ILNC stated. Thank you all for the helpful advice. Now what would a tripod cost? Of course I'm looking on the lower end of the ladder right now. Maybe I'll put it on my Christmas list. Too bad I don't celebrate Hanukah, I'd get it much earlier than Christmas!

[Fuzz]

I got a cheap tripod at Best Buy a few years ago for $15 or so.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

No don't think cheap here! You need a good sturdy tripod for your windy weather. I think ours was around $150.

[Fuzz]

I guess to each his own. I've used my cheapo tripod on the wind-swept shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago and at the top of a 14,250-foot peak in Colorado without any problems. I've taken it hiking, mtn biking, skiing, everywhere in all kinds of conditions.

Maybe I've just gotten lucky.