shooting a sony 717 at night... help pls.

sequitur · 22nd June 2003

hi guys... i don't know if it's just my camera that's why i need the help of other sony 7x7 users too..

when it's at night.. or low light conditions.. let's say along wisma walkway, or in wisma.. it's not really VERY low light.. just no sunlight and everywhere is just orange lights.

it's strange but when i open my aperture to the widest... like 2.0-2.4, the shutter maximum is always around 1/50, 1/30, 1/20.. timings where it is nearly impossible for me to shoot without a tripod.. which is stupid coz i don't wanna open up a tripod in the middle of wisma atria when there's 200 people squeezing you to pulps...

so.. does anybody have a similar problem.. is it just me ? (or rather, my camera) ? anyone has a solution to this ?

okay i used it with a circular polariser on but even if i remove the polariser, the max it gets is 1/100 which might still have camera shake..

and does anybody know of any flash that can light up at least 10m.. best is around 15-20m.. ? built-in flash like damn useless leh.. sighz

Tweek · 22nd June 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by sequitur
it's strange but when i open my aperture to the widest... like 2.0-2.4, the shutter maximum is always around 1/50, 1/30, 1/20.. timings where it is nearly impossible for me to shoot without a tripod.. which is stupid coz i don't wanna open up a tripod in the middle of wisma atria when there's 200 people squeezing you to pulps...

It's a natural phenomenon, nothing strange at all. At low light, you need to open up the shutter longer to allow more light in. Converted to camera lingo, if you're using ISO100 or thereabouts, with F2.0, getting 1/50, 1/30 etc is about right, esp if you have the polariser like you said. If you can manage to get 1/100s, well, use it! It's good enough to handhold focal length up to 100+mm.

If you want faster shutter speed, just up the ISO, with the trade-off of more noise. As for flash, do a search, there are many many discussions done before on that.

Cheers!

sequitur · 22nd June 2003

is it ?

man.. then night/indoor photography is really quite tough coz of all the limited light and no room to open up the tripod... -_-

i don't know man the best shutter time i can get a photo done without shaking the camera is 1/125.. any thing slower than that and the photo screws up.. sad eh..

Tweek · 22nd June 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by sequitur
is it ?

man.. then night/indoor photography is really quite tough coz of all the limited light and no room to open up the tripod... -_-

i don't know man the best shutter time i can get a photo done without shaking the camera is 1/125.. any thing slower than that and the photo screws up.. sad eh..

Actually there IS room to open the tripod....it's whether you are willing to or not.

Try to read up more on exposure and stuffs. For night shots, you most definitely need to use a tripod.

There is a general guide of using a shutter speed of 1/focal length to preven camera shake. Use that as a reference. Also learn to hold your camera in a steady stance.

sequitur · 22nd June 2003

lol

my hands shake naturally lah not my fault.. i cannot steady one...

Mickey · 23rd June 2003

I agreed with Tweek up the ISO will be of better choice,
since you don't want to open up a tripod. But with a tripod
i would be fun cos can achive a sharp picture and the effect
of ppl moving around in your picture.

sequitur · 23rd June 2003

lol
opening up a tripod is fun but...

not on a sunday afternoon in the middle of wisma when there're like 200 people trying to murder you by squashing you into a pancake...

how to open ?

some more my camera precious.. later they trip my tripod and my camera spoil i'll cry.. i nearly emptied my bank account to buy it...

Jeff · 23rd June 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by sequitur
lol
opening up a tripod is fun but...

not on a sunday afternoon in the middle of wisma when there're like 200 people trying to murder you by squashing you into a pancake...

how to open ?

some more my camera precious.. later they trip my tripod and my camera spoil i'll cry.. i nearly emptied my bank account to buy it...

Don't worry, they will get out of ur way if they see a cam.

Tweek · 23rd June 2003

sequitur,

either up the ISO, bear with a blurry image, use a tripod, train your arms to be steady,

or don't shoot lor.

If you know the shot is going to be a killer, and you know you just have to take it, you will risk opening up your tripod, hehe.

linse · 23rd June 2003

Try bracing yourself against a wall or something. You might even pull off 1/60 with the right breathholding technique.

Winston · 24th June 2003

A monopod will come in handy in this case.

A monopod can be bought for like $60.
Then add a cheap junior ball head or something.

Since you have a Slik U8000 tripod, close the legs of the tripod and extend one of the 3 legs only.

You will get a makeshift monopod, though not as good as a real monopod it should give you the support you need for a 1/60 or 1/30 shutter speed shot.

Or look for stationary objects around you that can subsitute for support. Like a bench, wall...etc

Shutter speeds of 1/8 and slower is really tough to get it sharp w/o a tripod.

22nd June 2003	#1
sequitur Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,829	shooting a sony 717 at night... help pls. hi guys... i don't know if it's just my camera that's why i need the help of other sony 7x7 users too.. when it's at night.. or low light conditions.. let's say along wisma walkway, or in wisma.. it's not really VERY low light.. just no sunlight and everywhere is just orange lights. it's strange but when i open my aperture to the widest... like 2.0-2.4, the shutter maximum is always around 1/50, 1/30, 1/20.. timings where it is nearly impossible for me to shoot without a tripod.. which is stupid coz i don't wanna open up a tripod in the middle of wisma atria when there's 200 people squeezing you to pulps... so.. does anybody have a similar problem.. is it just me ? (or rather, my camera) ? anyone has a solution to this ? okay i used it with a circular polariser on but even if i remove the polariser, the max it gets is 1/100 which might still have camera shake.. and does anybody know of any flash that can light up at least 10m.. best is around 15-20m.. ? built-in flash like damn useless leh.. sighz __________________ my flickr.

22nd June 2003	#3
sequitur Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,829	is it ? man.. then night/indoor photography is really quite tough coz of all the limited light and no room to open up the tripod... -_- i don't know man the best shutter time i can get a photo done without shaking the camera is 1/125.. any thing slower than that and the photo screws up.. sad eh.. __________________ my flickr.

22nd June 2003	#5
sequitur Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,829	lol my hands shake naturally lah not my fault.. i cannot steady one... __________________ my flickr.

23rd June 2003	#7
sequitur Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,829	lol opening up a tripod is fun but... not on a sunday afternoon in the middle of wisma when there're like 200 people trying to murder you by squashing you into a pancake... how to open ? some more my camera precious.. later they trip my tripod and my camera spoil i'll cry.. i nearly emptied my bank account to buy it... __________________ my flickr.

24th June 2003	#11
Winston Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 663	A monopod will come in handy in this case. A monopod can be bought for like $60. Then add a cheap junior ball head or something. Since you have a Slik U8000 tripod, close the legs of the tripod and extend one of the 3 legs only. You will get a makeshift monopod, though not as good as a real monopod it should give you the support you need for a 1/60 or 1/30 shutter speed shot. Or look for stationary objects around you that can subsitute for support. Like a bench, wall...etc Shutter speeds of 1/8 and slower is really tough to get it sharp w/o a tripod. Last edited by Winston; 24th June 2003 at 01:16 PM.

23rd June 2003	#6
Mickey Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 124	I agreed with Tweek up the ISO will be of better choice, since you don't want to open up a tripod. But with a tripod i would be fun cos can achive a sharp picture and the effect of ppl moving around in your picture.

23rd June 2003	#9
Tweek Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Posts: 2,149	sequitur, either up the ISO, bear with a blurry image, use a tripod, train your arms to be steady, or don't shoot lor. If you know the shot is going to be a killer, and you know you just have to take it, you will risk opening up your tripod, hehe.

23rd June 2003	#10
linse Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 314	Try bracing yourself against a wall or something. You might even pull off 1/60 with the right breathholding technique.