450D: night shot problem


xdw3irdxd

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Dec 2, 2009
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I have problem with night shot by using canon 450D.
when i walk along night market/street, sightseeing some place at night...
the photo i tool all blur due to the long shutter open...
however, open flash...i only able to take people in front but back ground dark...
besides using tripod, is there any setting can help this kind of situation?
by using compact camera, photo outcome is better than my 450D...:(
 

I have problem with night shot by using canon 450D.
when i walk along night market/street, sightseeing some place at night...
the photo i tool all blur due to the long shutter open...
however, open flash...i only able to take people in front but back ground dark...
besides using tripod, is there any setting can help this kind of situation?
by using compact camera, photo outcome is better than my 450D...:(
depends what lens you are using....

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is a popular lens but usually i recommend people use 35mm f/2 instead since that way the camera becomes more like a rangefinder.

read up on Aperture size.
 

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im using kit lens which is 18-55mm.
due to im still new in dslr, i dont intend to buy any lens.
however, i would like to know that 50mm f1.8 lens is tat good enough/worth to buy?
as i know this lens is quite budget which suitable for me as a newbie...
 

Actually this is a basic prob faced by a newbie, i guess you did nt researched enuff and rushed to buy dslr. and im afraid tripod is the best solution. the reason y yr compact cam took beta shots is bcoz compact cam is designed for basic users that automatically selects all the best settings for u and let u take photo with ease.

DSLR, on the other hand, even if you set to full auto, yr flash will pop up if u take night shots as it's dark, and since yr pop up flash doesnt have the power of say the floodlight found in stadiums (haha, obviously), yr bckground is bounded to be black. Even if you bump up yr iso, u will get noisy photos which u may complain as yr next prob.

Hence..tripod is the best if u ask me and tripod is a MUST for night photography. get a sturdy one..coz those light tripod may still get u blurry photos.

50mm f1.8 was my first lens and whilst its a highly affordable lens for its quality, but the fixed focal length has its limitations. it's more for take portraits (thou still not the best lens for that), so if u want to take landscape..that's not the right lens for u. i suggest 18-55mm is the best for u to learn and slowly invest in other lenses.

i used to think like u..get 1 lens and thats it..but trust me, u will be hungry for better ones..haha. hope this helps.
 

50mm is too narrow for street photography unless you know what you are doing.

18-55mm is not really meant for nightwork even if you bump up the iso because there is simply not enough light to freeze movement without the aid of a flash. Most built in dslr flash use max 1/160 shutter speed so anything more then that will be blur and also due to the nature of the flash, may lose the background.

If night photography is what you like to do, might want to invest at least in either the 35mm F2 or the Tamron 17-50 F2.8
 

I suggest that you learn about the basics of exposure. Read up on photography basics first.
 

Did you check the setting for your compact camera, like the iso, shutter speed and aperture? I dont believe your compact camera would be able to take better night street photography as compared to your dslr, probably is due to wrong settings.
 

I have problem with night shot by using canon 450D.

1st of all, it is not the 450D issue. Limitation depending on situation, possible. Explain to you later.

when i walk along night market/street, sightseeing some place at night...
the photo i tool all blur due to the long shutter open...

You have to understand the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO.

Assuming, a proper exposure for the scene requires, f/1.4, ISO 800, 1/60.

And assuming, 1/60 is the maximum shutter speed you can handhold. It means, you only have Aperture (f1.4) and ISO (800) to play with.

Ok, say your lens is f/3.5-f/5.6, and say you are on the aperture f/4.

But for proper exposure, you need f/1.4, and f/4 is 3 stops away. It means you need to boost your ISO from 800 to (800 x 2 x 2 x 2) = ISO 6400 to get the same exposure.

However, it still depends on what you want. Say if you prefer f/8 for more depth of field and shutter speed still remains 1/60, it means your ISO got to go even higher.

The above are based on assuming a scenario. For night streets, i would suggest you look for light falling on your subject. If too dark, don't shoot lor.

I suggest you read up #1-7. #7 especially.

Basic

This is the reason why people are spending so much on wider aperture lenses and higher capability ISO bodies (subjective on the noise, depends on users' preference and acceptance of the noise).

This is why i put "limitation, possible" on top.

Whether to buy or not, depends on yourself. Budget, frequency of use, needs etc. This part, subjective. It's your money, your call. No right or wrong. :)


however, open flash...i only able to take people in front but back ground dark...

You may have to consider going Manual with your camera setting. Control ambient exposure and use the flash (built in i suppose?) to fill in your subject.

If build in flash not powerful enough, you may have to consider external flash. This part, you have to do your own studies on the net.

External flash onshoe or offshoe, how to trigger, max flash sync speed, how to control direction and diffusion of lights are also things you need to learn and consider.

I don't wanna confuse you further.


besides using tripod, is there any setting can help this kind of situation?

Tripod is more useful for night landscape i suppose. For night landscape, tripod is a must. For night streets, unless you can deploy your tripod and capture the scene fast enough, you will have to depend on aperture, ISO and flash.

And there is no magic setting. You can minimize your consideration and calculation of settings by choosing Aperture or Shutter or even Program Priority. But still, you need to know how to compensate when the camera can't read (meter) well.


by using compact camera, photo outcome is better than my 450D...:(

Don't assume dSLR "bao jia" (confirm can get it right). One needs to know how to control and tame the beast.

Compact vs dSLR questions... seriously a long list to argue and it is subjective to users' preference.

Hope it helps. :)
 

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user problem.

if its 450D problem, then canon can close shop. i can throw mine into a dustbin cos is going to be worthless.
 

When using 18-55mm in low light. I suggest using only the centre focus point. Shooting more at the 18mm end. If you can, time your shot when there is a natural pause in subject movement. Resting your hands on something stable also helps.
 

nice advice yapster!hehe
 

1st of all, it is not the 450D issue. Limitation depending on situation, possible. Explain to you later.



You have to understand the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO.

Assuming, a proper exposure for the scene requires, f/1.4, ISO 800, 1/60.

And assuming, 1/60 is the maximum shutter speed you can handhold. It means, you only have Aperture (f1.4) and ISO (800) to play with.

Ok, say your lens is f/3.5-f/5.6, and say you are on the aperture f/4.

But for proper exposure, you need f/1.4, and f/4 is 3 stops away. It means you need to boost your ISO from 800 to (800 x 2 x 2 x 2) = ISO 6400 to get the same exposure.

However, it still depends on what you want. Say if you have prefer f/8 for more depth of field, it means your ISO got to go even higher.

The above are based on assuming a scenario. For night streets, i would suggest you look for light falling on your subject. If too dark, don't shoot lor.

I suggest you read up #1-7. #7 especially.

Basic

This is the reason why people are spending so much on wider aperture lenses and higher capability ISO bodies (subjective on the noise, depends on users' preference and acceptance of the noise).

This is why i put "limitation, possible" on top.

Whether to buy or not, depends on yourself. Budget, frequency of use, needs etc. This part, subjective. It's your money, your call. No right or wrong. :)




You may have to consider going Manual with your camera setting. Control ambient exposure and use the flash (built in i suppose?) to fill in your subject.

If build in flash not powerful enough, you may have to consider external flash. This part, you have to do your own studies on the net.

I don't wanna confuse you further.




Tripod is more useful for night landscape i suppose. For night landscape, tripod is a must. For night streets, unless you can deploy your tripod and capture the scene fast enough, you will have to depend on aperture, ISO and flash.

And there is no magic setting. You can minimize your consideration and calculation of settings by choosing Aperture or Shutter or even Program Priority. But still, you need to know how to compensate when the camera can't read (meter) well.




Don't assume dSLR "bao jia" (confirm can get it right). One needs to know how to control and tame the beast.

Compact vs dSLR questions... seriously a long list to argue and it is subjective to users' preference.

Hope it helps. :)

Well explained :thumbsup:

To TS : If the ambient light too low beyond the limitation of your current set up, then don't force yourself to shoot. :)
 

for night shots, tripod is the best way out. however, for certain night shots, like taking people and u want an ambient backgrd, the best option will definitely be to bump up your iso.
unfortunately, 450D iso is tolerable until 800 for me personally. you can always get primes with wide aperture to shoot in low light.

if you want to take portraitures, 35mm f2 or the cheap and ubiquitous 50mm f1.8 (it hardly burns a hole in ur pocket, considering how much u already invested) are very good purchases.
 

Yapster had detailed explaination to your doubts.

however, open flash...i only able to take people in front but back ground dark...
besides using tripod, is there any setting can help this kind of situation?
by using compact camera, photo outcome is better than my 450D...:(

For this, you might try slow/rear sync flash mode, which will include more ambient light (drag the shutter speed longer). Compact camera is using this method if you dial to certain preset night mode, that's the reason why the outcome is much better than the normal flash setting.

"What's slow/rear sync?"

Please google around :cool: