Does not capture photo although mode is set to manual


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Heya folks,

need some help here. I have recently got a 500d and when i try to take a photo in a
"super dark" environment, it seems to be unable to take it

As in, outside my window where there is no light shining...

Mode is set to manual. I have played around with the settings but still unable to.

What happens is that, the built in flash does flash a few times and the lens tries to focus
and then it states as "busy" but doesnt do anything.

Any advise ?
 

depending on what manual setting you put, it could be opening up for several seconds (display will say something like 1.5", 3" for 1.5 or 3seconds) and hence if you click when the shutter is alr open/ when its doing long-exposure noise reduction, it will say it is busy. As a rule, it is best to set your camera to Aperture priority mode and open up your lens as wide as possible to see the shutter speed the camera provides, then play with your manual setting from there, if you are not familiar with manual exposure.

if the built in flash fires a few times, you either took a few pictures of have your flash set at red eye reduction. if you are taking landscape (outside your window), id suggest not popping up the flash at all. turn the ISO up depending on your preference and use Av mode with a tripod and without flash.

In super dark conditions, the camera will not be able to AF, and even the built-in AF assist light will not help if you are taking something too far away. If it is far, manually set the focus of your lens to infinity and then take the photo.

Hope this helps.

p.s. seriously, though, just put down the flash, MF to infinity, place your camera on a tripod/flat surface, open your aperture to as wide as possible (f3.5 for kit lens) and press the shutter.
 

oh i just read that you said outside your window there is no light, but i still dno if you are taking in- or out-doors.

if indoors, turn on the light and pre-focus, then change your camera to MF, turn off the light and shoot. alternatively, make sure your AF assist light is on in your settings, and make sure your finger isn't blocking.

wrt to the exposure, same thing use Av mode.
 

i did up the iso and aperture... will try the other stuff suggested and see how it goes.. :)

the ISO and aperture can only do so much, esp with a mid-range camera (not like those super expensive pro gear with ISO120k and f1), normally a camera will need to compensate with really slow shutter speeds (street @ night maybe f1.8 1/30 ISO800; night landscape f.5.6, 2", ISO300 etc). At night human eyes auto-adjust to the dimness, so its harder to judge, so best to trust the exposure meter instead of manual ^^

on the other hand, daytime got things like sunny 16 rule... f16, shutter speed = 1/ISO. (eg. ISO 100, f16, 1/100), so much easier to do manual.

good luck!
 

Heya folks,

need some help here. I have recently got a 500d and when i try to take a photo in a
"super dark" environment, it seems to be unable to take it

As in, outside my window where there is no light shining...

Mode is set to manual. I have played around with the settings but still unable to.

What happens is that, the built in flash does flash a few times and the lens tries to focus
and then it states as "busy" but doesnt do anything.

Any advise ?
since there is almost seeing nothing there, what are you trying to capture?
 

You need to set the lens to Manual as well, if the cam can't focus, it won't shoot.
 

erm in manual mode, there might not be not enough light entering so a black image will be captured. because in manual mode, you are doing everything by yourself, use the light meter as a gauge or use the live view, to see if the subject is visible.

or you might want to stand further away, and zoom in.. because when the distance between your camera and the subject is too close, the camera cant focus, then you can't even capture the image.

hope this helps.:)
 

the tree.. :p
this tree looks very special after dark?

anyway, just set to highest ISO your camera can go, switch to P mode, aim at what you want to shoot, see what is the aperture and shutter speed combination the camera recommended, most probably is a few seconds to ten or twenty seconds, not possible to get sharp photo with handheld, unless you are a man made of steel, like the terminator.

anyway, the built in flash is too weak to lit up distant subject.

if you still want to try to take this shot, get a tripod, set camera to P mode and shoot, you can set your lens focus at infinity, or use a very powerful torchlight to shine at the tree for focusing aid.
 

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