first post with my alpha...and some help needed.

[shawn207]

Hey people. i'm new to dslr photography and i just got my alpha 350 this week. so just brought it down to orchard yesterday for some practice shots on night landscapes. i have some queries and hope u pros can help.

both photos were taken using shutter priority mode, cause i was trying to achieve the streaks of light along roads. anyway when i slow down the shutter speed i can achieve the streaks but at the expense of background sharpness. why is this so? due to unsteady hands? or must i change any other settings?

iso 100, f/13

iso 200, f/6.3

thanks for the help people. really appreciate it. : )

 

[kelvint81]

I guess you must be not using a tripod and you handheld the dslr right?

 

[shawn207]

yeah for the second photo i admit no tripod. but the first one i rested the camera on a railing. so some parts like the orchard road sign seems clear, but the ion orchard construction site is blur. anw is there anyway to prevent blurriness without tripod. eg other techniques of reducing shake? thanks : )

 

[kelvint81]

i also newbie
got my a200 3 weeks back.

i think you rest the cam on railing but when you press the shutter button you might have casued the cam to shake a bit.

 

[haqeel]

set it on timer, so as to prevent shakes when u press the shutter.

 

[ahbian]

Even with the camera resting on the railing, it could have shaken when you press the shutter. The railing might be vibrating with passing traffic, depending on what type of support it actually is.

 

[karnage]

A tripod is almost absolutely necessary for night photos. In your first photo, even though you rest the cam on the railing, the railing is rounded while the camera bottom is flat, so it's still not stable. Besides, most railings are very susceptible to shake by other people or even yourself. That's why you picture is super blur. As for the signs being comparatively sharp, it's probably because you used flash and the signs, being highly reflective, reflect back and gets recorded on the sensor. If you absolutely hate using a tripod, get a beanbag (or make one). A beanbag will at least conform to the shape of the railing at the bottom and stay flat where your camera rests. Then u can use the timer function. =)

 

[kthgcg]

Hi have you attended the Sony Digital workshop that comes with the A350?

 

[shawn207]

thanks guys for the comments and help. really appreciate it : ) have a few more questions..
1) but do you pros normally always carry a tripod around all the time esp when travelling overseas?
2) if not, is there sort of a way to hold the camera to minimise shake?
3) am i correct that this bluriness does not manifest itself so prominently in the day due to better light conditions?

4) was trying the aperture priority mode today to practice focusing on subjects by themselves, any comments for the photo below?

Thanks guys! : )

 

[shawn207]

to kthgcg. nope i havent attended the workshop yet. thinking of practising with the basics first for a week so tt when i go there i wont be so clueless. : )

 

[Octarine]

I suggest you read up about the very basics: shutter speed, ISO, aperture.. and how they interact and influence each other. All your questions arise from not knowing about the topic. Once you had a good read-up a lot of things become very obvious.
Look: Photography Notes for Newbies

 

[hamustar]

Hi there, yes u'd probably be starting on your learning curve, so the % of 'keeper' shots will be rather low.

I'm still learning too, but here are my 2cents ...
Regarding the first 2 photos, noticed that those shots at 4s and 2.5s w/o a tripod. 99% of shooters will have blur shots as well at those shutter speeds. The 1% are those who have bionic hands ;p
In the 1st photo, the orchard road sign was relatively sharp because the flash was fired and the sensor absorbed that exposure for that 1/x000 of flash exposure. If that was shot w/o flash, the orchard road sign will also be blur, but will be dark and not so obvious.

For handheld shots, since your's is also an in-body stabilised dSLR, rule of thumb is try to keep it at least around 1/15 to prevent blur photos. Anything more than 1s is pushing it. As Octarine suggested, boosting the ISO can help u achieve a faster shutter speed.

Also noticed that you were shooting at high f/stops i.e. f/13 and f/6.3. For challenging nite shots, you should use the lowest possible for your lens.

 

[spot89]

to kthgcg. nope i havent attended the workshop yet. thinking of practising with the basics first for a week so tt when i go there i wont be so clueless. : )

Go for the class first. they will be teaching you basics photography technic:thumbsup:

 

[kthgcg]

Yup your questions will be answered in the class, no worries about being clueless, the course is catered to help newbies like yourself

 

[findjk]

thanks guys for the comments and help. really appreciate it : ) have a few more questions..
1) but do you pros normally always carry a tripod around all the time esp when travelling overseas?
2) if not, is there sort of a way to hold the camera to minimise shake?
3) am i correct that this bluriness does not manifest itself so prominently in the day due to better light conditions?

4) was trying the aperture priority mode today to practice focusing on subjects by themselves, any comments for the photo below?

Thanks guys! : )

I don't know about the pros but I'll won't want to lug a tripod especially it's a bulky one. There are lots of ways to achieve stability and one of my favorite is to put the camera on the bag. Yes, it's on the bag, not inside the bag!

You are correct about the blurring because you probably get much more light in the day and the fast shutter will blur out the chances of getting indistinct pictures.

Keep on shooting! You are learning fast!

 

[pooQy]

TS, this should be a good read for you.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikondslr/discuss/72157613433507305/

Btw, i also experimented this out last weekend. Initial few shots had the same problem as you faced. I found a stable railing which could hold out. And this is what i got:

Exposure: 2
Aperture: f/11.0
ISO Speed: 200

But still, a tripod is a MUST for night shots.