newbie qn about pushing past camera limits.


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IsenGrim

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Jan 28, 2008
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lets say i am in a condition that im limited because of my camera (no flash, lens not fast enough)

hmm lets sayim in a dimly lit room, and i do not have proper flash/diffuser. (thus i decided not to use) but the shutterspeed is too slow for me to handhold with speed (ie 1/13, 1/10)

can i shoot 2 stops down (bringing the shutterspeed to hand holdable speeds) in raw, den bump them back to +2EV in camera raw?

or if i find the high ISO noise too disturbing, i'll shoot 2 ISO stops down, den bring them back up in camera raw, effectively reducing noise by 2 stops.

theoratically it would work, but what about in the real world? i've juz shot in a dim room with no flash, so some of my photos are slightly blurry and very noisy (iso 1600 on a 450D). thats what set me thinking for a solution (prior to getting a flash unit)

so any of the old birds tried?
 

when u increase the exposure during processing, u will add noise as well im nt wrong...
 

shooting dudes and babes singing karaok... theres quite alot of noice on their faces... even after maxing out noise reduction on LR.

cant really tell on a 800by600 resize but when i open on my 1440by 900 screen, the noise is shouting at me.
 

u could still use your pop up flash. iso 400shutter 1/2 a sec and do arty shots haha...ur subject must be lit by the flash so that he/she will be frozen while during the extra time light is taken in to light up bg. do this for night event coverage dunno if it would work for u.
 

hmm lets sayim in a dimly lit room, and i do not have proper flash/diffuser. (thus i decided not to use) but the shutterspeed is too slow for me to handhold with speed (ie 1/13, 1/10)
Have you considered using a tripod? If you cannot handhold the shutter speed you need additional support to stabilize the cam. Either you get a IS lens or you get a tripod.

can i shoot 2 stops down (bringing the shutterspeed to hand holdable speeds) in raw, den bump them back to +2EV in camera raw?

or if i find the high ISO noise too disturbing, i'll shoot 2 ISO stops down, den bring them back up in camera raw, effectively reducing noise by 2 stops.
Just try it and see the results - that's what people call 'trial and error' and it's one of the major sources for acquiring knowledge ;) That's what pushes up the learning curve.

theoratically it would work, but what about in the real world?
Try it ;) - That's the way science works: Have an idea, try it out and see if it works that way. All failed attaempts add to knowledge as well, they are never wasted time.
 

wah thanks for the input.

i dun think tripod is quite appropriate as there are space constraints. and sometimes, we are just going out with friends and on a casual shoot, dun think wanna lug a tripod around. but if its a comissioned shoot, yea tripods are a must whenever possible.

i dun think theres IS on primes right...? im already on 1.8, so IS on a 2.8 wont do much better... and IS itself cost ~$700 on a standard zoom! and to get a half stop better at 1.4 cost 400-500 more... i wish im paid for my hobby so i can get more, but fat hope as of yet... i dont have the composition to get myself laid, lest say the equipment to get myself paid... haha
 

once your images are underexposed, and you adjust it in post production, noise will come in, regardless it shooting in raw or jpg.

using such low speed, if your hands don't shake, your subject will move also, IS, VR or tripod maybe really useful in this situation.

even you have a f1.0 lens, using maximum aperture, can you guarantee all your focusing will be pin point accurate?

simple solution: just use flash.
 

so it stil boils down to investing in a flash unit... $$$$ must. work. harder. haha

so many wants, so little $$. sometimes i really wish im born with a platinum spoon in my mouth.
 

Maybe a small table-pod will help. Or you can use the headrest of the sofa as a support.
 

so it stil boils down to investing in a flash unit... $$$$ must. work. harder. haha

so many wants, so little $$. sometimes i really wish im born with a platinum spoon in my mouth.
in a karaoke room, mostly are confine area with black ceiling, carpet wall, so you are shooting with direct flash most likely, you can just use the built in flash instead of buy a flash.
 

A often forgotten alternative to a tripod is a bean bag. I made one myself and carried it out when I'm too lazy to carry a tripod (most of the time actually). Not appropriate for long exposures of course but it helps to stablise a bit when shooting at slower shutter speeds.
 

in a karaoke room, mostly are confine area with black ceiling, carpet wall, so you are shooting with direct flash most likely, you can just use the built in flash instead of buy a flash.

i did, very ugly... very harsh back shadows as the back wall is near.. i tried to bounce the flash up using my hand as a reflector. works, soft shadows and even the bg is lit nicely, but everthing has a beige tinge to it hahahhahaa.

juz get a 50/1.8 and try. ;)
im already on that...
 

A often forgotten alternative to a tripod is a bean bag. I made one myself and carried it out when I'm too lazy to carry a tripod (most of the time actually). Not appropriate for long exposures of course but it helps to stablise a bit when shooting at slower shutter speeds.
i've though of a bean bag, but also must got place to put the bean bag. eg a table or a high chair, a beam or a shelf.

i think i will keep a bean bag with me. incase got some table for me to plop the bag. =) thanks for the advice!
 

By adjusting the EV via software you're simply introducing a gain to the exposed image, which is similar to what your camera firmware does when you up your ISO in camera. Though the algorithm involved may differ but noise is inevitable, when you amplify a signal, you amplify it's noise too, only way to solve the problem is by filtering (moderately of course). Noise Ninja is a common plugin for Photoshop that many people use.
 

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