I want to .....

[DeeDee]

THROW THIS CAMERA OUT THE WINDOW WHILE SPEEDING DOWN THE HIGHWAY!

My friends and I sat outside behind walmart at 2 AM in the darkest place we could find so I could take pictures of the night launch. My camera that I once loved so much would not work. No matter what I tried my flash turned into a strobe light, and kept trying to focus and it would not take a picture. I did get it to work once but it stayed open for so long it gave me this crazy picture. Luckily it as so cloudy that you couldnt see the shuttle, that kept me from saying alot of words that could have gotten me fired. Why did this happen? Whats the trick to taking night photo's? I have better luck with my $100 fuji

[Steve Foss]

DeeDee, if you were using autofocus, the mechanism relies on contrast to find an edge to grab and focus. Many times at night there are not lots of contrasty situations, so the lens just cycles back and forth and can't find focus.

Best to switch to manual focus at those times.

There's also no reason to use flash on an object as far away as a shuttle launch. If your camera was in fully automatic setting (green box on the dial), the flash popped up automatically.

And use a tripod, because even when you put iso up to 800 in order to get a decent shutter speed, it will be a slow enough shutter speed often enough that you'll get hand shake if you are handholding.

If on a tripod, you can trip the shutter by hand but that will introduce hand shake, too, so most people either use the camera's 10-second timer or buy a remote shutter release.

I'd have to experiment a bit, but some excellent starting settings for your camera shooting a night shuttle launch from a tripod would be iso800, Av automatic mode, evaluative metering. Trip the shutter using the remote switch or the timer, and the shutter will close again when enough light has hit the sensor to properly expose the image. The flash will not pop up on its own in Av mode, so you won't have that problem.

Iso, Av and evaluative metering are all explained in your camera manual and are easy to change. I leave my camera in evaluative metering and Av mode most of the time, anyway.

Hope this helps. I know it's frustrating when you can't make a camera perform how you'd like.

[Dbl]

DeeDee, the flash firing means the camera is trying to do what it was designed for, it uses the flash to try and focus in low light. Since you were most likely pointed at the sky it would try to focus out to infinity and it never acquired focus lock. Since you had no focus lock the camera would not fire. You can change your custom functions in the camera to make that fire without focus lock, but right now that would be best left alone until you are more familiar with your camera.

Can I ask what mode you were in with the camera, Program, Av, Tv, Manual? For night shots I always shoot the camera in manual mode and manual focus. It really is much easier to take control of the camera and just do some experimenting with settings to get good results. I can give you more information if you are interested or just do a quick search for night photography.

[Dbl]

I see Steve was posting same time as I was!

[DeeDee]

Thanks Steve,

I tried it in manual focus at first with no luck because the flash thing and it did just like you saidwith the lens just cycling back and forth. Then eventually I made it to Av mode and it worked but gave me the crazy pic's. I think its time I break out the books from B-A-M and take notes. And get a tripod.

[Steve Foss]

Dan, I recommended Av mode because in manual mode she would need to experiment with the correct exposure settings when shooting a bright light at night, and there's no time to experiment when the shuttle is taking off, so that's why I suggested Av and evaluative metering to allow the camera to finish the exposure when its meter said it was done.

Just thought I'd make sure I was clear about that.

[Steve Foss]

DeeDee, getting a tripod and a remote shutter release for those shots, as well as setting manual focus and Av mode (no flash popping up), is the way to go. Try it out on nighttime street lights a few times to experiment and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Because the shuttle was moving, even if you had done what I suggested above you may have gotten a blurred shuttle, but that depends on how fast the shutter speed was.

If you're not too embarrassed, post one of your "crazy" pics here and I'll pull the exif data and post it here, along with an evaluation of what happened so we can all see and learn.

[DeeDee]

 Originally Posted By: Dbl

I can give you more information if you are interested or just do a quick search for night photography.

I'm interested

[DeeDee]

ok steve I will post it just need a minute to get the camera

[DeeDee]

These are distant parking lights, and street lights. I was impatient so I did keep moving the camera

[Steve Foss]

DeeDee, there is no exif data in either one. Can you pick one and post your original or e-mail it to me? Depending on your program, if you "save for Web," the program strips the exif data so the image uses less bandwidth online.

I can tell just from looking, without seeing exif, that your shutter speed was too slow for sharp handheld images.

[DeeDee]

I just sent them to your email

[Steve Foss]

OK, here's the exif. Canon digital Rebel XT, lens at 75mm, iso400, 4 sec at f4.

And I know it was handheld.

Short version is, all these settings would have been just fine if you'd had a sturdy tripod and a shutter release or used the timer. Even without a tripod you could use the timer and lay the camera on a sturdy table or patio wall.

From a sturdy tripod on unmoving subjects like streetlights and buildings, you can choose an iso of 400 or lower to get less grainy pics because long shutter speeds are made OK by the rock-solid tripod and remote release/timer.

You can allow the camera to run on an automatic setting like Av or Tv or P and you'll be all right in these situations a lot of the time. But on unmoving subjects, it IS a good idea to shoot manual exposure when you have the ability to experiment, look at the histogram and lock in settings that are just what you need.

For the shuttle launch you would not have had time to experiment with manual exposure settings and would have been better off on Av or P. And of course the tripod/release.

[DeeDee]

thanks again

Maybe I will take it out again tomorrow night and practice.

[Fish Toys]

DeeDee don’t throw your camera! The rest of us newbie’s are learning a lot from this thread. The only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked! Too bad about the launch pixs but there will be more launches! I’ve been trying different pixs with the S5 and a lot of them are pretty bad. One of my problems I think my fingers aren’t very sensitive and I can’t feel the buttons when I have to push them. Especially the shoot button. Hold half way and press. Hopefully I’ll get that cured somehow. All your other pixs looked good so keep experimenting and ask questions. It’s easier for you to play than me being out in the cold but it did hit +41 today.

[DeeDee]

Thanks for the encouragement Fish Toys, and everyone else. I do have to say that I have learned alot from this site. I'm hanging in there. I just need to get a tripod and go practice taking night photo's.

[DeeDee]

Oh and yeaaaa for the +41

[yakfisher]

If it makes you feel any better, there are days when I am trying to shoot BIF's during daylight, my camera will start searching for focus and I miss the shot. I can relate to your frustrations.

[DeeDee]

Yak - that does make me feel better. Seems like no one was able to get good shots because of the cloud cover. That makes me feel better too.

[fisherchick]

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish

If on a tripod, you can trip the shutter by hand but that will introduce hand shake, too, so most people either use the camera's 10-second timer or buy a remote shutter release.

This advice will work wonders for you. It is a great way to eliminate any "movement" in your night shots. I took pics of Northen lights using the timer with the camera resting on a rock and (at least in my eyes/opinion) you would never know. I, personally, was really happy with the pictures. Keep your chin up! I, too, have many thanks to give for the help I get here!