Help with night time photos with new to me camera

[junior]

Here’s all the settings on the camera I’m using. I’m taking pictures of my daughter dancing at the football games. Everything I take comes out blurry
What settings do I need to be using with this camera? I don’t know much about these cameras. Please help me out.
Thanks


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[sportsman]

I am not familiar with that camera. Google and see if that camera is back button capable. If so, set it. Also google AI Servo and set the camera to this. Turn VC on the lens to ON (image stabilizer). Go to TV setting (shutter priority), for motion, the slowest shutter speed I would use is 1/500 You might can get away with a slower shutter speed for more light, set ISO to auto. Your pics will probably be grainy because of High ISO. Your lens is the limiting factor. For action night time or under the lights, I'd want at least an f/2.8.


The more zoom, the more light it takes.


Google is your friend as well as youtube. I watched a lot of videos setting up my camera when I first started. I still watch them today, 6 years later.

[junior]

I am not familiar with that camera. Google and see if that camera is back button capable. If so, set it. Also google AI Servo and set the camera to this. Turn VC on the lens to ON (image stabilizer). Go to AV setting (shutter priority), for motion, the slowest shutter speed I would use is 1/500 You might can get away with a slower shutter speed for more light, set ISO to auto. Your pics will probably be grainy because of High ISO. Your lens is the limiting factor. For action night time or under the lights, I'd want at least an f/2.8.


The more zoom, the more light it takes.


Google is your friend as well as youtube. I watched a lot of videos setting up my camera when I first started. I still watch them today, 6 years later.

Thanks, no auto ISO, choices are 100,200,400,800,1600

[Robby Brown]

Most likely, your shutter speed is too low. Turning on the "VC" will help some, or getting close and using flash.

[sportsman]

Brain fart, I said to use AV, you should be using TV for shutter priority. This will help stop the action and limit the blur.


I WENT AND EDITED MY POST.

[chongo]

Turn the knob over to M or AV, set your aperture to the widest setting (smallest number) f2.8, 3.5, 4, 5.6, this is purely dependent on the lens you're shooting with. Next, you'll need to bump your ISO up too, probably in the 2000+ range. In manual, you'll want to adjust these settings to get a shutter speed of 1/500 if not faster, to be the proper exposure.

In AV, the camera will set your shutter speed based off of the metering, ISO and aperture. Again, you're going to want a min. of 1/500 shutter speed so, bump the ISO, largest aperture (smallest number). If you're not on a tripod, that VC (vibration control) switch should be turned on.

Hope this helps.

[junior]

Set my ISO to 1600, ans shutter speed is F3.5 which gives me 1/500
I set it to TV, Al Servo, AF and have the VC turned on.
Anything else?

Thanks guys for the info. I'm going to another game tonight to practice with these settings. Hopefully I can dial it in before her next game.

[35remington]

so my ISO choices are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
which one should I use?
I set it to TV, Al Servo, AF and have the VC turned on.
Anything else?

Now that it's set to Shutter Priority mode (that's what tV means), set the shutter speed at 1/500 of a second and see what that does for ya.

I'd start with ISO 800.

You should be shooting off a tripod or bipod.

[junior]

camera

Now that it's set to Shutter Priority mode (that's what tV means), set the shutter speed at 1/500 of a second and see what that does for ya.

I'd start with ISO 800.

You should be shooting off a tripod or bipod.

That's my other issue is no tri-pod, as I'm having to move around while she dances

[Keith]

That's my other issue is no tri-pod, as I'm having to move around while she dances

You might get a mono-pod, it will help you keep the camera steady and allow you to move around.

Good crisp photos of fast movement at night in lower light is very difficult.

[150class]

Do shutter priority and get a better rest. A mono pod is a good idea

[35remington]

You might get a mono-pod, it will help you keep the camera steady and allow you to move around.

Good crisp photos of fast movement at night in lower light is very difficult.

Sorry—monopod is what I meant!

[Shane]

Advice above is on the right track. Your pics are blurry due to motion blur. Motion blur happens when the shutter speed is slow, meaning that the shutter stays open for a longer amount of time, and while the shutter is open the subject you are photographing is moving. The long shutter speed captures all the movement in one image, so it looks like a blur. You need a fast shutter speed to freeze action in sports and dance and similar situations. You need a lens with a large aperture so that it can allow the sensor to capture enough light, even when you are using a fast shutter speed.

Here's something I've posted a couple times in the past to explain camera settings and exposure, etc.... Hopefully it will help.

The analogy that I use for the 3 main settings (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture) is this....

The aperture, designated by f/stop number, is similar to the pupil in your eye. The bigger the aperture/pupil, the more light comes in. The only thing that can be confusing is that lower f/stop numbers equate to bigger aperture openings. So f/22 is a really small opening that lets in only a tiny amount of light while f/2.8 is a really large aperture that lets in a lot of light. If you are shooting a scene in bright sunlight, then you can choose a small aperture setting (bigger f/stop number), because you have a lot of bright light to work with. If you are shooting a scene in dim light conditions, then you will probably need to set the f/stop to a low number so you'll have a big wide-open aperture to let in as much light as possible.

The other thing that aperture size will do for you, besides regulating the amount of light passing through the lens, is that it will vary the depth of field. Depth of field is the depth of what is in focus in your image. A tiny aperture opening will bring more things into focus. Things that are both near and far away, relative to whatever you focused the lens on when you take your shot can generally be more in focus with a smaller aperture. If you want to have a narrow depth of field so that only your subject is in focus while everything else is blurred out, then you need to use a larger aperture (low f/stop number).

Next we get to the 2nd setting: shutter speed. The shutter is similar to your eyelid. The longer it stays open, the more light it lets in. If it opens and shuts really fast, then only a small amount of light gets in. If you are in bright light, then you'll likely need to use a faster shutter speed. If you are in low light, then you'll probably need to use a slower shutter speed.

Shutter speed variations do something else as well. If you want to freeze fast-moving objects, like stopping the action in sports photography, then you need a fast shutter speed. But if you want to show the blurred action of moving objects, then you need the shutter to be open for a longer time in order to pick up all the movement that you are after.

The 3rd setting is ISO. A high ISO number (1600, 3200, 6400, etc...) is like your naked eye. It is very sensitive to light, and it picks up detail very easily. You may need to squint or open and shut your eyes really quickly when it is really bright.

A low ISO number is like your eye behind sunglasses. It makes your eye less sensitive to light, so you don't have to squint and you can leave your eyes open longer in bright light. But in dim light you may not be able to see very well, so you'd need to remove your sunglasses.

ISO also has another effect on the photo. Higher ISO numbers will make photos in low light situations brighter, but it comes with a price. Higher ISO settings cause the image to have more "noise" or grainy appearance.

Everything about choosing camera settings is a trade-off. You have 3 different settings that you could adjust to make an exposure brighter or darker, and each of the 3 have side-effects. Which side-effect do you want? Which one do you NOT want? Which one can you live with if you have to, even though you'd prefer not to have it?

I start with the side-effect that I want, and then I work from there. If I am shooting sports, then I definitely want to stop fast action. That means I must have a fast shutter speed. That costs me light, so if I am not shooting in bright sunlight then I have to open up my aperture and/or move to a higher ISO setting. I go to higher ISO as a last resort, because I want to minimize noise. But once you open up your aperture all the way, if you still need more light in order to get a good exposure with a fast shutter, then you have to start boosting ISO.

If I am shooting a portrait or something and I want only my subject to be in focus while everything in the background is blurred out, then I must shoot the shot with a large aperture (low f/stop). That lets in a lot of light, so if I have fairly bright light to begin with, then I will need to shoot a low ISO and/or a faster shutter speed to keep from over-exposing the shot.

There are always more than one combination of settings that will give you a proper exposure of light in a given situation. But the side-effects will vary, depending on which combination of settings you use. It's all about the trade-offs.....

[chongo]

Great stuff, Shane!


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[sierracharlie338]

Great write up there Shane. Good reminder for me


Sierracharlie out…