Prepping up my S2IS for the fireworks display

[500mL]

Hello everyone,

Advanced Happy 4th of July to all of you! Just wondering, is there anybody who can give me tips to get great fireworks shots using my S2 IS? I saw the "2005 DCRP Fireworks Photo Gallery" and it has some tips that I can follow. It mentioned that it's good to use a remote shutter, but I'm not sure if I can get one for my S2IS. But in any case, has anyone used their S2/S3 IS to take shots of the fireworks display and what setting should I have it under so I can just start snapping shots after shots.

Thanks!

-500mL-

[downtrodden]

I haven't tried fireworks shots yet, but i know where i would start... first would be to have a tripod. My guess would be a 1-2 second shutter speed at least.. maybe longer. it may help to use your self timer set to two seconds... this would all be of course, just my guess. Goodluck though!

[downtrodden]

PS. You may want to search flickr for fireworks photos.. find some you like and underneath the list of sets and polls the photo is in, on most photos pages you will see what kind of camera was used and under that a link that says more properties. click it and it will display the EXIF data. which will tell you the shutter speed used and aperture so you can get a more accurate view of where to start off.

Also, this is a great way for you to learn. if you see a photo you like you can check the EXIF to learn more about how the phoo was achieved. Exif will tell you what focal length was used, sometimes ISO, sometimes white balance and various other information. One thing though, it may tell if post processing was done, but it will not tell you what was done to it.

Hope that helps!

~Cory

[500mL]

I haven't tried fireworks shots yet, but i know where i would start... first would be to have a tripod. My guess would be a 1-2 second shutter speed at least.. maybe longer. it may help to use your self timer set to two seconds... this would all be of course, just my guess. Goodluck though!

Thanks Downtrodden!

Great, I'll just set up the camera that way beforehand. I'm assuming everything else also depend on the crowd and my viewing area (obstructions and such). I just have to worry about how to beat the crowd now :eek:

Also, thanks for the comments on my Flickr shots! :D

-500mL-

[BKKC]

I have been fairly successful with my S2 and fireworks, I havent uploaded those from the weekend yet you can check some of them here:
http://www.bigpointyteeth.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=7

If you like those, this is what I did: Aperature to f8 (you need it small to let in little light) Then the shutter speed I vary between 2 and 8 seconds usually. The longer it is open the more bursts you catch and honestly the busier it looks. And set focus to infinity manually.

You need a tripod, other then that remote shutter releases are not need, if you are worried about the camera moving while pressing the shutter you can use a 2 second timer but otherwise just be gentle and you should be fine.

This is all my non professional winging it opinion :)

[500mL]

I have been fairly successful with my S2 and fireworks, I havent uploaded those from the weekend yet you can check some of them here:
http://www.bigpointyteeth.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=7

If you like those, this is what I did: Aperature to f8 (you need it small to let in little light) Then the shutter speed I vary between 2 and 8 seconds usually. The longer it is open the more bursts you catch and honestly the busier it looks. And set focus to infinity manually.

You need a tripod, other then that remote shutter releases are not need, if you are worried about the camera moving while pressing the shutter you can use a 2 second timer but otherwise just be gentle and you should be fine.

This is all my non professional winging it opinion :)

BKKC,

Thanks for the tips! You have some awesome fireworks shots in your gallery. Just a couple of questions, what ISO were you on and how do I set my focus to infinity manually? I'm assuming it's that M button next to the Macro button? :o

-500mL-

[BKKC]

ISO 50 is what I used, actually I rarely switch off of it. I dint know if the photos would have turned out better on a different ISO setting, I never thought to vary it.

To get the focus to infinity hold down the button MF (right by the macro button like you said) and press until the white bar is all the way to the top. The aperture to f8 is the main thing, the shutter speed and everything else you can change for effect :)

[500mL]

ISO 50 is what I used, actually I rarely switch off of it. I dint know if the photos would have turned out better on a different ISO setting, I never thought to vary it.

To get the focus to infinity hold down the button MF (right by the macro button like you said) and press until the white bar is all the way to the top. The aperture to f8 is the main thing, the shutter speed and everything else you can change for effect :)

Ahh, good to know! I never really knew what "focus to infinity" mean. Thanks to you and Downtrodden for all the helpful tips. I appreciate it that a lot! :D I'll definitely put some shots up of what I come up with.

-500mL-

[Andrizzle]

Believe it or not, I was able to get some pretty decent fireworks shots free hand using the Fireworks preset mode under scenes on my S3. I always use the camera in manual mode, but we sort of stumbled upon the display so I flipped over to the scene selection mode and gave it a shot.

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/232/89/8622118/n8622118_37939227_4358.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/232/89/8622118/n8622118_37939230_5106.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/232/89/8622118/n8622118_37939237_6099.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/232/89/8622118/n8622118_37939244_6826.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/232/89/8622118/n8622118_37939229_4856.jpg

Like I said, I don't usually use the preset modes, but for hand held in a pinch, I was quite impressed.

[nap]

If you're going to use a tripod, turn off the Image Stabilization. If handheld, leave it on.

[truflip]

tripod
M mode. ISO80
F8, 2" shutter
soft push on shutter
and wait ;)

you can play with the shutter speeds i guess. Ive used only 1.6"-2" no more.
you might also want to set custom timer to 1" if you have trouble keeping the camera steady while pushing the shutter button.

You might also want to try the cameras Fireworks mode. Ive used it before and it works pretty good. It uses F8, 2" i think.

As for the IS, I cant comment on that. I prefer having it on just incase I slightly nudge the camera when im releasing the shutter i guess.

Most importantly, enjoy the beautiful fireworks! :D

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/91/242810104_7bfaa87f74.jpg

[nap]

Truflip is right on the IS. Well, it depends on the situation you are in when you are shooting. If you are sure that the camera is absolutely still, IS may work to your disadvantage. But in the real world (e.g. outdoors with wind blowing and you're taking subjects which you don't have control over), I think IS is beneficial to you.

For bigger fireworks, you may want to experiment with longer shutter speeds to be able to capture the whole "blast".



tripod
M mode. ISO80
F8, 2" shutter
soft push on shutter
and wait ;)

you can play with the shutter speeds i guess. Ive used only 1.6"-2" no more.
you might also want to set custom timer to 1" if you have trouble keeping the camera steady while pushing the shutter button.

You might also want to try the cameras Fireworks mode. Ive used it before and it works pretty good. It uses F8, 2" i think.

As for the IS, I cant comment on that. I prefer having it on just incase I slightly nudge the camera when im releasing the shutter i guess.

Most importantly, enjoy the beautiful fireworks! :D

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/91/242810104_7bfaa87f74.jpg

[RJF]

Try setting the cdamera to a 2 sec time release. That way your hands are off the camera.