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View Full Version : Photographing Christmas lights w/ S3

GravyTrain
12-03-2007, 07:42 AM
I wanted to try my hand at photographing Christmas lights with my S3. What settings work best? night scene? any tips will help. thanks.
toriaj
12-03-2007, 12:45 PM
The #1 thing you need? A tripod!

After that? Do you use the manual controls on your camera? If so, start with a long shutter speed, maybe experiment with f/5.6 aperture and 1/20 sec. shutter speed and just see where that gets you (aren't LCD screens wonderful?) Adjust from there. There's no need to bump your ISO since you have a tripod. If you don't know how to use the manual controls, you could try the Night Scene setting ... but you'd be better off to learn the manual controls. :D
GravyTrain
12-03-2007, 01:14 PM
The #1 thing you need? A tripod!

After that? Do you use the manual controls on your camera? If so, start with a long shutter speed, maybe experiment with f/5.6 aperture and 1/20 sec. shutter speed and just see where that gets you (aren't LCD screens wonderful?) Adjust from there. There's no need to bump your ISO since you have a tripod. If you don't know how to use the manual controls, you could try the Night Scene setting ... but you'd be better off to learn the manual controls. :D

thanks for the reply. yeah, i have a tripod and i know how to use manual also(although i seem to use the program mode most of the time). thanks for the tip. i had planned on trying several different settings so this is a good place to start.
JTL
12-03-2007, 03:26 PM
And then, there's this...

A JTL Christmas
http://JTL.smugmug.com/photos/65251407-L.jpg

4 sec. exposure at f/2.8, swirling the camera around in front of the tree.
Paul79UF
12-04-2007, 06:27 AM
Very cool picture JTL. :)

GravyTrain - I'd keep the ISO at 80 or 100 and use a tripod with a long shutter speed to get a nice mostly noise free exposure. Hopefully there won't be a lot of people walking in front of the house.
danidabi
12-04-2007, 01:51 PM
Pics taken in this thread http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=269103#post269103 were taken using ISO 100 and a shutter speed ranging from 0.6 - 2secs.

Tripod is essential, plus set your timer to reduce the camera shake even further:)

Good luck