Nightshots with Canon A95 [Archive] - Digital Camera Resource Page Forums

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amka

01-31-2005, 06:55 PM

amka

02-01-2005, 11:57 AM

Can any one help me on this please?

Newbie

02-01-2005, 01:34 PM

what was wrong with your night shots ?

Did you used a longer shutter and a tripod ?

amka

02-01-2005, 04:32 PM

Thanks for ur reply...

I dint use the Tripod...but is their anything specific setting i need to change other than using nightshot mode?

Regards
amka

Newbie

02-01-2005, 05:35 PM

In order to use the night mode on your A95, you do not need to do anything, but you need to keep in mind that night mode means long shutter and thus either tripod(in the best case) or solid surface the camera can hold on to.

I have never used that mode on my camera, but remember that any long shutter shots you will hand held will look bad because u can't stay still for that long. Actually you probably can't hand hold a shot at 1/6 and in some cases, shutter speed as slow as 15 seconds will be needed.

And generally speaking the shutter speed you can hold should be 1/ the lens focus distance(in 35mm terms). So if you are at wide angle(38mm), you can go as slow as 1/38s, whereas if you are at full telephoto(114mm), then you should go faster to 1/114s.

amka

02-01-2005, 07:08 PM

So does it mean...i should be using the AUTO MODE for night shots too as i dont have a tripod?

pairojvej

02-01-2005, 08:38 PM

For night mode, you should use tripod for best result because your camera will set the shutter to longer speed.

Or set ISO at 400, use wide angle, change mode to Av, set f-stop at widest (lowest number).

At ISO400, your pictures will have a lot of noise. I use Noiseware to get rid of the noise in my pictures.

You could see my night photos (no tripod) at http://pairojvej.fotopic.net

Tonight (GMT+7), I will go to take pictures at a night fun park with my PowerShot G6 and hope to share my experience with you all soon.

Newbie

02-01-2005, 08:49 PM

No, you shouldn't use Auto Mode for night shots... The reasons I advise against are because Auto mode will set ISO to Auto, thus varying between 50 and 200, so it will surely choose 200, meaning an increase in noise. Also, because in Auto mode the longest shutter speed is 1 second which is not enough for most night shots.

For a night shot, I'd suggest you use either manual modes(Tv and M). Also, you should preferably set the ISO to 50 in order to keep the noise level as low as possible. All that would also imply using a tripod... and ultimatly use the 2second shutter delay so that there is absolutly no camera movement from pressing the shutter.

dru106

02-02-2005, 11:58 PM

You seriously need a tripod cuz i took night pics of my car and they are outstanding!!!!

Spending $20 on a tripod is a good investment :)

http://img161.exs.cx/img161/8615/img02694cr.jpg

http://img168.exs.cx/img168/1245/img02687vl.jpg

http://img180.exs.cx/img180/9858/img02735la.jpg

pairojvej

02-03-2005, 12:32 AM

Hi Amka

As promised, I already uploaded my photos at Coca-cola World Carnival Bangkok 2005 to http://pairojvej.fotopic.net

I used Canon Powershot G6, Night Scene Mode, additionally mounted flash Canon Speedlite 220EX, and tripod.

I insist a tripod is the must.

phoenix rising

02-04-2005, 04:16 PM

Hello, newbie to the digital world was curious to know if the A95 would take good underwater pics. Like that of your night pic's and in what mode would work well for that. Well be using a strobe.

EAP

02-04-2005, 08:26 PM

The A95 has an underwater scene mode.

amka

02-05-2005, 09:21 AM

pairojvej

02-06-2005, 12:16 AM

You are welcome.

--------------------------
http://pairojvej.fotopic.net

ReF

02-06-2005, 02:31 AM

Thanks Guys....

I would try to get some snaps in the night again using the tripod and may be using the the modes u specified and let u know if that worked..

I was afraid thinking..i commited a mistake by buying Canon A95 ...was very impressed with Day Photos and was equally depressed with the night ones...hope i get some good night shots too....

Thanks once again to all of u...and special thanks to pairojvej

don't worry so much. I have the a80 (model before the a95) i got some awsome night shots on that thing, especially in vegas. my most used setting was 15 secs, f8.0, 2 second self timer, M mode. though vegas is so well lit that i really only needed up to about 4-6secs. most of the time you don't need to turn on the flash. don't increase the ISO unless you have:
1. a scene with many points of light and no large flat surfaces. a scene like this will hide noise very well
2. good noise reduction software
3. no choice because you find yourself in a situation where you need to use as short a shutter speed as possible.

if you need more light you can use a larger aperture. you will need a tripod (or at least a steady surface) and you won't be disappointed with the results.

EAP

02-06-2005, 10:27 PM

my most used setting was 15 secs, f8.0, 2 second self timer, M mode.

Really? I experiemented taking some night shots with my A95 tonight (on a tripod, 2-sec delay, ISO 50) and I was pointing at a theatre brightly lit with neon. I was finding that anything more than 2 seconds was way overexposed, even at f8. None of those shots came out the way I wanted, so I didn't keep any of them, and don't have a sample to show. I obviously was doing something wrong, but 15 seconds seems like a very long time for bright lights like neon or Las Vegas. No? Yes?

ReF

02-07-2005, 01:22 AM

Really? I experiemented taking some night shots with my A95 tonight (on a tripod, 2-sec delay, ISO 50) and I was pointing at a theatre brightly lit with neon. I was finding that anything more than 2 seconds was way overexposed, even at f8. None of those shots came out the way I wanted, so I didn't keep any of them, and don't have a sample to show. I obviously was doing something wrong, but 15 seconds seems like a very long time for bright lights like neon or Las Vegas. No? Yes?

here's my quote:
my most used setting was 15 secs, f8.0, 2 second self timer, M mode. THOUGH vegas is so well lit that i really only needed UP TO about 4-6secs.

Most used, but not the setting for everything. it's also very important to note the F8 setting. this setting works well for dim settings like nightime cityscapes. what i meant by "vegas is so well lit that i really only needed UP TO about 4-6secs" is that you don't need to use that long of a setting in brightly lit night scenes. i also noticed that you said "brightly lit with neon" well, that's like pointing the camera at a bright neon lit building typically found in vegas, so no, you won't need a very long exposure. sorry if there was confusion. of course, the great part about digital is that it is totally free to experiment. once you get reasonally familiar with taking night scenes with a certain camera you'll know which settings to use (or at least get close) by just looking at the brightness of the scene.

Newbie

02-07-2005, 06:41 AM

Remember that the LCD is your friend, use the review mode on the spot and check if the shot was overexposed or not... or you could also just shoot the same picture with many different settings and check at home which ones look the best.

I've never been to Vegas, but I imagine it is pretty bright cuz of all the lights, just keep on trying, its the best way to learn!

pairojvej

02-07-2005, 07:35 PM

I agree with Newbie suggestion (I've never been to Vegas also).

Using LCD to check your result, you can try any combination of shutter speed, aperture, and flash before you take your memory moments.

I believe you do not go to Vegas every weekend :) so bring enough memory card and spare battery with you and you will not miss anything.

Last year I thought one SanDisk 512MB CF was enought but I found I was wrong during my new year party. Now I have SanDisk 1GB CF in my G6 and let 512MB is a spare.

Taking pictures as much as you can and you will not miss any of your memory moment.

http://pairojvej.fotopic.net

gary_hendricks

02-08-2005, 07:33 AM

I purchased the CANON A95...was satisfied with the day pictures....but was equally disappointed with the Night Shots..can anyone let me know if there is actual problem with the nightshot in A95 or if we have to do some setting for the same...

Can anyone please help me with the best setting for a nightshot..imagine i have to take snaps at TIME SQUARE or may be in LAS VEGAS..

I would appreciate your advice

The A95 is a good camera for night shots. I insist on a tripod - it's almost a given in any night photography situation. That's simply because the long shutter speeds required will expose your camera to camera shake from your hands. :(

And I agree that ISO should be kept to a minimum to prevent noise.

EAP

02-08-2005, 03:00 PM

here's my quote:
my most used setting was 15 secs, f8.0, 2 second self timer, M mode. THOUGH vegas is so well lit that i really only needed UP TO about 4-6secs.

Most used, but not the setting for everything. it's also very important to note the F8 setting. this setting works well for dim settings like nightime cityscapes. what i meant by "vegas is so well lit that i really only needed UP TO about 4-6secs" is that you don't need to use that long of a setting in brightly lit night scenes. i also noticed that you said "brightly lit with neon" well, that's like pointing the camera at a bright neon lit building typically found in vegas, so no, you won't need a very long exposure. sorry if there was confusion. of course, the great part about digital is that it is totally free to experiment. once you get reasonally familiar with taking night scenes with a certain camera you'll know which settings to use (or at least get close) by just looking at the brightness of the scene.

Thanks, ReF! Sorry to misquote you. I'm just learning how to do night shots, indeed, how to use manual settings at all, so these detailed exposure details are quite helpful to me.