Help with getting good night shots About This Page:

[DisneyLuv]

So I was wondering if you guys could help with a problem I'm having. I can't seem to get good night shots no matter what I try. I have a Kodak EasyShare Z1275 (12MP). I get great shots during the day (attached a sample), but I'm having a hard time getting clear shots at night. I've tried the auto setting and the manual setting (on night landscape) and with the ISO set to high. Still not getting good results and the shots come out very dark (pic is supposed to be a fountain ). I would like to get some good night shots when we go to WDW in Dec. Does anyone have any tips??? Thanks!!!

[Tonichelle]

long shutter speeds two to three seconds... requires a tripod...

and a lot of the time you have to just keep shooting and trying and learning.

[LizardCop]

I have that same camera, it is one of my pocket cameras. I bought it at WDW when my Canon A640 jammed on me in December, 2007. It's a nice camera, capable of taking some great pictures. The key to good night time shots is STEADY CAMERA. The first page of this album was taken with the Z1275 on the first day I bought it, straight out of the box. Some night shots used flash, many didn't. The camera was set to P mode and I let the camera set the exposure. I used benchs, garbage cans, light poles, anything I could find to steady the camera. On static display night shots without flash, I would use the delayed timer with the camera resting on something, usually the 2 second delay. That would allow me to set the picture up, press the button, and get my hands away from the camera so it could take a steady picture.

The only advice I can offer right now is to get out and shoot night shots around where you live, the neighborhood, downtown, anywhere to practice, practice, and more practice...

If you have specific questions, you can PM or e-mail me and I'll help as I can...

[chezp]

I'm with Bill on this - find something you can put the camera on, such as a fence post, and then the shots won't wobble and you'll be able to get much better night time photos.

[mommadjones]

Any suggestions on a tripod that won't take up a ton of space? Something collapsible perhaps? That only take sup a few inches in each direction. I'm sure most travelers don't want to lug around all sorts of equipment or have a bunch of stuff to lug around already and don't want an extra item. Thanks

[LizardCop]

They make a variety of table-top type tripods, otherwise I don't know of any "small" ones. If I feel like a need something, I have a walking stick/monopod with extendable legs on the bottom, but I still make sure I have it up against something for extra sturdiness.

By learning to make your body a "tripod", gently pressing the button, and using the cameras internal IS (if you have it) you can take photos at shutter speeds of 1/30 second and above, but it takes lots of practice.

[jimmymac]

Circuit City has nice small collapsable tripods for less than $20

[DisneyLuv]

Thanks so much for all the tips and advice! LizardCop your pics are so great. Now that I know this camera can take such great night shots (and that it is just me and not the camera ), I guess the thing for me to do is to practice (as you stated!). I'm gonna try some with the camera set to P and also without the flash (didn't know you could get shots when it's dark without using the flash). Will let you know the results.

[LizardCop]

Originally Posted by DisneyLuv

I'm gonna try some with the camera set to P and also without the flash (didn't know you could get shots when it's dark without using the flash). Will let you know the results.

Just remember that without the flash, your exposure times could be 1/2 to 8 seconds, so make sure the camera is properly steadied/braced.

Play a lot, try many different things and see how the camera responds. Use the P mode and go manual. The more you play, the more comfortable you'll become and the better you will understand the limitations of both you and the camera. It's really fun!!!

[Dave Marx]

Originally Posted by mommadjones

Any suggestions on a tripod that won't take up a ton of space? Something collapsible perhaps? That only take sup a few inches in each direction. I'm sure most travelers don't want to lug around all sorts of equipment or have a bunch of stuff to lug around already and don't want an extra item. Thanks

A tripod will always offer trade-offs. There are plenty of tabletop tripods around that meet your description, but they're only good up to a point - you need to be able to rest them on something that's up off the ground. Further, unless you have a remote shutter release or use the self-timer, the table top tripods are so lightweight that pressing the shutter is likely to induce a bit of camera shake.

A typical full-size tripod for smaller cameras (like most DSLRs or point-and-shoots) may be about two feet long and a few inches in diameter when folded, and weighs about two pounds. They often have lever-locks on the legs - two levers on each of the legs - flip them one way to extend/retract the legs, flip them the other way to lock them in place. It may take 15 seconds to set up the tripod. One of my tripods came with a nylon bag with a shoulder strap - it's only a slight bother to carry around, and if you happen to be pushing a stroller, it'll hang from the handle bars.

Is a tripod a bother to carry and set up? That's pretty much a matter of the kind of results you want. There are a whole bunch of photos in our books that simply would not have been publication quality without a tripod. I've taken way more night shots without tripods (braced against light posts, resting on walls and fences, etc.,) than with tripods, but very few of the non-tripod shots have ever found their way into the books or onto the web site.

If you want a tripod that will support the camera at something approaching eye level without resting it on something else, there's no avoiding carrying something about 2 feet long and a few inches in diameter when folded, weighing 2-3 pounds. I have three tripods fitting that description. One is about 25 years old by now. It's very rigid, extends to greater height than the other two, and has certain features that make it especially good for macro work (I can even invert the center post to hang the camera underneath the apex of the tripod, which makes it useful as a copy stand). It's also heavier and bulkier than the other two, and I've found it's a bit more tripod than I need to carry under most circumstances. We bought the other two more recently. Both are reasonably lightweight and were fairly inexpensive, but still sturdy enough for travel photography. One "lives" in our Owner's Locker down in Orlando.

A monopod will be as long, but not as heavy or big around as a tripod. One of the problems with a monopod is that the photographer becomes the "tripod's" other two legs - you can reduce some shake, but usually not all shake - you may lose the up-and-down shake, but not the side to side shake. I've found monopods to be handy for steadying video cameras during daylight events. They can get rid of the worst jitter you get anytime you hand-hold a camcorder, and are a real help for long shoots (like parades, shows, and speeches). Still, there's no substitute on one of those extended shoots to putting the camera on a tripod, turning it on, and letting it run. If you don't have to pan or zoom, you can just put your hands in your pockets and enjoy the show - you won't even have to peer through the viewfinder once the shot has been framed.

I've found that, for me, carrying anything less than a full tripod is a compromise that rarely pays off. Essentially, no pain, no gain.