BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

Photography Question 
- Jyan L. Crayton

Contact Jyan L. Crayton
Jyan L. Crayton's Gallery
 

Image problems/ lighting


I've been practicing in low light and focusing and some images still come out too dark or unsharp. Also shooting in low light inside reception halls & churches.

I have a rebel xt and use a 28-105.. 4.0 for the wide angle and a 50mm 1.8, still had some dark and unsharp images. I couldn't shoot at a higher speed without dark images and the lighting is so red.

Anyone with any advice. I have a rebel xt and was wonder if anyone used the fluorescent light (AWB feature) and does it block out the yellow/red lights in the recption halls and show up the white light from my flash

I use a canon 580 ex flash and sometimes still experience dark images at lowest f-stop and the lowest speed without hand held blurr.

Thanks


To love this question, log in above
December 03, 2006

 

Raymond H. Kemp
  I’m having a little difficulty understanding some of your questions, s bear with me if I’m not on the mark with my suggestions.

As far as your dark images are concerned, have you boosted your ISO setting to give you some more exposure range? Also are your images dark with flash or without?

Not sure what you mean by the fluorescent setting but I’m guessing your trying to shoot in an area with fluorescent lights and you need to white balance to the florescent lights. If your using flash as well, you will need to gel your flash with a green gel for florescent lighting. This will balance your flash so you will not get a white light sticking out from the ambient light produced from the fluorescent lights.

If your images are too warm from incandescent lighting, which is giving you the red results you are describing, set your white balance to a setting for incandescent lighting which will “cool” down your images. You may want to manually tune your WB to a specific Kelvin setting to get the desired results.

Hope this helps.

Ray


To love this comment, log in above
December 03, 2006

 
- Jyan L. Crayton

Contact Jyan L. Crayton
Jyan L. Crayton's Gallery
  I have problems with dark images im low light with my flash.

Also the lighting in the reception hall was extremely dim and trying to focus was hard, I did use my AF feature.

Some images was unsharp do to low speed.

I have a feature on my rebel xt in the white balance feature for flourescent light. I try it with out the gell filter.

I know a lot of photographers who shoot in these setting all the time and they don't use extra lighting or gels.

I'll have to find out what they use. and what settings/ lens they're using for low light events or off set lighting(fluorescent candle light etc.)

Thanks

Thanks


To love this comment, log in above
December 03, 2006

 

Raymond H. Kemp
  Well it sounds like we're back to an issue of ISO. What ISO speed are you using?

Ray


To love this comment, log in above
December 03, 2006

 

Jon Close
  The flash exposure system of the EOS digital SLRs is biased toward preventing a loss of detail in "blown" highlights. This allows more detail saved in the RAW images, but it also saves jpg images a bit darker than many users are used to or prefer. The usual "fix" for is to set Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) to +1/3 or +2/3. This can be set on the XT (active only in P, Av, Tv, and M exposure modes), or directly on the 580EX. Additionally, some prefer to set the camera's Custom Function 8 to "1", which changes the flash metering from Evaluative to Average. The Average metering is a bit less sensitive to bright highlights.

Re white balance, it's not possible to get a single setting that gets both the Flash and the ambient Tungsten or Fluorescent right. The flash (~6000°K) will be the primary light of your near subject, but it cannot light the whole scene, so the ambient background will be primarily lit by Tungsten (~3200°K) or Fluorescents (~4000°K) Usually it's best to set the WB for Flash so that the near subject has correct color balance.


To love this comment, log in above
December 04, 2006

 
- Jyan L. Crayton

Contact Jyan L. Crayton
Jyan L. Crayton's Gallery
  My ISO was set @ 800 since 400 was still dark, I put the flash to ETTL setting and shot @ primarily 60 - 50 shutter speed with 4.0-4.5 as aperture.

MY BALANCE WAS SET TO FLASH AND THE METERING SWITCHING BETWEEN CENTER METERING AND AND THE CAMERA EVALUATIVE SETTING. I'LL TRY TO SEND SOME IMAGES SO YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHTING.

iT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THIS NICE CAMERA AND CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE IMAGES I WANT. I SEE POINT ANT SHOOT CAMERAS GET BETTER COLOR EVEN IN SOME OF THES LIGHTING SITUATIONS, I KNOW IT'S ME AND NOT THE CAMERA.

THANKS


To love this comment, log in above
December 04, 2006

 

BetterPhoto Member
 
 
 
Jyan,

Working in low light is difficult for every photographer. There's a fine balance between longer shutter speeds (without getting movement), flash (without making it too bright or overwhelming in the scene), ISO setting (without getting too much noise), and aperture (getting what you want in focus).

Practice & play (experimenting) are great, and gaining knowledge through other photographers, courses, etc. will help you improve (hence our BP world!)

Good luck and happy shooting!


To love this comment, log in above
December 12, 2006

 

BetterPhoto Member
 
 
 
Jyan,

Working in low light is difficult for every photographer. There's a fine balance between longer shutter speeds (without getting movement), flash (without making it too bright or overwhelming in the scene), ISO setting (without getting too much noise), and aperture (getting what you want in focus).

Practice & play (experimenting) are great, and gaining knowledge through other photographers, courses, etc. will help you improve (hence our BP world!)

Good luck and happy shooting!


To love this comment, log in above
December 12, 2006

 
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here

Report this Thread