 Joe Terni |
Digital Cameras and Low Light I have used only film. I tend to shoot a lot of shots with minimal light (i.e., a quarter of an hour before actual sunrise and also past sunset) - big-scene shots so I don't use flash. How do digital cameras perform in the twilight zone? What should I look out for, as I am thinking of buying a digital camera, but am not throwing out the old camera just yet. Of course, I take many other shots with normal light, but I do enjoy the subtle colours of pre-dawn and post-sunset. Thanks.
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Fedor G. Pikus |
How long of an exposure do you want to have? Some digital cameras, notably the Canon 10D, have very low noise, even at a fairly high ISO speed (you can go up to 800 if you process the image with some tool like NeatImage or Noise Ninja later). Even 1600 is usable, although noticeably noisy. However, for very long exposures (several minutes and more) you have to deal with another problem, the heat glow: the amplifier circuit will heat the sensor from one side and result in a reddish glow that creeps from the edge of the frame as you increase the exposure. It's less of a problem in cold weather, for obvious reasons.
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Joe Terni |
Thanks, Fedor. I should have been more specific. I am not really looking at the long exposure shots (but the info you gave will be beneficial for me as well as I will be doing some longer exposure shots in the future). What I am trying to ask is how do the digitals perform say at the limit of hand-held film cameras - say, at 1/60th sec with ASA film of 200 or 400? I tend to take a lot of just pre- dawn shots at that setting or until the sun is above the horizon where I have more light. I try and avoid a tripod and wait till I have enough light, albeit minimal. Please forgive me if I am asking a seemingly basic question, but I really know nothing at all about digitals. Thanks for that info on the longer exposures with digitals.
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Fedor G. Pikus |
As far as hand-holding, it's the same as for film cameras, as long as the body is comfortable for you. So what you are really asking is, how usable is ISO 400 on a digital camera? That depends on the camera very much, since noise levels vary greatly. When you read reviews of cameras, noise is what you should be looking for to evaluate camera's fitness for your needs. The Canon 10D and Digital Rebel both have low noise, as well as the new Nikon D70, which competes with the Digital Rebel.
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Joe Terni |
Fedor,thats exactly the info I wanted to know...terrific.So I must aim for a digital with low noise.Usually the photos I take here (In Australia, during summer and autumn), 80% are during that pre-dawn limited light period (from about 20 mins. pre-dawn up to dawn),I am just fascinated with the subtle colours of rivers,sky,clouds etc at that time of day.So it is important for me to buy a digital camera with that firmly in mind.I will check out your suggestions on camera`s,and try and match in a lens to suit as well,with the low noise digital.(I still use my trusty{well semi trusty anyhow!} Canon FTB).Thanks Fedor,you have given me the most important thing to look out for and I will let you know what I decide on....Joe
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Joe |
The general rule for hand holding is 1 over the 35mm equivalence of the focal length of the lens. "Film" speed is not a factor. For example: Typically the slowest shutter speed acceptable for hand-held use for a 60mm lens would be 1/60. However, depending on the camera and person, you can go to much slower shutter speeds. I have taken 2-plus-second hand-held exposures with a 135mm lens on my SLR, but for my lightweight digital, I am almost limited to the rule. You will need to do some experimentation too to figure out the best way to hold and brace the camera, as well as the maximum time for each part of the zoom range.
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- Greg McCroskery Contact Greg McCroskery Greg McCroskery's Gallery |
Joe, I think you will discover that quality digital cameras excel in capturing low light images. As stated above, hand holding for low light shots is just as much a problem for digital as for film cameras. My advice is to use a tripod and shoot at lower ISO's to get cleaner, sharper images. I shoot with a tripod most of the time - regardless of the light - because I don't want to enlarge a good image only to find that it is slightly blurred due to camera movement. As far as low-light image quality, I have a couple of midnight thunderstorm images posted to my gallery (captured with my Olympus E-20) that were 30-sec exposures - my camera actually recorded colors that I don't believe film would have. If you enjoy low light photography, you'll love digital.
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Joe |
Thanks, Greg, I have and still do take a fair amount of low-light pictures. I have tripods, but many times do not have one along when a good opportunity arises. The mass of my film SLR was such that it allowed for 2-or-more-second hand-held exposures. I have found that point and shoot cameras need to follow the rule I mentioned above because they tend to be lightweight. In fact, the pressure of pushing the button is enough to jiggle the camera. I have an 11X14 photo on my wall that was taken at night without a tripod. It is very clear. Camera mass has its benefits. :-) One reason the digital will work better is the white balance feature. I have been able to get much more accurate colors in low light using digital. In low light I usually like using the appropriate settings instead of auto.
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Bob Cammarata |
Joe, I'm impressed by your ability to hand-hold to 2 seconds! I have never been comfortable with long exposures without support. Care to share any secrets?
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Fedor G. Pikus |
Wow, the only lens I can hand-hold over 1 second is the Canon 70-200 L IS, and that's only because the IS on this lens is amazing.
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Joe |
I have been able to do it with my K1000, but that is because it is heavy. Just hold your breath, relax and slowly squeeze the shutter. Do not move until you can see through the lens again. Leaning against something helps too. I have not been able to be anywhere near as steady with my digital camera.
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Joe Terni |
Many thanks to Fedor, Joe, Greg and Bob for giving me the info on my question. So I should get just as good or even better results with a low-noise digital. And the digital still has the same constraints as a film camera when hand-held at less than 1/60th sec. (I seem to remember taking about a sec exposure, but leaning up against the car for support with the old Canon FTB). Yes, I should get myself a tripod and use a lower setting. I know which way to head now in finding an appropriate digital for my early-morning twilight shots, and post-sunset shots. Thanks again to you all, and in a couple of months I hope to be posting photos on BP, taken with my first digital.
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photosbysharon.com - Sharon E. Lowe Contact Sharon E. Lowe Sharon E. Lowe's Gallery |
Joe - I just saw this thread in the newsletter and wanted to add my 2 cents. Digital is fine for night and low light shots - my D60 performs very well, and I do lots of reasonably long night exposures with it. It is also great at twilight, and because you can process RAW images with varying exposures in PS, you don't always have to have a graduated ND filter if you have big contrast between sky and foreground. I am not as happy with the digital for some sunrises/sunsets, however. I have some incredible sunrises/sunsets I did with film - Kodak Ektachrome 100VS and Fuji Velvia 50. My digital ones can be disappointing when the sun is in the image - the sun tends to become a big white ball rather than what the scene shows.
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Joe |
Hi Sharon. Film does have a greater range than digital, and I do believe film will work better for sunsets. I have a lot of good sunset photos with film but have yet to get it down with digital. One thing that my Kodak DX6490 does that makes it better than my K1000 for most low light shots is that the EVF and LCD are not only brighter than my K1000 screen, but also brighter than what can be seen with the naked eye!
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Joe Terni |
Thanks for your reply, Sharon. I have just looked at your Member Gallery and have little doubt now about the ability of digitals in low light or night shots (you have some wonderful shots there). So with the comments of the other members and yourself, I now feel confident to move over to digital for my early morning shots.
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