Help out a beginner photographer.. Dark ride shots

FreddyMercury · Mar 25, 2015

There was talk of a thread on here somewhere about shots on dark rides.. But I couldn't find it so I will just post my own..

I'm fairly new to the photography world. My girlfriend and I are ex Disney Cast Members, and I love taking photos of our trips. The parks are so gorgeous and well themed, and they offer themselves up to some beautiful shots. However, I have trouble taking photos on virtually any indoor attraction. My photos always come out blurry or too dark. Anybody have any tips on how to get clean, clear shots on the indoor rides? Pirates, Spaceship Earth, etc… We have a Canon Rebel T3i and an 18-55 mm lens.

mom2rtk · Mar 25, 2015

What have you tried so far?

There are some brighter dark rides you might be able to get some shots on with that lens. But for most dark ride photography, you need a faster lens, one with a wider aperture than the kit lens offers.

With what you have, I would put your ISO at 3200, shoot at 18mm only (since it's a variable aperture lens, it is widest at 18mm), and go aperture priority at the widest aperture (I think it's 3.5 on that lens?) That may or may not get you a few shots.

Which rides are you most interested in?

havoc315 · Mar 25, 2015

FreddyMercury said:
There was talk of a thread on here somewhere about shots on dark rides.. But I couldn't find it so I will just post my own..

I'm fairly new to the photography world. My girlfriend and I are ex Disney Cast Members, and I love taking photos of our trips. The parks are so gorgeous and well themed, and they offer themselves up to some beautiful shots. However, I have trouble taking photos on virtually any indoor attraction. My photos always come out blurry or too dark. Anybody have any tips on how to get clean, clear shots on the indoor rides? Pirates, Spaceship Earth, etc… We have a Canon Rebel T3i and an 18-55 mm lens.

That lens won't do it. While most types of photography can be achieved with almost any camera, based on the skill of the photographer.. Dark rides do have technical requirements. Your camera body is sufficient, if you use a fast lens ---
By fast lens, I mean a lens with a wide aperture. You need a lens with a 1.4 or 1.8 aperture. The cheapest option is the Canon 50/1.8, "nifty fifty." It will be capable of taking dark ride shots, though you might find it is not wide enough. Though more expensive, a 35mm lens is a better choice. (Though you will get some good shots with the 50/1.8).

Once you have the right lens, it's a matter of knowing how to manually set exposure on your camera. Setting the ISO to the highest acceptable setting (I think 3200 or 6400 on the T3i), making sure you have adequate shutter speed (betwee 1/80 to 1/125 for a moving dark ride), and open up the aperture of the lens.

havoc315 · Mar 25, 2015

Pretty typical example... Pirates of the Caribbean:

Pirates of the Caribbean by Havoc315, on Flickr

Shot at ISO 6400, with aperture of 1.8 and shutter speed of 1/60.

bob100 · Mar 26, 2015

FreddyMercury said:
There was talk of a thread on here somewhere about shots on dark rides.. But I couldn't find it so I will just post my own..

I'm fairly new to the photography world. My girlfriend and I are ex Disney Cast Members, and I love taking photos of our trips. The parks are so gorgeous and well themed, and they offer themselves up to some beautiful shots. However, I have trouble taking photos on virtually any indoor attraction. My photos always come out blurry or too dark. Anybody have any tips on how to get clean, clear shots on the indoor rides? Pirates, Spaceship Earth, etc… We have a Canon Rebel T3i and an 18-55 mm lens.

like others have indicated, you're going to have problems with indoor dark rides and the 18-55IS because it doesn't have a large aperture (to let more light in). But the good news is for only around $60 (used) you can get a 50mm 1.8 which has a larger aperture. or spend a little more and get the Sigma 30mm 1.4 non-art (used) and it lets even more light in! or a Canon 40mm, 24mm, etc.
If you get one of these large aperture primes you will need to practice if you're not familiar with the camera's settings and getting a proper exposure

Canon 60D (almost the same as your T3i)
Canon 50mm 1.8 MKII
f2
1/160
ISO 6400

fritodenny · Mar 28, 2015

Just to compare with Havoc315's photo, I took this with a Nikon D5200 and a Sigma 18-250 mm lens. Its obviously not the right lens for the job.

ISO 6400, f/3.5, 1/30 sec, 18mm

Mine looks like complete crap compared to his. This shot is also untouched. Maybe I could do something with it since I have the raw photo too.

mom2rtk · Mar 28, 2015

OP, if you want to shoot at 3200 or 6400 ISO (probably necessary to have a hope at anything with a kit lens) you might want to consider shooting in RAW and using noise reduction software.

Do you do any post processing on your photos?

I shot with a T2i for a long time (same sensor at the T3i I believe) and was happy with shots at 3200 but not 6400. But even then, I was only happy after applying some noise reduction.

sharona · Mar 28, 2015

Not to hijack but.. I've never really taken any "during the ride" shots before. I may give it a try next trip. My options are 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.8, or 17-70mm 2.8. Shooting with a 5100.

ETA could also try with my 11-16mm 2.8 but not sure if that will be too wide..

havoc315 · Mar 28, 2015

fritodenny said:
Just to compare with Havoc315's photo, I took this with a Nikon D5200 and a Sigma 18-250 mm lens. Its obviously not the right lens for the job.

ISO 6400, f/3.5, 1/30 sec, 18mm

Mine looks like complete crap compared to his. This shot is also untouched. Maybe I could do something with it since I have the raw photo too.

That's actually pretty good. Just needs white balance adjustment. But to get it, you had to be zoomed all the way out so you could use the 3.5 aperture. And you got it while the ride was moving slow so you could use 1/30. In other words, if the ride was moving any faster or your hands were any less steady, you wouldn't have gotten it. Had it been any darker, you wouldn't have gotten it.

But you did get it -- nice job.

Hockeyman · Apr 2, 2015

A few i've done over the years. Lately I have been using manual focus and with my Sony having focus peaking it helps to get off more shots. Before manual i would fight AF to lock on and miss a lot of shots.

While ride was moving
1/25th, f/1.8, ISO 3200, Sony A55, Sony 35mm f/1.8

Hitch Hiking Ghosts by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

This one was cheating since it was during a ride stoppage
1/8th, f/1.8 ISO, 1600, Sony A55, Sony 35mm f/1.8

Haunted Bride by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

This ride moves a little quick for a dark ride
1/80th, F/1.4, ISO 3200, Sony A99, Sigma 50mm f/1.4

ET Phones a Friend by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

1/250, f/1.4, ISO 6400, Sony A99

Enchantment Under the Sea Dance by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Probably the one im most proud of so far.
1/25, f/1.4, ISO 8000, Sony A99, Sigma 50 f/1.4

Peter Pan (Explored 3-5-14) by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

fractal · Apr 2, 2015

A few other tips besides type of lens, setting,etc..

Make yourself as stable as possible. Spread your feet and make sure they are firmly planted while you are seated.

Make the camera as stable as possible - If you are holding the camera, try to keep your elbows tucked in and secure ( make the camera part of you ).

Watch your breathing. I try to take a breath in, breath fully out and then push the shutter.

Some people use their camera bags as support for the camera. Seems like a good idea but I'm afraid of losing control over the focus, etc if it's on my lap.

You may also want set the shutter to take multiple shots in a row to give you a better chance of nailing at least one.

And finally, the MOST important dark ride tip - Never, ever, use flash!

sharona · Apr 2, 2015

Which would be better, 35mm or 50mm? both are 1.8

havoc315 · Apr 2, 2015

sharona said:
Which would be better, 35mm or 50mm? both are 1.8

Personal preference. Though if you are using on a crop body, most shooters will prefer the 35. The 50 becomes 75 equivalent, which could get too tight in dark rides. 35mm will give you a similar perspective as you get with your eyes.

sharona · Apr 2, 2015

havoc315 said:
Personal preference. Though if you are using on a crop body, most shooters will prefer the 35. The 50 becomes 75 equivalent, which could get too tight in dark rides. 35mm will give you a similar perspective as you get with your eyes.

Yes on a crop. 35 it is!

sharona · May 4, 2015

I gave it a shot but didn't end up bringing my 35mm with me on vacation. I took this with my Sigma 17-70 at 26mm, f/3.2, 1/60, ISO 3200. It's the only one that I think came out decent, the others were either blurry or way off composition wise. The woman in the clamshell in front of us was using her p&s with flash so that ruined a few of my other attempts. I'm sure her pictures came out just wonderful :rolleyes:

.

zackiedawg · May 4, 2015

Little Mermaid is actually not too bad for slower lenses - there's enough light to work with - I've shot that ride with a fairly slow F4 lens before because I really wanted to try an ultrawide lens in a ride, and still got decent results, just cranking up the ISO to counter it. In fact, looking at Sharona's shot above, it's actually borderline overexposed with some burned highlights in some spots, so it could have been shot a stop or so lower. But once you get to Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Pan, etc - the low light lenses really have to come out to get better shots, at least F1.8. I too would agree with the 35mm focal being favored on a crop body, as the 50mm is often just a little too long.

havoc315 · May 4, 2015

sharona said:
I gave it a shot but didn't end up bringing my 35mm with me on vacation. I took this with my Sigma 17-70 at 26mm, f/3.2, 1/60, ISO 3200. It's the only one that I think came out decent, the others were either blurry or way off composition wise. The woman in the clamshell in front of us was using her p&s with flash so that ruined a few of my other attempts. I'm sure her pictures came out just wonderful .

View attachment 92774

Nice composition, I agree with Zackiedawg that it is a bit overexposed, but that's hard when you are pushing the ISO-DR limits of your camera. I'm pretty sure that on the D5100, there is a pretty steep drop off in quality in that ballpark.
With a faster lens, you could have boosted your shutter speed to around 1/80, further cutting off any chance of blur.. while also reducing your ISO to 1600, for more dynamic range and cleaner shots.

sharona · May 4, 2015

Hmmm I may have gone a little too far with the exposure slider and when I converted from raw... I'll have to try a re-edit. Thanks for the input.

boBQuincy · May 4, 2015

Something you might try is spot metering. With average or multi metering the large expanse of dark areas can throw the meter off and result in overexposure of the lit areas that we want. I used this for the photos in this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/haunted-mansion-with-micro-4-3.3406187/

Help out a beginner photographer.. Dark ride shots

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