Camera question?

[ajwolfe]

Does anyone have any tips for getting a camera to take good night shots of lights? We are going to be there for the first time for Christmas and know we are going to want to take lots of pictures of the lights. Our camera takes awesome night shots, but it blurs the christmas lights for some reason. I've messed with the iso speed, turned the flash off completely, etc and haven't had any luck getting it to do better. If it helps anyone, I have a Kodak Easyshare. Has anyone had luck with a disposable taking good pictures like this? I hate to buy a new camera just for this purpose when ours is less than a year old.

Thanks so much for the help!!

 

[Technosavant]

A quick photography primer first...

It blurs the lights because the shutter has to stay open for a longer time. The longer the shutter is open, the more noticeable movement (be it movement of the subject or movement of the camera itself) becomes.

Look at it like a math equation. It takes X amount of light to register on the CMOS sensor (digital camera) or film (film camera). Increasing the ISO means it takes less light (it is "faster") but the tradeoff is increased noise (for digital- the blacks aren't black, they're kind of mottled) or graininess (film).

In order to get that amount of light (that X amount), the variables are the time the shutter is open (S) or the width of the camera aperture (A). In short, S x A = X.

Your camera likely is fully automatic in both the aperture and the shutter speed, so these variables are just flat out of your control- the camera picks the aperture and shutter speed and goes with it. Even if you had the ability to tweak those settings, you're still up a creek- most cameras won't take decent firework shots while handheld.


The problem is that you can't hold the camera steady enough. Even the slightest movement will blur the picture. You will need a tripod or some other stable surface. You can try resting the camera on something, but you're going to have a hard time keeping it properly aimed without very slightly moving the camera.

 

[noahdove]

I want the tip for the lights too My camera for whatever the reason took the pictures at night but only a few turned out..no matter what I did to set the framing they didn't turn out..can't wait to see what the answers will be..

 

[Technosavant]

About the only thing you can do is set it up on a tripod and rig it for whatever preset mode the camera manufacturer has for night/fireworks shooting. With a more advanced camera (like a SLR), you can set it up on "bulb" mode, where it will hold the shutter open as long as you choose.

If you want to snap shots from a handheld position, you are going to mostly be out of luck. You might get a decent shot or two, but you're far more likely to end up with shots that are too blurry or too dark to be any good.

 

[Brad M]

If you don't have a tripod handy to keep the camera steady, at least find a post or rail to hold the camera against. I've taken a lot of low-light pictures this way with some success. Concentrate on holding the camera steady. It's not ideal but better than free-hand.

This shot was taken in very low light by bracing my camera on a rail.
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/showphoto.php/photo/36631/sort/3/cat/500/page/1

One more important thing... Practice BEFORE your vacation. The last thing you want is to be stressed out about whether you're doing it right when taking pictures, then find out later you weren't.