Camera settings for dark rides/restaurants

[Carolynleanne]

Hi all,

I love to take pictures and I have a fairly nice camera with several lenses. I know how to use most of the settings, but I struggle getting nice pictures in the dark and I know using the flash is a NO GO.

Can anyone fill me in on the best camera settings for my dinner at Blue Bayou and other dark rides?

Please and thank you

 

[StarWarsJez]

It's very difficult to get good shots on dark rides as you have said.

My advise would be to set your camera to aperture priority and then have that at the lowest you can (eg. 1.4) and then set your film speed to the max possible for the camera (>1000). Your lens needs to be the widest possible to let as much light in (so don't zoom in) and try to keep the camera as stable as you can (hard as you're on a ride I know!)

 

[Phoenixrising]

I've got a poor man's SLR, and without a flash it can be tricky, especially if you want to use your zoom. I've done this many times in DL, and you really have to keep your camera still to get good shots. It's hard to do, but I've found that locking both my elbows while holding the camera does help alot, especially when using my zoom. But if you are using your zoom without a flash, don't push it to the max, as the picture quality can suffer. Be aware that there are more chances that you will be getting some blurry shots without the flash. I usually look at the shot I've taken without the flash, and if I don't like it, immediately take another one that's clearer. I've gotten some really nice pics in HM without my flash, so it can be done, so long as you are aware that you have to really keep your camera still in order to get good pics without it. Hope this helps.

 

[Mouseketeers4]

You need to use a lens with a larger aperture. Do you have one with a maximum of 1.4, 1.8, or even 2.8? Also, are your lenses fixed or variable aperture? If they're variable your aperture is going to get smaller as you zoom in, letting in less light. As far as other settings, increasing your ISO and decreasing your shutter speed will also help in low light situations.

 

[PacoDF]

Inside dark rides is very difficult to get good shots. I did quit trying. Isn't worth it IMHO. For me, it's better to keep my hands free and enjoy the ride than struggle to try to get a decent shot.

At dinner your chances are better (nothing is moving ).

You may consider having a tripod or even a gorilla pod tripod for use during low light situations. The gorilla is a small and flexible tripod that can be placed over a table or a chair. A tripod can allow you to use larger exposure times without shaking the camera (the people in front of the camera shoud keep still anyways! haha!)

 

[DahliaRW]

Inside dark rides is very difficult to get good shots. I did quit trying. Isn't worth it IMHO. For me, it's better to keep my hands free and enjoy the ride than struggle to try to get a decent shot.

I totally agree. Don't experience the park through the lens of your camera. You miss so much on those rides if you do! Plus, it is infinitely annoying when the person in front of you has a huge camera held up during the whole ride, blocking your view. Go to the shops and buy some post cards of shots inside some of the dark rides.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I usually try to set my asa/iso to the highest setting possible, I like to use 3200 or 6400, widest aperature that I can get with no zoom and 1/60 sec for handheld....just a start, then I correct for the way I want to see the photo. The lower the F stop, (more open) the depth of field decreases.

Petersons book om exposure is very good reading...

Good luck,

Jack

 

[JennsBabySky]

Cameras on dark rides is my pet peeve, even without the flash. I find the viewing screen very distracting and have trouble enjoying the ride if someone is taking pictures. Plus those low light picture so rarely turn out.

 

[mom2rtk]

What kind of camera and what lenses do you have? And what rides and restaurants are you trying to shoot? There's Small World.... and there's Peter Pan. There's a huge range of possible in between.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Thanks so much for all the tips!!! Really appreciate it.

I don't plan to have my camera out all the time on rides... but it is nice to get a few shots of our actual party on rides. My main priority is getting a couple good shots at Blue Bayou since we'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary

I do have a mini bendable tripod, so maybe i'll bring that along for our dinner.

 

[DisneyDadAZUT]

I have found that if I must 'capture' a moment in a dark ride, I don't use my DSLR anymore - I use a video camera on night mode. Also, this way I can record my kids reactions and ride audio. The quality isn't great, but much more viewable than a still, blurry photo. I don't really focus on the ride, but rather the riders. It makes for fun viewing seeing a kids face watching the ride.

Also, Ditto on the gorilla pod.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks so much for all the tips!!! Really appreciate it.

I don't plan to have my camera out all the time on rides... but it is nice to get a few shots of our actual party on rides. My main priority is getting a couple good shots at Blue Bayou since we'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary

I do have a mini bendable tripod, so maybe i'll bring that along for our dinner.

If you're looking for photos of people, that's going to be really tough.

I took this one at Blue Bayou but it was just one person, and she had some illumination from the table light. I shot it at ISO 3200 f/2.8. That required a shutter speed of 1/13.




Lunch at Blue Bayou by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[figment_jii]

I agree that shooting inside a dark ride/restaurant can be tough. I'd go with the lowest f-stop you have (e.g., f1.4, f1.8, f2.8) and longest shutter speed you can hold steady for. I would also recommend saving your photos in RAW format and then post-processing if need be.

 

[mystic95]

If you're looking for photos of people, that's going to be really tough. I took this one at Blue Bayou but it was just one person, and she had some illumination from the table light. I shot it at ISO 3200 f/2.8. That required a shutter speed of 1/13. https://www.flickr.com/photos/28159731@N02/13997514474/ Lunch at Blue Bayou by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Gorgeous photo!!!!!! It looks soo magical! I so can not wait for Mother's Day now

 

[Carolynleanne]

I have found that if I must 'capture' a moment in a dark ride, I don't use my DSLR anymore - I use a video camera on night mode. Also, this way I can record my kids reactions and ride audio. The quality isn't great, but much more viewable than a still, blurry photo. I don't really focus on the ride, but rather the riders. It makes for fun viewing seeing a kids face watching the ride.

Also, Ditto on the gorilla pod.

That's actually a fantastic idea! I love using my video camera on rides and had never thought about just grabbing a still from it! Thank you!!!

 

[whoever]

Cameras on dark rides is my pet peeve, even without the flash. I find the viewing screen very distracting and have trouble enjoying the ride if someone is taking pictures. Plus those low light picture so rarely turn out.

Not quite sure what you are talking about. No view screen, no flash, no AF illuminator, and I shot these last time out.

I think they turned out OK.

 

[taffy]

Hey

So this is the basics .

ISO - Need to set this higher. The higher the setting the more noise you will see especially in really dark areas. It will look like grain. Usually anything above 6400 with be very noisy depending on the camera. The new sony RX range are fantastic in low light.

Apeture - This is the number that tells the camera how big of a hole to open when you press the button. The lower the number the larger the hole so more light is let in which is good in low light. Depending on the camera and lens you may have options of f1.2 - unto f64 sometimes higher.

Here is a little issue. The lower the number will allow you to shoot in darker situations BUT the lower numbers also create a shallow depth of field. What this means is in distance you will have a limited amount of focus. Remember this photos where a person is in focus but the background is all blurry. This is created by having a lower aperture (f-stop ) like say f1.2-f2.8 . The higher the f-number say f11 will allow more of the image to stay in focus so both foreground and background are in focus at the same time.

Shutter Speed - Again the lower the shutter speed means more light is let in the camera which is great for low light. BUT if is is too slow the camera will need to be on a tripod otherwise the camera movement in your hand will make the image all blurry.


So basically
ISO - Higher number but too high and it will be noisy
Apeture - lower better but too low and not everything will be in focus
Shutter Speed - lower is better but too low and it will be blurry.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Not quite sure what you are talking about. No view screen, no flash, no AF illuminator, and I shot these last time out.

I think they turned out OK.

Well they should, considering you were shooting about $3,500 worth of Nikon equipment and working the manual settings. Your 24 mm f/1.4 lens should capture those scenes very nicely, too.

Most people taking pictures at the parks are doing so with P&S cameras or iphones, and those don't come with viewfinders. Their bright camera screen is like a glow stick waving in the air. LOL!!! It's not a pet peeve of mine, but I can see where some find it irritating.

 

[whoever]

Well they should, considering you were shooting about $3,500 worth of Nikon equipment and working the manual settings. Your 24 mm f/1.4 lens should capture those scenes very nicely, too.

Most people taking pictures at the parks are doing so with P&S cameras or iphones, and those don't come with viewfinders. Their bright camera screen is like a glow stick waving in the air. LOL!!! It's not a pet peeve of mine, but I can see where some find it irritating.

Hey man, gotta pay to play. Glad somebody besides me examines the exif on pics to tell a story. I wish they'd confiscate flash user's cameras/phones and return them at the end of the day at city hall. Only disturbance you may hear from me is the sound of a shutter at 5+fps.

 

[DahliaRW]

Hey man, gotta pay to play. Glad somebody besides me examines the exif on pics to tell a story. I wish they'd confiscate flash user's cameras/phones and return them at the end of the day at city hall. Only disturbance you may hear from me is the sound of a shutter at 5+fps.

At WDW people taking flash pics with cameras on dark rides was plentiful. Worse than I've ever experienced at DLR. We asked the CMs about it and they said all they can do is make announcements, and the main issue was a lot of the people using flash were foreign visitors who did not necessarily speak English.