Cameras at WDW?

[cwcooper810]

What kind of camera would you need to be able to take pictures at night? We are going in December and Id like to be able to take pictures that come out good of the lights and decorations, but my gf and I only have digital cameras. Will that be good enough?

 

[BenA81]

they should be good enough, read the manual and tinker with the settings of your camera, it should have presets to handle picture taking in low lighted atmospheres.

 

[nothnbutherainsir]

It really depends on what kind of cameras you have. Small point and shoot's can take great pictures but others take bad ones! Just don't turn on your flash and try to turn on your macro (the little flower). Maybe try reading the manual but if you don't have it or can't find it most brands always have them on their site.

 

[siskaren]

I have pretty good luck with just turning off the flash, but you do have to make sure you hold the camera very steady. But then the nice thing about digitals is that you know immediately if the picture came out good, and if it didn't, just delete and try again.

 

[nothnbutherainsir]

I have pretty good luck with just turning off the flash, but you do have to make sure you hold the camera very steady. But then the nice thing about digitals is that you know immediately if the picture came out good, and if it didn't, just delete and try again.

Well macro helps with that! You can also try flipping on the A/S setting and messing with that. It gives great results too.

 

[mattkrass]

I have pretty good luck with just turning off the flash, but you do have to make sure you hold the camera very steady. But then the nice thing about digitals is that you know immediately if the picture came out good, and if it didn't, just delete and try again.

On my Canon P&S digital I can switch it to no flash, adjustable ISO speed. Higher ISO speed means the camera 'exposes' the cell for less time, and thus there is less streaking/blurring, but you still need a pretty steady hand. Also, it reduces the amount of light it has to work with, so it can get grainy if you turn it up too high for the amount of ambient light, or too high at all. Also, learn to use macro mode for small close ups and text and such.

Have fun, the pictures are a lot of fun to look back on, lots of "oh yeah!" moments

 

[chocovrdmicears]

My Sony CyberShot only has an ISO of about 1200 and unless it is a well lit object (Like Spaceship Earth) I can't get a decent nightime shot. Inside dark rides where there is *no flash photography* it is impossible to get a photo. Clearly having the ISO at 1200 and a moving boat/car/ship always results in blurred pictures. . It does take great pictures otherwise.

 

[mattkrass]

My Sony CyberShot only has an ISO of about 1200 and unless it is a well lit object (Like Spaceship Earth) I can't get a decent nightime shot. Inside dark rides where there is *no flash photography* it is impossible to get a photo. Clearly having the ISO at 1200 and a moving boat/car/ship always results in blurred pictures. . It does take great pictures otherwise.

Higher ISO speed should reduce blurring, but increase noise. Sorry I kind of sprayed my response earlier without much explanation, crazy day here I can post a more detailed explanation later if there is interest but this will probably suffice:
http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_iso.html

(Whoo, I actually have enough posts to put a link in now!)

 

[nicknamy1996]

Agreed.... read the book and tinker.

But also, to expand on what other posters have said about turning the flash off...

Most cameras will be set for "auto flash" Which just means the camera will figure out if you need it or not. Click your camera's flash button until you get the lighting bolt with the line (/) through it. This will force the flash off even in dark settings. Now as you press the button down the camera will notice how dark it is and (not being allowed to use the flash) will have to 'keep the shutter' open allowing more light to get in. It's a quick fix and you may be amazed at how well some of the pictures turn out.

Like they said... STEADY HAND! And expanding on that.... A good way is to hold it against a light pole or railing... a better way is to use your timer function (should be easy to find) then its.... 1) force the flash off 2) set the camera to "2 second or 10 second mode" 3) place the camera on a trash can (there are PLENTY of those to use as tripods) and frame your image 4) Press the button and then wait. The camera will be perfectly still and you can get some very crisp nighttime photos.


Even against a post or rail your finger pressing the button will cause some movement.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Photography board.

 

[amamax2]

Thanks for the explanations! Would love any other ones!!

To the OP - I have had *some* good luck with night shots at DL doing two things (in conjunction with turning off the flash and increasing the ISO):

1. Using the timer - it helps reduce the shake you naturally produce when trying to hold you camera steady.

2. If you don't have a tripod, hold one side of the camera AGAINST something solid - like a wall or fence rail - while you take the picture. Again, it helps reduce the shake.

As another pp said, take multiple shots and one is bound to turn out decent. I've yet to take a spectacular shot with my little P&S, but have gotten good enough ones.

 

[ukcatfan]

To the OP, please tell us what camera you have. There are probably 3,000 different digital camera models and they range from keychain $10 ones that are horrible to multi thousands of dollars ones that take the best shots ever seen.

As for how to get steady shots, you have some decent info already. I suggest picking up at least a tabletop tripod (~$10) or a gorillapod. These in combination with a trash can, railing, etc. will work well for keeping it steady while the shutter stays open for a long time. A remote shutter release is even better, but most cameras do not have this option. With a p&s camera, you are going to be limited to static subjects in low light. With moving subjects in low light, a p&s just cannot capture the shot fast enough.

 

[mattkrass]

To the OP, please tell us what camera you have. There are probably 3,000 different digital camera models and they range from keychain $10 ones that are horrible to multi thousands of dollars ones that take the best shots ever seen.

As for how to get steady shots, you have some decent info already. I suggest picking up at least a tabletop tripod (~$10) or a gorillapod. These in combination with a trash can, railing, etc. will work well for keeping it steady while the shutter stays open for a long time. A remote shutter release is even better, but most cameras do not have this option. With a p&s camera, you are going to be limited to static subjects in low light. With moving subjects in low light, a p&s just cannot capture the shot fast enough.

That's not strictly true, it really depends on the camera, and your threshold for what is 'too grainy' as many consumer cameras can turn the ISO speed up quite high. With my Canon I've gotten some nice shots of things in motion, including a high ISO speed (1600), macro mode of a model railroad train blowing by and it's perfect. Admittedly there was sufficient light in the room, so your mileage may vary, but it's not completely out of the question.

 

[ukcatfan]

That's not strictly true, it really depends on the camera, and your threshold for what is 'too grainy' as many consumer cameras can turn the ISO speed up quite high. With my Canon I've gotten some nice shots of things in motion, including a high ISO speed (1600), macro mode of a model railroad train blowing by and it's perfect. Admittedly there was sufficient light in the room, so your mileage may vary, but it's not completely out of the question.

Well, I was not talking about things like that where you have some light to work with. I am thinking in terms of WDW. You will not get print quality shots of things like POTC, HM, etc. with a p&s even at ISO 1600. To get shots like that you need an ISO that high and the aperture at f/2 or wider. There is no p&s that offers that. Also, the noise on a p&s at 1600 is like a DSLR at around 6400 or higher.

 

[mattkrass]

Well, I was not talking about things like that where you have some light to work with. I am thinking in terms of WDW. You will not get print quality shots of things like POTC, HM, etc. with a p&s even at ISO 1600. To get shots like that you need an ISO that high and the aperture at f/2 or wider. There is no p&s that offers that. Also, the noise on a p&s at 1600 is like a DSLR at around 6400 or higher.

You are definitely correct, I just meant that some people may be happy with a slightly grainy, or even very grainy photo, it's better than nothing, and five to ten years ago our digital photos were as grainy as the ones in question on a good day

And some people are like my dad, who argue the old tube TV he ran off his old pickups 12V battery look better than his new HD TV

If the picture quality makes you happy, who cares if it's professional grade?

 

[YesDear]

You are definitely correct, I just meant that some people may be happy with a slightly grainy, or even very grainy photo, it's better than nothing, and five to ten years ago our digital photos were as grainy as the ones in question on a good day

And some people are like my dad, who argue the old tube TV he ran off his old pickups 12V battery look better than his new HD TV

If the picture quality makes you happy, who cares if it's professional grade?

Where UKAT is coming from is probably the most common complaint we see here on the photography board is grain in low light situations from P&S camera users that do not have a photography background.

In fact we probably get the question most often that someone wants a P&S that will take POTC shots as well as their kid's sports and recitals. They want a 10x optical zoom. They want to be able to hand hold it and it needs to be in the $250 pirice range! Oh yeah, I forgot about the no shutter lag and a good flash and it needs to do this in auto setting!

I do not think that exists as of yet.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

What kind of camera would you need to be able to take pictures at night? We are going in December and Id like to be able to take pictures that come out good of the lights and decorations, but my gf and I only have digital cameras. Will that be good enough?

It's less about the camera than it is about technique.

Put the cheapest, crappiest, oldest digital camera in the hands of some of the experts around here, and they will yield some amazing nighttime shots with it. Why? Because they understand the secrets of exposure (as well as the limitations of any given camera).

A little study about exposure basics will go a very long way.

 

[mattkrass]

It's less about the camera than it is about technique.

Put the cheapest, crappiest, oldest digital camera in the hands of some of the experts around here, and they will yield some amazing nighttime shots with it. Why? Because they understand the secrets of exposure (as well as the limitations of any given camera).

A little study about exposure basics will go a very long way.

Excellent point, I was trying to convey something like this but didn't do it very well, since I was also trying to say there are some tricks to getting a photo if perfection is not required.

I babble a lot.