Digital Camera Advice.. Taking Pictures @ Nighttime? Cybershot?

[BATBkindagirl]

Hey.. We have a digital camera but it isn't very good and was fairly cheap (around $250).. we are considering buying a realllyyy nice one.. or prefferably a digital camera and video one (THAT IS REALLY SMALL) all in one.

Anyone get the Cybershot camera? I hear that's really excellent..

Plus does anyone have tips for taking pictures at night time like of Fantasmic or Wishes or Spectromagic and such? My pictures always come out crappy.

THanks.

 

[oogieboogie]

What kind of camera do you have now? It's probably not as crappy as you think it is.

As far as getting digital camera and video in one, I wouldn't recommend it. Get a digital camera for pictures and a digital camcorder for video, for quality sakes.

For taking nighttime fireworks especially, the most important thing to remember is a tripod or something to stabilize your camera. Turn the flash off, put the camera on a tripod or a trashcan at least, use the timer to minimize shaking, and take plenty of pictures.

Since you're going digital, don't worry about taking just some pictures... take a lot of pics especially for fireworks.

 

[Maleficent2]

and gave you some great advice!

We have a canon digitial ZR10 and it take awesom video of fireworks and illuminations..

Just bought a canon A85 and can not wait to take still of the fireworks and illuminations next trip.


Mal

 

[pnutmnm]

I just bought a Kodak - it actually has a setting specifically designed for fireworks! I can't wait to test it out.

 

[BATBkindagirl]

I just bought a Kodak - it actually has a setting specifically designed for fireworks! I can't wait to test it out.

How much is it?



Thanks for your advice everyone. I have heard also to turn off flash from other people.. it just doesn't make sense to me.
Also... whenever I zoom in with my digital, it's insanely blurry ..

Anyone have a camera that zooms in A LOT and still has great quality? Thanks

 

[oogieboogie]

what camera do you have now?

you might be zooming in with digital zoom which is why it's blurry. You need to zoom in using only the optical zoom.

the reason for turning off the flash is it allows more light into your camera. If you use the flash for taking fireworks, then the flash cancels out the brightness of the fireworks. However, because you have to allow more light in, the camera must be super steady, because any flicker of light will make the picture look blurry or shaky.

 

[lpizzuro123]

I have a Kodak digital w/4MP (not sure of the number). It has a burst feature. You just hold the button down and it takes a series of pictures. I used this feature last week for both Wishes and IllumiNations. It worked great. It takes maybe a series of 10 or so pictures and I just use the ones that come out the best. I do not use the night time feature because no matter how still you hold the camera, the fireworks are still moving and it just comes out blurry. I will have to check out my camera to see if I have a special fireworks setting.

Linda

 

[pnutmnm]

How much is it?



Thanks for your advice everyone. I have heard also to turn off flash from other people.. it just doesn't make sense to me.
Also... whenever I zoom in with my digital, it's insanely blurry ..

Anyone have a camera that zooms in A LOT and still has great quality? Thanks

I happened to wander into Circuit City wanting a different camera and the salesman turned me onto this one. It is an EasyShare LS753. The list price is $349.99...I got it for $199!!! Couldn't pass it up!

 

[BATBkindagirl]

I have a Kodak digital w/4MP (not sure of the number). It has a burst feature. You just hold the button down and it takes a series of pictures. I used this feature last week for both Wishes and IllumiNations. It worked great. It takes maybe a series of 10 or so pictures and I just use the ones that come out the best. I do not use the night time feature because no matter how still you hold the camera, the fireworks are still moving and it just comes out blurry. I will have to check out my camera to see if I have a special fireworks setting.

Linda

That camera sounds awesome!!

Thanks guys I'll be checking all of this out..

 

[BATBkindagirl]

what camera do you have now?

you might be zooming in with digital zoom which is why it's blurry. You need to zoom in using only the optical zoom.

the reason for turning off the flash is it allows more light into your camera. If you use the flash for taking fireworks, then the flash cancels out the brightness of the fireworks. However, because you have to allow more light in, the camera must be super steady, because any flicker of light will make the picture look blurry or shaky.

Alright.. I am an AMATEUR obviously.. I am going to be reading the manual in a matter of just a few minutes lol.

It's a Olympus Camedia D-560 Zoom..one... lol

 

[oogieboogie]

OK, I looked up your camera and what I get is:

Olympus - great brand - good quality
3.1 megapixel - that's enough to print out to an 8x10
3x optical zoom - standard on point and shoot
3.3x digital zoom - again, pretty standard

with that in mind, I went to Steve's Digicam site and looked up the review:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/d560.html

You have a decent camera there. I think before you spend more money to buy a new one I would suggest reading up on the manual first. It has capabilities for night shots, and it has pretty good sample pics.

I think the problem in your zooming is that you're hitting the zoom button a tad too long and it went to digital zoom which does make your pictures crappy.

 

[BelleM77]

I have a Canon SD400 5.0MP and it has a feature on it specifically for firework shots.

 

[DVCLady]

Delete

 

[rifamtrav]

I definitely would hold off on buying a new camera. The advice on not overzooming is good, especially with fireworks, you actually want the picture to be more wide angle than zoom. Another way of looking at the idea of turning off your flash, most cameras will automatically adjust the aperature to let as much light in as it thinks it needs, the flash will "tell the camera" to expect a certain amount of light, but flash distances are usually only good for 15-30feet (check your book). Definitely try to steady the camera as much as possible.
Personally, having a new, expensive camera would only cause me great stress - worrying about someone bumping it, or getting damaged on a ride, etc. Use your old one, snap away, take as many pictures as possible, then you will have more to choose from if you want to print any. If you want the perfect fireworks picture buy a post card or professional photo, otherwise try to capture as many pics with your family having a good time, and disney in the backround. Good luck.

 

[yusinskas]

Canon cameras are the best when it comes to low light photography. Their chip takes pictures differently than other brands, and this is most evident in night-time shots. From the reviews I read before I bought my Canon SD500, the cybershots tend to be grainy at night.

 

[disneyaggie]

Alright.. I am an AMATEUR obviously.. I am going to be reading the manual in a matter of just a few minutes lol.

I purchased my digital cameral last year before my trip to Disney. I still have to read the manual, I bring the manual with me to WDW, I keep a business card of the salesman from the store I purchased it inside the camera case, and I have the store on my speed dial of my mobile telephone (and yes, have called from WDW for expert advice).

And you think you are the amateur. Puh-leez!

 

[mill4023]

The bottom line is that you are not going to find any digital camera under $900 that takes GOOD night shots. The point and shoot digital cameras just don't have a fast enough lens for nighttime shooting. Some will be better than others, but more than likely, your problem is not specific to your camera. It's an inherent weakness of most digital cameras. The problem is that they don't let enough light in, so the exposure time has to be longer. This means that if there is any movement, you are going to get blurry pictures. Try using a tripod and either a remote if you have one, or the timer function so you don't make the camera move by pushing the button. Also, when you zoom in, the camera's lens cannot let in as much light, so the exposure time has to be even longer than when you aren't zoomed in. This may be why you get blurry pictures also.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Flash ... the standard flash unit on most (all?) consumer grade cameras is only effective up to a range of 8-12 feet. When you're taking photographs of something farther away, the flash will just make your pictures look washed out, because it's not bright enough to illuminate the object you're taking a picture of, it's only bright enough to illuminate the 8-12 feet of space directly in front of your camera.

Zoom ... The further you are zoomed in, the more magnified any slight little shake becomes. Thus, the pictures become more blurry, unless you are using something steady (tripod, trash can, etc) to hold the camera on.

Exposure times ... When I'm shooting fireworks, I'll usually use either a 1/2 or 1/4 second exposure.

 

[lfama]

Hey.. We have a digital camera but it isn't very good and was fairly cheap (around $250).. we are considering buying a realllyyy nice one.. or prefferably a digital camera and video one (THAT IS REALLY SMALL) all in one.

Anyone get the Cybershot camera? I hear that's really excellent..

Plus does anyone have tips for taking pictures at night time like of Fantasmic or Wishes or Spectromagic and such? My pictures always come out crappy.

THanks.

I have a Canon ZR-60 that I am absolutely IN LOVE with. It takes mini dv's, so it's really small. It takes photos as well, but my particular model doesn't come with a memory card slot (the ZR-65 does, however.) Still, though, with the software that it comes with you are able to transer any photos to the computer. What's cool is that the photos hold for 6 seconds and record sound still, so you can take a picture for example of the castle, and say "this is the castle." You could make a photo album on tape! The camera is really light and tiny (I can fit it into my purse, with room to spare!) and the effects on it are great! It has color night mode, which I love, and low light which works REALLY well when you're not sure if night mode is the right choice. The zoom on it is really good, as well. You definitely cannot go wrong with a Canon!

 

[lfama]

I just bought a Kodak - it actually has a setting specifically designed for fireworks! I can't wait to test it out.

My Nikon Coolpix 4100 has this feature as well. It works really well.