Fireworks

[FreddyMercury]

Can someone recommend ISO and Shutter settings for shooting the nighttime shows? Using a Canon T3i and a regular kit lens.

 

[mom2rtk]

Your title says fireworks but your post says night shows. The approach will vary:

For fireworks:

1) Set to manual
2) Use a tripod
3) Use a remote shutter release
4) Lowest ISO possible (100?)
5) Fairly small aperture (f/16 or f/22)
6) Focus to infinity, then back off a smidge and change to manual focus so it won't attempt to focus with each shot
7) This will likely get you a 5-7 second shutter speed. But it will vary depending on the brightness of the bursts.

For the night shows (maybe MSEP or Fantasmic?):

1) Use highest ISO you are comfortable with
2) Use widest aperture possible
3) Set the highest shutter speed that will give the exposure you want.


The kit lens will be fine for fireworks on a tripod. It probably won't be "fast" enough for the night shows. Most will use a faster lens for these, something with a wider maximum aperture.

 

[elmoandzoey]

I'd suggest a ND filter rather than using f16 or f22 but both will give you the long exposure times. I found photos taken at the smaller apertures on the kit lens to be not as good as taken with say f8 and an ND8 filter.

I have shot MSEP with a kit lens. At ISO 1600, 18mm and f3.5 the floats came out nicely. The people in the floats not so much.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've been happy with the higher apertures, but I haven't used a kit lens in a while. But the OP only has a kit lens, so a valid point. I like combining the higher aperture along with the ND filter for even longer exposures.

 

[elmoandzoey]

The kit lens has a tendency for bad light flares at smaller apertures. Didn't think it would be bad until I saw the issues my brother had with his last New Year's fireworks. The bursts all had really bad flares. I gave him one of my old ND filters and the flares where gone when he stopped down to f8. Same camera so I'd say same kit lens model.

I have a ND1.8 and ND3.0 for longer exposures. Doubt I'd use the ND3.0 for fireworks though