Help! Night/Castle Shots with Cannon 1100???

[december14disney]

Hi all!

Last year fiance and I went to MVMCP where we got engaged! The bummer? We couldnt take any pics the whole night of the wonderful castle or our engagment because our camera STUNK. We vowed to go again this year on the same date (see everyone there on 12-14!) and take the pics we missed. So we ditched the Casio exslim and bought the cannon 1100. Does anyone have this cam? How are the night shots? Castle night shots? Does anyone have any pics they would be willing to post? We are thinking of ditching the cannon and going now with the lumix everyone posts about but we would hate to do that if the cannon would work fine too. Help?

 

[bradk]

you want just the castle? or you with the castle?

if just the castle, there's a bit to be explained on how to go about doing it.

if you want you and the castle, here's my advice.. go photopass. even if it's just for one shot, buy the print.

the reason is because if you use a flash in auto mode, it's only good for a subject in front of the camera. it will illuminate anything right in front of the camera and will adjust the shutter speed to be so quick that the castle won't get enough exposure with its own lighting.

so you need to take a picture without the flash, which is easy enough if it's just the castle you seek, but not in auto mode (auto mode generally over compensates for the time necessary to keep the shutter open so enough light comes through and a steady hand isn't enough - you'd need a tripod and even a remote shutter release to avoid camera shake). but you can tweak settings manually to get a decent shot without a tripod.

but if you want to be in front of the castle, you need a combination of flash AND a longer shutter speed to allow enough time for the castle to show up properly. this is where photopass is actually well equipped for handling the shot (as well as in front of the park with spaceship earth behind you). the flash illuminates you, but they keep the shutter open longer to let the light of the object in the distance show up properly. just means you need to stand still for 2 or 3 seconds.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Photography board.

 

[Stitch And Friends]

If you are looking for pics of you in front of the castle, i agree with the previous poster it may be easier just to go with photopass. If you are looking for just night shots of the castle itself, invest in a small tabletop size tripod. In order to get any decent shots, you have to slow down the shutter speed but that requires the camara to be completely still. It is very difficult to keep the camara still enough without a tripod and the slightest movement can make the shot blurry. Another tip is to set the tripod up and set the auto timer to go off in a few seconds. This eliminates any possiblity of the camara moving when you press the button to actually take the picture.

 

[shyjade]

I bought the Canon PowerShot SD1100 last year for our Disney trip and really liked it. So much that I bought a 2nd one this year for my mom to use!

My advice is to make sure you take a STEADY shot (using the NIGHT setting). My best nighttime castle shots were taken when I was able rest my elbows or the camera on solid objects (like a bridge railing). I certainly didn't get professional quality photos, but I was happy with the results.