I have a camera question...

[DisneyIsMagical]

I currently have a Sony Cybershot camera, mostly a great point and shoot digital camera. My problem is that I can never take clear photos of the lights @ night or inside buildings (ie:The Animation Building), the shutter speed is way too slow on that setting and ends up very blurry. I have read my manual and for the life of me I cannot figure out which setting is the correct one. Any ideas?

Keep in mind, I am in no way a professional and a bit camera illiterate...I am trying, though......

Thanks in advanced for any suggestions!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I currently have a Sony Cybershot camera, mostly a great point and shoot digital camera. My problem is that I can never take clear photos of the lights @ night or inside buildings (ie:The Animation Building), the shutter speed is way too slow on that setting and ends up very blurry. I have read my manual and for the life of me I cannot figure out which setting is the correct one. Any ideas?
Keep in mind, I am in no way a professional and a bit camera illiterate...I am trying, though......
Thanks in advanced for any suggestions!

I'm no expert by any means, but I'll tell you what I know. The sensor is too small on P&S cameras. Even on DSLRs we have to use either fast lenses and high ISOs, or carry a tripod and do long exposures. To get a decent shot at night or in dark building w/ a P&S you need a tripod for long exposure or high ISOs, but because the sensor is too small on P&S cameras, you'll tend to get a lot of digital noise -- the off color spots you probably have seen in many low light shots, handheld with P&S cams. DSLR users have the same issues, but because we have larger sensors we can tend to get slightly better shots straight out of the camera with less noise. However, I still get noise in my shots too. Depending on the P&S camera, you may only be able to get decent shots up to 400ISO or maybe 800ISO at the most. My DSLR can get usable shots up to 3200ISO. Older DSLRs usually have a lower threshold for usable ISOs. Some of the newer, better DSLRs w/ full frame sensors (equivalent to 35mm film cameras) can get 25,000+ ISO. So, long story short, if you want usable low light photos, you should probably invest in a tripod. Because a P&S is light, a small, lightweight tripod would probably work fine. If you can't use a remote shutter release w/ your camera than you should use the delay feature. Most have a feature where you can program a delay fom 2 seconds or higher so that one can be in the picture w/ friends, right? Use this feature so you can hit the shutter without introducing camera shake.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I have a Sony p&s too and I have the same issue. I found that resting it on something (or having a little tripod) helps a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Just wanted to add that we have a tiny tripod for our P&S camera and it wasn't that expensive (bought it several years ago so I can't remember how much it was). I've never brought it to DLR but it's small enough that I could take it easily. It's probably only 6-8 inches long.

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

Thank you ladies! That is exactly the problem, the shutter speed is so slow that I end up moving the camera, which makes it blurry. The bast shot I got was at GCH balcony when we had a DCA view, I rested the camera on the balcony rail. Maybe I will try a stationary surface or a tripod.

Glad it wasn't just a setting issue, I thought I just couldn't grasp the concept of which setting to use. Turns out I was using the correct setting, afterall!!

Maybe it might be time to get a camera upgrade soon...

 

[l’amore bella]

I have a Kodak EasyShare digital camera and have had the same problem. So I did some research on how to achieve clear pictures at night. Here are some tips I found:
- Turn the flash off.
- Use the sport setting.
- Hold camera against stationary object (fence/bridge railings, tops of trash cans, the ground).

I haven't tried these out in Disneyland yet, but when I took some pictures at night of our Christmas tree (with the lights on) they turned out very clear.

Hope this helps.

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

I have a Kodak EasyShare digital camera and have had the same problem. So I did some research on how to achieve clear pictures at night. Here are some tips I found:
- Turn the flash off.
- Use the sport setting.
- Hold camera against stationary object (fence/bridge railings, tops of trash cans, the ground).

I haven't tried these out in Disneyland yet, but when I took some pictures at night of our Christmas tree (with the lights on) they turned out very clear.

Hope this helps.

-Turn the flash off - Right
-Use sport setting - Not really, sports modes use a high shutter speed to capture fast moving things. To capture details in a dark area you need to leave the shutter open longer (slower shutter speed) to let enough light into the camera to get the details.
Like DisneySuiteFreak mentioned use your timer so you don't touch the camera when it takes the picture. It will cause movement in the shot.
-Get something like a Gorillapod that are very reasonable and can be used as a tripod or attach to a railing or pole. It is very small and light.

 

[l’amore bella]

-Turn the flash off - Right
-Use sport setting - Not really, sports modes use a high shutter speed to capture fast moving things. To capture details in a dark area you need to leave the shutter open longer (slower shutter speed) to let enough light into the camera to get the details.
Like DisneySuiteFreak mentioned use your timer so you don't touch the camera when it takes the picture. It will cause movement in the shot.
-Get something like a Gorillapod that are very reasonable and can be used as a tripod or attach to a railing or pole. It is very small and light.

Using the sports setting with the flash off worked well when I took my Christmas tree pictures. Maybe it was just my camera.

 

[Pomlover2586]

I have an Olympus FE45......it has a "Fireworks" and a "Nighttime" mode built in.....and voila! Perfect Pics....

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

I have an Olympus FE45......it has a "Fireworks" and a "Nighttime" mode built in.....and voila! Perfect Pics....

Is it a spendy one?

 

[KCmike]

I think most point and shoots have a fireworks mode, don't they? Or maybe it's a nighttime setting.

Good info above ^^^^^

 

[Pomlover2586]

The Olympus FE 45 is about $130......well worth it.....my previous "older" model lasted 3 years before it's battery sensor started croaking.....everything else works great.

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

The Olympus FE 45 is about $130......well worth it.....my previous "older" model lasted 3 years before it's battery sensor started croaking.....everything else works great.

Wow, not a bad price at all, I might just have to upgrade before my trip! The photos from my previous trip are all great with the exception of the nighttime shots. DLR is so amazing @ night with all the lights, that I would like to capture that too! Thanks so much for the info!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Our camera also has a night setting and a fireworks setting (as well as others like aquarium, indoor, etc). It's a Canon SD1100 and it cost about $150 a year ago, not sure about price now. Like PP said, I think most new point and shoot cameras come with those settings now.

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

Our camera also has a night setting and a fireworks setting (as well as others like aquarium, indoor, etc). It's a Canon SD1100 and it cost about $150 a year ago, not sure about price now. Like PP said, I think most new point and shoot cameras come with those settings now.

Thanks for the info, I'll look into both! I appreciate the responses. My Sony is about 5 years old, so all I have is the super blurry nighttime setting. I think the fireworks setting is a great idea, it'll be on the top of my list for features to look for