Kindly share your fireworks camera setting

[maci]

Shutterbug:
Yes I thought it was weird too! It is a digital camera. A sony cybershot 5.0 megapixel.

So if I do want the castle in the pic, I should put it on auto, not infinity right?
What about for osborne lights?

Thanks again! This is a great thread!!

 

[grimgrinnin]

Originally posted by Shutterbug
Excellent photo grimgrinnin!!!!

Was that print, slide or digital?

Thanks.

It's digital - Nikon Coolpix 4500.


grim

 

[Celestine]

Great thread - DH is busy playing & planning (it's fireworks night in UK this Friday so he's going to get in a bit of practice).

How does everyone shoot the Osbourne lights as in my ignorance I'm guessing the settings will be different again. We'll get two stabs at Wishes, but only one at the Osbourne lights, so want to try & get in right.

TIA as I know you guys will come up with the right info!

 

[FatCow]

For that, it's much easier. Just use the Night-scene mode, turn off the flash, it'll work like a charm.

That's what I did for this picture:
http://groups.msn.com/lafamigliadisusilo/disney2004feb19mk.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=474

If you want to take a picture with you in it, use a first-curtain flash and try standing as perfectly still as possible until your camera's done doing its thing.

It will be similar to this picture:
http://groups.msn.com/lafamigliadisusilo/disney2004feb18mgm.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=457

tripod is required, btw.

 

[maci]

Ok so what is a first curtain flash? How does that setting look on the camera?

My camera had flash, no flash, and flash with SL, next to it?

Sorry to be such a idiot!!

 

[FatCow]

If the option is not there, then 99.99% your camera will have first curtain flash. That means it flashes when the shutter just opened.

The opposite of that is curtain flash, which flashes when the shutter is just about to close.

 

[Shutterbug]

Originally posted by Celestine
Great thread - DH is busy playing & planning (it's fireworks night in UK this Friday so he's going to get in a bit of practice).

How does everyone shoot the Osbourne lights as in my ignorance I'm guessing the settings will be different again. We'll get two stabs at Wishes, but only one at the Osbourne lights, so want to try & get in right.

TIA as I know you guys will come up with the right info!

Celestine
Digital camera or 35mm?
If 35mm what type slr or point and shoot?
If digital what can you set on it?

In the past with my slr I have used 400 and 800 speed film with a 50mm lense that opens to a 1.8 fstop for hand held shots. If I had my tripod then I would use 100 speed film.

If its digital, can you change the ISO? Does it tell you if there is not enough light? If you can then start there.
Start with ISO 100 if that gives you a blurry photo then move to 200 and so on.
I know this past weekend I used my canon digital to take some night photos of a friends house decorated for halloween. I had it set to 400 with the fstop at 2.8 and all my hand held shot still came out slightly blurry. So I would take photos of things that are very very brightly lit.

 

[Shutterbug]

Originally posted by maci
Shutterbug:
Yes I thought it was weird too! It is a digital camera. A sony cybershot 5.0 megapixel.

So if I do want the castle in the pic, I should put it on auto, not infinity right?
What about for osborne lights?

Thanks again! This is a great thread!!

A cybershot that doesnt let you change the aperture?
again I say hmmmm

What model if I may ask?

 

[Shutterbug]

I just want to mention again to all those with digital cameras wondering whats a good setting.

The really really nice thing about digital cameras is that they let you see the results of what you shot right away. If the pic didnt come out like you wanted then you can change the settings and retake it again

I know everyone wants to take the photos that are perfect. Thing is what I think is perfect may not what someone else thinks is perfect. Everyone has there own version of perfect.
For instance I like long weeping arcs that fireworks make but FatCow doesnt. Does that make one better than the other?
Not at all!
What I'm saying is play around with the settings. There have been some good starting points suggested. Start there but dont strictly adhere to them. Different light situations call for different settings.

And above all else, dont get so carried away with taking photos and worrying if its perfect that you miss out on the magic of the moment!
There have been so many times where I spent the whole time only looking at the fireworks through camera lense not my own eyes that I missed actually experiencing them. I was so busy going click click and the next thing I knew it was over and I felt like I really didnt get to watch them.

So enjoy capturing the moment but dont forget to experience the moment

 

[FatCow]

great advice, Shutterbug!

 

[maci]

It is a DSC-P92

The options in the maual settings are:

EV, focus, metering mode,white balance,ISO,and flash level

Of course, I could be missing something all together right in front of my face, LOL!!

I agree about watching everything through a view finder, I DONT want to do that. Thanks for all the tips though!

 

[Shutterbug]

well if thats the case I'm glad I got my canon.

I would use the night mode and go from there. Maybe you can adjust it to over expose a stop or two. I did read that you can do that with your camera. Also shift between 100 and 400 ISO
A 100 ISO will definetely give you a longer exposure just make sure to use a tripod.

Be sure to show us the photos when you get back!

 

[Goofydiane]

I set my camera setting to "Fireworks". One of the reasons I bought the digital camera that I did.

Diane

 

[Celestine]

Shutterbug,
Thanks for the reply, the camera is a Canon digital A70 powershot.

The ISO and all other settings can be adjusted, so he is going to have a practise this weekend taking onboard all of the advice that has been kindly shared so far. But we suspect that, what works for one will not work for everyone. "Suck it and see as they say"

He is going to probably use the night scence setting with no flash
camera set up on the tripod for Osbourne lights and the Manual setting 100ASA, 2sec exposure Fstop at about 4 and the auto focus off, does this sound like a good starting point?


Good luck with the election this evening, constantly on the news over here and Ohio being reported as a key state to win....

Celestine

 

[Shutterbug]

Originally posted by Celestine
Shutterbug,
Thanks for the reply, the camera is a Canon digital A70 powershot.

The ISO and all other settings can be adjusted, so he is going to have a practise this weekend taking onboard all of the advice that has been kindly shared so far. But we suspect that, what works for one will not work for everyone. "Suck it and see as they say"

He is going to probably use the night scence setting with no flash
camera set up on the tripod for Osbourne lights and the Manual setting 100ASA, 2sec exposure Fstop at about 4 and the auto focus off, does this sound like a good starting point?


Good luck with the election this evening, constantly on the news over here and Ohio being reported as a key state to win....

Celestine

I would take the fastest exposure the camera will give you.
First determine how much depth of field you have in a given shot.
Another words how many objects from the front plane of the photo to back plane of the photo. Then see how far are those 2 planes are far apart. If they are relatives close you could go to aperture mode and open it to 2.8 and let the camera select the shutter speed for you.

Even if you use a tripod the longer the shutter speed the more light glow(as I call it) you will have. Another words instead of sharp points of lights you will have glowing balls of lights.
Now if you like that sort of thing, cool!