Leaving in a few days. Have a dark ride question

[nbaresejr]

I will return to WDW next Wed and stay through Sunday. This will be my 3rd trip with a DSLR and my equipment has been different each time.

This time I am bringing:
Canon 6d
Canon 24-70L F4 IS
Canon 70-200L F4 IS
Canon 50 1.4
Canon 430 Exii
Benro Travel Angel Tripod

This is going to be the 1st time I will attempt dark ride photography. My question is what modes do people use to capture this? I will use the 50 1.4 for all dark ride shots.

I was trying to decide between Av and Tv and single shot vs AI Servo.

My 1st thought is to set the camera in Tv @ 1/80 or 1/100. I would think that camera would then default to an aperture of 1.4 and the ISO who adjust depending on light all the way up to my programmed max of 12,500.

My thinking for Av would be set the camera to 1.4 and let the camera do the rest. My only fear is the shutter speed dropping to low and getting a lot of motion blur.

Any thoughts?

 

[havoc315]

Manual with auto ISO. Set the shutter speed around 1/100. Set the aperture at 1.4. Check your exposure and ISO. If you have some leeway, take the chance to stop down for more depth of field and/or increase your shutter speed.

Or.... Does your camera let you set a minimum shutter speed? Use aperture priority, setting a minimum shutter speed of 1/80 or 1/100.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I don't know Canon-speak, however because you will be moving, continuous focus and burst shoot mode. I would shoot Manual mode with at least 1/100 sec shutter and 1.4 aperture for the really dark rides. On things like Its a small world, I would close down the aperture to get a little more depth of field but still keeping the shutter speed up.

 

[nvtsallo]

It depends on the ride. For example haunted mansion I would shoot manual, f2.0-2.8, iso 2500-6400 maybe up to 12,800 depending on your level of acceptable noise. Shutter 1/100 min since you are moving and there is no IS to help u on that lens. I would use spot meter, and single shot. Ai servo will just leave a lot of missed opportunities. Also when heading toward my shot I have it on manual focus with my eye on the viewfinder and hand on the manual focus ring. When you focus on what you want the af point will light up if you set your camera up that way. I find in dark dark rides the af will hunt with all camera's. Hope that helps. You may want to ride once take some shots then ride again prepared.

 

[Animagic!]

Dark rides are my passion. I photograph dark rides every single time I ride one. For my, dark rides are challenging but very rewarding when you get crisp shots.

The 6D should be an excellent camera for dark rides. Paired with the 50mm f/1.4, your have an ideal set up for dark rides. As far as Autofocus vs Manual Focus goes... Try both! See what works for you. It's important to note that cameras typically have a hard time focusing in the dark. Combine that with the fact that you are moving, the subject is moving, and f/1.4 has a very narrow depth of field and it is likely you will have issues nailing your focus. However, the 6D has great low light capabilities and has a large cluster of focus points in the center of the sensor. Using Center Focus (not sure the Canon terminology) on your 6D will likely yield very good results, especially on brighter rides like it's a small world, Winnie the Pooh, or even Pirates.

Spot metering is essential! Without it you'll often find blown out faces and crazy highlights. It also usually leads to lower ISO and keeps you from overexposing. It's a simple setting change that can make a huge difference.

I personally manual focus on dark rides and use manual settings. I find I get more keeps and even focus faster using manual focus. As far as aperture goes... I typically keep between f/1.4 and f/2.4. I had really good results using an f/2.4 prime on the Little Mermaid ride. The wider the better, it'll keep ISO down and shutter speed up.

Because you are moving and you subject is also moving in very low light it can be hard to balance shutter speed, ISO and aperture. With the faster shutter speeds and all the movement you'll find that Image Stabilization doesn't mean much. IS is great for slower shutter speeds but on dark rides it's of less benefit. I try to keep my shutter speed around 1/80, sometimes faster and sometimes slower. For Peter Pan I recommend going faster. And when focusing remember it is easier to shoot and focus as you move forward toward a subject rather than shoot as you ride by it.

As for ISO... I use Auto ISO mostly. I keep my ISO set my base ISO to 100 because I'm optimistic. But I have had my ISO drop as low as ISO 400 on Little Mermaid (and that was shooting at a "slow" f/2.4!). My ISO tops out at anywhere from 1600-6400, depending on the ride. I average an upper limit of 3200. But I'm willing to up it to 12,800 for speedier/darker rides. Peter Pan is a good example. Getting shots of Hook or Pan usually require a high ISO and high Shutter Speed. Ultimately you need to meter with your eyes and know how your camera will handle the ride, then change your ISO and Shutter Speed accordingly.

When in doubt open it up to f/1.4 and spray and pray. And keep in mind that a grainy (high ISO) but in focus shot is always better than a clean (low ISO) but blurry shot.