Night Time Epcot Photos

[Chikabowa]

I have some photos on my blog of the Epcot World Showcase. I snapped them last night at the extra magical hours. It was a warm and humid evening, and you can actually see the humidity in the photos... it gives them a real ethereal quality! Anyway, they are all straight out of camera - and yes i know some of them have horizon problems. It's due to my cheap tripod (which I bought only because it was cheap!), but easily fixable when I get into photoshop with these.

So enjoy - and if you have questions about technique or anything like that, I'll be happy to answer them later on tonight when I get back to the hotel. Off to the Animal Kingdom now!

 

[QBNumba1]

i liked them. nice job =]

 

[ferretxxxferret]

I saw these on another photo board (on which I am mostly a lurker. ). They are amazing!

 

[mickeyfan1226]

I have some photos on my blog of the Epcot World Showcase. I snapped them last night at the extra magical hours. It was a warm and humid evening, and you can actually see the humidity in the photos... it gives them a real ethereal quality! Anyway, they are all straight out of camera - and yes i know some of them have horizon problems. It's due to my cheap tripod (which I bought only because it was cheap!), but easily fixable when I get into photoshop with these.

So enjoy - and if you have questions about technique or anything like that, I'll be happy to answer them later on tonight when I get back to the hotel. Off to the Animal Kingdom now!

You photos are great. I am wanting to learn how to take photos in the dark and then at the shows where there is no flash. What type of lens did you use for your night shots? I have a nikon d70 with lenses and on another thread I was told they would not do what I wanted. The lenses are a 28-80 (3.3-5.6g) and then a 70-300 (4-5.6). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[annnewjerz]

You photos are great. I am wanting to learn how to take photos in the dark and then at the shows where there is no flash. What type of lens did you use for your night shots? I have a nikon d70 with lenses and on another thread I was told they would not do what I wanted. The lenses are a 28-80 (3.3-5.6g) and then a 70-300 (4-5.6). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Not sure what your budget is, but most people would probably recommend for those low-light situations you get the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for Nikons. It is about $450 (give or take) on most websites like Amazon, Adorama, B&H, etc. There is also a 50mm f/1.4 AF-S that is scheduled to come out a little later that might do the trick, but from what I can tell, people on the boards seem to think 50mm is a little too tight for the parades, indoor rides, etc.

 

[DebºoºS]

Nice shots. Looking forward to more pics & have a Happy Birthday

 

[DebºoºS]

mickeyfan1226, I have the Nikkor 50mm and the Sigma 30mm 1.4. Both are great lenses and I've been very pleased with the shots. I've found they're useful in lowlight situations but not for a walking around lens.The Nikkor 50mm is saved for fireworks and shows whereas the Sigma 30mm is good for parades and rides.

 

[mickeyfan1226]

Not sure what your budget is, but most people would probably recommend for those low-light situations you get the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for Nikons. It is about $450 (give or take) on most websites like Amazon, Adorama, B&H, etc. There is also a 50mm f/1.4 AF-S that is scheduled to come out a little later that might do the trick, but from what I can tell, people on the boards seem to think 50mm is a little too tight for the parades, indoor rides, etc.

Now correct me if I am wrong but what I am getting is that the smaller the mm the wider the shot. and the smaller the f the faster

 

[Chikabowa]

You photos are great. I am wanting to learn how to take photos in the dark and then at the shows where there is no flash. What type of lens did you use for your night shots? I have a nikon d70 with lenses and on another thread I was told they would not do what I wanted. The lenses are a 28-80 (3.3-5.6g) and then a 70-300 (4-5.6). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Honestly.... the key to night photos is NOT the type of lens you are using. For these, I was using a 20mm f2.8 prime lens on a Nikon D3.
My ISO was 200.
My aperture was set at between f16 and f22.
My shutter was anywhere between 13 seconds and 25 seconds.

The key to night photos is definitely the use of a tripod. Now, I'm totally cheap and I didn't want to bring my great big wonderful and heavy Bogen tripod (and pay for the extra baggage, not to mention lugging that around the park) with me, so I just bought a cheap $40 tripod - which serves the purpose I need. But it's small, light and easy to carry.

For the record though, your 28-80, while not a pro lens, would totally work for this purpose.

 

[mickeyfan1226]

Honestly.... the key to night photos is NOT the type of lens you are using. For these, I was using a 20mm f2.8 prime lens on a Nikon D3.
My ISO was 200.
My aperture was set at between f16 and f22.
My shutter was anywhere between 13 seconds and 25 seconds.

The key to night photos is definitely the use of a tripod. Now, I'm totally cheap and I didn't want to bring my great big wonderful and heavy Bogen tripod (and pay for the extra baggage, not to mention lugging that around the park) with me, so I just bought a cheap $40 tripod - which serves the purpose I need. But it's small, light and easy to carry.

For the record though, your 28-80, while not a pro lens, would totally work for this purpose.

So I could use that lense for the firworks but need to mess with the shutter speed and so forth. I still need a different lense for the rides and shows.

 

[boBQuincy]

Here's one from September, the clouds were lit by the full moon just outside the photo.
Canon 30D, 24-105, f/4, ISO 400, stair railing used as a tripod.

 

[abbingtonmatt]

nice job ..I like them.

 

[ukcatfan]

mickeyfan1226,

Why not get the 50mm f/1.8? It is a little tight, but for ~$100, it is a lot of lens for the price. You have a D70, so there is no problem with the focus motor issue. Besides, a 50mm on a 1.5x crop DSLR is also a nice portrait focal length.

 

[Chikabowa]

So I could use that lense for the firworks but need to mess with the shutter speed and so forth. I still need a different lense for the rides and shows.

Yeah, when it comes to dark rides, I use a different technique. I should add that I shoot 100% manual, 99.99% of the time (the other .001% I might use Aperture Priority, but that is pretty rare) and so I control my exposures that way.

For this shot, I set my ISO at 6400 and then placed my 50mm at f1.4 with a 1/100 shutter. This is what I consistently get on all the dark rides when using these settings....

 

[mickeyfan1226]

mickeyfan1226,

Why not get the 50mm f/1.8? It is a little tight, but for ~$100, it is a lot of lens for the price. You have a D70, so there is no problem with the focus motor issue. Besides, a 50mm on a 1.5x crop DSLR is also a nice portrait focal length.

I just bought a 50mm off ebay. I am excited to get it and start playing around with it. I would like to get a 18-200mm also. Do you think that is a good investment?

 

[DebºoºS]

I just bought a 50mm off ebay. I am excited to get it and start playing around with it. I would like to get a 18-200mm also. Do you think that is a good investment?

Congrats on your new to you 50mm. You'll like it. I have the 1.8. The 18-200 is my walking around lens. Very versatile

 

[annnewjerz]

Congrats on your new to you 50mm. You'll like it. I have the 1.8. The 18-200 is my walking around lens. Very versatile

I agree, lovin the 18-200...at first I was hesitant to spend $600 on a lens, but I am SO happy I did. I would much rather only be able to afford one lens that I really love, compared to 2 or 3 that are just okay.

 

[mickeyfan1226]

Congrats on your new to you 50mm. You'll like it. I have the 1.8. The 18-200 is my walking around lens. Very versatile

Thanks, haven't had the chance to use it yet. Belive me this weekend since I don't work I am going to be playing around a lot.

 

[MHolleman]

Here's one from September, the clouds were lit by the full moon just outside the photo.
Canon 30D, 24-105, f/4, ISO 400, stair railing used as a tripod.

This is a cool shot. Love the way the clouds are kind of looming (sp?) behind the bulding.