Nikkon D3100-couple of ?'s

[Angie1027]

I bought this camera in Aug of this year. I also bought a guide which is really confussing me!! I have been practicing a lot with everything except low light & night shots. We r going to WDW this December & my daughter has a Nutcracker ballet show coming up so I'm starting to worry that i won't get any good shots bc I don't know how to use the camera correctly in those situations.

Could any one recomend the settings to use for low light? Like capturing dancers on stage?

And settings for the castle all lit up & fireworks?

I was also looking into buying a bigger lens. I currently have 18mm-55mm. I wasn't sure what to go with. Any suggestions that would fit my needs? The ballet recitials are so important to me so I really want to get some good shots.

Thanks for any advise!!!

Angie

 

[NLD]

Hi,

Okay, first the good news....

For fireworks and night shots of static objects (things that don't move) you want a tripod, a remote shutter release (so that you can fire the camera without actually touching it), and learn how to use bulb mode on the camera. You don't need a heavy-duty tripod for the D3100 and the kit lens, and remote shutter releases are cheap.

For low-light shots of things that move (like dancers on a stage) you want a faster lens. "Faster" meaning a lens with a wide aperture. And lenses=$$$$.

General low-light tips (for things that move): keep the aperture open wide and crank up the ISO. And use the slowest shutter speed you can get away with, without causing motion blur--either from the subject or from your hands shaking the camera. You're trying to get as much light as possible to hit the sensor. A high ISO makes the camera sensor more sensitive to light. A wider aperture allows more light to hit the sensor. And a slower shutter speed keeps the sensor exposed to the light longer, allowing more light to hit it.

The 35mm 1.8 Nikon lens is a great deal for the $$. However, it's a prime lens (no zoom at all to it--you have to physically get further from or closer to your subject). It's a great focal length for Disney dark rides on your camera, though. But it might not have enough reach for a dance performance, depending on where you're sitting.

There is also the 50 1.8 G AF-S, which would give you just a little more reach (not a ton) for dance. Still a prime. Not as good a focal length on Disney dark rides, IMHO. Depends what you like to shoot though... hard to get a complete dark ride scene with this one, but does let you get some closer-up shots within each scene. (Note: there is another 50mm 1.8 lens that is cheaper yet, but it won't autofocus on your camera body. For Nikon lenses, if you want the autofocus, look for AF-S in the title of the lens.)


Fast telephoto lenses, especially zoom lenses, are expensive. Especially fast telephotos with a focus motor in the lens (which you need if you want them to autofocus on the D3100. If you're willing to manual focus, you can look at older used lenses without in-lens autofocus).

Now, depending on the lighting on the stage, you might be able to get away with a slower lens if you set your ISO nice and high. I managed to get a few decent shots at the Lion King show in Disney one year with a slow lens and the ISO cranked up on my D60. So if you don't want to shell out money for a faster lens, still give it a try!

 

[f19810]

For things like the castle lights and the Osborne lights, what shutter speed should I use. I thought that I would go with an iso of 100, f stop of 11 and exposure time of 5-20 seconds for fireworks. Is that right? For the castle and Osborne, should I use the same setting with maybe a 5 second exposure?

 

[photo_chick]

As far as the Nutcracker, provided the production is lit well.... If you're reasonably close (like the first 5 or so rows) you'll probably be good with the 18-55 if you know how to use it well. Beyond that you'll need more reach unless you just want full stage shots. This type of shooting is totally doable with entry level zoom lenses, but it isn't real fun with them. You do have to know how to use your equipment pretty well to get consistently good shots because this is a tougher lighting situation. A faster lens certainly is preferable, but not necessary. If shooting ballet recitals is important, before you buy a lens learn how an exposure is made and how to use what you've got. I could tell you to go out and spend $200 to $1000 on a lens right now, but if it's not the right lens for your shooting style it's wasted money. Once you understand what all the numbers on the lens mean and have an idea on how you like to shoot you'll have a good idea of what lens you will want to buy.

Don't try and decide on specific settings before you get there. Have an idea of your approach, but you really don't want to worry about the specifics because until you're there you won't know what you need. For moving shots like recitals, rides and parades I tend to go with shutter priority (S on Nikon, Tv on Canon) For static shots on a tripod I'll go with aperture priority (A on Nikon or Av on Canon). In both instances I'll set my chosen variable (shutter speed or aperture, depending on my approach) where I want it, then bump up the ISO until I have the exposure. If I can't get the exposure, I re-evaluate where I set my original variable.