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General discussion

Really dark pictures

Mar 20, 2005 6:21AM PST

I have a canon A75 and since I got a massive fisheye lense, I cant use the flash because it blocks most of it.

http://i149.exs.cx/img149/5061/dark1fn.jpg

In person, the ledges right in front of me were lit well enough to see them. In the photo you can clearly see it is all black, you cant even make out lots of the objects. I dont want to get an external flash, so cant I change some setting to make the photos brighter? ISO?

Discussion is locked

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Dark Pictures
Mar 20, 2005 8:08AM PST

Well it is dark all right.

So dark that I can not tell what is in the foreground, that you were trying to photograph.

From the photo, it appears that you are trying to light up a large area. Which you can not do, since the flash on that camera is only rated for 14 feet.

Two photos would be helpful.
One flash shot without the fisheye lens.
One flash shot with the fisheye lens.

The A75 has manual controls and you should experiment with raising the ISO setting.

If you use a tripod or place the camera on a solid surface you can also set the camera to Shutter Priority and experiment with slower shutter speeds.

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yeah
Mar 20, 2005 12:39PM PST

"Two photos would be helpful.
One flash shot without the fisheye lens.
One flash shot with the fisheye lens."

Like I said, I cant use flash with the fisheye because it is too large and blocks the actual flash. So I would have to buy an external flash (look cheap and bulky).
Im just dissapointed on how the camera makes should-be-barely-lit-but-still-viewable images completely dark.

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Low Light Photography
Mar 20, 2005 11:37PM PST

If you are wanting to do low light photography, forget the flash (set it to Off).

Your photo is close to being what you want.
With a little Photoshop Elements touch-up, it looks like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/randol9p9/dark_pse.jpg

The EXIF for your photo shows:
f3.2
1/15 second
6.6 mm

You just need a slower shutter speed.

Try the exact same shot again like this:
1. Use a tripod or support the camera on something solid.
2. You need to go to Shutter Priority mode.
3. Set the shutter speed at one second.
4, Make sure you are using no zoom (important).
5. Set flash to off (important).
6. Take the photo.

Now look at the results:
if it is still too dark, go to a slower shutter speed (you can go to 15 seconds with that camera).
if it is too light, set a faster shutter speed.

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No zoom....?
Mar 26, 2005 11:23AM PST

snapshot2, I was reading this post, and I was curious about this part.

I have a Canon Digital Rebel. Last night, I was trying to take a picture of the moon. Having never done night photography, I put the camera into the mode that would allow changing the shutter speed (time value), but I had a zoom lens on the camera.

When you said "zoom" did you mean digital zoom?

I'm still working with the camera, but the moon pictures weren't what my eyes were seeing. I bracketed the image until I could see the landscape on the surface, but it still wasn't what I expected.

Would the next thing to check/adjust, be the ISO setting?

I had the camera on a tripod, and was using a remote switch, to avoid camera shake.

Al

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No Zoom
Mar 26, 2005 11:37PM PST

If you look at the front of the lens of the Canon A75 camera you will see this printed:

5.4-16.2mm 1:2.8-4.8

If you don't have a camera handy- here is a link to a photo of the front of the camera:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/a75.html

The 5.4-16.2mm is the actual focal length of the lens from wide angle to maximum zoom.

The 1:2.8-4.8 is the f-stop rating of the lens from wide-angle (no zoom) to maximum zoom.

At wide-angle the lens is rated at f2.8.
When it is fully zoomed, it is rated at f4.8

The purpose of stating "no zoom" was to insure you get maximum light into the camera (f2.Cool.

Digital Zoom should not be used either as it lessens the quality of the photo.

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Yes, try raising the ISO setting. This (in effect) provides more light to the camera sensor.

Higher ISO settings will increase the noise in the photo, but if you are using a very slow shutter speed (2 seconds or slower) the A75 will apply noise reduction.

There is also noise reduction software available.

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It sounds like you are trying to photograph the moon and still want to be able to see the landscape.

Now that is tricky because the camera is reacting to the brightest object. And when using "shutter priority", the camera is automatically adjusting the f-stop for you. That will not give you the effect you want.

You will probably have to go to Manual mode. That will let you adjust the shutter speed AND the f-stop (aperture).

Lets say that your best shot so far is 2 seconds and the camera is selecting f8. I would think that you still want more light to achieve the shot you want.

Go to manual mode and select 4 seconds and f8.
Or you could select 2 seconds and f5.6
Either method will double the amount of light.

Here is a reference link:
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=aperture

The camera will likely let you know that it thinks you selection is not proper. Ignore the camera's advice and take the photo.

That is what manual mode if for - letting you take control.

You will have to do some trial and error.
See if you can get the shot you want.

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manual settings
Mar 27, 2005 10:02PM PST

snapshot2, thanks for these helpful tips.

I am not using the surrounding landscape. Just the sky, with the moon.

With the "time value" setting, it isn't in the full manual mode. I will use the full manual settings.

Thanks, too, for the links.

Al

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Zoom and Flash don't go well together?
Mar 27, 2005 7:05AM PST

"4, Make sure you are using no zoom (important)."

Why's that? Is it camera specific or a general rule?

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(NT) (NT) Answer is just above your queston.
Mar 27, 2005 9:20AM PST
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I tossed that image into Paintshop Pro and..
Mar 20, 2005 10:09AM PST

Played a little and it get to "acceptable" by my standards for a nightshot. Try that?

Bob