Low Light Condition

[FramerPDX]

Can someone give a newby a few pointers on what settings I should be using for a 10D in low light.. I got a 100-400 canon lens and a 24-70 canon also and I was having a very tough time getting any photos to not be blurry and I don't know anything about photography...

I bought the camera for a trip that we are going to be taking for some racing but I decided to practice some today with it at the skating ring for my sons b-day... so any pointers would be great thanks...

-FramerPDX

[robertwgross]

The first and most important advice is to learn something about photography. Either take a course from a local community college, or shoot and print your own stuff for 10-20 years.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

---Bob Gross---

[levine2]

It all depends on how low the light is. On the 24 - 70 lens open it to 2.8 and experiment with the shutter speeds in manual mode. Also increase the ISO setting to 1600 or higher. A lot of low light shooting is trail and error.

[PacAce]

FramerPDX wrote:
Can someone give a newby a few pointers on what settings I should be using for a 10D in low light.. I got a 100-400 canon lens and a 24-70 canon also and I was having a very tough time getting any photos to not be blurry and I don't know anything about photography...

I bought the camera for a trip that we are going to be taking for some racing but I decided to practice some today with it at the skating ring for my sons b-day... so any pointers would be great thanks...

-FramerPDX



Were you using a flash? If not, it's going to be pretty tough to get sharp pictures in low light without a tripod. And even then, there are no guarantees, especially with kids who tend never to sit still for more than a split second--the background may come out tack sharp but the kids may just be blurs.

If you don't know much about your camera and photography in general, you might as well start by setting it to AUTO (the green rectangle) or 'P' (Program) . And use a flash indoors. That'll get you going but you really should spend the time to learn the basics of photography or else you would be better off getting one of the point-n-shoot digital cameras.

[FramerPDX]

Ok I was using a 420 EX Flash but with a 100-400 that is pretty far to expect the flash to work... I will be reading as much as I can to learn how to use this camera I can't wait to get the hang of it...

I bought this camera hopinmg I could figure it out I think I will be able to...

I also think I posted in my main topic I was using a 24-70 I was but I was also using a 100-400 sorry for not getting all the info the first time...

FramerPDX

[Guillermo Freige]

To be sure, put the camera in P (Program AE) mode and increase the ISO to 1600. You will end with a little noisy pictures, but if flash is out of the question, this is the safer bet.
With the 24-70 you can use flash without problems in the 5m radius. In this case stay in P but keep the ISO at 400 or 200

[photography By Evangelos]

First off if you have a 10D you must get a flash that can handle the job like the 550EX it is a must for this camera. Second if you use this camera in low light you must have a flash unit on top. The camera uses the flashes infred sensor to achieve focus. With out it, all of you stuff will not be in sharp focus at all in A/F. Third set the center A/F point or "RED" box in the middle. The camera has seven A/F points but this slows the camera down I use both of my 10D cameras the same way and never use any of the other A/F points at all never ever. Use the center point and use AE lock and recompose your shot. Also go for contrasting colors like white and black when using the center A/F point. If you use these steps you will be very happy trust me. I am a professional and use my cameras this way and have the best of luck.

[Longwatcher]

One quick suggestion;
Sometimes it is better to go small and then crop. Think Digital.

I recommend getting a 50/1.8 or better a 50/1.4 lens for low light conditions. It should keep you ISO under 400, which makes scaling prints much easier.

Although I have heard there are some good noise reduction programs. I have had great luck scaling images up then I have had in noise reduction. So to me a 50/1.8 lens at ISO 400 can substitute easily for a 200/2.8 at ISO 1600. Plus it will tend to focus faster and is more likely to catch the shot.

My experience shows I need to keep my shutter speed at higher then 1/125 to catch people in action and 1/180 or 1/250 is better. If you are at 1/250 and the pictures are still blurry then focus is probably the problem.

ISO over 400 tend to look to grainy for my taste, but up to that point works great in 10D.

And lastly the 550EX flash will go pretty darn far, but never far enough when I need it badly.


Just my experience and opinion.