Need help with s50

[charles eaves]

I am new to digital photography and I need help from the gurus.
I have a Canon S50 and it takes great shots in the daytime.
My problem is with the upcoming football season. My son is in the high school marching band.
Last year, I took shots in the daytime at competitions in the auto mode and most of the shots were great.
In about a month, he will be marching at sunset about 700 PM eastern time and also when it gets dark about 830 PM eastern.
I know I need a tripod to shoot photos while he is marching for the sports mode or even the night mode.
I want to set the camera to sports mode while shooting photos in the dark or near dark.
Will the sports setting let me take great pictures when it is dark or near dark.
I don't think I need to set the S50 to night mode.
I will take the pictures from the bleachers.
Should I use the sports mode or manually set the s50 to a certain setting.
If I should use a certain setting, what setting do I need?
Any help is appreciated.

[eastcoast909]

:oops: :oops: :oops: double post

[eastcoast909]

Charles:

I think that you might be able to get the shots you want at the 7:30 time, providing that there is enough light illuminating the band. I really don't think that the S series cameras will perform to the level you want after dark in this setting. I assume that the after sunset performance will be under lights in a park or stadium/football field.

Depending on the lighting there probably will not be enough light to allow you to take photo's with a fast enough shutter speed to prevent blur on the band members if they are moving. I'm not saying that you cannot take photos after sunset with the S50, it is just that the aperture setting and the shutter speed required for proper exposure are really working against you on this. This is a tough shot for any camera. You will probably be using the zoom function on the camera which will also close in the aperature letting in less light. You will probably be at the smallest aperture (f4.9).

Your best bet is to up the iso speed (you will get a lot more noise) to the fastest possible (400) I believe, and try some test shots now to see if the noise is acceptable. Definately use the tripod and try to use the 2 second delay to prevent any camera shake when you release the shutter. Your manual will show you how, you will have to come off of Auto settings and go to one of the manual modes, "P" should allow you to select the 2 second drive mode and still leave the camera in a mostly auto setting. You are better off practicing in either the full manual and Tv (shutter priority) or Av (aperture priority)settings now, in similar settings to see if you can get what you want.

Or...... you can upgrade to a Drebel :twisted: :twisted: (cheapest alternative) heh heh...

good luck,







I

[Jerry Vanderberg]

East coast909 is correct (both times). I would stay away from the night mode, as it keeps the shutter open too long. It works well when people stand still but all you can expect to get from a marching group is a blur. You may also want to try shooting it as an avi clip. These are tolerant of low light situations and you will get both the marching and the sound. If it comes out too dark you can increase the brightness by editting with virtualdub.