Help with the first night picture

[Ranger187]

Ok, I just got the PRO1 out of the box and started taking some pictures...

I'm looking for help on this picture. I'm not technically savy yet on the aperature/iso settings. And I'm kinda sketchy on the meanings so in time I will comprehend all this.

Anyways, here is the settings:
Shutter Speed: 4 seconds
F/2.4
I have no idea what iso I set this at..

If you view the original: http://www.harhigh.com/img_0006.jpg you can see it's hella grainy or "noisy" I think is the correct term. How do I correct this?

http://www.harhigh.com/IMG_0006s.jpg

[Meerkat17]

I will make the assumption that you have the camera set to Auto ISO? Hence it will decide what ISO to use. It would be much wiser to set the camera to use a lower ISO to help eradicate some of the noise. Also, if you set the camera to Manual mode, you will have much more control over the aperture and shutter speeds.

I would say that for this shot your aperture is too wide and should be stopped down to possibly f6.5 or there about. If the camera is put in Manual mode you will then be able to take several shots above and below the f-stop and use different shutter speeds to experiment and then choose which one is the best.

Have fun.
Regards
David

[Ranger187]

Thanks for you're reply and help! I am going back outside now to test this.

It's only 5am... Hehe. I can't sleep. WEWT

Yes, it was set on auto. I just checked. I finally did the firmware upgrade to the PRO1 too. That was a scary 3 minutes. Now off to take pictures.

Oh, is it wise to use ISO-100 for night/sky pictures? What is the best iso to use in a pitch black room?

[Canuck]

Try this, go manual, ISO 100 and F7.1 and 1/60 sec, adjust as needed.
Anyways, here is the settings:
Shutter Speed: 4 seconds
F/2.4
I have no idea what iso I set this at..

F2.4 is the aperature, smaller number usually means less depth of field; higher number to F16 is greater...used for sweeping landscapes.
Shutter speed is how long the imaging sensor is exposed to light. I'm not too up on the Pro1 but my guess would be 100 or 200. This is purely a WAG. Reportedly at 400 is it incredibly noisy. Another trick, use a shutter release!

[Ranger187]

Thanks for all the help people. If it's not raining tonight, my ass will be outside in the cold taking pictures!

[Canuck]

Thanks for all the help people. If it's not raining tonight, my ass will be outside in the cold taking pictures!

I couldn't help but laugh...predictions of lows int the single digits above or below are for the next few days here. I can't imagine it being that cold in PA, and certainly not in LV.

[Ranger187]

Last night was nothing. I was outside in a tshirt and sweats... Vegas is only a tad bit warmer as I was at my other place last week. Cold weather won't phase me. I'll take pictures on my death bed. My picture gallery has over 16,000 images. I am a picture whore. ;)

But I want to further my whore skills.. With quality shots now. I don't want to take pictures during the day anymore. They bore me.

[Ranger187]

I couldn't help but laugh...predictions of lows int the single digits above or below are for the next few days here. I can't imagine it being that cold in PA, and certainly not in LV.

Laugh all ya want. Tonight was -10 with the wind chill. ;)

And I got a few more pictures. I was too freaking cold to fuk with the camera so when it gets warmer I'm sure I'll spend half the night out there.. Setting it to F8.0 was horrid. I forget which settings I used so when I publish this to my Ngallery, I'll have all the exif in plain sight.

http://www.harhigh.com/gallery/december_2004/img_0056.jpg

http://www.harhigh.com/gallery/december_2004/img_0057.jpg

http://www.harhigh.com/gallery/december_2004/img_0062.jpg