low light help

[Cinbika]

I can not figure out how to get my inside pictures to turn out better in manual. I would like to master the low light but I think it is a difficult thing to do with out flash for these situations.
Here is a picture and the numbers:f2.8 1/100 ISO 640

Any help would be appreciated.

[bacchanal]

The photo looks a little under exposed. When you meter, try to meter for your subject (spot meter or center weighted avg on the subjects face would work). Increase your ISO if you need more shutter speed or dof. Also, your camera may have a difficult time focusing in low light. You can try using the center point only or using an AF assist beam to increase your AF accuracy (however, you need to be careful about using the focus/recompose technique with very wide apertures).

The problem with ambient light is that it isn't always where you want it, and getting the photo that you want may require some combination of time, patience and luck. In your example there is more light on the surface than there is on the child's face. Ideally, you either want to move the subject to the light or move the light to the subject, but of course this isn't always possible, and that is why people tend to rely on using a flash.

[Jon M]

The limitations of low light photography will be your depth of field. I think 2.8 is not "wide" enough for true low light as you will notice increased noise by pushing up the ISO.

I've tried with my 28-70L, 70-200L IS wide open indoors with low light with my son and he just moves too quick so my shots are blurry. Boosting the ISO to achieve a faster shutter speed gives too much noise for my liking.

The 85 1.8 is a good lens for low light. The focal length may be a bit long for candids of kids. Just got the 35L with a max aperture at 1.4. Now I can get full length shots of the kids at a decent ISO and still stop motion when they are moving. Again DOF is the limitation.

Here is my daughter at 7 weeks at 1/60 f2 and ISO 500 with my 35L. People say you should not do head shots with 35mm focal length as it distorts the proportions. Looks ok to me and gotta love that bokeh in the background. Buttery smooth...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XALWdpCYGYQ/SVszDsO0o0I/AAAAAAAAAWU/3Jfw0dz08ds/20081229-20081229-_R3F0733-Edit.jpg

[egordon99]

I can not figure out how to get my inside pictures to turn out better in manual. I would like to master the low light but I think it is a difficult thing to do with out flash for these situations.
Here is a picture and the numbers:f2.8 1/100 ISO 640

Any help would be appreciated.

That's not low light :) In our house at night, without flash I have to use f/1.4, ISO1600, 1/30s :lol:

Anyway, in your situation, assuming your lens only opens up to f/2.8, you could still bump up the ISO to 1000 (or even higher :) ) to get a faster shutter speed. Also it looks little underexposed, so if you're in Manual mode, get a little more light hitting the sensor. Perhaps f/2.8, 1/120, ISO1250?

Manual mode really isn't needed (unless you REALLY know what you're doing) For low light without flash I tend to use Av. I just crank the ISO to 800 (to start), open up as wide as I can (f/1.4 or 1.8 for my fast prime) and see what shutter speed I get. If it's too slow, I up the ISO more. If it's plenty fast, I can go to a lower ISO and/or close down the aperture. Since you're going to be using fast apertures, you really need to nail the focus, so make sure you select the focus point closest to the subject and try to minimize any focus-recompose (especially at close distances)

Good luck!

[Moofer]

I always struggled with this, until I read "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. I'm now able to correctly set up manual exposure in ANY lighting condition within a few seconds.

[Deckham]

As opposed to the advice above, I almost always use manual, camera and flash, indoors.

May I ask - do you not like using flash because of bad experience, or another reason?

[JeffreyG]

There are a couple of ways to shoot in low light. Here are two examples:

The first is with ambient light. This was shot at f/1.2, 1/100, 85mm and ISO1600. This was a very dim room, but I will have to warn you that indoors situations are rarely bright enough for f/2.8 zoom lenses once the sun has gone down. I tend to shoot like this shot when I want to preserve the look of the room plus add in that shallow DOF look or when I want to avoid bothering people with a lot of flash at a party. This type of shooting requires practice and concentration for focus (on the eyes) and for avoiding shake.

The second shot is lit with a flash and is at f/6.3. I think the lighting looks very natural, and this is a great way to shoot when you have multiple subjects and need adequate DOF for a group. This is generally an easier way to get good shots as there is no chance for motion blur and the DOF is largish.

I use both methods as the situation requires, and I have gotten results I'm pleased with either way. If you are struggling with using fast lenses, I suggest working mostly with bounced flash first for good results, come back to shooting fast apertures unflashed as you gain experience.

[egordon99]

+1. Unless I absolutely cannot use flash, I always use my 580EXII (usually coupled with my fast primes) for indoor shooting. Try it, you may like it :)

As opposed to the advice above, I almost always use manual, camera and flash, indoors.

May I ask - do you not like using flash because of bad experience, or another reason?