Low light Photos without flash??

[vinnyveez]

Is it possible to take pictures inside at night with only regular lights (lamps, celing lights..etc) with good results? I am interested in NOT using the onboard flash if possible. the results i get with the onboard flash are bad, i may as well just go buy a point and shoot for a 100 bucks, and im sure to get the same results.

I have a drebel with the kit lens. I have a feeling the answers will be of 3 choices:
1. Get an external flash
2. Get a faster lens. (will the f50/1.8 allow me to take pics without additional flash?)
3 use higher iso

Its seems as though even if i use the largest aperture (with the kit lens its and get the subjects in the best possible lighting (near a lamp or right next to celing lights) witha high iso, the damn onboard flash wants to go off, destroying my pictures. Either that or the exposure time is so long that everything is blurred. Am i destined to buy an external flash or a faster lens? most of my shots will be indoors (bday parties, anniversary pics..etc)

[robertwgross]

Define regular lights.

You can learn how to shoot your camera with an internal flash, external flash, or no flash at all. It just depends on what you are trying to do. Yes, it is correct that the internal flash is not very bright. You can stretch that as far as you can by pushing the ISO up, but that only goes so far. You can do it with an external flash, but that requires an investment. You can use very slow shutter speeds without flash, but that requires your subject to be motionless and you must use a tripod. The faster lens is good, but that requires an investment also.

Some people have had good luck by getting assistants to hold up reflectors to reflect any indoor lights onto the subject. That's kind of a hassle, but it works.

---Bob Gross---

[mbze430]

I am not sure how the Drebel works. But if you shoot in Manual mode or Av mode, the flash will not come on.

Getting an external flash is a good start, but you'll need to look in to diffuser.

Faster lens will definately help. With a flash, it gives you now DOF choices.

Higher ISO helps too, make sure you can properly expose the scene.

[vinnyveez]

by regular lights i mean whatever you would find in a normal house, as that is where a majority of my pics will be. reading these forums it appears as though i need to make the following investments to get great pictures in low light situations:
1. set of alien b's (with the 800s of course)
2. tripod
3. softbox
4. 580 ex (with omnibounce)
5. reflectors
6 hairlights
7. umbrellas
8. some l lenses
9.small camel to pull all of this stuff around.
total cost (around 5000 if youre lucky) price not including camel.

Really, isnt it quite silly to think that you need all of this to get some good quality low light indoor shots? i ahve tried many tricks to get better indoor shots than i did with my s30, and to be quite honest, "it aint happenin". The pictures all need that damn little onbaord flash, which washes out all of the pictures.

Here is a great idea, why not make the pop up flash longer and rotatable? man that would be just too smart. and how else could canon make cash on their separate flashes? (200-600 extra dollars). sorry if i sound angry its just taht everytime i want better pictures i keep being told to buy something. its quite absurd that in order to get better pictures with this drebel in lowlight situations i need to pay more tahn 3x the price of my s30.
s30=300.00
drebel + lens + flash = Minimimum $1000.00 (and that is a great deal)

noone tells you that the drebel isnt going to do the job without 10 other accessories.
Granted my other shots (with good available light) kick butt, but god forbid you cant have every picture with people standing next to a softly lit window. what happens when the sunsets? the pictures are worthless. I have to go see a man about a camel now.

[markubig]

sorry dude, but it's all about how much light your lens allows into the sensor, and the 3.5 maximum aperture on the kit lens makes that really difficult in low-light situations. I know you don't want to hear it, but you need a lens that opens up wider, bump up the ISO, or get an external flash to bounce off the ceiling/walls. Sux to hear, but that's SLR photography. We gotta deal with it.

The DRebel is very capable of taking great pictures indoors (I have one), but you have to remember that it is the entry-level camera into Canon Digital SLRs, so it has its limitations (i.e. lots of noise at high ISO). What you're asking for could probably be done with the higher models in Canon's DSLR lineup, but they are more expensive. However, the 50/1.8 is only $70 and is really sharp, and look at the Sigma 500 Super DG as a flash. They are cheaper than the canons, but from what I see, they are just as powerful and give you as much control. No one said that this hobby is cheap, but as you can see, there are ways to spend a little less to get good quality.

Hope this helps.

[pcasciola]

1. Get an external flash
2. Get a faster lens. (will the f50/1.8 allow me to take pics without additional flash?)
3 use higher iso
Unless you buy a good external flash (like a 420EX), #2 + #3 would be your best. Going from f/5.6 to f/1.8 alone will give you over 8 times the light (and therefore 8x the shutter speed) and good background blur, but at the expense of depth of field. Raising the ISO can also help, but at the expense of noise, especially in lower light situations like typical indoor lighting. I'd say buy the 50/1.8 and give it a shot. You won't find a better indoor, available light lens for under $100.

[Ben]

I took some photos last week in very low light condition with the 1.8 at ISO 1600 and they came out exteremely well (20D)

[RichardtheSane]

What are you photographing?
That information would be handy...

[vinnyveez]

What are you photographing?
That information would be handy...

I thought i put that. Ill be taking pics of bday parties and other family events mostly. But i will use it out doors and other palces, but really 60-70% of the time i will probably use it in low light indorr situations. Ill prolly get me a 50/f1.8 lens soon. maybe even today. lol. flash is next. anyone know where i can get a cheap (even used) camel?

[markp1927]

i have a drebel w/ 50/1.8 lens. shot some pics in church during easter service and also plenty of basketball shots. most shots cleaned up well with noiseware and were very usable quality. certainly better than point shoot. no flash was used. the basketball pictures, in order to get sspeed up to 250, i had to bump iso to 3200 (hacked software, but free). good shots are possible. take a look at www.pbase.com/markp1927/easter (http://www.pbase.com/markp1927/easter) if your interested. the lens is a lot cheaper than the flash.

[vinnyveez]

i have a drebel w/ 50/1.8 lens. shot some pics in church during easter service and also plenty of basketball shots. most shots cleaned up well with noiseware and were very usable quality. certainly better than point shoot. no flash was used. the basketball pictures, in order to get sspeed up to 250, i had to bump iso to 3200 (hacked software, but free). good shots are possible. take a look at www.pbase.com/markp1927/easter (http://www.pbase.com/markp1927/easter) if your interested. the lens is a lot cheaper than the flash.
great shots, did you use the 50/1.8 lens for all of the shots or just the indoor ones?

[KevC]

Don't be afraid to bump up the ISO! A noisy image is better than no image at all, and with today's noise removal software, it's not that bad!

Also, get the 50/1.8. You'll love the ability to take low light pictures, and the beautiful DOF control.

Good luck!

[PhotosGuy]

bday parties and other family events mostly. Have you considered putting higher wattage lamps in the lights that are there? And maybe bouncing some more light from one wall?

[markp1927]

just the indoor shots. used a sigma 70-200 w/2x extender for the outside shots. inside shutter was slow and f stop was unforgiving with dof, but no flash worked great in church. so many places where flash is intrusive, the 50 1.8 is so cheap and usefull, its hard to pass up. noiseware and ps work miracles.

[vinnyveez]

well after all of the response i plunged (not really deep) and got the 50/1.8. i think about 90% of the signatures here have it listed. Cant wait till fri (ordered from B&H) got a cheapo lens hood and uv filter, toatl delivered was $92.00. not too painful really.

[picture-this]

Lens hoods are good youll be happy you got it.