low natural light+moving child= bad pics- HELP!!

[akp1201]

I am a newbie here and would love some help!! I jsut boughth the Canon Digital Rebel xt last week and am getting discouraged. Okay- I feel like I am beating my head against a wall! I don't know what to do. I have a house with a lot of fairly large windows but I can never get enough natural light!! It seems like unless I have my son directly in the bright sunlight (which is rare and winds up creating shadows and blown out highlights) I have to set my shutter speed to less than 50! Which of course makes the pics blurry! I just bought the digital rebel xt last week and was so pumped but now I can't seem to get the quality of picture I was hoping for. I don't think a tripod would take care of my problem b/c my son is 8 months and constantly moving. Aghhh! What should I do? I could post some pics of the layout of my house if that would help. Oh- I also live in upstate NY where the weather can be tempermental at times. Is there any solution???? Thanks so much for your help!
Amanda

[big_ipaq]

You forgot to say which lens (should we assume the kit lens?) and what apperture you're using... What mode are you trying to shoot with? Can you post a sample 100% crop and Exif info?

[blue_max]

Quick answer – use the largest F stop on the camera (lowest number). Try using AV mode, this is where you select the aperture and the camera selects the time. Then maybe increase the iso number. Assuming it is on 100, go up to perhaps 400. Look in the viewfinder and see the time. If you see it saying more than 100 (one hundredth of a second), you are getting there. 250 or more is even better.

If you don't understand any of this, get back to us.

Hope this helps – your camera IS capable of good pictures.

Graham

[cfcRebel]

I can't keep my hands steady. So my shutter speed normally has to be above 1/200 or use a tripod to avoid blurry picture as a result of the shake. Like blue_max said, increase your ISO and use max aperture should help. If your lens' max aperture is f4 or higher, maybe you can try some lens that has larger max aperture (fast lens), something that has f1.8, f2.

[snibbetsj]

I'd start with using the flash first of all. If you don't want to use the flash, then pump up the ISO to 800 or 1600 and use the largest (smallest number) aperture. A fill flash works wonders though.

Good luck :)

[smittymike19]

ok i had the same exact problem when i got my rebel. here are the options:
1. Pump up the iso, i wouldnt suggest going higher than 800 as the quality starts to really degrade
2. like everyone said, set your camera to the largest aperture (samllest number on your camera) using the av mode.

if you find you still are getting blurry shots, pick up the nifty fifty (50/1.8 lens). it will allow you to get even larger apertures (than the kit lens) and thus faster speeds. it works wonders in low light situations.

[Jim_T]

if you find you still are getting blurry shots, pick up the nifty fifty (50/1.8 lens). it will allow you to get even larger apertures (than the kit lens) and thus faster speeds. it works wonders in low light situations.

YES.. Especially if you're using the Rebel kit lens... Going from a maximum aperture of f/3.5 to f/1.8 will make a huge difference..

[akp1201]

Thanks everyone! I am using the kit lens and the maximum aperture it will allow. Of course this means 5.6 if I want to zoom in. I am going to increase my ISO and try that. I was hesitant to do that b/c I thought it would increase the noise in the pic. If I dont' go over 800 will the quality be the same? This board is great! Thanks for the help! Oh- I may have to get the "nifty fifty" eventually!! Any suggestions on which brand?

[cfcRebel]

Canon EF 50mm f1.8II is what i got. Very impressive for the price. The 300D's noice level at ISO800 is still acceptable, at least for me. Most of the time ISO 400 gives me enough speed to shoot indoor with natural light, of course have to use my nifty fifty. ;)

[jfrancho]

I'd say that the first setting to adress here is shutter speed. Use Tv mode to directly control this variable. You want the shutter speed to be at least 1/200 sec, at ISO 100. The camera will automatiically adjust the aperture for proper exposure. If there isn't enough light to achieve a proper exposure, for example the display blinks or gives you an error, then try the next highest ISO. Your right, direct sunlight can create a difficult situation, but indirect light can really inprove a photo. Try using sheer drapes to diffuse the sunlight from a window. You can also use a large sheet of white poster board strategically placed to reflect some light on your son, but I bet you'd have to "herd" him into position. Toddlers aren't easy, but keep at it, you'll surely capture some great memories.

[DavidEB]

I agree with all above posts (50mm f1.8, pump ISO, Av mode set to max aperature, consider fill flash in Av mode). Also think about getting a good noise reduction plug-in for adobe elements (software that came with your rebel). I use neat image, some people like noise ninja. With a little post-processing, neat image lets you take decent shots at ISO 1600 -- just be sure you don't underexpose, maybe even overexpose just a little (using the EC button).

[Hellashot]

From the posts I've seen for ISO1600 on the XT, you won't lose much image quality unless you want to print really big sizes like poster or 13x19. I am envious of the ISO 1600 quality compared to the ISO 1600 on my Drebel.

[robertwgross]

I don't think a tripod would take care of my problem b/c my son is 8 months and constantly moving.

That's possible. On the other hand, a tripod can't hurt.

Many photographers have shakey hands and jerk the camera slightly right at the moment they press the shutter button.

If you crank up your ISO to 800 or 1600, then that should give you enough sensitivity to shoot with moderate settings of shutter and aperture. Then, there are flash units!

---Bob Gross---

[Barb42]

Try testing with several of the auto settings. Until you learn more about the camera. ISO 400 and 800 work quite well on P.

[gasrocks]

All are good suggestions. First thing I would do is to try and structure his activity. Invent something for him to do that guarantees you know ahead of time when he will be still, smiling, etc. No one cares how "real" the activity/game was as long as you get good pix.

[clicky]

By just crankin' up the ISO indoor to say 800/1600 ISO and only available low natural light could give you a headache concerning the whitebalance (WB). Normal indoor lightning would most often give you severe red/yellow-ish images. You could perhaps configure the WB on camera and/or edit the images and get (in my opinion) good, but not perfect results.

My tip is go outside (daytime, preferably light&cloudy) or use flash either with softbox or bounced in the ceiling. Good luck, been there done that :-)

[akp1201]

Thank you so much all your replies. I tried increasing the iso to 800 and that did work a lot better. Still had some problems though. I am thinking i should but the lens but have to convince my hubby that we need it! I will try to attach some of the pics I took today. Would love to know what you think!- I cant figure out how to attach the pics- any advice?

[Sam]

You could always buy some photofloods from your local camera shop and some clip lights from a hardware store.

Buy the blue bulbs and use them to increase the light. You'll need to be careful though because they get hot and your little one could get hurt if your son gets a hold of them. I bought my lights for $7 or $8 and the clip lights are about the same.

[mr.photoguy]

the 18-55 isn't to great for indoor non flash photo's.
You would be better suited with a faster lens... like say the 50 1.8, or 85 f1.8 ...
Then use Tv, and set it to 50, or above for the 50mm, and 85 or above for the 85mm.
From here you can manage your iso.. Do test shots, and review for sharpness or shake.
Remember Shallow DOF, offers Shallow Area's of focus...

Ofcourse, all in my opinion..

Happy Shooting.

[lostdoggy]

Hi,
No one have asked the question how are you holding the camera. The proper technique in holding a SLR is to hold the barrel of the lens on your left palm (palm up) grasping the zoom by your thumb and index finger. Tuck your elbow against your body. Don't leave your elbow out. This will brace the camera from coming down when your depress the shutter button. When eveer possible brace the camera from moving. Be creative. Another sugestion is a monopod its mush more mobil then a full tripod.