Long Exposure Problems

Hi folks,
I'm struggling with long exposure.
I have a 60d and 15-85mm EF-S lens. Settings are M, ISO 100, f/8.0, 30 secs and a 2 second timer.
I'm outside in the dark and it just won't set the self timer off when I press the shutter button down.
Just cannot see what else to do. I took all these settings from a youtube video and appear to be doing the same, but I cannot set off the timer.
Please help me as I really need to this nailed tonight as i'm needing to take the shots tomorrow.
Thanks all

are you in manual focus? If in auto focus and it's too dark the camera can't focus and won't release the shutter. Either use a flashlight to get focus or do it manually. Just an idea...

And that idea was exactly it!!!

Can't say I'm over happy about the first few shots but at least it is now firing.

Many thanks

happened to me before

what are you trying to shoot? When I was in the mountains this summer I shot some star scapes and just had the lens as wide open as it goes. And ISO somewhere between 800 and 2000, depending on where I was pointing. I had forgotten my cable release so I could not go past 30 sec.

Try cranking up the ISO or open the lens wider, see what you get.

tuttifrutti wrote in post #17137759
Hi folks,
I'm struggling with long exposure.
I have a 60d and 15-85mm EF-S lens. Settings are M, ISO 100, f/8.0, 30 secs and a 2 second timer.
I'm outside in the dark and it just won't set the self timer off when I press the shutter button down.
Just cannot see what else to do. I took all these settings from a youtube video and appear to be doing the same, but I cannot set off the timer.
Please help me as I really need to this nailed tonight as i'm needing to take the shots tomorrow.
Thanks all

Heya,

You're going to have to change F8 or ISO100. Regardless, you're going to need a lot more ISO, even if you open the aperture up (I know that lens is not much faster than F5.6 anyways, so gaining 1 stop of light isn't much). Start with ISO 3200. Look at the histogram, and adjust based on that. Don't trust the LCD JPG preview.

Very best,

Cheers for the advice. This is all new to me and never tried before.

I suppose i'm one of those that gets all panicky as soon as someone suggests anything over ISO 100 but I realise that good results can be achieved this way.

To be honest, I was literally just trying the settings in the garden so no real subject.

I do have a wired remote so might try that using bulb setting.

Again, many thanks for you help folks

don't be afraid to up the ISO...but if you're not taking shots of anything moving(stars, or anything else) then just leave the ISO at 100...

Thanks Andre. So, is it then lens that is hampering my results or if I just went to bulb and kept the lens open for a lot longer, would I then still achieve similar results to a lens of say f/2.8 as long as it's a still subject?

tuttifrutti wrote in post #17138521
Thanks Andre. So, is it then lens that is hampering my results or if I just went to bulb and kept the lens open for a lot longer, would I then still achieve similar results to a lens of say f/2.8 as long as it's a still subject?

if it's a still subject, the aperture isn't that big of a concern...as long as you have a stable tripod, the results should look good...if you're in a really dark situation you'd need bulb, but for many spots you could probably get away with a shutter of 30 sec. or less...

If the results are noisy, you also might try Long Exposure Noise Reduction, which you'll have to turn on in the menu.

If you do use LENR, keep in mind how it works. People tend to freak out and think their camera isn't working right when they first try it. The way LENR works is that it actually takes two shots... First the regular long exposure, then a second "blank" exposure of equal length with the shutter closed, that the camera uses to identify noise that it will deduct from the first image. So, for example, a 30 second exposure ends up taking a full minute (i.e., two 30 second exposures). In other words, allow for twice as much time for a LENR shot, as the shutter speed you've set. If you cancel the second exposure during the LENR process (such as by turning the camera off, or by opening the battery or memory card door), the camera throws away both the exposures and you're left with nothing.

tuttifrutti wrote in post #17138496
Cheers for the advice. This is all new to me and never tried before.

I suppose i'm one of those that gets all panicky as soon as someone suggests anything over ISO 100 but I realise that good results can be achieved this way.

To be honest, I was literally just trying the settings in the garden so no real subject.

I do have a wired remote so might try that using bulb setting.

Again, many thanks for you help folks

Don't panic, experiment! Try out higher ISO settings and examine your images - bet you'll be surprised.

I use ISO 800 as the default setting on my 50D, choosing a lower ISO if I'm shooting a stationary subject with a tripod or need a slow shutter speed in bright light.

Your 60D has a newer sensor than my 50D and I'll bet it has less noise.

Experiment!

-js

MalVeauX wrote in post #17138013
Heya,

You're going to have to change F8 or ISO100. Regardless, you're going to need a lot more ISO, even if you open the aperture up (I know that lens is not much faster than F5.6 anyways, so gaining 1 stop of light isn't much). Start with ISO 3200. Look at the histogram, and adjust based on that. Don't trust the LCD JPG preview.

Very best,

I disagree. Anyone attempting long exposures without a tripod is just plain nuts

The lowest ISO possible when shooting long exposures when camera mounted on a tripod. 100- 400 ISO is all you need for long exposures. Night street scenes 100-400 ISO f/8, 20-30 seconds. That's my typical setting. After that I fine tune.