Mode TV was too dark, Black screen. please help

hey everyone
first of all i have the XTi and was using the sigma 10-20mm
today me and few of my buddies went out to take pictures of there cars. it was around 7ish in the evening so it was almost getting dark. i wanted to do some rolling shots but i wasn't able to get the shots cuz it turned out too dark like you can't see the pictures..i had the camera set mode to TV 1/1000 and 1/500 my iso was 100 and 400 something like that and still i came very dark
any ideas?

Simply put, there wasn't enough light for the shots. Having told the camera you wanted 1/1000, it just couldn't open the lens wide enough to get sufficient light for the ISO you'd set.

Use a faster lens, slower shutter speed, or much higher ISO.

I think you need a thorough grounding in the principles of exposure. The camera needs enough light to capture the image and to do that you need to properly adjust the shutter speed, aperture and ISO for the given light falling on the scene. In your case, your ISO was too low, your shutter speed was too high, and your aperture too small to capture the scene for the amount of light falling on it.

A suggested reading is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Petersen, or online tutorials like this one: http://photo.net …king-photographs/exposure

Also, for the typical "rolling shot" ( like with blurred wheels and all ) youll probably want something slower than 1/1000 I would think...

AdamLewis wrote in post #4060356
Also, for the typical "rolling shot" ( like with blurred wheels and all ) youll probably want something slower than 1/1000 I would think...

Without a doubt!
To get a panning shot of the car, you could possibly have used 1/30th or 1/60th sec shutter speed etc, or about that speed and you would get the "movemnet" you are looking for.

BUT you have to be ultra careful with your shots as at that slow shutter speed, camera shake is a real possibility!

As you take the photo of the car going by, gently push the shutter button, BUT keep the car in the viewfinder even after you have taken the shot for about a second or so, as this should help you acheive the photo you are looking for.
I used to be a motor racing photographer and have taken a million pictures of cars and bikes over the years.
Its hit and miss so try and take alot of shots!
Good luck...

I also recommend Understanding Exposure. Very simply explained and cool photos to gawk at too.

By any chance was the aperture number blinking at you? That's it warning you that it can't get enough light...

This may help too:

http://www.photonhead.​com/simcam/shutteraper​ture.php