need help w/night shooting

I am looking for some help taking pictures of things in low light situations. Situations where your normal equipment isn’t going to do the trick.

I could set up the tri-pod and hold the shutter open for 5 seconds or longer for each shot and suck in all the surrounding light, but in reality in these outdoor events with kids/dogs patrons running around not paying any attention to what’s going on around them, I don’t want to risk damage to their cars or my equipment.

I was thinking of trying a mono-pod as they are pretty small and easy for transport, and I could still be in control, but I think then I’d be fumbling around with this huge stick attached to my camera and this might make it hard to get engine compartment shots, candid shots, etc..

So just curious if anyone else has been to these type of venues and what or how did you get better shots then what my 7D is giving me in either auto or other settings.

INFO: 7D 28-135 kit lens, and nifty 50. (The 50mm lens is great, but I have to back up to much and can’t get the shot right, I need to be less than 20 or so feet so the fifty doesn’t work well in these situations)

I’m using the stock 7D flash, I’m sure that’s a lot of my problems there, and will be upgrading to a add-on flash, just doing research as to which one will work for me without spending 1000s of dollars.

Please see the pictures from last night here for ideas of what’s going on. These pictures aren’t really anything of interest, just general shots to attempt to get my point across. I wasn’t worried about shooting in thirds, cropping, no real camera ethics, just shooting pictures to better explain what I am asking.

http://s253.photobucke​t.com …0fri%20night%20​cruise-in/

Thanks for any help/info/suggestions

-james

First suggestion is to post one or two of the darkest ones from your linked page.

Second is you need to use an external flash, and it would probably be better to have it off camera.

Third, your 7D is capable of doing very low light photography. Set your ISO to 6400, go into Av mode, set your aperture to a low number (with your kit zoom, set it to its lowest number), and that will help. If you get a flash, you could certainly do well with the 580EX II, along with a Sto-Fen Omnibounce diffuser.

That's just a start. Hope this helps.

bk2life wrote in post #11736726
I am looking for some help taking pictures of things in low light situations. Situations where your normal equipment isn’t going to do the trick.

I could set up the tri-pod and hold the shutter open for 5 seconds or longer for each shot and suck in all the surrounding light, but in reality in these outdoor events with kids/dogs patrons running around not paying any attention to what’s going on around them, I don’t want to risk damage to their cars or my equipment.

I was thinking of trying a mono-pod as they are pretty small and easy for transport, and I could still be in control, but I think then I’d be fumbling around with this huge stick attached to my camera and this might make it hard to get engine compartment shots, candid shots, etc..

So just curious if anyone else has been to these type of venues and what or how did you get better shots then what my 7D is giving me in either auto or other settings.

INFO: 7D 28-135 kit lens, and nifty 50. (The 50mm lens is great, but I have to back up to much and can’t get the shot right, I need to be less than 20 or so feet so the fifty doesn’t work well in these situations)

I’m using the stock 7D flash, I’m sure that’s a lot of my problems there, and will be upgrading to a add-on flash, just doing research as to which one will work for me without spending 1000s of dollars.

Please see the pictures from last night here for ideas of what’s going on. These pictures aren’t really anything of interest, just general shots to attempt to get my point across. I wasn’t worried about shooting in thirds, cropping, no real camera ethics, just shooting pictures to better explain what I am asking.

http://s253.photobucke​t.com …0fri%20night%20​cruise-in/

Thanks for any help/info/suggestions

-james

For those types of candid shots at night you will need more than 400 ISO !
You will get better results if you set the ISO to 3200, And using an external flash and/or larger aperture lens will help even more.

Thanks for the replies, I have been searching for an external flash, but have not found a great deal on one yet.
I’d love to just go spend $500 on a new flash, but that’s a bit steep for the not so often use of night pictures. But to the same effect I know I need one for indoor and most of the other pictures I take.
Most of the candid pictures like the ones posted n the link are just “hey grab your camera and take a couple pics” sort of thing, so there snot a lot of time to play around with getting things just right.
I know it takes time getting things all set up correctly, and advice from those who have been there before is a great learning tool.

So again, thanks for the comments, I appreciate them.

I took a quick look at the details of the pictures, and does the auto and CA buttons keep the ISO at 400?
None of the pics are any higher, a few steps up but that’s it.
I m guessing auto is good during the day, but not so good for low light situations.
Specs:
F-stop f/3.5
Exposure time 1/60sec
ISO 400
Exposure bias +1.3
Focal length 28mm

nope.

you are far better of not using the stock flash. ever.

Excuse the crappy pics, but here is an example of iso 3200 no flash and flash.

without flash, high iso (3200)

HTTP response: 403 | MIME changed to 'image/png'

HTTP response: 403 | MIME changed to 'image/png'

The Auto mode on the 7D is designed more for handing the camera to someone to take your photo. The reason why there are no "basic" modes (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, et al) on the 7D is because it is a pro-level camera. Shortly after the 7D came out, B&H hosted 3 hours of videos from a demo of the camera by a Canon rep. The first hour alone was an overview of the auto focus functionality, and it was strictly an overview. I know. I watched it. The 7D is an extremely sophisticated camera. Translated: You own an amazing camera. It's in your best interest to learn all of the things it can do for you.

You need to spend some quality time with your camera and the owners manual to take advantage of what you have. See what it can do. Push it, and then push it further. Also, don't be afraid to spend a bit of money on quality accessories. You have a camera that can truly perform, but only as well as its component pieces. While there's no need to buy things you can't use, there's also no need to limit your equipment by going cheap. Yes, the 580EX II is $500. It's also an amazing flash that will complement your system and help you grow, and will help you get great shots at night. To save a bit of money, you could easily go with the 430EX II, though it has fewer functions and capabilities. Being an owner of a 430EX however, when I move to my next camera (60D and 7D are the current serious contenders because of their low light ability), a 580 or equivalent will soon follow.

or use your flash with high iso (1600-3200) to fill in the shadows a bit. Alternatively I'd use that 50 1.8 at F1.8 without flash

Again thanks for the comments.
MATHOGRE I am good with the camera in day light, but night is a completely different animal all together..
LOSTPACKET, thanks for the examples, yes there is a huge difference. I see your in Bangkok, I have spent much time in Thai.. Lovely place, great friendly people, I have many friends all over Thai.
SCAPEVISION I really like the looks I get with the 50 lens, but I am always finding myself having to back up and back up to get the object where I want it. I am trying to figure out what lens I can get that is between my 28-135 and 50mm that will get me the look I want.

For car shows I am up close and personal with let’s say a motorcycle engine or paint scheme, and at the same time need to take a step or two back and photo the entire motorcycle. The nifty fifty take great pics, but I need a bit more adjustment.

To where as the kit lens I can get up close with zooming in on what I want to picture, then zoom out and snap the entire picture of the object.

And that's what you can expect using that sort of light. As long as it's dark & you have to use flash, it isn't going to get any better. A off camera flash will give you more options, but you still aren't going to get great results because you won't have much room to shoot at those venues & you refuse to consider a tripod so you could blend several shots together. And no, a monopod won't be any help for that sort of thing.

IMO, the only solution is to get there as the cars arrive & shoot while there's still some light left in the sky. Use a tripod, although these shots were hand held if you don't mind high ISO noise:
'40 Ford Deluxe Coupe - "TAPDOUT"

For more, see the links in my Sig.

you can rent out a 17-55 2.8 IS for the event to get you into both worlds, but it will still mean a high iso
just another suggestion

I don't think one flash in this situation is going to help much. A tripod and patience is going to help much more than any flash in this situation It just depends on what your looking for... snap shots or artistic shots. neither one is better than the other just depends on what your trying to accomplish.

Scapevision wrote in post #11737931
you can rent out a 17-55 2.8 IS for the event to get you into both worlds, but it will still mean a high iso
just another suggestion

yes i am going to do just this. there is a big show coming up in a couple of weeks, and i want to be well trained on how to get decent night shots.

bk2life wrote in post #11738236
yes i am going to do just this. there is a big show coming up in a couple of weeks, and i want to be well trained on how to get decent night shots.

just go out in your driveway at night and practice on your car with different settings. You will see you need more light and higher ISO. A flash with ETTL and manual controls cost only $65