night shots blurred - DPChallenge Forums

05/09/2005 08:54:01 AM · #1

i have been out trying to take some night shots since the night time challenge. my problem is that out of almost 100 shots only 3 are clearly in focus.I have tried changing shutter times and have even used the preset photo functions on camera( night time,scenery,portrait)both with and without flash. i have also thought it was the wide angle/telephoto lens but it still doesnt "lock on focus" when the additional lens is removed and the photos are very blurry. I have been trying to shoot the black bears and fox that visit my house every night with no luck.there are 4 street lights so i dont think the lighting is the problem(even tho they cast a orange type glow)is there some setting i am missing? any suggestions?
cher

Jacko

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

05/09/2005 09:08:58 AM · #2

It sounds like all you have to do is place your camera on a tripod or a fixed surface. Also use your camera's timer function. This will stop camera shake.

Even if there appears to be sufficient light with street lights,, it is considerably less light than during the day. The bottom line is that you are getting shutter speeds that are too slow to hand hold the photos.

Post a link to some unaltered shots so we can help you some more.

eqsite

Nikon D7100

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

05/09/2005 09:10:54 AM · #3

Also remember that if you are trying to capture moving subjects such as bear and fox, the slower shutter speeds required for low light situations will result in motion blur.

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 LD for Nikon

05/09/2005 10:03:22 AM · #4

Originally posted by eqsite:

Also remember that if you are trying to capture moving subjects such as bear and fox, the slower shutter speeds required for low light situations will result in motion blur.

i do use a tripod almost for every photo reguardless of lighting conditions.blurred photos

stphw

Casio QV-8000SX

05/09/2005 10:04:03 AM · #5

also, if you're using auto focus, there may not be enough light for the camera to lock onto your object. I find the infinite focus lock setting can work better in some situations, if your camera has it

SJCarter

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

05/09/2005 10:04:44 AM · #6

I had the same results until I started using the tripod or a fixed surface as jacko recommended. Makes a HUGE difference.

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

05/09/2005 10:17:24 AM · #7

Originally posted by SJCarter:

I had the same results until I started using the tripod or a fixed surface as jacko recommended. Makes a HUGE difference.

all the night photos were taken with a tripod...i will have to try manual focus tonight but i have no infinity setting.

srdanz

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

05/09/2005 10:21:55 AM · #8

It does not look like a motion blur, it is more an out-of-focus look to me.
Try cranking up the ISO to the highest number available (you can clean up some noise later in the post processing) but that should enable faster shutter speed. Also keep the aperture as wide as you can.
And yes, focus manually.

I hope this helps - post some new attempts tomorrow, would you?

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

05/09/2005 10:27:06 AM · #9

Originally posted by srdanz:

what do u mean by "keep the ap as wide as i can (im ignorant when it comes to photographer speech..lol) do u mean the F stop( i think mine goes dowm to 2.8 and up to 8.0). i will post what i take tonight...hope fully ill have better luck catching the bear or fox clearly...now if only they would stand still for about 30 seconds!

srdanz

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

05/09/2005 10:32:11 AM · #10

Originally posted by smilebig4me1x:

what do u mean by "keep the ap as wide as i can (im ignorant when it comes to photographer speech..lol) do u mean the F stop( i think mine goes down to 2.8 and up to 8.0).

It is F-stop. F/2.8 > F/8, hence use the 2.8 aperture. That lets the most of the light in the camera.

Edit: I thought that the F-stop is the photog speech, and that the aperture is the 'normal' english?

Message edited by author 2005-05-09 10:33:14.

05/09/2005 10:35:16 AM · #11

Originally posted by srdanz:

Originally posted by smilebig4me1x:

what do u mean by "keep the ap as wide as i can (im ignorant when it comes to photographer speech..lol) do u mean the F stop( i think mine goes down to 2.8 and up to 8.0).

It is F-stop. F/2.8 > F/8, hence use the 2.8 aperture. That lets the most of the light in the camera.

thank you for the help! thats why i love this site so much...i learn something new everyday! i have a ton of questions and no one makes me feel stupid for asking. hopefully one day i can pass on some of my knowledge( gotta wait till i have some first to pass on tho ;o)

theSaj

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

05/09/2005 10:36:34 AM · #12

Try focusing the camera during the day....

Then when the night comes it is focused for the proper distance. ;)

05/09/2005 10:44:49 AM · #13

Originally posted by theSaj:

Try focusing the camera during the day....

Then when the night comes it is focused for the proper distance. ;)

almost all phots taken during the day are clear sharp focus...no smudges or lint to distract auto focus so it might just be the lighting factor at night. i really dont know so i will try the mentioned techniques and see how they come out. i have all summer to figure out how to capture the local critters as they visit the dumpster every night...the hard part is all the waiting involved and the late late nights as they dont decide to visit until about midnight or later. EDIT: added this--->when the camera is turned off it resets to default so settig it ahead of time is sorta a waste of time...i will just have to use the trial and error sequence and try to remember what i do right and what not ta do.

Message edited by author 2005-05-09 10:46:59.

lemondster

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

05/09/2005 10:58:14 AM · #14

one thing that i do to focus night shots is to point at a bright object that is about as far away as my subject. i let the camera autofocus to it and then i switch the camera to MF to lock the focal length. then i point at my subject and shoot away. it looks like you could point at the street light and use that focal length for what you are doing.

hope this helped

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

05/09/2005 11:04:22 AM · #15

Originally posted by lemondster:

thanks for the suggestion...ill try that one too tonight(scribble*scribble in muh DPC notebook)

coolhar

05/09/2005 11:06:12 AM · #16

Does your Z1 have a self-timer, or timed release feature? This is most often used to set up a shot and then delay the shutter firing until the photog can get into the picture. But it is also very useful for long exposures where even on a tripod the small amount of camera shake induced by pressing the shutter button becomes critical.

If you are using a tripod, your camera's widest aperture (probably f 2.8), your camera's highest ISO, self-timer, and still get blurry pics -- it is either motion blur because the subject moves while the shutter is open (blurry subject against clear background) or there just is not enough light for the camera to focus itself. Manual focusing is an option but it too requires a certain amount of light. Pre-focusing before nightfall might work. Another approach would be to add light. I wouldn't use flash because it will scare off your subjects. Can you turn on more lights in the house and shine them into the backyard? Or wait until the next full moon (plus or minus a day or two) and hope for clear skies.

05/09/2005 11:25:11 AM · #17

Originally posted by coolhar:

ok...had to dig the book out to answer this question...yes it does have a time....oh wait thats a timed exposure...flips somemore pages...ah! here is is...self timer...set for 10 second delay..shew...photographers work is never done...as for the house lights illuminating my subjects..it would work for the fox as he almost comes onto my porch(so my proch light might help there) but the bear is about 1/2 a football field away so it wont work for him.

05/10/2005 08:09:36 AM · #18

i want to again thank everyone for thier help yesterday. i went out lastnight to wait for the fox and bear. I learned somethings new about my camera, it does have an infinity focus, which i actually learned by total mistake! i also learned its real hard to use the manual focus at night because i couldnt see what i was taking a photo of from the viewfinder screen. i got a photo of the fox(dang things dont sit still for long!) Ive posted the best photo of the fox i got lastnight( one before photoshop & one after my touch~ups) i also posted a photo of the same place i took the bear photo the night before. the bear was walking around in the woods lastnight around 9:30pm but never decided to come out. i imagine it was all the people that come up to look for him nightly. I stayed up till midnight with no luck of a bear photo :(
i will try to sit up this weekend and get a photo of him and the many fox that live here. when i do finally get one of the bear i will be sure to post it. huggles for all the help. the first 3 photos are the new one, i left the other photos there so u could see the difference and that i actually did learn something new. the highest AP. my camera would go is 3.5 with a shutter of 1/400 sec & ISO 200

may 9 night photos

theSaj

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

05/10/2005 09:24:56 AM · #19

Sorry Smilebig....

I am used to an SLR setup where I can autofocus, then turn the lens to manual focus and manually change the aperature, shutter, ISO, etc.

I am not familiar with the Minolta line of DiMAGE

Falc

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

05/10/2005 09:35:33 AM · #20

Originally posted by smilebig4me1x:

The way I would approach this is to have the camera on a tripod, have it set to manual focus and preset it (you will have to guess where the action might be), use the self timer and try and anticipate the animals movements.

Easier if the animal stops to eat at some 'bait'.

Looking at the photos earlier in the thread the camera is not focussing on the animal, its either not focussing at all or picking out the bright spots. So manual focus is essential.

Hope that helps
Falc

Message edited by author 2005-05-10 09:36:35.