Can night shots be taken digitally?

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:28:23 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to take digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our local mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done (if it even can be).

Get a better camera.

Hi Eugene

It can be done, but you’re camera needs to be able to do a few things. I see there are about 10 different Optio’s, so I can’t give you cam. specific help, but try this after setting your camera to Manual (not presets):

– if you’re camera can handle different ISO settings, choose the highest number for shots in the dark. A higher number means that you are actually using a fysically more sensitive film.

– Your camera might have a choice of shutter speed, meaning how long the lens will remain open while taking the picture, meaning. A lower shutter speed means you are exposing your film longer with the available light. You need to play with this setting, because sometimes you can leave it open for too long and you will start recording noise at some point, while all you wanted was some of those bright stars against a black sky 🙂

– last but not least, put you’re camera down on something stable (a car’s rooftop usually works for me) and set the timer for taking your pictures. Since you are (hopefully) using a low shutter speed, your camera will be sensitive for any movement, which will result in motion blurs in your pictures. So keep your camera as steady as possible.

That’s about it for manual mode.

Of course you might have a preset for nightshots. In that case just make sure you place the camera somewhere steady and use the timer. Forget about ISO and shutter. In this case you’re camera takes care of this for you 😉 (makes one rather lazy huh)

I hope you’ll get some great shots! And post a link to a gallery or something 😉

Greets

Littleboy

ps. Vovoid. You’re an ass.

"eugene" wrote in message

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to

take

digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our

local

mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done

(if

it even can be).
Waiting hopefully,
Eugene

—
I’m a failed Christian and if I’m goin’ to Hell
There’s one thing for sure, you’re gonna be there as well!
( Henry McCullough)

"eugene" wrote in message

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to

take

digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our

local

mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done

(if

it even can be).
Waiting hopefully,
Eugene

Depends which Pentio. The higher end ones, AFAIK, have the option of setting everything to manual. And also have a mode where you set the shutter speed, and the camera does everything else.
You may need a better model, you may have the feature on your model, but certainly digital does great night shots with the right camera.

—
Doug

Oh right! Well thanks for that very helpful advice. Considering that my camera cost

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:40:19 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

Oh right! Well thanks for that very helpful advice. Considering that my camera cost £500, I think that it should be pretty useful.

Well since it can’t take long exposure shots (did you
read the users manual? Did you research it before
you bought it? Did you ask the salesman if it would
be suitable for your needs?) it’s not very useful, is
it? So is yours the 330s or the 430s both are
supposed to have ‘night mode’ (did you read the
users manual?) but max shutter time is a measly 4
seconds for either, not all that impressive.

I never considered taking night shots when I bought it two years ago. I was only asking because I saw a spectacular view tonight and wondered if I could shoot it. I asked here for convenience and to save me go looking for the manual. So thanks for taking the time to reply and I did know about the night mode setting…..I just have never felt the need to use it. And it’s the 330 model that I have.

—
I’m a failed Christian and if I’m goin’ to Hell
There’s one thing for sure, you’re gonna be there as well!

( Henry McCullough)
"Voivod" wrote in message

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:40:19 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

Oh right! Well thanks for that very helpful advice. Considering that my camera cost

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 01:12:04 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

I never considered taking night shots when I bought it two years ago. I was

You really need to make a checklist of features you’d like and features you might someday want before making an
expensive purchase. Research is the key.

only asking because I saw a spectacular view tonight and wondered if I could shoot it. I asked here for convenience and to save me go looking for the manual. So thanks for taking the time to reply and I did know about the

Try putting all your manuals somewhere convenient, I’ve got a drawer that’s nothing but user guides arranged alphabetically.

night mode setting…..I just have never felt the need to use it. And it’s the 330 model that I have.

Uhh…. you knew your camera had a night mode and yet you still asked about doing night shots?! Man, THAT’S lazy.

Sounds like that don’t it? To be honest, I couldn’t remember how to use it because when I experimented with it a couple of years ago, the images were terribly out of focus, and I didn’t try to find out why as I reckoned I wouldn’t be using it anyway.. After receiving my replies here, and some personal ones, I think I now have a better idea how to use it (have to dig my tripod out). So thanks again pal,
Eugene

—
I’m a failed Christian and if I’m goin’ to Hell
There’s one thing for sure, you’re gonna be there as well!

( Henry McCullough)
"Voivod" wrote in message

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 01:12:04 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

I never considered taking night shots when I bought it two years ago. I

was

You really need to make a checklist of features you’d like and features you might someday want before making an
expensive purchase. Research is the key.

only asking because I saw a spectacular view tonight and wondered if I

could

shoot it. I asked here for convenience and to save me go looking for the manual. So thanks for taking the time to reply and I did know about the

Try putting all your manuals somewhere convenient, I’ve got a drawer that’s nothing but user guides arranged alphabetically.

night mode setting…..I just have never felt the need to use it. And

it’s

the 330 model that I have.

Uhh…. you knew your camera had a night mode and yet you still asked about doing night shots?! Man, THAT’S lazy.

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:12:31 +0000 (UTC), "eugene" scribbled:

Sounds like that don’t it? To be honest, I couldn’t remember how to use it because when I experimented with it a couple of years ago, the images were terribly out of focus, and I didn’t try to find out why as I reckoned I wouldn’t be using it anyway.. After receiving my replies here, and some personal ones, I think I now have a better idea how to use it (have to dig my tripod out). So thanks again pal,

Good luck, share some if they come out ok.

"eugene" wrote in message

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to

take

digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our

local

mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done

(if

it even can be).
Waiting hopefully,
Eugene

Vovoid’s trolling aside, Littleboy is closer to the solution. I have a similar problem. When I bought my first digital camera, I did not look deeply enough into feature I "should" have had but thought I’d never use. Manual control was one of them. Since getting my Olympus three years ago, I’ve come a long way digitally. I realized I needed a new camera on a recent winter camping trip. I wanted more manual control and my camera does not offer any. I wanted to capture some fireworks in my "old fashioned way" of either locking the shutter open for several bursts or doing multiple one second exposures on the same frame. No can do!

Sigh!!! I am now drooling over some new equipment and wondering how to explain to my wife that I REALLY NEED a new camera for my ________ (substitute the appropriate occasion / reason here). Don’t beat yourself up too badly over your original camera decision. Look at the great pictures you took and look at what you’ve learned along the way. If you are like me, you made that decision based on what you knew at the time and, perhaps, what was available at the time. Some of the features I’m looking at now were not available then. Others have dropped in price dramatically to the point of being worth considering.

A Recovering Silver Based Photographer
You can have my 35mm camera when you
pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

A digital camera works exactly the same as a film camera, the only difference being the media that the image is stored on , ie, film or memory,

So on your 35mm camera a night shot at F2 will be say 30 seconds at 100ASA or ISO.
on a digital camera it will be the same,

The only difference between a digital camera and Film is that you don’t suffer
from reciprocal failure so you wont have to overexpose the digital like you do on the film,

On the other hand you will suffer from noise on a long exposure on a digital camera,
but this can normall be removed by the built in software on the camera,

Mac,

My cameras are
Nikon D100 & Pentax SuperA,

"eugene" wrote in message

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to

take

digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our

local

mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done

(if

it even can be).
Waiting hopefully,
Eugene

—
I’m a failed Christian and if I’m goin’ to Hell
There’s one thing for sure, you’re gonna be there as well!
( Henry McCullough)

Mac wrote:

A digital camera works exactly the same as a film camera, the only difference being the media that the image is stored on , ie, film or memory,

Any suggestions about the Swartzchild effect?
(pronounce or write it as you want….)

—
Houba houba.
Marsu.
"ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" The Troggs "I can’t control myself"

"eugene" wrote in
news:c139pn$te$:

Hi, anyone got suggestions about taking night shots. I don’t know how a digital camera works but I am used to using film. If I want to take night shots I just expose my film for a longer period of time. When I try to take digital, I just get a black image. Here in Ireland at the moment we have great clear and frosty nights and I would love to be able to go up our local mountain and take scenic shots of the local town and villages. Can this be done digitally. I use a Pentax Optio but I can’t see how it may be done (if it even can be).
Waiting hopefully,
Eugene

Most digitals don’t do really long exposures well, and very few can even allow you to set the shutter speed longer than 30 seconds.

The reason is, digital sensors rely on changes in resistance from the photo-sensitive materials, and this is essentially a change in voltage. With very low light, the changes are so minimal that they’re hard to get to register properly. Adjusting the camera to be more sensitive to the micro- voltages, especially over a cumulative period of time, means that stray signals and not-quite-perfect pixels produce false info, which is the noise that pops up in a digital image. This false info is often stronger than the real info of the faint light, and preventing it or screening it out requires more effort than most manufacturers want to make. Especially since night shots are low on the priority list for the average consumer.

It can be done, though, because it’s used in astrophotography all the time. Those are specialized sensors and software, and are priced accordingly too.

Film is different – it reacts chemically to light, and the effect is cumulative. Long exposures aren’t a hassle, except for a certain property where the emulsion becomes less sensitive at longer and longer exposures, and this takes place in different amounts for the different colors. So what happens is, if you have a good exposure at 30 seconds at f4, theory says you could achieve the same exposure by 120 seconds at f8, but rarely can – the film becomes less responsive and may produce a color shift. It’s called ‘Reciprocity Failure’.

I’ve been watching for a decent digital that can handle night exposures, but as yet it hasn’t been an option that manufacturers favor. So stay with film for those night shots, at least for the time being.

Good luck!

– Al.

—
To reply, insert dash in address to separate G and I in the domain

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 11:39:59 GMT, Al Denelsbeck
wrote:

I’ve been watching for a decent digital that can handle night exposures, but as yet it hasn’t been an option that manufacturers favor. So stay with film for those night shots, at least for the time being.
Good luck!

Good advice. Personally, although I’m going to buy into digital, I doubt whether I’ll ever completely give up film.

—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui