[electrolyte]

Have just discovered today that my IXUS 430 has a night mode. Means that I could adjust the shutter speed. Set it to 6 secs and took the attached photo. I don't have a tripod so improvised by balancing the camera on a bucket on a wide fence.

What do you think - I'm pretty proud of the photo but would be interested in some constructive criticism..

Also would love to see your night shots as well!

[seany]

It's a nice picture mate. If you dont have a tripod stick it on self timer at 10 seconds and leave it on top of something stable (eg car) if you're going to leave the shutter open for 6 secs. It'll stop any blurring that can happen at longer shutter speeds because you wont have to touch it.

This is the only night shot i have at the minute and its from after i'd been out with tom and steve after the av show, i was hammered

Shutter was 1/30 but the iso was 800

[mr jones]

heres 2 night shots i took in san francisco, one is taken from the front of the hostel i was staying at at the sky colour and clouds look brilliant, shame about the car in the foreground really!


the second is taken of alcatraz island, i cant remember what settings i used for any of them tho!


camera is an olympus C750
EDIT: link wouldnt work, uploaded file instead

[seany]

As a matter of fact simon here's one i took with an ixus 400 using the self timer.

[electrolyte]

Originally Posted by keanyboy

This is the only night shot i have at the minute and its from after i'd been out with tom and steve after the av show, i was hammered

Shutter was 1/30 but the iso was 800

This is a nice photo. Especially after seeing what you looked like after the av show!!

I used the 10sec delay timer and rested the camera on a bucket on a fence. Was pretty stable but think i need to buy a tripod!

[electrolyte]

Originally Posted by mr jones

heres 2 night shots i took in san francisco, one is taken from the front of the hostel i was staying at at the sky colour and clouds look brilliant, shame about the car in the foreground really!


the second is taken of alcatraz island, i cant remember what settings i used for any of them tho!

skyline


camera is an olympus C750

Like the second one but couldn't get the 1st one to load

[mandlebrot]

Originally Posted by mr jones

heres 2 night shots i took in san francisco, one is taken from the front of the hostel i was staying at at the sky colour and clouds look brilliant, shame about the car in the foreground really!


the second is taken of alcatraz island, i cant remember what settings i used for any of them tho!

skyline


camera is an olympus C750

I also couldn't get the 1st one to load, I got a message saying to use my own bandwidth etc. Like the other pic though

[dolph]

Originally Posted by keanyboy

It's a nice picture mate. If you dont have a tripod stick it on self timer at 10 seconds and leave it on top of something stable (eg car) if you're going to leave the shutter open for 6 secs. It'll stop any blurring that can happen at longer shutter speeds because you wont have to touch it.

This is the only night shot i have at the minute and its from after i'd been out with tom and steve after the av show, i was hammered

Shutter was 1/30 but the iso was 800

Keanyboy - was that with your new 20D (I assume it was as I don't think either of your older cameras go to ISO800) - what's noise like on the full size image mate?

[neilneil]

I bought one of those cheap £15 tripods.
It was one of those little things no bigger than a jar of coffee but it telescopes out to about twice the size.
It was the best £15 you could spend on a camera for the money.
Get one of those and it'll improve your snaps no end. Plus if youve got a small camera it doesn't look quite as silly as putting it on a full size tripod

-Neil

[electrolyte]

Originally Posted by Neil Sumner

I bought one of those cheap £15 tripods.
It was one of those little things no bigger than a jar of coffee but it telescopes out to about twice the size.
It was the best £15 you could spend on a camera for the money.
Get one of those and it'll improve your snaps no end. Plus if youve got a small camera it doesn't look quite as silly as putting it on a full size tripod

-Neil

Thanks Neil, where did you get yours from? Had thought of a full-size tripod but as my camera is tiny agree it would look a bit ridiculous

[seany]

No noise at all at 800 that i can see matey. Its just as you see it there

A dalylight shot and an indoor shot

1st pic: Urbis 1/320 F5.6 IS0 800

2nd pic Diane 1/250 F.5.6 ISO 800

Infact all the shots of us boozing are at 800.

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by mandlebrot

I also couldn't get the 1st one to load, I got a message saying to use my own bandwidth etc. Like the other pic though

fixed it, i had some problems with people stealing my pictures and munching my bandwidth so i put a hotlink blocker on it, fixed now, ive uploaded the picture

[seany]

Theres a fair bit of noise in your photos mr jones, what camera was you using?

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by seany

Theres a fair bit of noise in your photos mr jones, what camera was you using?

its a olympus c750, i do suffer from noise problems alot mainly with my band photography usually due to my shakey hands and having to balance precariously on gaurd rails and speaker stacks.

i think the noise in those pictures was generated by an very unstable tripod and people walking over the wooden boarding i took the skyline shot from, the noise in the alcatraz shot is photoshop fodder, im not very good in its use! i didnt have the noise reduction setting on on my camera for those shots neither!

my other problem with it is not really spending much time setting the shot up, i generally dont have much knowledge about photography, i jut set it up to get a half decent image and dont really touch it!

im always up for pointers tho!

[seany]

Its more likely the what ISO you used. My camera is great at high isos but compacts can be give out noise at even ISO 200. so drop the ISO and see how you do, you'll get blurring rather then noise when you have camera shake on longer exposures. So i think it's the iso

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glos...itivity_01.htm some info on ISO

[mr jones]

ever tried any band photography?, its hell! your trying to do what the camera hates, lots of movement, dark with ocasional very dtrong lights,


sometimes the result is excelent tho!

[seany]

Yeah its not easy is it. Not had the chance to take one with my new camera. I took this of beverly knight with my previous camera

[mr jones]

i had a task a few months back, i got a photography pass for a very small (600 capacity) sold out embrace gig, i had 2 songs to get my camera work done, wasnt allowed to use the flash the results werent brilliant, but alas got a few shots down...


im not impressed with them at all really, was really disappointed with myself really

[seany]

I think band shots should be a bit raw anyway mate. So is it a hobby?

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by seany

I think band shots should be a bit raw anyway mate. So is it a hobby?

i hate them when there just off focus, some out of focus ones look really good, others look terrible, but i like the shots to be totally clear, no motion etc

kind of yeh, ive done a few proper photoshoots for bands (see http://www.star27.co.uk -) but nothing much has come of it, im too busy with my degree at the moment.

i just enjoy live music, i enjoy photography so its a nice combination that means i get into gigs for free

check out the site \/

[seany]

That's pretty cool mate

You're right you really do need a digital slr for the work you're putting in (which i like). I have canon D20, only had it a couple of weeks, and what you're doing would be right up my street.

Good work fella

[mr jones]

yeh i know, but being a student means i have no money at all which sucks
maybe when im older ill get one! santa sure as hell aint bringing me one (hes stretching to half a £150 computer program this year so theres no way i can be good enough in the next 2months to get a £700+ camera!)


its really good fun but you need robust ears to cope with standing right infront of PA stacks and stuff!


if your in manchester why not pop down to the night and day cafe on the 13th november, my mates band are headlining so im gonna try and take a few shots, should be a good night!

[seany]

I'm up for that mate normally next door in the dry fri or sat. Not been in night and day for time

Do you go in the Roadhouse and the Band on wall to?

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by seany

I'm up for that mate normally next door in the dry fri or sat. Not been in night and day for time

Do you go in the Roadhouse and the Band on wall to?

nah tend to stick to the preston scene, just cant afford to get into manchester


should be a cracking night out tho

[neilneil]

Electrolyte,
I got mine from Jessops, It's a Vebon so quite a well known make.
As I said it was about 15 quid so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding them.
I recently saw one on holiday in Italy looking very like mine but with a 3 section telescopic leg (they open like the old radio aerials).

-Neil

[seany]

I need a tripod myself but large one. Going to have start looking soon

[mr jones]

Originally Posted by seany

I need a tripod myself but large one. Going to have start looking soon

i got hold of a rather nice slik telescope one, its built like a tank, expands to eye level! and its really robust so a digicam isnt going to be much of a problem for it!

luckily my dad hasnt even attempted to use his telescope recently, he's in for a shock.........

[electrolyte]

Originally Posted by Neil Sumner

Electrolyte,
I got mine from Jessops, It's a Vebon so quite a well known make.
As I said it was about 15 quid so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding them.
I recently saw one on holiday in Italy looking very like mine but with a 3 section telescopic leg (they open like the old radio aerials).

-Neil

Thanks Neil, will have to take a trip to Jessops to have a look.

[seany]

I was suprised how cheap the tripods were in jessops

I've got one of these for my Ixus 400:

http://www.pedcopods.com/specsup1.htm

Tiny and weighs nothing so you can slip it in your pocket. Combined with self timer, I've taken exposures of many seconds successfully. Particularly useful is the ability to strap it to a fence post or similar when there's no flat space around.

_