Heyy, I have one of these incredibly cameras and have would like the best night photography settings. I have a custom setting on right now that a friend set up for me but the sky always still looks grainy even with a suitable light source. Can anyone give me some suggestions to take better night time pictures? Thanks!
Unless you are shooting action or have people in your scene and don’t want them blurry you can use a tripod and a low ISO. The “grainy” look you’re getting is really digital noise and caused by a high ISO.
I use and recommend the FotoSharp (http://www.fotosharp.com) Day & Night Exposure Guide. Since I’m not really sure what you’re photographing, I’ll just list a couple of the 20 possibilities the Guide references. You will definitely need a tripod and a cable release for exposures longer than 15 seconds (your camera has a minimum shutter speed of 15 seconds). You’ll have to use your camera in full Manual Mode
Scene # 8 : 45 min. after sunset; Indoor sports, circus - floodlit; Brightly lit street corners
ISO 100
f4 @ 1/8 sec.
f5.6 @ 1/4 sec.
f8 @ 1/2 sec.
f11 @ 1 sec.
Scene # 11 : Floodlit buildings, fountains; Outdoor Christmas lights, Candlelight close-ups
ISO 100
f4 @ 1 sec.
f5.6 @ 2 sec.
f8 @ 4 sec.
f11 @ 8 sec.
Scene # 14 : City skyline in distance
ISO 100
f4 @ 8 sec.
f5.6 @ 15 sec.
f8 @ 30 sec.
f11 @ 1 minute
By using ISO 100 you will minimize the digital noise although at longer exposures some will still be present. You might try shooting in RAW and if the camera has a built-in Noise Reduction program use it. If it doesn’t you can always try a program like Noise Ninja.
NOTE: The ISO has nothing to do with how much light is “admitted”. ISO is a measurement of the sensitivity to light of a light sensitive surface, whether film or digial sensor. A low ISO like 100 is very insensitive and requires more light; a high ISO like 400 is more sensitive and requires less light.
Exposure is a triangle consisting of ISO, aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed. The f-stop is what determines how much light is admitted. A large f-stop like f2 admits all the available light. A small f-stop like f11 admits very little light. The shutter speed controls how long the light admitted is allowed to expose our light sensitive surface based on the ISO chosen. The larger the f-stop used the faster the shutter speed; the smaller the f-stop, the slower the shutter speed.
If you’d like to really understand exposure, buy “Understanding Exposure: How To Take Great Photos With A Film or Digital Camera” by Bryan Peterson.
*High Quality viewing recommended.
