Beginner who doesn't know how to deal with Lowish Light

[percent20]

My P & S is awesome it takes care of a lot of stuff for me, but I often find that I want to do things it can't do well. That brought be to getting a DSLR unfortunately I suck with it and am constantly struggling.

I seem to be in lowish light settings most of the time leading to not so hot of pictures. When I say low light I mean dinner room table in a lit-up dinning room. I have tried many settings since my main flash makes things over-exposed and flushed out.

I just am not sure really what settings to mess with settings wise to get good shots. I will say buying bounce flash is out of the question for a long time so anything I can work on in the mean time would be great.

I am currently using a Nikon D40 with a kit lense.

 

[icassell]

It sounds to me like it's time for you to get a copy of Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. It will help you out.

Low light is a challenge. One of the issues that you will have with your kit lens, is that it probably doesn't have a wide enough maximum aperture to handle low light well unless you crank the ISO way up on your camera. The D40 probably doesn't have great high ISO capacity, so you are handicapped. The next thing you can do is slow your shutter speed way down, but then you will definitely need a tripod and can't hope to attack moving targets.

Flash can help, but on-camera flash isn't very useful. You need to get your flash off the camera before you start doing well with it.

 

[percent20]

I have read the book and while it helps it is just theory and once you get camera in hand theory tends to fly out the window to some degree until I take more shots.

I have set the ISO up to 800 ISO couple even up to 1600 ISO. I sometimes have to get the shutter speed down to 1 second or slightly faster, but yeah have to go to tripod but that doesn't do to well when it comes to trying to get people talking etc.

Looks like might need to stick to shooting during the day until i can get a bounce flash at least.

 

[icassell]

What lens are you using? Both Canon and Nikon make a very nice 50mm f/1.8 prime that is very reasonably priced (I've seen the Canon used on Craigslist many times for about $70) and good for the kind of work you want to do.

 

[Darkhunter139]

What lens are you using? Both Canon and Nikon make a very nice 50mm f/1.8 prime that is very reasonably priced (I've seen the Canon used on Craigslist many times for about $70) and good for the kind of work you want to do.

"I am currently using a Nikon D40 with a kit len"

 

[icassell]

"I am currently using a Nikon D40 with a kit len"

I don't know what the kit lens is for the D40, sorry.

 

[Darkhunter139]

"I am currently using a Nikon D40 with a kit len"

I don't know what the kit lens is for the D40, sorry.

Oh lol my bad I thought you just did not see that.

Its an Nikkor 18-55mm AF-S f/3.5-5.6G lens

 

[chip]

SB400 for about $135 should help. It is just a small flash but bounces. I have one and love it.

 

[percent20]

SB400 for about $135 should help. It is just a small flash but bounces. I have one and love it.

I have been eyeing it for a while. Just need to save for a while longer yet. Just trying to figure out something I can do in the mean time. I was curios if there is a site that shows how it works/bounces and doesn't shoot just straight forward it doesn't look like it rotates and bends.

I guess I'll keep the P&S for night unless it is a shot I can use the tripod with since I am horribly shakey.

 

[Gaerek]

What lens are you using? Both Canon and Nikon make a very nice 50mm f/1.8 prime that is very reasonably priced (I've seen the Canon used on Craigslist many times for about $70) and good for the kind of work you want to do.

:thumbup: +1

One thing to remember, I don't think this lens will autofocus with the d40. But since it is a fast lens, it will get rid of the problem you are talking about.

 

[Goontz]

Correct, the 50mm f/1.8 won't auto-focus on the D40 because it's not AF-S. They do have an AF-S 50mm f/1.4.

You could make a DIY flash diffuser for your pop-up flash in the mean time while you're saving. Something like this: Yello77.com » Blog Archive » DIY Pop-up Flash Diffuser for the DSLR for example. A google search would probably turn up other options.

 

[PhilGarber]

It sounds to me like it's time for you to get a copy of Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. It will help you out.

Low light is a challenge. One of the issues that you will have with your kit lens, is that it probably doesn't have a wide enough maximum aperture to handle low light well unless you crank the ISO way up on your camera. The D40 probably doesn't have great high ISO capacity, so you are handicapped. The next thing you can do is slow your shutter speed way down, but then you will definitely need a tripod and can't hope to attack moving targets.

Flash can help, but on-camera flash isn't very useful. You need to get your flash off the camera before you start doing well with it.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

All very sound advice. I'll second all of it.

 

[percent20]

So are you all saying a lense like this one?

2137 Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Standard Auto Focus Nikkor Lens - Gray Market

 

[Goontz]

Yes, but that's the one that won't auto-focus with a D40. It's just AF, not AF-S.

This one would AF with the D40: 2180 Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Auto Focus Nikkor Lens - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty

 

[percent20]

I don't mind trying to manually focus to save 300 bucks, especially since I had to sell so much of what I had to my buy my D40.

I'll look into buying a new lens someday maybe i'll search craigslist.

In the mean time i'll try that homemade diffuser since it might net me some ok results for a few bucks.