Best DSLR in low light

[bisp21]

Ok, here's a shot I did last week:

This shot looks nothing like what I'm going to print ultimately. My particular goal here is to have the bridge nearly disappear into darkness. However, a JPG at 72 dpi could not never render it that subtly, so I lightened it to make it more visible and at least show the complete shot composition.

The question is what the look is you're shooting for. If you're shooting at night (or in low light) you need to determine if you want to capture the dark atmosphere, or if you want to make everything clearly visible. The light meter will give you a reading that isn't helpful - I want to capture the darkness, but the meter is trying to give me an average light reading, so I had to stop down at least 3 stops, if not even further. Simply put, the camera wanted to shoot at f/22 (ISO 100) at 5 seconds, but really it needed to be a 20 second exposure.

See why you'll need a tripod?

Also, consider getting a remote cable release, and learn how to use the mirror lock-up function. It's easy, just read the manual. The goal of all of this is to reduce camera shake. You want architecture shots (and landscapes, same technique) to be as sharp as possible. Yo do that by avoiding any camera movement, so the slap of the mirror inside, or your finger pushing the button, might all lead to camera shake.

Also, you want maximum depth of field. That means you want the all the elements, (foreground, background, middle) to be in focus. So you don't really need a super "fast" lens, meaning one that opens up very wide. Having a lens that can shoot at f/1.4 or f/2.0 doesn't matter... unless you only want a slive of th image in focus, and the rest blurred. The smaller the aperture (umm... the higher the f-stop number) the more will be in focus.

I use a special architecture lens called a tilt-shift lens. It's from Canon's high-end L series... and that lens only opens to f/3.5... but I have yet to shoot with my aperture bigger than f/11.

I'll be happy to give you more advice on this, help me understand what your goal is.

Thanks for the response Ironflatline! I want to shoot in dark areas, but want to capture the architectural structure as lighted as possible. I want the structure to be illuminating in the darkness. My main goal is to capture the image with great detail, low noise, high resolution and at a wide angle. I have a an ok digital, but am ready to get into the DSLR realm and need to know what camera and equipment to purchase...

P.S. Your picture is amazing and similar to what I want my pic to look like.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Any of the modern dSLRs will satisfy your need, so buy what you like. Get as wide a lens as possible, but keep in mind that really wide lenses (anything wider than 20mm) could have really distortion of the subject. You don't want to shoot a building, and have a straight building edge go bow-legged on you. However, you can compensate that in Photoshop. Keep in mind that very wide lenses that successfully avoid barrel distortion are very expensive.

See if you can get a nice tilt-shift lens. Look for a used one.

You will need a tri-pod, and a cable shutter release. Shoot at a low ISO (100 or 200) and a narrow aperture - f/16 or f/22.

And then just make multiple exposures until you get one you like. Set the camera to Aperture priority - select f/16 for instance - and then just "bracket" the shot. The light meter will suggest 5 seconds. Take that shot, and then take some that are longer, and some that are shorter. If you like that process, you will find that your camera has a function called AEB - Auto Exposure Bracketing, where you can make multiple exposures that are longer and shorter than the meter-recommended exposure.

A good starting kit for you might be an entry-level Canon like the XTi, and the 10-22mm wide-angle zoom. I'm sure there's a Nikon equivalent, I only know the Canon stuff. I'm sure the other brands also make good gear, so check them all out.

See if you can get a good shift lens. There's always cheap ones in the second-hand market. They don't get a lot of use, people buy them for specific projects, and then don't use them. They're usually in great shape for little cash.

I use the Canon 24mm TS-E L lens, I took the shot above with it.

 

[bisp21]

Any of the modern dSLRs will satisfy your need, so buy what you like. Get as wide a lens as possible, but keep in mind that really wide lenses (anything wider than 20mm) could have really distortion of the subject. You don't want to shoot a building, and have a straight building edge go bow-legged on you. However, you can compensate that in Photoshop. Keep in mind that very wide lenses that successfully avoid barrel distortion are very expensive.

See if you can get a nice tilt-shift lens. Look for a used one.

You will need a tri-pod, and a cable shutter release. Shoot at a low ISO (100 or 200) and a narrow aperture - f/16 or f/22.

And then just make multiple exposures until you get one you like. Set the camera to Aperture priority - select f/16 for instance - and then just "bracket" the shot. The light meter will suggest 5 seconds. Take that shot, and then take some that are longer, and some that are shorter. If you like that process, you will find that your camera has a function called AEB - Auto Exposure Bracketing, where you can make multiple exposures that are longer and shorter than the meter-recommended exposure.

A good starting kit for you might be an entry-level Canon like the XTi, and the 10-22mm wide-angle zoom. I'm sure there's a Nikon equivalent, I only know the Canon stuff. I'm sure the other brands also make good gear, so check them all out.

See if you can get a good shift lens. There's always cheap ones in the second-hand market. They don't get a lot of use, people buy them for specific projects, and then don't use them. They're usually in great shape for little cash.

I use the Canon 24mm TS-E L lens, I took the shot above with it.

Awesome info flatline. I at more ease than I was before. I think I just need to head down to the camera store and go pick up the D80 and other equipment and see what I can do...

Thanks again!!