Night shooting HELP!! LOLOLOL

[ONEBADMK8]

OMgoodness. I cant shoot anything, anywhere, any subject but NIGHT shots. I shoot with a Nikon D50 usually always on auto with GREAT results but I have a HUGE event this Sat. at Atco Raceway to shoot and most of it will be action at NIGHT.

Anyone else have any experience with this camera at night, PLEASE HELP! Thanks in advance,
-Geno.

 

[pbelarge]

I would start by googling "night photography', reading, and bone up by shooting each night this week.

 

[myfotoguy]

A few questions:

• What lenses do you have?
• Are you willing to rent if need be?
• Will you be using a tripod, monopod?
• Are you familiar with the raceway, is it well lit?
• Where will you be in relation to the action?

You might search Flikr or elsewhere to find images taked at that track and check settings to give you a rough idea of what settings folks have used.

 

[KmH]

It's really the lens(s) you have available that you need to worry about more so than the camera, but the D50 is a bit short on ISO capability.

 

[gsgary]

Unless you have fast lenses froget it, can you shoot at 200mmF2.8 or 300F2.8 ?

 

[ONEBADMK8]

I shoot with the Nikon 55-200 DX/VR lens with the camera on auto. I even tried the Action or sports setting it sucked!! Time for a D90 I think LOL. Thanks in advance for all the info Guys. I shoot at Atco all the time it's lit "OK" at best. I will only be shooting our car that is racing so I have to only really get 4-7 GREAT shots, the rest will be all stationary pit shots and I use a monopod too.

 

[gsgary]

I shoot with the Nikon 55-200 DX/VR lens with the camera on auto. I even tried the Action or sports setting it sucked!! Time for a D90 I think LOL. Thanks in advance for all the info Guys. I shoot at Atco all the time it's lit "OK" at best. I will only be shooting our car that is racing so I have to only really get 4-7 GREAT shots, the rest will be all stationary pit shots and I use a monopod too.

No time to learn how to shoot on manual because thats is what you will need to do at the raceway, if you can't do it with what you have a D90 will make no difference

 

[ONEBADMK8]

I thought the D90 had more ISO capabilities. Ive tried manual several times and not ONE pic ever came out looking even half way decent. Unless I missed something?

 

[pbelarge]

I thought the D90 had more ISO capabilities. Ive tried manual several times and not ONE pic ever came out looking even half way decent. Unless I missed something?

If you spend enough time here in the future, you will learn just what you have been missing...

 

[ONEBADMK8]

Heres an example of the night shots looking AWFUL! the strange thing with these two shots in particular is that almost everything BUT the subject is in focus. Do you Guys love oor hate the AF?

heres just minutes prior but stationary object...

heres a couple from the day which came out great.

 

[gsgary]

I thought the D90 had more ISO capabilities. Ive tried manual several times and not ONE pic ever came out looking even half way decent. Unless I missed something?

A D90 is only better if you get the exposure correct, your shots didn't come out because your exposure was wrong

 

[ONEBADMK8]

Oh so you have seen my mistake before huh?LOL What do I do to change this?

 

[gsgary]

It's either focus can't keep up in the dark conditions or you have the camera focus set up wrong

 

[gsgary]

Oh so you have seen my mistake before huh?LOL What do I do to change this?

Do you know how to read the camera light meter ?

 

[ONEBADMK8]

It's either focus can't keep up in the dark conditions or you have the camera focus set up wrong

Like I said I run FULL auto 98% of the time.