how to freeze pictures with low lighting and no flash...???

[dmbfoto]

hey everyone! my girlfriend is a composer so ill be taking a lot of pictures at her shows, but there can't be any flash what so ever, and since im new to this, i can't seem to figure out how to freeze the photo and they always end up very blurry since everyone is moving. any suggestions? would putting it on the setting for action pictures (sports) do that or does that automatically flash? any help is appreciated, thank you!

 

[Ins3rtNam3H3r3]

The only thing you can do in this situation is bump up the ISO and shoot in S mode with the fastest shutter speed possible without the pictures being underexposed.

 

[dmbfoto]

Ok, I'll do that next time. Thanks!

 

[Josh66]

You will need fast glass and good high ISO performance. Not sure how the D40 is with high ISO (Canon guy), but if the 18-55 kit lens is all you have - a fast prime (something like a 50mm f/1.4) will open up some options for you.

 

[dmbfoto]

the ISO only goes up to 1600 and something called H1, which I'm not sure what that is. Is that the "highest one"? LOL, I'm kidding..unless that's what it means.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but my lens is f/3.5-5.6..so that means the f won't go lower than 3.5 right? Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

That's correct. You will need a fast lens (F1.8, F1.4 etc) and use a high ISO setting. Also, make sure that you set your exposure for your subject and not include a lot of the dark areas around her (if there are any).

 

[Big Mike]

the ISO only goes up to 1600 and something called H1, which I'm not sure what that is. Is that the "highest one"? LOL, I'm kidding..unless that's what it means.

I'm not sure why...but many cameras give you extra ISO steps...but call them H1 or something like that. It will be one stop higher than 1600...so 3200. The problem with high ISO is that you get a lot of noise. So if you can get your shot without going that high...then try to do that.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but my lens is f/3.5-5.6..so that means the f won't go lower than 3.5 right? Thanks!

That's correct. This lens isn't very good for low light shooting like this.

 

[Dao]

the ISO only goes up to 1600 and something called H1, which I'm not sure what that is. Is that the "highest one"? LOL, I'm kidding..unless that's what it means.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but my lens is f/3.5-5.6..so that means the f won't go lower than 3.5 right? Thanks!

In your lens, the max aperture for the focal length of 18mm is F/3.5 and 55mm is F/5.6. So the max aperture of your lens change with the lens focal length.

In order to have a better result, a fast prime (or zoom) lens is preferred. Of course, you can bump up the ISO settings, however, as far as I know, the result is not as good. You may want to try out some noise reduction software afterward and see if that help.

 

[dmbfoto]

Thanks guys. I was interested in another lens (even though I just got my camera and should probably learn to use the manual settings before i go and buy a new lens lol). Anyway, my friend suggested the 18-200 mm lens (I'm not sure what the f stop is (is that how you say that? lol) and I think the D40 can only be used with AF-S lenses. I'll look into it and let you guys know. I'm guessing that would be better for low light settings if the f stop setting goes lower? Or would it not matter if it can zoom in more?

 

[Josh66]

I'm guessing that would be better for low light settings if the f stop setting goes lower? Or would it not matter if it can zoom in more?

Lower aperture (f/#) will be better for low light, no matter what the focal lenght is. For zoom lenses 2.8 is about the fastest you'll find.


BTW - I'm pretty sure (but I don't shoot Nikon, so I could be wrong) that you can use any (Nikon) lens, it's just that some lenses won't autofocus.

 

[photogincollege]

Well the fstop of the 18-200 is the same as your current lens. And it's known for getting less then stunning image quality (though I cant say this myself as I havent used it, im just telling you what other people have said.) As far as a good lens for taking the pictures you want. The 70-200 2.8 is a great lens, but rather expensive. How close are you able to get to your subject? If you get close enough with your 18-55 but just cant get it to freeze motion, then I'd say the 50mm 1.4 afs (its rather expensive as well though because its got autofocus.) If you dont mind manual focus you can get the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, or something like the tamron, sigma, and tokina versions of the 17-50 2.8 (the tokina is 16-50 and the sigma is 18-50, also, sigma is autofocus, not sure about the other 2.). Sorry for the long winded post.

 

[In2daBlue]

The D40 is limited in what lenses you can use with it... so in as far as using AF and other electronic functions. You can always manually work the glass. the 18-200mm will not stop you down to where you need to be.

 

[LarryD]

I would recommend a prime lens with enough reach so you don't have to be right on stage..

Say an 85mm or 100mm f2.8 or better. For these conditions, set your shutter speed at 1/60 sec or faster; 1/125 would be better.. in Tv mode and see what your camera sets the f-stop. If you don't have enough olight at all, keep bumping the ISO up until you ae in the parameters of the lens.

Use a mono-pod or tripod and spot or partial metering so it picks out your subject and not the overhead lights.

Take lots of pictures.....they're cheap.... keep the ones you like..

 

[dmbfoto]

thanks everyone! what does tv mode mean? lol, probably a silly question.

and photogincollege i never mind long winded posts...more information is better than less

 

[SrBiscuit]

as a fellow D40 owner, i can tell you that the high ISO performance is less than desirable. there will be lots of noise, but hopefully it can be cleaned up a bit in PP.

ISO performance will increase with body upgrades.

Run a search here for high iso, and see what you come up with. if memory serves me, people are very happy with the lack of noise from the D90, and even moreso once you get up there into the D200-D300 area.