In dark with out FLASH

[khushi2004]

In low light place if i have to take a picture with out using flash, what are the techniques there are i can follow.
what film speed should i have to use?

 

[markc]

If you have a prime lens, use that so that you can have the widest aperture possible (lowest number). I use anywhere between 400 and 3200 film depending on the lighting. I had some shots I did at a wedding reception on 3200 speed film pushed to 6400 using an f1.8 lens and I still had motion blur, so it really does vary.

 

[khushi2004]

But in case of i don;t have prime lens is there any way to deal with it!

 

[ksmattfish]

How low is the light? Electric light on in the room? Window light only? No lights and at night?

What is the subject matter? Moving? Not moving? Can you use a tripod?

There are many variables, we need more information about your specific situation.

 

[khushi2004]

For example a person sleeping on bed with table lamp light.
Person working inside the house on lights available from windows
etc!

 

[markc]

From my own experience, I really wasn't able to shoot like that with zooms very well. The wide aperture has been essential unless there has been a strong source of light somewhere, like strong sun coming right in a window, but I do everything handheld. A tripod would go a long way if it's feasable to use one.

 

[Big Mike]

Use a tripod...or any means of support so that you are not touching/holding the camera. You will need to trip the shutter with a remote or just use the self timer. This is so the camera will not shake while the shutter is open, which would cause blur.

Because the shutter will be open longer...any movement by the subject will also cause blur, so if you want the subject sharp...it will have to be stationary as well.

 

[Cuervo79]

What kind of pictures are you trying to take? I find it a nice style to have motion blur, like most national geographic night shots. if you wan to have nice crisp pics, a tripod is a must. also remember, if you are dependant on the light available, remember that diferent lights emit different hues like the orangy tones of incandescent light and the green yellow tones of neon (don't know if that's what they are called) tubes.

 

[media tribe]

hey there

from my limited experience, there's a couple things to keep in mind

1. is the subject still or moving?

2. do you have the luxury of using a tripod (in other words, are you still?)

Well, if the subject is still and you're still on a solid tripod (especially with a remote shutter release to minimize all movement--then film speed isn't that important. If everything is still, you might as well aim for less noise by using a relatively low ISO and keeping your shutter open longer to get the light you need. Of course, like someone pointed out, having a fast lens that lets in more light is nice too. The fast lenses tend to be prime or really expensive zooms.
this is frequently how night landscapes are done i suppose

OK, now, if you or the subject is moving and you don't want a blur, that's when the high film speeds are neccesary. Like, if you're shooting a band at a small club and don't have room for tripods, you might need that film speed 800 and higher to help compensate for some of the movement. Even with a 1600 ISO, in that situation it's often likely you'd still need to rely on a lower-than-desirable shutter speed. In that case, you just got try to be still as possible and shoot with a 5+ to 1 ratio in mind (take 5 or more shots of every shot you want) and hope some come out well. It's worked for me so far cuz I don't like the effect of lighting up a stage with flash and detroying the natural lighting effects.

anyway my two cents....