Nighttime photography?

[ernie]

Hey,

I'd like to hear your advice on nighttime photography. Went out last night with my new camera trying night photos for the first time, and it wasn't quite as easy as I hoped it would be
My finished pictures all had lens flares in them, too much noise, some unsharp even though I used a tripod, ...

So does anyone have any ideas how to prevent such problems? Or any other problems you guys can think of? General tips are very welcome too.

Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

Keep your ISO low, use a tripod (& remote or self timer).

Experiment with your exposure. If you just rely on the camera's meter...you may get muddy looking shots or have other problems because of the great difference between the bright lights and the dark shadows.

 

[phakimata]

In addition you can use a mirror lock up to prevent camera shake even better. An f/5.6 or slower is what I recommend for night shots. Also, pay close attention to the highlights, which tend to be to bright since your camera tries to compensate for the majority of the darkness. Of course use ISO 100 to reduce noise. For the rest, play a little with different exposure times.

Good luck,
Paul.

 

[nikonkev]

If you're getting a significant amount of glare in the photos, try shooting away from close-up street lights, etc. that could cause that. Like Big Mike said, keep the ISO on your lowest setting (100 or 200) if you're using a tripod because that will keep out as much noise as possible, though you'd have to use a tad big longer of a shutter speed.

 

[JerryPH]

Tripod, low ISO and a loooong shutter speed (1 second and up I consider long... but I have gone as much as 28 min doing a shooting of the night sky for stars and what not).

Having a fast lens here helps a bit but its certainly not mandatory.

Pictures taken from the 11th story at around 6-6:30 AM before the sun was visible.

 

[chris_arnet]

a fast lense for sure, f/2.8 or faster. i have a f/1.8 which is great, but im still amazed at with even an aperture that wide open, exposeure times can still be very long.

use ISO 100, and if your camera has it, use the in-camera long exposure noise reduction. a tripod is a must also. i also lock my mirror up to reduce vibration, and i use a remote shutter trip, so my camera is absolutely perfectly still. even on a tripod, you would be suprised at how much you pressing the shutter button can affect the picture.