Nikon D40 taking pics at nite!

[Robstar1619]

Hey Guys!
I recently got myself a new cam Nikon D40 and have taken some photos with it and got some decent pics,but i have problems taking pics at nights.
What ever iam setting the cam on i dont get any good pics at all
The lens is the standard one AF-S DX zoom 18-55mm.
Any suggestions on cam settings for taking pics at nights?

 

[JDS]

What are you trying to take pictures of at night? The first thing you should probably invest in, if you haven't already, is a tripod.

At night, the light levels are obviously, low, so the camera's shutter has to stay open longer to get a good exposure. The longer it is open, the more prone the picture is to blur if the camera isn't kept completely still.

 

[Snyder]

Invest in a nice 50mm f/1.4 lense and a tripod and your on your way.

 

[Robstar1619]

That was quick!..didn't expect an answer so quickly.
This site i will like a lot:thumbup:
First i dont have a tripod...it's on my list to buy soon.
Well i really take pics of anything i find from animals,insects to landscapes.
Let's say i want to take a pic of the moonlight..i always wanted to get a pic of that with the landscape/sea but never managed to get one single good picture.Most probably i didn't use long enough shutter speed,but then i dont have a tripod as i belive maybe is a must in this case?

 

[Robstar1619]

Invest in a nice 50mm f/1.4 lense and a tripod and your on your way.

I wish it was that simple...the lens costs more than the cam itself.
Welcome to the SLR world....!

 

[JDS]

Yeah, a tripod is a must for moonlit landscapes, etc. For insects & animals at night, a flash will be a must unless you can keep them perfectly still for a few seconds.

 

[Robstar1619]

Ok a tripod is a must then...thanks.
Hehe..i dont like taking pics of insects at nite...you never know what you take pics of
At daytime no prob..i got some decent pics of insects.
It's the landscape and moonlit i have probs with!

 

[smcaskil]

Yeah, a tripod is a must for moonlit landscapes, etc.

This is your first major problem. You must use a tripod when shooting at night.

Even if you use a tripod or are sitting the camera on something to stabilize it, try using the self-timer to take the shot. Set it at say 8-15 seconds and that should give the camera plenty of time to stop moving after you press the shutter to start the timer. It doesn't seem like the camera is moving when you press the shutter, but trust me, it moves enough.

 

[LaFoto]

Nighttime and NO tripod are the things that do not work together.
Nighttime PLUS tripod works.
No need for the fast 1.4 lens which costs more than the camera body (as you say) ... at 1.4 you get only so shallow a DOF, you won't get anything in focus in your moonlit landscape photos.

The moon is waning just now, it is half, in a week it will be new, so you have time to wait (and hope) for Father Christmas to bring you the absolutely necessary tripod, and then you can expose for 15 seconds or longer which should give you the photo you so long for!

Make sure you then put your camera on timer, so after 10 seconds it will take the photo all by itself without your finger touching (and maybe moving!) it in the process.

 

[Robstar1619]

Thanks!
I did try to hold it steady and even let it rest on a rock or something but never got any good pics!
I will try out some diff shutter speeds later.
Btw what ISO or any other settings i need?
Iam not very familare with this cam since i got it recently.

 

[LaFoto]

I suggest that once you have that tripod and make use of the self-timer method, you can stay with the low ISOs of no more than 200, but can take advantage of the long shutter speeds you can then go for. There will then be no more need for the high (NOISY!) ISOs.

 

[Robstar1619]

Nighttime and NO tripod are the things that do not work together.
Nighttime PLUS tripod works.
No need for the fast 1.4 lens which costs more than the camera body (as you say) ... at 1.4 you get only so shallow a DOF, you won't get anything in focus in your moonlit landscape photos.

The moon is waning just now, it is half, in a week it will be new, so you have time to wait (and hope) for Father Christmas to bring you the absolutely necessary tripod, and then you can expose for 15 seconds or longer which should give you the photo you so long for!

Make sure you then put your camera on timer, so after 10 seconds it will take the photo all by itself without your finger touching (and maybe moving!) it in the process.

Thanks for that info..this site really rocks:thumbup:
Like you might have guessed iam an amature and i recently started to get interested in taking pics.
If i have any other questions i really know now you guys will be there for me!
Thanks a lot!

Btw..what does this mean?
at 1.4 you get only so shallow a DOF

 

[JDS]

DOF = depth of field

A shallow DOF means that you get a small portion of the photo in focus. Say, for instance, you want to draw attention to a single object where other objects are at different distances from the camera. You'll focus on that single object and use a shallow DOF to make everything else out of focus.

A large DOF would be used in, say, a landscape photo, where you want most or all of the scene to be sharp in focus.

--edit-- I guess I should also add that DOF goes hand-in hand with your aperture. A large aperture lends a shallow DOF. A large aperture is the smaller f number in your range.

A small aperture lends a large DOF - the larger f number in your range.

 

[Robstar1619]

Thank you very much!
Is there any lenses that you would recomend....not to expencive though!
I have been looking at this lens:Tamron telephoto zoom lens - 75 mm - 300 mm.Any one have one of these?
Some says something about filters...is that something extra accessories or is that something that is built in a lens?..:blushing: