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Old 04-13-2007   #3 (permalink)
Tamlin
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Join Date: May 2006
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Hi TonyBlue,

I'm not familiar with that particular camera, but some general principles for taking night-time or low-light shots are:
  • Use a sturdy tripod - you'll need to use very slow shutter-speeds, so any slight vibration could spoil a potentially good shot.
  • For the same reason, use a cable-release or self-timer (if your camera has one) rather than clicking the shutter manually.
  • Use mirror-lockup if you are using an SLR (and your camera has this function).
  • In very low light situations, don't rely on your camera's auto-focus - switch to manual focus if possible.
  • If your camera has variable ISO settings, use something like ISO 400 or ISO 800 - or higher if you don't mind the increased grain effect.
  • Exposure of low light scenes is always difficult - bracket your shots by 1 to 2 f-stops either way for a better chance of getting the correct exposure. Don't rely wholly on your camera's auto-exposure function, as this can easily be thrown off by things like streetlights.
  • Turn on long-exposure noise reduction (if your camera has this function).

Um...I think that's all that springs to mind immediately. There are a number of photography websites that will give you more tips if you need them.
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