i've been taking alot of night shots and i think that they would came out alot better if i was using a better lense setup but i dont know much about them

so help me please

 

what kind of night shots. you dont need a specific lens if youre taking pics of static objects using a tripod.

taking pictures in low light of people or things moving is a whole other story.

give some examples of your shots. whats your setup?

give more info on what you have and what you want and try a photo forum for better information and help.

 

im using a rebel xti. and its for shooting people and buildings and stuff

 

If you are taking shots of static objects at night, then any lens and a tripod will do.

If you are taking action shots at night, then a wide aperture lens with the aperture wide-open is needed to freeze the action, otherwise, all static objects will be sharp, and the moving object will be blurred. Why? Usually, to freeze action, a shutter speed of 1/500+ will be needed, which is not available with apertures at f/4+ due to the low light.

This is why you hear all the harping about constant f/2.8 zoom lenses that are expensive.

I would suggest a prime lens whose aperture is even wider than f/2.8 like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, the upcoming Sigma 50mm f/1.4 or Canon 50mm f/1.4, the super cheap but highly regarded f/1.8, or 85mm f/1.8.

This will allow you to not only have faster shutter speeds in low light needed to freeze action, but allow you to dabble in narrow DOF shots where the in-focus plane is thin.

But if you need to shoot sports at night, I'd look into the 70-200 f/2.8 IS... or any long zoom with a constant f/2.8. But it's $1,700...

 

buy this.. you can shoot people, buildings and stuff in the dark.

http://www.adorama.com/CA85122AFU.ht...01.2&item_no=2

if you dont know why this lens can take pictures in low light then you need to read about apertures, iso, shutter speed, take a ton of pictures, and educate yourself with experience and knowledge before buying something you think you need.

Or you can throw money at it like buying the most expensive paints and brushes will make you a better painter.

you can do a lot with what you have than you think.

 

^^^^^ it's not the equipment's fault.

 

The reason I asked about one is even when I use a tripod and set a timer to prevent camera shake they still aren't coming out in the quality they should

And I plan on gettin a 50mm soon so I'll give that a shot once I get it

 

Works on my camera

 

I guess I just fail at taking pictures at night

 

If you would post up a pic or two perhaps we can help you. Simply saying that "my pictures don't turn out" is like saying "my car won't start".

 

I'll post some up when I get home

 

have you played with the shutter speeds at all? I took the below shots with nothing more than shutter speeds and a tripod. I am no pro but I was pleased with the shots I took. I had the same issues thinking my camera was not working until someone informed me of the shutter speeds and such. The more you experiment the more your skills will improve.

Recent trip to San Francisco and Fishermans warf............

 

this was takin using a tripod and with a timer to prevent camera shake

 

have you bought a book yet ......seeing as your experience level is very low.....I'd get one of I were you......

 

Change your metering to Center-weighted as the bright lights at the edges might not have metered well with the Average mode you chose. The above pic is overcooked as the highlights are blown- the shutter time should have been about a stop shorter in relation to the same aperture.

You might have to meter, then recompose. Read the manual on how to meter lock... it's the "*" button BTW.

Also, use the viewfinder block that came with the camera. It's for long exposure shots like your's which was at 20sec. It blocks light from entering the viewfinder when your eye is not at the camera. The entering light can fool the metering.

Here's an explanation to metering:
http://www.photozone.de/light-metering

Also, your white balance is off, so shoot RAW so you can easily correct it in Post process.

Lastly, the trees will not look sharp because the leaves on the trees are moving... any movement when the shutter is open, in this case, the shutter was open for 20seconds, will be blurred- it will show this movement. Notice that whatever was staying still- like the buildings and tree trunks are sharp.

The kit 18-55 lens you used, or any lens is good for night shots, as long as you have a steady tripod.

Shot with the same kit lens that you used, at 30 second shutter speed.

 

J check out the forum below it is a forum dedicated to canon photography. I have learned alot from that forum and many users offer help where needed. I post on that same forum also.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

 

thanks guys. so what mode should i be shooting in at night? i tried manual mode and they came out black(mostly because i'm still learning in that mode). so i used Av instead.

 

You're going to have to experiment a little (or a lot) no matter what mode you select. And really that is part of the fun...

Keep a small notebook/notepad in your camera bag, and use it to record the settings that you use that get you shots you are happy with. It really is just a matter of practice, and fortunately with digital, the film is virtually free and you can see your picture immediately. It won't be that long before you will be able to set your camera in Manual mode pretty close to what you need before you even put your eye to the view finder.

Another couple of tips for shooting from tripod: Turn off any sort of shake reduction you have. If your camera has a mirror lockup feature or a delay after moving the mirror before firing the shutter use it. That allows any vibrations from the mirror moving to subside before you take your picture.

 

here's a really basic setup for you to try.

mount on tripod. - night shots require long shutter speeds

compose the shot. - your personal preference

set the camera to aperture mode. -controls the aperture.

if you are taking pictures of a landscape or building set the aperture to f/9.
-this keeps a lot of the picture in sharp focus.

set the iso to 100 or the lowest number. -this keeps the picture grain free

set the self timer for 2-5 seconds or whatever you want. -this prevents camera shake as your not touching the camera to shoot which can cause a blurry picture.


if your picture is too bright or too dark use the exposure compensation and put it up or down accordingly to get what you want.

you can do a lot with this basic setup.

after you play with this and feel comfortable with it you can learn something else.

take baby steps. i'll be glad to help out.

i have a ton of pictures scattered through my myspace taken with about 95% percent of them taken with my cheap D40X.

have fun.

 

^^ Good info Blind..........