best settings for city night shots/moon?

Question

best settings for city lights with the moon in picture
and lens...I have a hard time getting the right setting
using a Nikon d-70 with a 400mm lens..please thanks

Answer 1

Here's a good tutorial to give you some ideas - it should apply to any cameras...
http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial-night-photography.html

This should give you a good starting point...the great thing about digital camera is that you can see the results immediately, so that you can make adjustments and take another shot.

Answer 2

The old guideline for moon photos is to set the shutter at the reciprocal of the ISO and the lens at f/16. This would mean, at ISO 200, use 1/200 of a second. At ISO 400, use 1/400th. And so on.

As far as city lights, it depends on how many lights, I guess. Try a few shots at the above suggestions and adjust up or down from there. That is, if you are not getting a decent result using your meter. Try to read off the city, hold the AE button to lock the reading and then recompose to include the moon.

Answer 3

The contrast between a dark skyline and the bright moon is so great that you can't expose for both.
Use a tripod
Use the lowest ISO setting
Use the best image quality or RAW
Use the self timer
If the D70 had MLU, you'd use that too
Use the second smallest aperture setting (generally the sweet spot)
In aperture priority mode and matrix metering, take a reading of the shutter time. Then switch to manual and take a series of shots to bracket that reading - use the indicated shutter time and several shots with shutter times above and below.
If need be, cheat in post processing - use the best shot of the city and the best shot of the moon.

Answer 4

It really depends on what you want. If you want a detailed moon, then you use different settings than you would for detail on buildings. Always use a tripod, and experiment with your settings. Try a shot using a long exposure, then the same one using a shorter one. You will get different results, and they could both be good shots.

For details on the moon, focus on infinity, set your camera for a low ISO and shoot on manual, using settings you would use on a sunny day.

For details on buildings, the best time of day is just after sunset, when you still have a deep blue sky, plenty of detail in your scene, and lights are just starting to come out.

For blurred car lights, use the bulb setting and a high aperture.

Experiment with different settings until you get what you like.

Answer 5

genuine it is not probably as uncomplicated as choosing some settings and that they'll magically artwork for you. shall we initiate with the uncomplicated stuff which you will not bypass without: - continuously use a tripod, a minimum of use it whenever you're allowed. - Use the self timer, maximum cameras have a 2 2d selection. in case you have a cable launch/distant swap use that. - long exposure noise help is frequently too time ingesting. swap that off. - Shoot uncooked - Use Lightroom 3 or resembling carry out denoise. - Autofocus is frequently completely flummoxed by using low easy circumstances. handbook concentration is probably your superb selection, hyperfocal is excellent, yet which will purely confuse you. regulate your concentration so which you're concentrated a million/3 of how right into a scene. - Use the backside ISO, for APS-C sensor Nikons it is frequently two hundred. you haven't any advantages from utilising one hundred beforehand. For Canon shooters examining this, your base ISO is frequently one hundred. Now comes the extra fluid stuff. there is not probably a series mix of shutter velocity and aperture by way of fact the lighting fixtures situations are continuously diverse. initiate by using composing your shot on the tripod, do not worry approximately concentration genuine now. as quickly as your composed properly tighten each and every of the knobs so the pinnacle can not flow. eliminate the digicam from the tripod. positioned the digicam in M (handbook) mode. initiate with the aperture set to f/8. leaf for the time of the viewfinder, element the digicam on the sky, and a million/2 press/carry the shutter button, this could activate the easy meter. you should confirm somewhat needle interior the viewfinder, regulate your shutter velocity so as that the needle factors to -a million.7EV. once you're shutter velocity reaches 30s and you're nevertheless at under -2EV then you definately will ought to open up the aperture extremely. this could be a rudimentary way of metering. Now positioned your digicam lower back onto your tripod (it is the place it facilitates once you have have been given a rapid launch plate). as quickly as lower back on the tripod concentration the lens, and press the shutter button.

Answer 6

Well, it depends on what you want to see and what you dont want to see. The automatic exposure control will figure that out when you set the flash off.

Make sure you point to the place in the frame that you want the exposure set. Then et up the frame and shoot. An yes, you would need the stand.

If the exposure needed is greater than 30 secs, the automatic exposure will not work.

Experiment a bit. You can try setting ASA of 200 and 400.

Answer 7

You gotta use the no-timer manual setting. Typically its the "B" setting. Hold the shutter open for various amounts of time (on the order of 10-30 seconds) and you should be able to get something to come out.