No-blur night shots from a compact digital camera (without a tripod)?

Question

I'm looking for a compact digital camera that'll take clear night shots (particularly scenery, like skylines, etc) without a tri-pod. Doesn't need to be too high-tech, just so the pics won't be blurry and will look nice in a regular 4x6 print.

I've heard the Fuji F30 is good for low light shots, but any reviews I've seen focus on indoor. Can anyone comment on the quality for OUTDOOR night shots that don't necessarily have a subject in front of the shot?

Also, if you can recommend any other brands/models for this purpose, please let me know! (I'm a big fan of Sony. . .) $300-400 price range, give or take.

Thanks!

Answer 1

well unfortunately its almost impossible to take shots at night without a tripod....reason being that the shutter has to stay open to allow enough light in to take the picture which any little shake or anything will blur the picture because its moving while the shutter is open! with that being said if you still want to try look for models with an "image stabalizer" using that if you have a steady enough hand you may be able to do ok! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

Yes, the Fujifilm F30 is the BEST compact for low-light shooting...both indoors and outdoors in low light (handheld, no flash) because it has the ability to use a high ISO (800-1600), where many other compact cameras will struggle to produce noise free photos at about ISO 200-400. Though, using a tripod would still be best in some situations.

The only area the F30 can sometimes struggle in, is outdoors in very bright, high contrast lighting.

So, the F30 is the best compact for low light shooting (it's not perfect), but hey...non perfection is good enough.

Also look at the F31 fd, which is an update with face detection technology.

Answer 3

Use a flash or a good tripod. Many digital cameras have focus-aid lights that work in low light. My daughter just got a Canon S2 IS and she sent me some pictures that she took in a dark room with the door closed. They are in perfect focus and perfectly exposed, although the flash did go off, so it would hardly be a way to take secret spy photos... I just took a whole series of photos in "barely-visible" lighting conditions using a Nikon D200 and they are all pretty well exposed. Again, they were shot using a flash, so it was no secret, but the camera did focus in low, low light. MANY others will do the same. Your camera may not be capable of doing this.

Answer 4

I have heard that the Sonys do not perform well in low light. A friend of mines recently traded his Sony for a new Canon Powershot and he is quite happy with the low-light pictures he's taken.

Not having a tripod will put you at a disadvantage, as night shots require a slower shutter speed. If you are going to be taking lots of pictures at night, I'd consider using a tripod. I might also look into a DSLR and a very fast lens (f2.8, etc.), as the DSLRs have a larger sensor area giving it the ability to produce images in low light with less noise (given a sufficiently "fast" lens").