How best take sharp digital photo in low, controlled light chicken breeding barn?

Question

Cannot introduce any other form of light. Time lapse not option. Movement of birds will create blur.

Answer 1

A tripod won't help you here due to the slow shutter speeds that will cause the birds to blur. What you need is a digital camera that will allow you to use a very high ISO setting (for example - many of the higher end Canon DSLRs will allow you to go to ISO 3200) and a fast lens F1.8 or lower. If I was doing this, I would use my Canon MK II N and my 35mm F1.4 lens (which is a fairly pricey combo).

I have been in a hatchery in Arkansas, and if I recall the light was muted and redish, but there would be enough there so that with the right equipment (a DSLR set to ISO 1600 or 3200) you should be able to get a decent shot. After you take it, you will have to post process it to remove the noise, but there are many capable programs out there (including photoshop which has built in noise reduction) or stand alone packages like Noise Ninja.

If you have no clue what I am talking about, and these photos are important, you might consider hiring a pro. THey can get the shot for you and it might not cost as much as you think. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would recommend the following for your situation:

1) Tripod. This will eliminate any camera shake from holding or triggering the shutter. Use the timer so that you will not need to press the trigger (and shake the camera) with your finger.

2) Higher ISO. 400 should be enough, go to 800 if your camera has it. However, realize that with higher ISO, you will be introducing noise (digital grain) into your photo. There are programs built-in to Photoshop that will reduce that noise, or you can look into programs like NeatImage or NoiseNinja.

3) Compose your image to prevent high contrast. A bright background will compromise your dynamic range (the amount and quality of detail you can see in shadows and bright areas), so try to make sure all of the elements within your frame are within close light values of each other. E.g. don't have a dimly lit subject with a very bright window in the background. A backlit situation may cause your subject to become grainy. If you do need a high contrast shot, be sure you are metering for your subject, and not the bright light source (spot meter).

4) Beware of the diffraction limitation of your lens. Sorry, this is the most technical recommendation, but the main message is: don't use your smallest aperture. Of course, small aperture means greater depth of field; however, using the smallest aperture introduces diffraction...your image will 'soften' or 'ghost' with a small aperture. Great depth of field (DOF) and sharpness are not the same thing, although they are related. For a small digital camera, diffraction begins smaller than f/4 which is a quite large aperture (so your DOF is going to be very narrow). I think you should be fine shooting at aperture f8...just be careful of your focusing. Use a smaller aperture only if needed. The upside of using the larger aperture is that you will get a faster shutter speed, which will directly contribute to sharpness in subjects that tend to move. If your camera does not have a manual setting where you can set the aperture size, look for the 'portrait' mode (often depicted by an icon of someone's face)...in this mode, the camera will try to select the largest aperture for you.

5) Ambient light. I know you said you cannot introduce other forms of light. But if you can, try to open some windows or doors to introduce more ambient light...just make sure those light sources do not appear directly in your frame (otherwise it introduces the high contrast situation.) Bring a reflector or white board to paint your subject if this is allowed.

6) Post-capture: In Photoshop, you can use sharpening tools (strangely, it's called an 'unsharp mask'). NeatImage comes with a sharpening tool that will sharpen and remove your noise at the same time.

Answer 3

Have you tried setting your camera on the night setting? It really depends on the camera and settings it has.