Canon Rebel XTI question about lightning?

Question

With this camera can someone tell me how it'd be possible to take a picture in a really low-light place (or at night) without using flash while getting a semi decent photo?

I know you can change something to get more light in but I must be doing it wrong because EVERY picture I take blurrs.

I went to the zoo yesterday and there were some dark inside areas where monkeys where and I couldn't get a shot of them. Couldn't use flash because they were behind glass. My shutter stayed open longer, 1/6 I think it changed itself to automatically but the monkeys always blurred since they were moving.

Can someone teach me how to do this better?

Answer 1

The only suggestion I have is to raise the iso setting.
You will get a little grainier pictures.
Maybe one of the other gentlemen will have better advice for you.
If you don't get an answer soon.
Repost the question in a couple of hours.

Answer 2

I am an amateur photographer and have dealt with this before. I will try to explain this as best as I can without being able to directly show you, first set up a tripod and use a delay timer so the camera is perfectly still, so nothing is touching it while its taking the picture (you are not pushing the button as its taking the picture). It is best to go into full manual mode (there is a circular twist knob with an M on it, symbol for full manual mode) for this since you have complete control over how the camera takes the picture.
Then you need to choose an f-stop you like (the camera has metal rings that makes the opening light comes through bigger or smaller.) the larger the number, the smaller the opening and the less light is let in (in exchange for a bigger focusing range), a smaller number means a larger opening and more light is let in (in exchange for a smaller focusing range). You change this by holding down the Av button while moving the click wheel close to the shutter button to actually take the picture. This should change the f-stop with a numerical value on the screen.
Then the other thing you have control over is by just moving the click wheel, not holding anything you can adjust how “long” the exposure is, shutter speed, or how much time the sensors are exposed to the light. It should give you between 1/4000 of a second to 30 seconds, so with a tripod and stationary object you can take a picture with no flash in any light.
Still if a tripod is not readily available and these two options don’t give you enough light in a short enough time to get a clear picture you can also go into the menu and change the ISO setting, or how sensitive the sensors are to light.
That should explain the three basic manual functions you can control to get a good picture in low light. I had to figure this out on my own with my Rebel XT (earlier version), so I would just experiment in full manual mode if you want to start getting really good pictures by telling the camera exactly how to take the picture. The beauty of these cameras is you only need to know how to adjust those three settings to take great pictures with enough experimentation, trust me you have a great camera if you want to become an amateur photographer.

Answer 3

In low-light situations where flash isn't an option you'll have to increase the ISO setting. As previously stated, at higher ISO settings picture quality suffers. If your camera has Noise Reduction circuitry now would be the time to use it.

To "stop" action (like moving monkeys) your shutter speed needs to be at least 1/125 sec. or higher - preferably higher. If a tripod isn't practical you can always try a monpod.

You can use a flash with subjects behind glass if you shoot at an angle to the glass. The idea is to keep the flash from "bouncing back" into the lens. If you have a "rubber" (collapsible) lens hood you can also place the lens directly against the glass and use the flash.

If you are interested in taking photos of a city skyline at night then a tripod is mandatory, as is a cable release. I've used the FotoSharp Day & Night Exposure Guide (fotosharp.com) for years. This is what it suggests for a "city skyline in distance": At ISO 200, 30 seconds at f11; 15 seconds at f8; 8 seconds at f5.6. If you double the ISO your exposure times are cut in half. So your camera has to have a "B" or "T" setting for the shutter speed so you can use a cable release. If your camera has an electrical connection for shutter release it won't hold the shutter open - an old-fashioned mechanical cable release is needed.

If you're so inclined, you can try zooming in (from your lens' widest setting to its longest, maybe 70-210) during the exposure. Just be very careful to zoom slowly and not shake the camera. The effect can be interesting.