What are some good tips on taking better pictures in low light conditions?

Question

I've really gotten into photography lately,I guess you could say I've become obsessed with it.

But I've come across a problem though. My apartment isn't really that bright, all my windows have trees in front of them, so it makes it hard to let natural light come in. And whenever I try using the flash, my pictures pretty much turn out horrible.

Any tips or pointers on taking better pictures in low light conditions?

Thanks in advance. :]

Dr.Sam- I'm currently using a Fujifilm Finepix S3100, and it has a built in flash. I know it might not be the best camera, but it's all I can afford right now, hopefully I'll be getting a Nikon D40 in a couple of months. :P

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, I really appreciate it.

Answer 1

Good news. Your camera has partial manual control. Its Aperture Preferred and gives you 3 f-stops: f2.8, f5 and f8. In this mode you can select an aperture and the camera will select a shutter speed. You can also adjust the flash power which might give better results.

For your conditions I concur with those who suggested a tripod. Since you're planning on a DSLR soon you may as well, IMO, buy a tripod suitable for your future camera.

One thing you definitely need to do is take some time and really study your Owner's Manual. IMO, you should first master this camera completely before considering an upgrade. When you have completely exhausted the capabilities of this camera you'll need an upgrade.

Try using the camera in Manual and setting the f-stop to f5. Decrease the power of the flash and see how the results look. If you want to leave the flash at full power you can try putting a single piece of white tissue over the flash to diffuse the light. There may be some sort of after-market diffuser you can buy but if the tissue works save your money.

Again, take time to really read and study your Owner's Manual. Work through one feature or setting at a time and practice with it until you're comfortable with it. Repeat with the next feature or setting.

Good luck.

Answer 2

It looks like your camera only has ONE ISO setting and that's ISO 100. Is this true? If so, you are really going to have trouble. You need a tripod. You wouldn't need a really heavy tripod for THIS camera, but you might want to think ahead and get one that would hold up to 5-8 pounds. Then again, if you don't mind dropping $25-30 on a tripod that you WILL outgrow, go ahead and get a smaller tripod.

At ISO 100, if you can't use more than 3 seconds (which looks like your slow limit for shutter speed from what I find on-line), you will still have trouble in a dimly lit apartment.

I don't know if you have manual control over your settings, but since you don't have aperture or shutter priority, I doub tthat you do. If you DO, set for overexposure. If you don't, set the exposure compensation to over expose, like EV +1.0 for a start.

If you could vary the output of your flash, which I doubt you can, you could use it for fill flash. As it is, you might be able to tone it down a bit by firing it through a layer or more of facial tissue. You MIGHT get creative and hold a small mirror so that it blocks the flash from hitting your subject directly, but diverts it towards the wall or ceiling to diffuse the light and control the harsh shadows.

If you are taking time to set up your shots, you might look into some lighting setups. I know you can blow a month's income on lighting, but if you want to do it on the cheap side, just take the shade off a few lamps and position them around your subject so that the shadow made by one is cancelled by the light from another. 2, 3 or 4 lamps might do the trick. If you end up with weird colors, this is where you go into the white balance menu and select "tungsten" lighting.

I may have given you some bad information, but your camera is no longer for sale and I am basing my suggestions on what I can find on eBay. The sellers don't always post accurate information.

Answer 3

You will find that the D80 will perform better at high ISO's than a similar film. Since the introduction of the $5,000 Nikon D3, our expectations have changed, so that while a fine camera like the D80 will out perform film at high ISO's some of us expect NO noise what so ever. Lucky for us, Noise Ninja and other programs can reduce the noise that cameras tend to make at high ISO settings. The question you have to ask yourself is this, "Do I want to miss the shot because of camera or subject movement, or do I want the shot and a little background noise and get the shot? In relative terms, the D80 has a much more sophisticated electronics system than the D200, yet the D200 is still providing excellent images at a professional level. As you know, there are many different right ways to use a camera and an experienced photographer will not be concerned with the tiny differences in noise when shooting with a D200 vs a D80. The results of the shoot have everything to do with the skills of the photographer

Answer 4

You stated that your apartment isn't really bright and all trees in front of windows,that means natural light come from sunlight,so that your don't need to use flash from your camera, have to use 1000 ISO film speed with tripod,also close down aperture at f -1/19-22 ,that best of results for your pictures.

Answer 5

#1 rule - U-S-E A T-R-I-P-O-D. This allows you to get very slow exposures without camera shake. Use the widest possible lense aperture, unless you have to worry about depth of field.

Side lighting is an excellent way to get good natural light pictures.

Colour balance is important if you are using electric lighting. If you are using a film camera, certain films are made for tungsten or florescent lighting. Otherwise you wind up with reddish or greenish shots. Digital cameras usually have some soft of colour balance setting.

Also watch out for things in your shooting environment that can "colour" your shots, like yellow drapes over windows or large expanses of green or blue walls reflecting sunlight.

Again, if you are using film, go for higher speed films like ASA 400. If you go too high, grain starts to creep in.

Invest in some photo floodlights and a photo unbrella.

When using flash, experiment with a photo umbrella with an separately-mounted flash or an upward-facing flash. It can make your flash pictures look less flat and reduce sharp shadows, and help with redeye.

Also look at your lense. A larger (albeit more expensive) lense lets in more light. Check the smallest f-stop number of the lense (smaller f-stop is more light sensitive). f 1.4 is pretty good, f1.2 is better. A good intermediate fixed lense like a 50mm tends to be "faster". Telephotos lenses and wide-angle lenses, and even zoom lenses must compromise and are usually "slower".

Answer 6

Like GCB-TO mentioned, use a Tripod...very important in low light conditions.

I am assuming yours is an SLR. If you are using an internal flash, invest in an external flash. Preferably one with adjustable settings. Play around with the aperture and time value settings.

Answer 7

Turn on some dim lights,
and flash makes photos pretty ugly..

=)

Answer 8

the latest camera made in Japan takes care of light any time.