digital camera for dark area photos?

Answer 1

Exactly what are you wanting to photograph? Interiors of night clubs? A city skyline at night? Moonlit landscapes?

IMO your best choice would be a DSLR that allows full manual control. One with Image Stabilization (IS) in the camera body would be a good choice. IS will give you 2 or 3 stops so you can hand-hold the camera at smaller f-stops and/or slower shutter speeds. A monopod should be considered even with IS.

Here is an example, taken from my FotoSharp (fotosharp.com) Day & Night Exposure Guide: Night club with dim lights

ISO 800

f1.4 @ 1/15 sec.
f2 @ 1/8 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/4 sec.
f4 @ 1/2 sec.

ISO 1600

f1.4 @ 1/30 sec.
f2 @ 1/15 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/8 sec.
f4 @ 1/4 sec.

ISO 3200

f1.4 @ 1/60 sec.
f2 @ 1/30 sec.
f2.8@ 1/15 sec.
f4 @ 1/8 sec.

ISO 6400

f1.4 @ 1/125 sec.
f2 @ 1/60 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/30 sec.
f4 @ 1/15 sec.

IS might allow you to use a lower ISO and stop down from f1.4 to f2 or even f2.8. A lower ISO means less digital noise and a better image, although there are editing programs to reduce it and most cameras have Noise Reduction (NR) built in.

Taking photos of a city skyline in the distance requires a tripod and cable release unless your shutter can be set to a 15 second (or longer) speed. Now you can use much lower ISO's and smaller f-stops for better image quality.

ISO 100

f5.6 @ 15 seconds
f8 @ 30 seconds
f11 @ 60 seconds

ISO 200

f5.6 @ 8 seconds
f8 @ 15 seconds
f11 @ 30 seconds

For a landscape lit by a full moon

ISO 100

f4 @ 2 minutes
f5.6 @ 4 minutes
f8 @ 8 minutes
f11 @ 15 minutes

ISO 200

f4 @ 1 minute
f5.6 @ 2 minutes
f8 @ 4 minutes
f11 @ 8 minutes

For such long exposures you'll want your NR on and you'll want to keep your camera cool. Long exposures should be taken as soon as you turn the camera on. If you plan on making several such long exposures turn the camera off and let the sensor cool down.

As you've noticed, doubling the ISO cuts exposure times in half so you can easily extrapolate exposures for ISO 400, 800, etc.

Answer 2

If you are planning on taking pictures of something stationary, such as a city at night, just find a digital camera that can take long pictures. If you are planning on taking pictures of something moving, you'll need high ISO. I like the Fujifilm Finepix F10 because it goes up to ISO 1600 and 15 seconds. That's pretty good for a pocket sized camera.

Answer 3

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