Christmas lights outdoors with Nikon D 70 s?

Question

I am going to Silver DOllar CIty tomorrow and they already have there Christmas lights out. I am going to try to take photos but am nto sure how to do this. Any suggestions for settings?
THe entire place is lit up so I will be doing this in outside at night.

Answer 1

Edwin gave you a list of exposures to try, but why not use the meter in your camera when you are looking at the display that you want to photograph? They are all different. Center weighted would probably be the most reliable for this situation. I'd try to use ISO 400, unless the shutter times are ridiculously long. This would cut down on the noise you can expect to get in this kind of image.

It's true that a tripod is the right way to go, but if you don't own one and can't buy one before tomorrow, try this.

Sit your camera on the roof of your car and use the "self-timer" mode to snap the shutter. Take a deep breath and hold it when there are about 3-4 seconds to go on the timer.

Answer 2

You should use a tripod if you have one but you will be able to get some handheld shots at around 1/15th of a second with the aperture wide open. Lean on something solid and press the shutter smoothly. Try to get some people in the foreground. You might be surprised at what you can capture. Turn off the flash, of course.
For tripod work, take a series of test shots and check the best exposure on the screen. Use an infrared remote if the D70 will take one. I have a D80 and the remote was only about $30, well worth it.

Answer 3

First, you definitely need a tripod.

Next, put your camera in Manual Mode. You have to be in control of your camera. Turn the Noise Reduction (NR) Circuitry* on.

Use a moderate wide-angle lens or a zoom so you can try different compositions.

Use ISO 100

f5.6 @ 2 seconds
f8 @ 4 seconds
f11 @ 8 seconds

If you'd like to try ISO 50

f5.6 @ 4 seconds
f8 @ 8 seconds
f11 @ 15 seconds

Taken directly from my FotoSharp (fotosharp.com) "Day & Night Exposure Guide".

If getting a triopod on such short notice isn't possible then you'll have to find a solid support for your camera.

*You can try shooting with and without the NR circuitry and see which results you like best.

NOTE: I checked settings up to ISO 6400 and at f2.8 you'd use a shutter speed of 1/125 sec. Since lenses are designed to give the best images at between f5.6 an f11 and ISO 6400 would be extremely "noisy" I definitely recommend a tripod.