Hi, I purchased a Nikon D3000 with 18-55mm VR lens about a month ago and have experienced no problems. I thoroughly enjoy using this camera and have only one question.
Can I take pictures in the dark with it? This may seem like a silly question, but when I try to take a picture in low light conditions (say, of the moon or something at night) it takes a lot longer to 'click' and actually register the picture as taken, or it simply refuses to take the picture.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced this, or if they can provide an explanation. This is my first-time use of a DSLR so perhaps I'm just wrong in thinking I can get a good picture out of such low light conditions.
Thank you for your time.
I do use the flash, but I just get the same result - it either refuses to take the picture or it takes far too long to register it as taken.
You can if you put the flash on
Answer by Matt on 01 Jan 2010 07:59:05Well, if you are using auto focus, in very low light the focus has a hard time finding anything to focus on, so it won't take the picture. And the long 'click' is because to capture an image there has to be some light so the shutter stays open longer to let as much light in as possible. Low light photos are the most difficult with digital cameras - you get a lot of 'noise' - that's pixelation or what in film would be called grain, I call it looking digity. You can adjust camera settings to get the best possible advantage from low light but that takes some experience to get it right. I don't know what level of camera experience you have but you might want to take a class so you can learn more. One of the things that also happens when taking low light pictures is camera movement - often the images will be blurred because your hand can't hold still - it is best to use a tripod, or enjoy the effect of the blurring movement.
Answer by moonrabbit on 01 Jan 2010 08:07:12If you are in Manual mode, you can set the shutter speed to anything you want, and it will snap a picture at that speed. The picture will obviously be dark if the time is too short.
If you are using one of the automatic or programmed modes, the camera will use its metering to decide the proper shutter speed, and in this case, it will be very long, many seconds, maybe even a minute or longer. The picture will be properly exposed (with the "right" amount of light), but since the time is so long, there is no way you can hold the camera steady for that long, so the picture will be blurry.
The right way is to use a stable tripod to minimize vibration. If you are outdoors, shield the tripod and camera from wind, because that alone will cause vibration and blurriness. Don't be afraid to try. It's a digital camera. If you don't like the picture, erase it and re-shoot. There's no harm done.
The flash will not help you here. No flash is strong enough to reach the Moon.
Also the first time you try, I'm sure that the camera has a Night mode or something like that. Use that first, and see what aperture and shutter speed settings the camera uses, and you can copy that if you want to go in Manual mode later.
Have you noticed how, when you are in a dark room the iris of you eye opens up? It does this to let in more light, the Iris being the eyes aperture. Your camera has to do something similar in low light conditions, only it often need to not only increase the size of the lens aperture but also keep the shutter open for a longer period of time so that enough light gets through to the sensor. Keeping the shutter open for longer is why it takes longer to click. The problem with keeping the shutter open for too long is that you really need the camera to be mounted on a tripod to reduce any shake to a minimum. If however the camera refuses to take a picture at all, it's because it cant see enough to figure out what settings it needs to be using, most often because it cant find anything to focus on. In that situation you can always try putting the camera into manual mode and also focusing manually, this should mean you can take a picture, though what it looks like is dependent on you getting the settings correct!
Answer by Crim Liar on 01 Jan 2010 08:28:15If you are in any of the auto modes with autofocus switched on you are dependant on the camera determining all shooting parameters. Until both AE/AI and AF have been locked by the camera will it allow you to release the shutter.
In low light situations when AF is needed the camera needs something called an AF assist, which is a little light that helps the AF system get the right focus. However on far away subjects such as night landscapes/cityscapes the AF system just sees black, and is flummoxed. So in such low light situations you will have to manually focus the lens to get consistent shots.
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Answer by keerok on 01 Jan 2010 08:03:28You can if you put the flash on
Answer by Matt on 01 Jan 2010 07:59:05Well, if you are using auto focus, in very low light the focus has a hard time finding anything to focus on, so it won't take the picture. And the long 'click' is because to capture an image there has to be some light so the shutter stays open longer to let as much light in as possible. Low light photos are the most difficult with digital cameras - you get a lot of 'noise' - that's pixelation or what in film would be called grain, I call it looking digity. You can adjust camera settings to get the best possible advantage from low light but that takes some experience to get it right. I don't know what level of camera experience you have but you might want to take a class so you can learn more. One of the things that also happens when taking low light pictures is camera movement - often the images will be blurred because your hand can't hold still - it is best to use a tripod, or enjoy the effect of the blurring movement.
Answer by moonrabbit on 01 Jan 2010 08:07:12If you are in Manual mode, you can set the shutter speed to anything you want, and it will snap a picture at that speed. The picture will obviously be dark if the time is too short.
If you are using one of the automatic or programmed modes, the camera will use its metering to decide the proper shutter speed, and in this case, it will be very long, many seconds, maybe even a minute or longer. The picture will be properly exposed (with the "right" amount of light), but since the time is so long, there is no way you can hold the camera steady for that long, so the picture will be blurry.
The right way is to use a stable tripod to minimize vibration. If you are outdoors, shield the tripod and camera from wind, because that alone will cause vibration and blurriness. Don't be afraid to try. It's a digital camera. If you don't like the picture, erase it and re-shoot. There's no harm done.
The flash will not help you here. No flash is strong enough to reach the Moon.
Also the first time you try, I'm sure that the camera has a Night mode or something like that. Use that first, and see what aperture and shutter speed settings the camera uses, and you can copy that if you want to go in Manual mode later.
Have you noticed how, when you are in a dark room the iris of you eye opens up? It does this to let in more light, the Iris being the eyes aperture. Your camera has to do something similar in low light conditions, only it often need to not only increase the size of the lens aperture but also keep the shutter open for a longer period of time so that enough light gets through to the sensor. Keeping the shutter open for longer is why it takes longer to click. The problem with keeping the shutter open for too long is that you really need the camera to be mounted on a tripod to reduce any shake to a minimum. If however the camera refuses to take a picture at all, it's because it cant see enough to figure out what settings it needs to be using, most often because it cant find anything to focus on. In that situation you can always try putting the camera into manual mode and also focusing manually, this should mean you can take a picture, though what it looks like is dependent on you getting the settings correct!
Answer by Crim Liar on 01 Jan 2010 08:28:15If you are in any of the auto modes with autofocus switched on you are dependant on the camera determining all shooting parameters. Until both AE/AI and AF have been locked by the camera will it allow you to release the shutter.
In low light situations when AF is needed the camera needs something called an AF assist, which is a little light that helps the AF system get the right focus. However on far away subjects such as night landscapes/cityscapes the AF system just sees black, and is flummoxed. So in such low light situations you will have to manually focus the lens to get consistent shots.
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Answer by keerok on 01 Jan 2010 08:03:28
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