Shooting in low-light club setting with Canon 7D

<p>Hello! I just purchased a camera with the following specs:<br>

Canon 7D</p>

 

 

-I've taken some pictures in low-light club settings and I can't quite get them to come out right. I don't want to use the flash because it adds distraction. The images turn out blurry and in some instances, very grainy. I've scavenged the internet, looking for a way to set my camera up to improve image quality and have found a lot of different recommendations. Based on what I have, what would you guys recommend I'd do?

Attached is picture I took without flash.

<p>Think of a camera as a light recorder, like a tape recorder for light. You <em>must</em> have light in order to create an exposure. No light = no image. Your image has the metadata stripped from it, but your first line of defense is a high ISO. I don't own a 7D, but the files I have worked with from a 7D has a clean (at least useable) ISO up to 4000 anyway... and that's pretty good. But no matter how you slice it, the higher the ISO (which you are going to need), the more digital noise you will have. You image seems to have been shot with a wider aperture (fast glass), so that should be covered. If it isn't fast glass, then fast glass is recommended! And finally, you need to tell us what <em>you </em>don't like about the attached image. It seems ok to me.</p>

 

<p>It doesn't seem so bad to me. <br>

If this is not OK for you, then no magic here: for action in (very) low light without a flash, only a fast lens will do. Get yourself a fast prime (e.g. the $100 50mm f1.8).</p>

 

<p>There are basic problems you have to face. Low light means you will have blurred subjects, often even at the highest ISO. Using a high ISO means noise in the photos. Club lighting means you will have color casts that look fine for one or two shots but make a whole collection look "off." </p>

<p>The only solution is flash. Flash doesn't add distraction if you learn to use it correctly in this situation. I've been using flash for years in dark clubs and have never heard the word "distraction" used, as flash can remove distraction while correcting skin tones and preventing unwanted blur.</p>

<p>Flash can also be used to have motion in the photos without having them look like they were shot poorly, using slow sync.</p>

<p><img src="http://spirer.com/saintsjune2011/content/images/large/_57P1043.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="594" /><br>

<em>Saints of Ruin, shot with flash</em>.</p>

<p>David, do you mean that a flash would distract (or disturb or annoy) people in the picture?<br>

The only practical suggestion I can make, as a regular tripod or monopod would probably not be permitted, is a small table-top tripod which can be placed on a table.</p>

<p>Blurry is because shutter speed is too low. You'll need to open up your aperture or increase ISO (sensor sensitivity).</p>

<p>If you don't have one already, you'll probably want a lens f/2.8 or faster. For zoom lenses, look for constant f/2.8, such as Tamron 17-50/2.8 or (if budget is willing), Canon 17-55/2.8. There are also competing lenses from Sigma and Tokina. Be aware (this might not be a bad thing, depending on the scene) that this will further reduce depth-of-field, making focusing on the right thing that much more critical.</p>

<p>As for noise, if this is going to be your subject matter you'll need learn to work with it. Look into improved noise-reduction software such as Noise Ninja, and be careful not to underexpose--boosting exposure during post-processing will only make the situation worse, emphasizing shadow noise. Also, some will embrace the gritty black & white image, monochrome 'grain' can be somewhat less objectionable.</p>

<p>Since you're shooting moving subjects, there's a limit to how slow your shutter can be -- better to have a little digital noise to deal with vs. unwanted soft subjects due to subject movement.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Blurry is because shutter speed is too low. You'll need to open up your aperture or increase ISO (sensor sensitivity).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Many of these clubs have no way to shoot a shutter speed, even at ISO 6400, that stops motion. There's no way, those of us that shoot in these places regularly deal with it by using flash properly.</p>

<p>Other than flash, the other thing you can do is work with the light you have. That means you shoot near the light sources -- a bulb that's too dim to shoot by at 10 feet might be just fine if you shoot a subject that is two feet from the bulb. And you watch for the peaks in action where there is a pause for a fraction of a second, just long enough to catch the shot without blur. Not easy, but it can be done.</p>

<p>I used to cover clubs with an AE-1 Program on film using the 50mm f1.4 lens only. I bet you can cover that with the 7D and 50mm f/1.4 as well.</p>