douglascott Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I've had two frustrating portrait lighting experiences lately with 1. outdoor overcast lighting and 2.indoor natural lighting 15 feet from large window. The noticeable problem in both series of photos is blur. The indoor natural light photo (no fill flash)was more surprising because I was using a tripod at f5.6 and 400 ISO and still blurry (Nikon 55-200 telephoto lens). The lens doesn't have vibration reduction and I wasn't using reflectors (also didn't have meter with me). Is this an issue mostly of lens just not being fast/good enough? It's possible my model (wife) was not completely still, but all the photos were blurry. By comparison, how do professional photographers using large telephotos and standing 20-30 feet from subject get good exposure in low lighting. Thanks for suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdw Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 The only thing you can rule out is this case is using VR on a tripod. Does the blur appear to be camera movement, subject movement, or missed focus? You do not mention the shutter speed and focal length that you were using in these two circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 What was your shutter speed? If you rule out focus error and subject motion, the other possibility is tripod vibration. You shouldn't use VR with a tripod anyway. Photographers with telephotos use the handholding guideline for shutter speed, as well as subject motion guideline, and may have VR or IS lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_g5 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 F2.8 my friend. F2.8 with ISO 400 and 800 ususlly net me F2.8 - 1/60th - ISO 400 in afternoon indoor portraits. If you can find a way... spend $350 for a tokina or sigma 28-80mm f2.8 lens. This is really great if your using dslr's cause of the focal legnth factor making you actually have a 42-105mm f2.8 lens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 You may be experiencing vibration from the mirror, if you are shooting at a slow shutter speed. For this reason I often use the mirror lock up, a very heavy duty tripod and a cable release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrstubbs Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 At 5.6 you may be pushing the limits of autofocus in low light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglascott Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 If anyone is interested, I'm posting a link to a photographer who posts on Photo.net alot. Looking at this low lighting situation, how does he get such clarity in the photo? www.photo.net/photo/4422766 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglascott Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 Thanks everyone for responses. Are there really limitations to autofocus in low light? Although I never shoot in Auto mode, I have noticed that in Auto mode, the camera will use multiple focal points (focus areas)to focus. I haven't been able to duplicate this in manual mode. Does anyone know how? Let me try to paste Niko Guido's low-light photo in here (I hope this is allowed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 That was shot with a wide angle. If you remember the inverse focal length rule for hand-holding, that means he can get away with a longer exposure. You mentioned every detail except the all-important shutter speed! If you used a tripod and it was still blurry, I suspect that your model moved during the shot. This is easy to do because a telephoto like the one you used will amplify motion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglascott Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 Regarding shutter speed, I committed the photographic cardinal sin of deleting the photo series out of frustration instead of saving them to learn something. I am going to try to recreate the series today in same spot at same time of day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrstubbs Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 "Are there really limitations to autofocus in low light?" Yes. eg Canon fine print will inform you that aperture of 5.6 or smaller stretches ability of autofocus with some of it's lenses. Out of focus images will show you this is true. I use an ST-e2 with the upper portion covered with black tape to solve the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 You need a sturdy tripod, not a cheapie and a cable release so as not to jar the camera. Then focus properly. You also need to know if the lens is sharp at the aperture and distance you are using it. Posting a sample would help a whole lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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