Ideas on practicing in low light, with people moving?

[dnpayne]

So, I need some practice in low light situations where people are moving (dancing) like at a wedding reception. How in the world do I practice this? I don't think I can be crashing weddings around town. lol.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by dnpayne

So, I need some practice in low light situations where people are moving (dancing) like at a wedding reception. How in the world do I practice this? I don't think I can be crashing weddings around town. lol.

Higher iso like f5.6 or so 800 -1600 try to keep the shutter at least around 1/100 or higher and very powerful flash bounced. If you have studio strobes put them in a corner you are not going to be shooting towards and radio trigger them.

5.0 1/200 800iso Nikon SB24 full or half power i think bounced of 25+ foot high roof..

[dnpayne]

Originally Posted by bhursey

Higher iso like f5.6 or so 800 -1600 try to keep the shutter at least around 1/100 or higher and very powerful flash bounced. If you have studio strobes put them in a corner you are not going to be shooting towards and radio trigger them.

5.0 1/200 800iso Nikon SB24 full or half power i think bounced of 25+ foot high roof..

It was like pitch black at the wedding reception I mentioned in my previous post. Not to mention the DJ had strobes bouncing all over the dance floor. It was a horrible time trying to adjust settings because each shot required something different. I did have trouble with blurring. I used a very high ISO of like 800-1600. I guess my shutter speed was too slow.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by dnpayne

It was like pitch black at the wedding reception I mentioned in my previous post. Not to mention the DJ had strobes bouncing all over the dance floor. It was a horrible time trying to adjust settings because each shot required something different. I did have trouble with blurring. I used a very high ISO of like 800-1600. I guess my shutter speed was too slow.

Ya it was your shutter speed. Did you have a flash also were you shooting in manual.. That's basically a must to keep your shutter speed up.. That wedding shown in the above pic was pitch black.. focusing was horrible.. It was before I got my 580EXII so there was no AF assist light..

Also for future ref this conversation should be in the lighting section..

[sk66]

People/cars on the street at night, or family/pets around the house.
It doesn't matter what the subject is as long as they are moving and it's low light.

Assuming no flash, I will suggest that once you reach your beneficial ISO limit stop there (probably 800/1600), set the required SS and let the exposure be dark. Fix in post.
Some think I'm nuts, but I guarantee it works better than going super high with the ISO or too slow w/ the SS. (But I do not guarantee it will work for every situation.)

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by sk66

People/cars on the street at night, or family/pets around the house.
It doesn't matter what the subject is as long as they are moving and it's low light.

Assuming no flash, I will suggest that once you reach your beneficial ISO limit stop there (probably 800/1600), set the required SS and let the exposure be dark. Fix in post.
Some think I'm nuts, but I guarantee it works better than going super high with the ISO or too slow w/ the SS. (But I do not guarantee it will work for every situation.)

Problem with fixing is post is depends on the camera and acceptable noise.. If you under expose at all on my 20d in post the noise is horrible. I mean totally unusable at 800 or 1600 even at 400..

Your Nikon D3 does majorly better than most cameras at higher ISO.. Although I don't know what dnpayne is using... Canon has got better with small frame cameras the 60d and 7D at 800 and 1600 match my 20d at 400 and 800..

Originally Posted by dnpayne

So, I need some practice in low light situations where people are moving (dancing) like at a wedding reception. How in the world do I practice this? I don't think I can be crashing weddings around town. lol.

I've done quite a few charity events where there is dinner and dancing...good place to practice, and there's usually no pressure (cause you aren't charging).

Otherwise, I like:

f2.0-f2.8
ISO 800-1600
1/100s*

*You can get creative with this. If you set your flash to rear curtain sync and have a low shutter speed, you actually get some interesting results. Take a few safe shots, and then play around with some creative shots.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by bhursey

Problem with fixing is post is depends on the camera and acceptable noise.. If you under expose at all on my 20d in post the noise is horrible. I mean totally unusable at 800 or 1600 even at 400..

Actually, it depends on "how" you fix in post and with what software.
Regardless of what ISO is used, beyond the base sensor sensitivity (ISO) only the aperture and SS determine the amount of light captured by the sensor. There's more to it, and every camera/camera model is different. But the physics of it are the same.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by sk66

Actually, it depends on "how" you fix in post and with what software.
Regardless of what ISO is used, beyond the base sensor sensitivity (ISO) only the aperture and SS determine the amount of light captured by the sensor. There's more to it, and every camera/camera model is different. But the physics of it are the same.

I know the physics.. but each sensor has more of less severity of noise. I use Nik Software define. its the best I have found with the 20d it beats out noise ninja, but once you get past a certan point it gets unusable because the sharpness just goes away. I know a few people who have a d3 and there 6400 iso is like my 800 iso. So yes im jellous. But canon has improved in the sensor over the years I just can not efford it yet. My camera was made in fall 2004 LOL!