Night Photography and shutter speed

[raptorbandito]

I just recently got a Nikon D90 and I've been interested in trying some urban night shots in my local downtown area. I've read a few different articles and tutorials on this, and what I gather is that to get a crisp in focus shot it can be best to use a tripod. However, it seems like this might limit my creative options sometimes. Obviously it would depend greatly on the type of shot I'm trying to get, but if I wanted to do a hand held shot is there a rule I should use when selecting a proper shutter speed?

I understand the basic 1/focal length rule for shutter speed, but when taking some test night shots using this rule I noticed it was more difficult to get the subject crisp and in focus. Any suggestions you could provide would be most appreciated!

[digirebelva]

If you are not going to use a tripod then you are going to have to increase your ISO quite a bit..800+, even with fast glass, and run the image(s) through noise reduction. Its all relative to the amount of available light the camera can use, the less light, the more need for high ISO or tripod...

[inkista]

Try using liveview and 10x magnification to manually focus for precision. It's a little awkward while handholding and works better on a tripod, but it can still help you, when the AF system is having difficulties due to the low light (or you don't have access to the AF system). That's how I focused this handheld image (and believe me, handheld at night in the dark under orange tungsten lights shooting wide open at f/1.2 with a manual focus lens, I could never have done this any other way):


Canon 5D Mark II, adapted OM-mount Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.2.
iso 3200, f/1.2, 1/30s.

Also, make sure your handholding technique is good. If you aren't paying attention to the rhythm of your breathing, it's probably not as good as you think it is.

And, obviously, a fast lens helps a lot.

[raptorbandito]

Thank you for your replies. I will definitely give those tips a try. I do have Lightroom, so hopefully I won't have any issues removing the noise.

inkista: This a real noob question, but I'm not entirely sure what "fast lens" means even though I've heard the term quite a bit. My assumption is that it's in reference to having as wide of an aperture as possible?

[digirebelva]

A fast lens is anything F2.8 or larger

[raptorbandito]

Originally Posted by digirebelva

A fast lens is anything F2.8 or larger

Cool! Thanks for clearing that up!