Using Sigma Lens in Low Light

[ltrue0314]

I shot this photo at a fashion show with low light from the balcony of the auditorium. I used a Nike D50 with a Sigma 70 - 300mm lens both on auto. I had problems trying to focus so I missed a lot of shots and most of the shots I did get turned out blurry.

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong.

[CapnJack]

What was the ISO setting on the camera? Could you make it higher?

[SGToliver]

I would also have tried to get off the balcony. Not very flattering shots from up there. Use a flash next time if they allow one.

[Nicole]

Your EXIF provides us with a few clues.


Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/5.3
Focal Length 240 mm
ISO Speed 1600


The main thing I am seeing is your shutter speed. Generally the rule is that for hand held shots your shutter speed should be at least 1/focal length. In this case, at least 1/250. Your shutter speed was only 1/60 which is going to make lens movement a problem and cause blurry shots. The other issue is that at 1/60 you're not guaranteed to freeze the movement of your subject either. I personally try to get at least 1/125 or faster for a moving subject even if they seem to be moving a bit slow.

Next time I would up your ISO to 3200 and make your shutter speed faster. It's tough with a long focal length in low light unless you have a very wide aperture lens f/1.8-2.8 which would be much more expensive.

[ltrue0314]

My ISO was at 200 which is the lowest for my camera and the highest is 1600. Thank you for all the tips. I will play around with my camera and the lens to see if I can come up with a better picture.

[ltrue0314]

Nicole, can you recommend a Nikkor lens that works well in low light?

[Nicole]

Been a while since I used my D50, for some reason I thought it went to 3200. No matter. Depending on your budget, etc. One of the first lenses that people often get for low light (myself included) is a Nikon 50mm f/1.8. You have the benefit with the D50 of being able to get a 50mm f/1.8D (around $120 USD) which is cheaper than the AF-S model, and will still auto-focus. A bit more expensive is the 85mm f/1.8D (around $380 USD but more difficult to find new), but also very good. I'd pick one of those as my first choice based on budget and how far you regularly are from your subject.

[ltrue0314]

Thank You. I actually have the 50mm f/1.8D. I will try using this lens and moving a lot closer.

[Mark Engelhart]

Originally Posted by ltrue0314

Nicole, can you recommend a Nikkor lens that works well in low light?

I have a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 lens that works great for the type of shooting. Last year I used it to photograph a dance recital rehearsal. I put my self just behind the lighting board in the auditorium and the zoom was plenty. I shot with just the stage lighting and camera set at ISO 800 through ISO1200 f2.8 in apperture priority which had me shooting at 1/125 to 1/180 of a second most of the time. The results were very good. You can pick this lens up for about $300- $350 use from KEH or B&H. Check it out...

[AngeloDefensor]

You can also think of sigma 70-200 f/2.8, cheaper lens than nikkor, good for low light and bump up your iso to 3200 if you dont want to use flash. However, it does not come with stabiliser so hence make your shutter not lower than 1/80 or otherwise if you have good and stable grip you can make it lower.