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Help: Z750 horrible night scene photos.

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yanon

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I took some night scene pictures using the best shot mode. The ones without sharp light sources such illuminated Roman style marble wall turned out okay but any pictures with street light or lamp post either has the trailing light effect or the picture is blurry. I tried to avoid shaking by using the 2 second delay auto shot but that didn't help much.

So, is there anyway to take night scene pictures with sharp light sources using the Z750 without using a tripod?

Thanks in advance.
 
If you aren't going to use a tripod, you either have to set it down (what I usually do) or stabilize yourself against something like a wall. Anything slower than about 1/20s is prone to camera shake.

Bart
 
You can spend $5000+ on a DSLR and it won't take clear pictures if you try to handhold it at slow sutter speeds. A camera with an image stabilzation mode (even one that works very well - good luck in an ultracompact) will only allow 1-2 extra stops slower on the shutter speed. You can't defy physics.

To take pictures in low light situations you need to use slow shutter speeds, some kind of a camera stabilization device (tripod, bracing it against a wall, etc.) or a high ISO (which requires a camera that will take high quality high ISO pics - again good luck with an ultracompact).

I have taken nice night pics by bracing it up against a wall, setting the camera to manual mode and taking several pictures while varying the shutter speeds.
 
yanon said:
On hindsight, I probably should have bought the Panasonics FX-9
with IS.
Click to expand...
Well, if you are talking about "night photos" that have exposure times in the 1+ second range, the IS in any camera isn't going to help you hand hold such a shot. IS only works on exposure times shorter than about 1/8 second. What kind of pictures are you trying to take?
 
we'll there's a lot of cheap mini-tripods in the market today. It won't hurt much if you'll bring one in your pocket if night shots will be your mission. I always bring my mini tripod in this kinds of situation. set to iso50, set to very slow shutter speeds, mount into the mini-tripod... wow... clean pics. :-)
 
gemmar june gibe said:
we'll there's a lot of cheap mini-tripods in the market today. It
won't hurt much if you'll bring one in your pocket if night shots
will be your mission. I always bring my mini tripod in this kinds
of situation. set to iso50, set to very slow shutter speeds, mount
into the mini-tripod... wow... clean pics. :-)
Click to expand...
And just where do you easily set this mini tripod down on to take the pic? For a mini tripod you need a surface pretty high off the ground to put it on. Not always easy finding something like that. I don't see how a mini tripod can be so useful. Care to tell me how?
 
I can highly recommend the Ultrapod mini-tripods from http://www.pedcopods.com

I have been using the Ultrapod Mini for the last year or so. For the first 6 months it was a very useful companion to my Canon G3, and in the last few months has accompanied my Z750 and allowed lots of low-light photography (with very long shutter speeds) without being a burden to carry around.

The best THING about the Ultrapod Mini is that it has a velcro strap so that you can attach the tripod from all sorts of things, like railings on bridges/stairs or street poles (the ones for No Standing signs etc). This means you can shoot at a "natural" height, even when you cant find a flat surface (which would be required for any other mini-tripod).

I can however report that his mini-tripod is not very happy supporting a Canon 20D with Sigma 18-50 2.8 lens. Hardly surprising though given the weight of the DSLR! Maybe one day I will get the Ultrapod II (designed for larger cameras) for the 20D....

Elia
Dave W. said:
gemmar june gibe said:
we'll there's a lot of cheap mini-tripods in the market today. It
won't hurt much if you'll bring one in your pocket if night shots
will be your mission. I always bring my mini tripod in this kinds
of situation. set to iso50, set to very slow shutter speeds, mount
into the mini-tripod... wow... clean pics. :-)
Click to expand...
And just where do you easily set this mini tripod down on to take
the pic? For a mini tripod you need a surface pretty high off the
ground to put it on. Not always easy finding something like that.
I don't see how a mini tripod can be so useful. Care to tell me
how?
Click to expand...
--
Elia Vecellio
[email protected]
http://www.eliavecellio.com
 
--

 
I'm so happy to have spotted this post! I've been looking for something like this for my Z750...it looks ideal! I checked out their site and have a question: There appears to be another model that is their "Mini" pod. There's no specifications and does not state what the size is. The price is $15.95. It comes in several colors. Do you know anything about this one? It sounds like it would be even smaller than the Ultrapod I. Thanks for posting this information. This is definetely on my Xmas gift list...for me! ;-)
 
for night photo but Z750 just slows down the shutter in night scene best shot. I guess that I will create my own best shot mode for this purpose.
 
I apologize...I didn't read the description thoroughly where it says that it is pretty much the same as the Ultrapod I...a bit shorter and with slanted feet like the Ultrapod II.
 
Thanks for alerting me to this Ultrapod Mini. I just ordered one in Blue from backpackinglight.com. Great product and good price. It's a little smaller than the Ultrapod 1, with the better shaped feet of the Ultrapod 2 and with better colors. It's $15.99 plus only $4 shipping for me.
 
--

 
Dave W. said:
Thanks for alerting me to this Ultrapod Mini. I just ordered one
in Blue from backpackinglight.com. Great product and good price.
It's a little smaller than the Ultrapod 1, with the better shaped
feet of the Ultrapod 2 and with better colors. It's $15.99 plus
only $4 shipping for me.
Click to expand...
You're welcome. I have really been debating which model to get as I also have a couple of larger digital cameras (Olympus "UZI" and a Panasonic FZ20) with which I'd like to use a small pod...perhaps the Ultrapod 2. These cameras both have image stabilization, but I live in a gusty wind area and it's sometimes hard to hold the camera steady...something like this might help...without having to drag out my full-size tripod. The drawback: 7+ inches for the Ultrapod 2 as opposed to 4 inches for the Ultrapod 1(and less for the Mini)...but then I could use it for all 3 cameras.... decisions...decisions.

Please report back when you've had an opportunity to use your new "mini"...sounds ideal for the little Casios.
 
Of course it looks silly! But do you want good results?

I've been gaped at, gawked at, and mocked by strangers when 'out in the field' doing landscape photography. But I get the last laugh each time I sell a $50 print. And at least a deserved chuckle when I have person after person telling me how great that photo I took looks.

It's their attitude, their ignorance, their closed minds, and their problem. It's not our fault our society encourages people to laugh at one another for so little reason. Ignore them and do what you need to make the best possible photo.
 
After reading about this ultrapod, i've thought of replacing my cheapie mini-tripod with this strap-on-anywheres type. MIne is similar to the ones used in pc mini-cams, but have extendable legs and tiltable platform. Thanks guys.
 
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