Nikon D50 question

I'm borrowing my Mom's D50 so that my band can use it for pictures tonight. The setting will be in a room with no lights except for DMX LED lights that are extremely bright and programmable to change colors.

I figured out how to press the flash button and then scroll the wheel to turn the flash off, but there is a problem. With the flash off, the camera seems to lose the ability to take clear pictures. Suddenly if i'm not standing perfectly still, the pictures come out extremely blurry.

My ex roomate had a camera that was cheaper than this one and it could take clear pictures without the flash. Even my iPhone can take clear pictures and it doesn't even have a flash. So I take it there is something I'm overlooking here?

How do I take pictures with this camera in the setting we're in with the flash off yet have them come out as clear as daytime pictures? Thanks.

AbjectEvolution said:

I'm borrowing my Mom's D50 so that my band can use it for pictures tonight. The setting will be in a room with no lights except for DMX LED lights that are extremely bright and programmable to change colors.

I figured out how to press the flash button and then scroll the wheel to turn the flash off, but there is a problem. With the flash off, the camera seems to lose the ability to take clear pictures. Suddenly if i'm not standing perfectly still, the pictures come out extremely blurry.

Click to expand...

Well, with the flash off I'd imagne that the camera is lowering the shutter speed to compensate for the lack of light. You see, light is necessary to take a picture and when you dont have enough you will have to make compromises. Without giving you a whole course in photography (though I would suggest you look up shutter speed, aperture, and ISO online) what you will need to do is up your ISO, open up your aperture (lowest f number available) and this will allow you to up your shutter speed (something like 1/200th of a seccond will be fine).

AbjectEvolution said:

My ex roomate had a camera that was cheaper than this one and it could take clear pictures without the flash. Even my iPhone can take clear pictures and it doesn't even have a flash. So I take it there is something I'm overlooking here?

Click to expand...

This is the most difficult possible picture you can take, a dark, fast moving subject. I'm sure that your cheap camera and iphone are able to take perhaps passible images in theses situations but the D50 should be superior in every way. The problem is, your cheap camera and iphone will think for you, the DSLR, not so much.

AbjectEvolution said:

How do I take pictures with this camera in the setting we're in with the flash off yet have them come out as clear as daytime pictures? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Good luck

Ok so you're saying I can edit some settings and be able to take the pictures just fine? I was thinking maybe it could be an issue with the lens she has me using. I guess I'll look up the manual online and try to figure this stuff out, but at this point I'm completely clueless and we're supposed to take the pictures in 4 hours. If anyone who has this camera can step me through what I need to do in the settings, I would appreciate it at least to get me by tonight and then I can really start to get deep into learning about all of this in the coming weeks. I'm just afraid I don't have enough time to figure it out myself in the next 4 hours especially when my kids are home.

Thanks for the reply.

AbjectEvolution said:

I'm borrowing my Mom's D50 so that my band can use it for pictures tonight. The setting will be in a room with no lights except for DMX LED lights that are extremely bright and programmable to change colors.

I figured out how to press the flash button and then scroll the wheel to turn the flash off, but there is a problem. With the flash off, the camera seems to lose the ability to take clear pictures. Suddenly if i'm not standing perfectly still, the pictures come out extremely blurry.

My ex roomate had a camera that was cheaper than this one and it could take clear pictures without the flash. Even my iPhone can take clear pictures and it doesn't even have a flash. So I take it there is something I'm overlooking here?

How do I take pictures with this camera in the setting we're in with the flash off yet have them come out as clear as daytime pictures? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Hi

I have shot hundreds of concerts and have a D50 but have never used the d50 for bands yet.

I would set it to iso 1600 to start and leave it on P on the mode dial for a start.

To change the iso, push the button marked iso under the menu button and while holding it in, turn the thumb dial on the right grip (next to the ae-l/af-l button) to the right...shows iso on the top lcd.

If that does not seem to work, leave it at 1600 turn the mode dial to A and turn the same thumb dial next to the ae-l to the left until it is the smallest number if it is a kit lens, try f2 and 2.8 if you have a fast prime (the figure 2.8 or 3.3 etc will show ion the top lcd.)

Hope for the best.

If you have a wide angle lens have someone get into the corner of the stage next to the speakers and get a clear shot of all band members. The overall lighting should be ok for a full band shot as long as it is not too dim. Actually if doing this take the aperture back a notch (do not go too the smallest number, go back a little for more depth of field). make sure they have earplugs.

The d50 is great at 1600 iso but I often need higher but have done many concerts at 800 or 1600. It would help if you have a faster lens.

I apologise if this was too simple.

neil
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26884588@N00/

Thanks a ton... I'll follow your directions and try to figure it out. That's what I needed. It's actually not a live setting. I have been designing a custom light show for my band, and we're doing a photo shoot in the basement of my house tonight. We have the lights setup in a corner of the basement with black fabric hanging on the walls and all the lights will be off. The only light will be coming from the Chauvet Color strips and Color pallets.

AbjectEvolution said:

Thanks a ton... I'll follow your directions and try to figure it out. That's what I needed. It's actually not a live setting. I have been designing a custom light show for my band, and we're doing a photo shoot in the basement of my house tonight. We have the lights setup in a corner of the basement with black fabric hanging on the walls and all the lights will be off. The only light will be coming from the Chauvet Color strips and Color pallets.

Click to expand...

Are these just for your reference or are they promotional shots? If they are promotional shots you might want to consider getting some extra lighting to compliment what you already have. When you see better photos and movies, very little of the light on a subject comes from a diagetic source (a source that can be seen in the picture). These are instead supported by larger lights off camera that are place in a way to make it LOOK like they are coming from the lights that you actually can see.

If they are just to help you tweak the light show then what you have should be fine, just dont expect any miracles. You need light to take pictures and you may simply not have enough.

Well here is one I took with my iPhone for reference. The picture came out really well except I would like the clarity of the D50.

Ok our friend didn't show up to take the pictures. Figures. I went ahead and setup our synth and took some test photos of it myself. These first few photos are from my iPhone







And these three are from the D50







Over about 100 pictures, that last one was the clearest one it took.

With the iPhone, I can take pictures from any distance and any angle and it will take awesome pictures. Obviously the quality isn't great, but at least it TAKES the picture!

The D50 with the 1600 setting would not take one single clear picture no matter where I stood or how far I was zoomed in. Most of the time it had a horrible time even finding a correct auto focus shot.

By the way, the lens that is on the camera says AF-S NIKKOR 55-200 mm1:4-5.6G

I don't know what that means, but I still suspect part of the problem is the lens I'm using.

AbjectEvolution said:

Ok our friend didn't show up to take the pictures. Figures. I went ahead and setup our synth and took some test photos of it myself. These first few photos are from my iPhone







And these three are from the D50







Over about 100 pictures, that last one was the clearest one it took.

With the iPhone, I can take pictures from any distance and any angle and it will take awesome pictures. Obviously the quality isn't great, but at least it TAKES the picture!

The D50 with the 1600 setting would not take one single clear picture no matter where I stood or how far I was zoomed in. Most of the time it had a horrible time even finding a correct auto focus shot.

By the way, the lens that is on the camera says AF-S NIKKOR 55-200 mm1:4-5.6G

I don't know what that means, but I still suspect part of the problem is the lens I'm using.

Click to expand...

Yes, it is too slow in terms of aperture really for what you want to do...possible a bit long as well.

You might be okay if you put it at the wide end (55mm) and f4 but from what you have said you would possibly need at least iso 3200 and f 2.8 (which the D50 and your lens do not have.

I would see if anyone you know has a decent DSLR and fast lens.....not really something to get in a few hours from scratch.

Good luck with it.

neil
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26884588@N00/

Looks to me that all you need is a tripod, considering nothing is moving in those shots.

--
J. D.
Colorado

yes you have the wrong lens, that lens is a outdoor sunshine lens, you need a indoor low light lens like a 50mm 1.8

MusicDoctorDJ said:

Looks to me that all you need is a tripod, considering nothing is moving in those shots.

Click to expand...

JD, I had the same thought when I looked at his pix...just get a silly tripod!

To Derek:

BTW, I have an iPhone and it has a fixed focus lens, so it doesn't have to even try to focus in those dim conditions. This is because the sensor in the iPhone is about the size of a match head and consequently has such a wide depth-of-field that focusing is unnecessary. Also the lens used in the iPhone is rather WA...this also contributes to a wide DoF.

If you really want our help, show us one of the D50 pix w/ EXIF data, so we can tell how the camera was used (by you). It's obvious that the exposure times were quite long, but the other camera parameters are a mystery.

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D50, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
“We have always known that heedless self-interest was
bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

first keyboard shot with D50:
1/5 second ; f/4.8 ; focal length 120 mm

second shot with D50:
1/5 second ; f/5.6 ; focal length 200 mm

last keyboard shot:
1/30 sec ; f/4.8 focal length 120 mm ;
auto exposure, manual white balance for flash ;
I could not find the ISO setting with Exif viewer in Firefox.

As you can see, you sharpest picture was taken at 1/30 of a second. What you are seeing in your pictures is motion blur.

There's no chance of holding still the camera when you zoom in like that and use a shutter speed of 1/5 second. Like some others said: use a tripod. If you can't find one, at least zoom out completely to 55 mm and get a microphone stand to rest the camera on.