Settings for LX3 in low light

[boltoncalling]

--

Hi all, I'm a new owner of an LX3 and having loads of fun using it. Being a bit of a newb at photography Im taking it gradually, concentrating on each mode one step at a time

One thing Im using it for is for people shots indoors in low light- in bars, restaurants etc. I was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting the shots right, and maybe some settings to save under the custom dial

I know this is a very general question, getting the shot "right" is down to personal choice, I just want to learn more about what I should be concentrating on to get sharp pictures that capture the lighting and atmosphere of the venue

Thanks

 

[Elia Vecellio]

If your subjects are still-life (eg beer-glasses) I reduce the shutter speed as much as I can hand-hold and get a reasonably clear image. I can usually set 1/2 second (using OIS mode 2) and using the Burst mode (and trying to hold as still as possible) one of the three images is usually good.

If your subjects are people having a late night beer, I usually set shutter speed to 1/20 to 1/30 sec (around 1/40 or 1/50 if they are excited and moving around a lot). This will manage to clearly capture anyone who is calm and not moving too much while also capturing the motion blur if they suddenly raise their hand or do something. In this way you can have a clear face and eyes while the hand is whizzing across the image.

Obviously, in both cases, I leave ISO to AUTO (and the maximum ISO3200) to get a correct exposure.

Elia

--
Elia Vecellio
[email protected]
http://www.eliavecellio.com

 

[boltoncalling]

--
thanks that's a help, It is images of people that Im am photgraphing

 

[Rossuziers]

At the bottom of this post:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=31257106

you'll find my low-light defaults, which I might push as hi as 800 iso in hopes of still getting away with no NR & very little to no PP... Each pic has all exif in tact, if ya have an exif reader & if anything else might up EV to +1 rather than +.3 or +.6 they were shot at & under fluorescent light next time I might either tweak the AWB away from yellow or try a manual WB set....
There's more examples here too:
http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz/potluckattheuniuni
--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* rrawzz'a'gmail'dot'com * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

Lx3Fz50Fz30C8080wzE100rsC2100uz

 

[KinniKinnik]

You can use P mode and set the ISO to 800 and get pretty good pictures in most situations. If you don't mind black and white the camera will do even better with the same settings.

I turn the saturation down one click in standard mode and the contrast down one click in dynamic black and white mode, using auto white balance most of the time.

Roger

 

[Rossuziers]

You can use P mode and set the ISO to 800 and get pretty good
pictures in most situations. If you don't mind black and white the
camera will do even better with the same settings.

I turn the saturation down one click in standard mode and the
contrast down one click in dynamic black and white mode, using auto
white balance most of the time.

Roger

I'm completely adverse to B&W but my preferred film mode is "Smooth" @ +1, -2, -1 & -2 & I-exposure I think I'll settle on low or medium... I-Exposure @ max is a bit weird in some situations, almost like over-cooked HDR even....

--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* rrawzz'a'gmail'dot'com * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

Lx3Fz50Fz30C8080wzE100rsC2100uz

 

[LiteFast]

The LX3 really doesn't do well at moving subjects under low light. You will be walking a tightrope.

-- Get close to them and shoot at max wide angle to reduce their motion relative to the frame and get the F2.0 aperture. Shoot wide open.

-- It will be best if you can cap the ISO at 400, but 800 can work with smaller output sizes. I really don't like 1600 and above for any output except maybe a thumbnail.

-- Take some shots, checking results and the histogram to figure out the correct exposure. You do not want to brighten or darken the picture in post processing. I don't know why, but the LX3 seems to produce cleaner files when exposed correctly up front.

-- Experiment with different balances of shutter speed versus ISO. Higher ISO = more noise, lower ISO = more blur. There's a sweet spot. Find it, switch to the manual mode and shoot a lot.

-- Use the high speed center focus option, set Caf, and/or prefocus a lot to reduce shutter lag and capture the right moment.

-- Play with the Burst Mode. Sometimes a great shot will appear in the midst of a bunch of blurry ones.

-- If you decide to use the flash, use a negative compensation so the picture will be part flash and part natural light. Use the iExposure mode to bring up the dark background

-- Shoot in the lower quality JPEG mode. Camera timing will improve. You won't be capturing much real data anyway.

-- Don't pixel peep later on, because the results won't look pretty. Proper sharpening and discrete selection of output size will make your pictures look their best.

Good luck!

 

[boltoncalling]

--

thanks for all the responses guys, these are a great help. Now I have Lots of stuff to try out and report back!

 

[boltoncalling]

--

Also, yes I do like shooting in Black and White and yes I have been finding that easier to get the balance right, also I can use the flash with it turned all the way down to get good effect too.

The gallery posted above in the church is definately the sort of thing, thats a great guide

 

[geordiepride]

I do quite a lot of low light indoor photography, and I try to use as little flash as possible. I usually shoot in P mode with ISO800 as the limit.

It can be hit and miss to get everything in focus, since movement does sometimes blur. That's okay for me because I want to catch the movement.

I mostly shoot in colour and then change to B&W in CS4 if I wish. I do take a few photos in Dynamic B&W in camera too. I always shoot JPEG (my preference for my workflow).

Here's a few examples -









http://fatsgeordiemo.smugmug.com

--
Tony 'Fats Geordiemo' Bruce

Photos, music and dance....
Crazee man crazeeee!

 

[jimmyfergus]

I'm lazy, and simultaneously impressed with what this camera does with some of its auto controls.

In addition to what others have said, I typically leave iISO turned on. It does a fair job of "doing what I would have wanted" with sensitivity. If there is no movement and I hold the camera still, it does low sensitivity and long shutter. If there's movement, it pushes it up. I typically set its limit at 400. ISO 800 is a bit far for color, but worth considering sometimes.

Then I also have my C1 setting as B&W film, iISO, and the max ISO set to 1600. Noise is much more tolerable to me in B&W. Good for some very nice atmospheric bar shots.

 

[boltoncalling]

--

These are really good shots mate, what other settings did you use for the colour ones?

 

[boltoncalling]

I'm lazy, and simultaneously impressed with what this camera does
with some of its auto controls.

In addition to what others have said, I typically leave iISO turned
on. It does a fair job of "doing what I would have wanted" with
sensitivity. If there is no movement and I hold the camera still, it
does low sensitivity and long shutter. If there's movement, it
pushes it up. I typically set its limit at 400. ISO 800 is a bit
far for color, but worth considering sometimes.

Then I also have my C1 setting as B&W film, iISO, and the max ISO set
to 1600. Noise is much more tolerable to me in B&W. Good for some
very nice atmospheric bar shots.

--

agreed about noise in black and white. I am striving now for the perfect low light setting for C1. just more experimenting I spose

 

[geordiepride]

pretty much as stated.

But to clarify -

My technique and set up was -
Firmware 1.1 at the tim ethe images were shot.
All hand held from from of stage.
I work the stage at each gig, never staying put in one spot.

Iwork fast and take many shot sfrom many angles and use the 24mm and 60mm to the limits

camera settings are -
P mode
film mode - Nostalgic, +1, 0, +1, -2
picture size max
quality max
jpeg no raw
intelligent ISO on
iso limit set 800
white balance AWB
metering mode muli-metering
AF area
intelligent exposure off
pre af off
AF/AE lock at AF/AE
stabiliser mode 2
AF assist lamp on

There's a bit of PP in CS4, mostly levels, curves and I'm happy to crop

And thank sfor the comments. I posted to illustrate my low light style, but comments (good critique or bad critique) are welcome.

http://fatsgeordiemo.smugmug.com

--
Tony 'Fats Geordiemo' Bruce

Photos, music and dance....
Crazee man crazeeee!

 

[mike bustad]

pretty much as stated.

But to clarify -

My technique and set up was -
Firmware 1.1 at the tim ethe images were shot.
All hand held from from of stage.
I work the stage at each gig, never staying put in one spot.
Iwork fast and take many shot sfrom many angles and use the 24mm and
60mm to the limits

camera settings are -
P mode
film mode - Nostalgic, +1, 0, +1, -2
picture size max
quality max
jpeg no raw
intelligent ISO on
iso limit set 800
white balance AWB
metering mode muli-metering
AF area
intelligent exposure off
pre af off
AF/AE lock at AF/AE
stabiliser mode 2
AF assist lamp on

There's a bit of PP in CS4, mostly levels, curves and I'm happy to crop

And thank sfor the comments. I posted to illustrate my low light
style, but comments (good critique or bad critique) are welcome.

http://fatsgeordiemo.smugmug.com

--
Tony 'Fats Geordiemo' Bruce

Photos, music and dance....
Crazee man crazeeee!

--
Tanglefoot47
Tulalip Wa.

 

[boltoncalling]

--
Excellent, cheers once again

 

[Barry Carter]

Since your scenes will differ location to location, there are no set rules to follow. I like to shoot RAW in Manual focus and Manual mode; setting WB as appropiate. With these settings, the you can control shutter and aperture as you please, then decide if you need to adjust either for the effect you want. There are many other options like EV and ISO adjustments. And using the included software Silkypix, there are many options to deal with low light shots. I was able to rescue a shot that was totally black using SilkyPix. With a little practice, you will be able do all these changes almost in the dark with one-handed operation. I took these available light shots at the Nagoya, Japan airport terminal.







Ciao...Barry

 

[boltoncalling]

--
I'm sure Ive seen these before. The last picture is great