How to shoot in the dark

[Raid]

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Advice wanted
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Hi<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]I have an EOS350D, EFS 17-85 and Speedlite 430EX. I was walking past a crowd of people watching a busker very late one night. I wanted to get a few shots of his act, so I set the camera to AV, F8, ISO400 &amp; AI Servo. I held the camera up high and pointed the lens down to get a good viewand shot 10 to 30 in rapid fire.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]What I got was most of the shot out of focus. I had assumed that the AF Assist on the speedlite would ensure that the camera could focus. What I did not know was that the AF Assist will only work in some of the &ldquo;Basic&rdquo; modes. The only shots that were in focus were due to the flashes of other cameras allowing my AF to work.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]My question is what is the best way of taking this type of shot?
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Raid<o></o>

[Gerafix]

If you are having trouble with autofocus in lowlight situations just switch over to manual focus. Since it seems like that scene would incompass a lot of area and distance setting the focus to infinity would be the easiest route. If for some reason you can't manual focus properly through the viewfinder (holding camera up) there is a distance scale on your lens anyway. Preset the desired distance and it won't change since it will be set on manual focus. It shouldn't be too hard to judge the distance and f8 would help.

[Oren]

Did the flash fire? cause it sounds like it didn't. Anyhow, f/8 sounds too high for this situation.


Use a lower f-number, use higher ISO and use a slower shutter speed.


This was really general and you'd have to learn the basics first and then decide by yourself how to set the camera parameters.


Have fun taking your pictures.

[Stefan Stuart Fletcher]

The flash probably did fire, but certainly not in all 10-30 shots. The 430 doesn&rsquo;t recycle fast enough (nor, I believe, does any other portable system). The lowest possible ISO number is the best. No need to add noise and blown-out highlights to your list of woes.
One possibility is to set your flash fire to 2nd curtain sync. The result can be quite interesting.
In an impromptu situation like the one you describe, it&rsquo;s impossible to &ldquo; learn the basics first&rdquo;, but you can shoot a couple of shots first in single-shot mode on full auto and then perhaps experiment in light of the results if time permits.
I&rsquo;m not a fan of flash photography. I usually leave most things on Auto if I have to use one outdoors, but there&rsquo;s a sto-fen soft box practically glued to the end of my 580 mk2. It&rsquo;s a godsend.

[David Selby]

<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]Hi
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<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]I have an EOS350D, EFS 17-85 and Speedlite 430EX. I was walking past a crowd of people watching a busker very late one night. I wanted to get a few shots of his act, so I set the camera to AV, F8, ISO400 &amp; AI Servo. I held the camera up high and pointed the lens down to get a good viewand shot 10 to 30 in rapid fire.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: Arial;"]***********When using speedlite 430ex, you can focus in the dark using the focus assist. however you need to use ONE SHOT AutoFOcus mode you can not use AI Servo and benefit from the 430ex focus assist.
<p class="MsoNormal"]You'd be better off taking photos in manual mode, likely with the shutter speed of 1/180th, the aperture at 5.6 and the flash in manual at 1/1 or lower. ISO 800 might be good. But you can't use AI Servo!
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<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]What I got was most of the shot out of focus. I had assumed that the AF Assist on the speedlite would ensure that the camera could focus. What I did not know was that the AF Assist will only work in some of the &ldquo;Basic&rdquo; modes. The only shots that were in focus were due to the flashes of other cameras allowing my AF to work.
<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]WRONG you need to not use AI Servo
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<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]My question is what is the best way of taking this type of shot?
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<p class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"]Raid

[Anthony]

As the other person said, the AF assist beam works in all shooting modes, but does not fire in AI Servo AF. I had mine set to AI servo once (I though I had set it to one shot), and when the beam wouldn't fire I thought I had broken my brand new 580 II[].


I would say however that Av is not the best for this situation. ETTL II autoflash on Av uses a slow shutter speed in low light conditions. I personally use M most of the time. You might want to look at the 430 manual, in the basicoperationssection at the part regarding autoflash behavior on various shooting modes for more info.

[peety3]

To me, there are six key variables to be set for "each" shot:


Aperture*


Shutter*


ISO*


AF mode/points


Drive mode


White balance


*Sometimes the camera decides these for you, based on the exposure mode.


Low light shots probably call for a wide-open aperture to begin; only stop down for more depth-of-field when you have "margin" on one of the other variables. Your ISO should probably have been at the highest limits of the camera. Your drive mode should probably be single-shot, so you can manually shoot as soon as the flash has recycled. AF mode should be One Shot, as others have mentioned. White balance should match the coloration of your flash (this should be 'Flash' white balance until you begin coloring your flash to match ambient).

[Raid]

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Thankyou to everybody who responded.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]I will attempt to answer everybody questions and suggestions in the one post.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Gerafix<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]The reason I used autofocus was that the subject (the busker) was moving constantly, the distance was varying from 3 to 8 metres, so manual would have been a problem.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Oren<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Yes, the flash did fire every time. I chose those settings as I thought it would give me a good compromise as its well within the AF Assist beam and flash coverage.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Stefan<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Sorry, I should have explained the 10 to 30 shots was before I reviewed the images, they were all taken in a burst of up to 3 before I pause and wait for the flask ready light again. <o></o>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Thanks for the advice I will try to get some practice in.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]David<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Thank you I didn&rsquo;t realise this limitation as I could find anything in the book.<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Anthony/Peety3<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Thanks for the advice, I reasonable confident with TV and am now working through AV learning the best way to utilise it. M is about 12 months away (if I get time to practice).<o></o>
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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"]Thankyou to everybody for you advice and comments<o></o>
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