photography-strut (newbie related)

TREW

so i've got this olympus 2mp camera and have really no idea how to use it outside of taking pics of rekkids for ebay.i've noticed that all my 'nightlife' pics tend to come out grainy and blurry when not using the flash, and overexposed and otherworldly when using the flash. can anyone out there gimme advice on how to best adjust the camera's settings to pull of decent nightlife pics??

billbradley

Use a tripod so that the camera isn't moving. If you don't have a tripod place the camera on something else. I've used a beer bottle on a table before. You can get pocket sized tripods that expand out or if you want something better a Gorilla Pod is nice. Also, if you have them, adjust your ISO settings and see what works best for different lighting.

http://www.joby.com/products/gorillapod/

-billb

TREW

thank B. got a tripod, but am more concered about adjusting the flash/exposure settings. i'm really just looking for one good setting that'll cover a majority of nightlife/low light pics...

mannybolone

so i've got this olympus 2mp camera and have really no idea how to use it outside of taking pics of rekkids for ebay.

i've noticed that all my 'nightlife' pics tend to come out grainy and blurry when not using the flash, and overexposed and otherworldly when using the flash. can anyone out there gimme advice on how to best adjust the camera's settings to pull of decent nightlife pics??

Trew,

the problem is that you're shooting in low light and if you're using an Olympus 2MP, you're talking a really bare bones camera with few, I bet, capabilities for low light. Does that camera even have an adjustable ISO setting? My assumption is that it probably wouldn't. It's just not going to work well with "nightlife" pics - the flash, as you've seen, is going to be harsh but without it, it'll turn out super-grainy and blurry. You'd need, I would think, a better camera. A tripod won't help with the blurriness in this case since really, what you need is a camera with a faster aperture or at least, an ISO adjustment.

For rekkids though: the tripod is a good idea or any stable surface where hand-shake won't be an issue. Make sure the record is well lit BUT make sure it's also EVEN lighting. If it's in one corner, then what you'll see is reflective glare off the record which will be kind of ugly. I used to have an Olympus 1MP camera and I was able to take decent cover shots using it by standing it upright on a tripod and putting the records at the same level, using little more than an ceiling lamp for lighitng.

TREW

Does that camera even have an adjustable ISO setting?

yes. it's a bare bones jawn but has quite a bit of tweakable settings... what's a good ISO for low light? also, the flash's brightness is adjustable, what's good with that?

thanks for the help out dudes!

billbradley

It really depends on how much light you are working with. The higher the ISO setting the more noise you will get in your pictures. I shoot at ISO 400 a lot in the clubs/bars. But that doesn't always work well. I usually take a picture on each setting to see what works best with the given light.

Okem

It really depends on how much light you are working with. I usually take a picture on each setting to see what works best with the given light.

I think this is the best way to learn.

I've no idea what an 'Olympus 2MP' is capable of. It may be like Odub says, that you'll never get particularly good result with it. If we were talking old fashioned film SLR's then I could help you, but I dunno bout digital.

Okem

I have a question for any photography people on here.

Have you ever tried to correct the distortion that a wide angle lens gives in photoshop, or some such?

I took a panaramic view with my lomo, but I did not take the pictures close enough together. So when you try and match up the edge of one, with the next, the propotions are off.

hugh_lucero

It really depends on how much light you are working with. The higher the ISO setting the more noise you will get in your pictures. I shoot at ISO 400 a lot in the clubs/bars. But that doesn't always work well. I usually take a picture on each setting to see what works best with the given light.

I used to shoot a 1600 film at clubs / gigs with the shutter set at say 1/60 - provided there was a bit of light the results would usually be good:




Currently looking to change it across to digital myself, and these sorts of issues are racking my brain

Aser

Have you ever tried to correct the distortion that a wide angle lens gives in photoshop, or some such?

yes, a lot of people post exact settings you can place into photoshop to correct distortion/barreling of "popular" lenses on the market. Not sure if settings are popular since lomo users consider it the "lomo effect".


trew - fuji f31d. It's the best in class for p&s low light performance. Currently there's a $30 rebate also, lowest price I've seen is around $225.

hugh_lucero

fuji f31d. It's the best in class for p&s low light performance.

Thanks for posting that up - looks like a nice n simple one

Okem

Have you ever tried to correct the distortion that a wide angle lens gives in photoshop, or some such?

yes, a lot of people post exact settings you can place into photoshop to correct distortion/barreling of "popular" lenses on the market. Not sure if settings are popular since lomo users consider it the "lomo effect".

Thanks Aser.
I always assumed the 'lomo effect' was the colour saturization primarily. The wideangle barreling is minimal.
I found this plugin that does the job. (if anyone else is interested)
But do you know of any good forums, where 'people post' exact settings, or this kind of infomation?