Night photography

[Åmund]

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What equipment do you recommend for night photography with long exposure times (several minutes)? There must be some technical aids so I don't have to keep the release button depressed for minutes on end!

 

Åmund

[Viv]

A tripod.

 

A cable release.

[sabrewolf]

T mode on the camera: Set to B, self-timer release

[andybarton]

The M9 doesn't have a T mode, but does have B

[jaques]

Just as Saberwolf says: when the camera is set to self timer- and B mode- then it becomes T mode. Just press the shutter release- the self time runs- the shutter opens- and does not shut until you press the shutter again. This is T mode. You can view the exposure time through the finder. No cable release needed.

 

I recently did a series of long exposures up to 280 seconds with very good results printed near a meter wide. Though noise reduction adds a good deal of time to the process. When you are standing on the edge of river with cold feet at 3AM waiting for 280 seconds of buffering to complete, you wonder if having the option to turn of this feature may be good.

[Åmund]

Just press the shutter release- the self time runs- the shutter opens- and does not shut until you press the shutter again. You can view the exposure time through the finder. No cable release needed.

 

Thanks, but won't you need a cable release for when you press the shutter the second time? To avoid vibrations?

 

Åmund

[Viv]

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Just as Saberwolf says: when the camera is set to self timer- and B mode- then it becomes T mode.

 

No, you still have to set the aperture on the lens.

[andybarton]

Surely, T mode is shutter priority, whereby the camera decides what aperture to set, given the shutter speed that you have set yourself. This is impossible with an M.

[jaapv]

B mode is bulb, where the shuttertime would be determined by the time the photographer holds the pressure bulb of the pneumatic remote release. T is the Time mode on the camera, whereby the shuttertime would be determined by shutter-press = open second shutterpress= closed. Neither has anything to do with AE or aperture. Both date back to the time before Lars, i.e. the late 19th century.

[jpattison]

T "speed" setting AKA Z (Zeit)

see the early Barnacks....

 

Pacific Rim Camera : Photographica Pages: Leica A

 

John

[Tom M]

Just press the shutter release- the self time runs- the shutter opens- and does not shut until you press the shutter again. You can view the exposure time through the finder. No cable release needed.

 

Thanks, but won't you need a cable release for when you press the shutter the second time? To avoid vibrations?

 

Åmund

 

Cover the lens with your hand (without touching it or the camera) and then press the shutter release the second time to exit T-mode and close the shutter.

[lars_bergquist]

B mode is bulb, where the shuttertime would be determined by the time the photographer holds the pressure bulb of the pneumatic remote release. T is the Time mode on the camera, whereby the shuttertime would be determined by shutter-press = open second shutterpress= closed. Neither has anything to do with AE or aperture. Both date back to the time before Lars, i.e. the late 19th century.

That, Jaap, is actually true. That Zeiss 6x9cm folder that was the first camera I ever used had T mode. And I seem to remember that I had to set the aperture all by myself.

 

The old man from the Age of the Compur Shutter

[andybarton]

Well, it's interesting that my R8 uses T for shutter priority

[sabrewolf]

I think the modern usage of shutter priority is Tv and Aperture priority is Av

[mjm6]

'T' is still widely understood in the realm of large format photographers. New Copal shutters still have that setting and means that you push the shutter once to open, and a second time to close the shutter.

 

'B' means you have to hold the shutter open with continual pressure on the shutter release with a finger or the cable release. There are many cable releases that have a lock mechanism built in to enable the photographer to use 'B' but not be holding the shutter open with constant human pressure on the cable release button. That allows cameras without the 'T' setting to still operate similarly.

 

Here's a cheap one with that capability:

 

Bower 6" Cloth Cable Release with Lock Set Screw SR714 -

 

So either way, you can make it function effectively. I haven't tried to get T with the M9, but with a locking cable release, you effectively get T anyway.

 

 

---Michael

[Åmund]

Sigh!

 

It seems I have to take the cowards way out, bite the bullet and just read the manual

 

 

Åmund

[chris_tribble]

I think the modern usage of shutter priority is Tv and Aperture priority is Av

 

+1

[k_g_wolf ✝]

What about - 2 ?

 

Just in case you want the blacks to be black ...

 

 

Best regards

GEORG

[esquire53]

 

Cover the lens with your hand (without touching it or the camera) and then press the shutter release the second time to exit T-mode and close the shutter.

 

Thanks Tom, maybe it's common knowledge, but I never thought about it. I mainly use a cable release.

I'll certainly will give it a try. I think when you have point light, it does make a difference.

 

Thanks, Uwe

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[johnwolf]

You could try a cable release with a screw-down lock in B mode.

 

And there are stopwatch apps for the iPhone and Blackberry that might help with the countdown.

 

I know DSLR makers offer cable releases with timers built in. Maybe there is a third party device like that for a screw-in release.

 

I'm curious how you determine exposure.

 

John