JeTexas Posted September 28, 2010 Share #1 Posted September 28, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've had a chance to use the X1 in some various situations the past couple of months, but I'm still no completely happy with my night-time indoor shots. I bumped the ISO to 800 and set the shutter to 1000, aperture at 8, and used the flash to catch people dancing at a wedding reception. The shots were so-so, but that room had overhead lighting, not just candlelight, so I ended up blowing out some skin tones. I absentmindedly left the ISO at 100 and got terrible shots at a scholarship fundraiser on Friday. I kept changing my shutter speeds with aperture on A and finally started getting acceptable shots around 500, but I had to do some major exposure correction for the dark room in Camera RAW and everyone I shot close-up had red eye. (I've never had this issue with my DSLR because when I haul it out, I'm also using a big fat SB-800, so my settings are always very forgiving.) So here's my question, in a dark room, what settings do you use? Obviously every situation is different, but do you have baseline setting to start from before fine-tuning? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 28, 2010 Posted September 28, 2010 Hi JeTexas, Take a look here Shooting indoors. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jsrockit Posted September 28, 2010 Share #2 Posted September 28, 2010 I use 1/60th of a second, aperture set to A, and ISO at about 400...generally speaking. Works ok for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted September 28, 2010 Share #3 Posted September 28, 2010 The task is pretty demanding for any camera. I meter the ambient light with ISO set to AUTO, Aperture set to f/2.8 and Shutter speed to 1/30, adjusted as necessary depending on ambient light levels. Take a test shot and note the ISO used. Set that ISO manually and repeat using dilute flash. Reassess and modify to suit your needs. The tonal range will far exceed the sensor's capability without flash, with specular hot-spots and deep shadows. Compromise to capture the mood as desired. I find it is a constant learning process and am certainly not expert, mainly because flash is a last resort for me. I use it more for fill-in lighting in harsh daylight. Except in really gloomy interiors, I find that much can be done with the X1 minus flash; but with ISO set to AUTO. Noise is well controlled in pp. Here is a night-time example, a very quick 'snap-shot' taken at a charity fund-raising auction. X1 ISO800 (Auto) 1/30th f/2.8. Flash would not have helped in this situation; ambient light levels were fairly low to enable pictures to be projected as well. A little camera and subject movement, but a passably acceptable result in a non-critical situation. No-one was aware that I had taken a picture. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/132643-shooting-indoors/?do=findComment&comment=1455949'>More sharing options...
fotografr Posted September 28, 2010 Share #4 Posted September 28, 2010 You might avoid your problems by using the Auto ISO setting. Using a shutter speed of 1/1000th at an aperture of f/8 is likely to give you a gross underexposure in a dark room even at the ISO 800 setting. At ISO 800 in dimly lit rooms, you'd generally be lucky to be able to work at 1/60th at f/2.8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted September 28, 2010 I typoed. I meant 2.8 You might avoid your problems by using the Auto ISO setting. Using a shutter speed of 1/1000th at an aperture of f/8 is likely to give you a gross underexposure in a dark room even at the ISO 800 setting. At ISO 800 in dimly lit rooms, you'd generally be lucky to be able to work at 1/60th at f/2.8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share #6 Posted September 28, 2010 Close-ups weren't bad except the red eye L1010462 by ffacker, on Flickr But room shots stunk it up big time L1010453 by ffacker, on Flickr L1010450 by ffacker, on Flickr I was pretty disappointed in myself -- although I was also a bit tipsy, so that may factor into it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravinj Posted September 28, 2010 Share #7 Posted September 28, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Indoors shooting is always a challenge. Accurate WB also becomes an issue if you are using AWB - it is a hit or miss affair. Looking at some of the shots I took at a party recently, the ones that were keepers had this in common: F2.8, ISO from 640 to 1600 (I leave ISO at Auto), shutter speed at 1/30sec. I see no issues with X1's output even at ISO 1600 (unless you want magazine quality prints). Hand held at 1/30 is generally not an issue for me. Note that if you leave everything at auto, speed by default is limited to 1/30. You can lower the default (Auto ISO Settings --> Slowest Speed. Shutter speed at 1/1000 is simply too fast for indoors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted September 28, 2010 Share #8 Posted September 28, 2010 Other posters have given advice on your exposure, but regardless of whether you are in a 'dark room' or anywhere else, the correct advice is 'measure the light'! Regarding the red eye effect you illustrated, that is purely a function of the proximity of the flash to the optical axis of the lens. Put another way, separate the camera and flash angle to a significant degree and the problem will not exist. You are shooting digital so it costs nothing to experiment before you shoot the real thing. Practice at home, at work, anywhere. Make notes on your settings initially, until you remember them easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share #9 Posted October 1, 2010 I guess the X1 doesn't take the flash into account when it is metering in full automatic mode. I was under the car last night trying to get a shot of a slipped transmission cable for the Porsche repair forums, so I left the camera on A A with ISO 400, popped up the flash and attempted to take a shot. The stupid thing metered at f2.8, 2 seconds. I had to manually set it to f5.6 (to get enough depth of field to have all of the pieces I was writing about in focus) and shutter speed of 1/250 to get the shot. It seems odd to me that while it shows the flash on and fires the flash, it doesn't take the flash into account when metering for a shot on Auto. Or do I have something set wrong? (The photo in question I was trying to get for the Renntech site.) Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/132643-shooting-indoors/?do=findComment&comment=1458798'>More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share #10 Posted October 1, 2010 Nevermind. I finally realized I had the flash set to "Forced On" instead of to "Auto." Flipping it to Auto seems to remedy the metering issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johM8 Posted October 12, 2010 Share #11 Posted October 12, 2010 Hi, X1 in low light is amazing. Here few test shots. Purposely underexposured and opend up in LR. ( I'm trying to find it's limits ) All at ISO 100 Orig. DNG / jpg Opend up in LR link to HiRes images ( lowest ) x1 ****** And here's one Orig. DNG/jpg Opend up in LR ****** and one more orig. DNG / jpg http://cameratuning.fi/x1/x1-1.jpg opend up at LR http://cameratuning.fi/x1/x1-2.jpg 100% crop http://cameratuning.fi/x1/x1-3.jpg I'm very happy with X1, it's image quality is better than my 1Dsmk3 or 5dmk2. My latest with X1, my friend christenings. (most in very low light) RISTI - johannes My X1 traveling pictures TOSCANA TOSCANA b&w Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted October 12, 2010 Share #12 Posted October 12, 2010 Shot indoors, and very, very dark, the X1 handles it admirably. One is before you enter the ride "Shrek 4D" in Universal Studios(any of this theme park has the same conditions) for those who's tried it it's practically pitch black except for the screens above and the spotlight (very concentrated) on the announcer. Iso 1,600. The other is at a dark corner in the Shrek shop also very dark. USed PS to fill shadows and increased exposure and brightness. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/132643-shooting-indoors/?do=findComment&comment=1469228'>More sharing options...
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