Night Lens
Night Lens
What type of lens should I get for taking photos at night?
I like shooting the city at night, and I am unsure of which is the proper lens to use? I have a 55-200mm nikon now. I don’t think I’m using the right one. Thank you. I have a Nikon D80 BTW.
The choice of a lens depends on what you are shooting. If you’re wanting to shoot city street scenes then I suggest a 50mm f1.4. Yes, its more expensive than the 50mm f1.8 and “only” 2/3 of a stop faster but the important benefit is a brighter viewfinder and that makes composing and focusing easier. It also allows you to use a lower ISO.
I use and recommend the FotoSharp ( http://www.fotosharp.com/ ) Day & Night Exposure Guide. It offers you 20 scenes and shows exposures based on an ISO range of from 25 to 6400 and f-stops from f1.4 to f64.
Scene # 8: 45 min. after sunset; Indoor sports, circus – floodlit; Brightly lit street corners (there is no indication of exactly what constitutes a “brightly lit street corner”).
ISO 200
f1.4 @ 1/125 sec.
f2 @ 1/60 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/30 sec.
f4 @ 1/15 sec.
ISO 400
f1.4 @ 1/250 sec.
f2 @ 1/125 ec.
f2.8 @ 1/60 sec.
f4 @ 1/30 sec.
ISO 400 is not very high for a DSLR so you can expect good quality.
Now if your goal is to shoot the city skyline a fast lens isn’t really needed. A tripod, however, is required. Again, we’ll refer to the “Guide”.
Scene # 14: City skyline in distance
ISO 100
f4 @ 8 sec.
f5.6 @ 15 sec.
f8 @ 30 sec.
f11 @ 1 min.
ISO 200
f4 @ 4 sec.
f5.6 @ 8 sec.
f8 @ 15 sec.
f11 @ 30 sec.
Here are two examples to show that this works.
ISO 200, f8 @ 15 sec.
ISO 200, f8 @ 15 sec. Here I composed at 70mm and then carefully zoomed to 210mm during the exposure.
Scene # 18: Landscape lit by full moon
ISO 100
f4 @ 2 min.
f5.6 @ 4 min.
f8 @ 8 min.
f11 @ 15 min.
ISO 400
f4 @ 30 sec.
f5.6 @ 1 min.
f8 @ 2 min.
f11 @ 4 min.
You should check the Owner’s Manual for your camera for any precautions about using such long exposures. Sensor heat may be an issue. If the Manual is unclear, call Nikon Technical Support at 1-800-646-6689.
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