Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lowlight

Seeking webcam with superb low light performance

moonmilk — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 17:44:40 -0800

I'm looking for a USB webcam with really good low light performance and full manual controls (exposure, focus, etc). A digital camera or camcorder that can emulate a webcam would work too. Bonus if it's known to work well with software like Processing, OpenFrameworks, and/or Jitter.

Photos in the dark?

Joh — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:53:31 -0800

How do I photograph my sleeping children, in a dark room, without waking them up? My two small boys insist on sleeping together, and I think they look adorable when I peek in on them late at night. I'm their mother, so I'm allowed to get sappy. I would love to take a photo of them like this, before they get bigger and don't want to sleep together any more. The room is much too dark to take a photo without using a flash, and I assume that would wake them up (will it?). I don't have an infra-red camera or anything like that. I imagine a long exposure is no good since they move slightly, and would therefore be blurry? How can I get a snapshot of them sleeping?

Nikon D90 or Canon 60d for concert photography?

Pericardium — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:23:37 -0800

Canon 60d or Nikon d90 for concert photography? I've been asked by some friends to do photography for their band. My current DSLR is awful in low light. I did research on good quality at high iso's and I've narrowed it down to these two. Which one is my best bet? Feel free to recommend something else entirely as long as it's under $800 and is a Canon or Nikon.

Best quiet digital camera for low-light and candids?

pbh — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:50:15 -0800

What is the best digital camera (and possibly lenses) for street photography, candids, and low light situations? I'm trying to find the best digital camera setup that:

... takes good photographs without flash in low-light.
... is reasonably quiet, possibly with a silent operation option.
... is reasonably pocketable (in a jacket, at least).

A few months ago I got really excited about the Fuji X100, but pretty much everyone seems to hate the (apparently major) focusing issues. Otherwise, it would be perfect: APS-C sensor, silent operation, close to pocketable, and it even has a reasonably wide, fast lens. (One non-requirement is that I don't feel strongly about interchangeable lenses.)

I currently have a Canon 40D DSLR with some fast primes, but I find that it's too bulky for me to carry around regularly and it seems too imposing for casual candids. However, it's spoiled me for image quality, unfortunately.

The enthusiast handheld segment seems to have all these options now, from the Panasonic GX-1 to the Olympus PEN cameras to Sony's NEX line to the new Nikon 1s. However, there are so many different sensor sizes and incompatible lenses that it's hard to figure out which, if any, would really be good for street photography, candids, and low light situations without flash.

I want a fast lens on a compact digital camera!

barnacles — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:58:41 -0800

What are good compact digital cameras for low-light photography? A few years ago before DSLRs were affordable I was into photography in a big way and mostly did low-light and available-light shooting. Mostly, I did this through fast lenses (f1.7, etc.) rather than through higher ISO film – and definitely never with flash!

Is there a compact digital camera that could get me somewhere similar these days? I'm genuinely out of touch with digital cameras, but I want something I can carry around easily in a pocket, not a DSLR.

I would love to be:

Pointed to a website on which I can sort cameras by lens speed

Pointed to specific cameras that people have had good success with

Pointed to any other pointers!

I know about photo.net but it's a bit of a chore to wade through that, which is why I'm turning here first! Thanks.

What lens for low-light food photography?

sygyzy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:05:40 -0800

I need a lens for low-light, hand-held, food photography on my Canon 40D. I will be renting the lens so cost is not an issue and prefer only one lens instead of swapping them out. I will be taking pictures in restaurants during actual meals so dishes must be fully framed from the seated position. No tripod, no flashes, no standing up, no trickery. What would you recommend?

Which of the Canon Vixia camcorders has the best low light performance?

HappyEngineer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:27:14 -0800

I have a Canon XH A1 camcorder. It's very nice and has an excellent low light mode. However, it's just too big to carry around casually. I'm interested in getting one of the tiny Canon Vixia HD camcorders. However, most camcorders shoot terrible video anyplace that doesn't have excellent light. Which of the Canon Vixia camcorders has the best low light performance. And, how good is it compared to the Canon XH A1 low light performance? The most expensive Vixia appears to be the HF S10.

Make my small, dark, warm space into a non-toxic jungle!

Knicke — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:32:28 -0800

Make my small, dark, warm apartment into a non-toxic jungle! I'm looking for a houseplant or two (or ten) to liven up my small apartment, but have run into some snags. Namely, no direct light, fairly high warmth (the apt. is above the boiler room - toasty!), and two curious kitties who get into EVERYTHING and despite my best efforts will probably be getting at least a good nibble from whatever plants I bring into the place, if not mowing them down completely.

I've been doing some research, but most plants I've found that can tolerate low light and warmth well are also toxic to cats. For instance, philodendrons are out. I have a fairly green thumb and I'm not picky at this point - anything green would be an improvement. Suggestions?

Low light photo tips

drpynchon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:52:37 -0800

Low light photography workflow tips anyone? First of all, thanks everyone for your advice here. I managed to find a reputable local camera shop and after fishing around for a few months on their used items, I bought a virtually unused (the warranty card was still in the box along with the bubble wrap) Rebel XT and a new starter 50mm f/1.8 to tool around with -- all for under $350.

Now as a photonoob, I need some advice about how you think through low light photography. I'm shooting handheld and without flash. Mostly (but not all) head-and-shoulders candids and food photos. Here's how I work through my shots and post-process them...

1) Open up the aperture as wide as I think the subject will allow in terms of depth of field.

2) Adjust ISO for light (generally these situations warrant 800-1600 the camera limits).

3) I shoot in aperture priority, with burst on, and AEB (2/3 stops on both sides) just in case the shutter speed and movement limits the exposure.

4) I shoot in RAW, and after I pick the best shots, I post-process in Aperture with a round of white balance and noise reduction (Noise Ninja), correct color levels, adjust saturation and pickup shadows/highlights (usually with the black point and recovery tools).

5) Finally I carefully edge sharpen paying attention to the noise level given the high-ISO I'm shooting in.

Here's a few examples.

I'm open to Photoshop which I use from time to time, but it's a bit time consuming for large batches.

Anyway, as a relative noob, is there something I'm missing in the technical details? Any criticism or tips on better low light shots (short of buying a D700) would be appreciated.

Low-light photography with an old digital camera?

the_bone — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:35:40 -0800

Please help me make the most of my old point-and-shoot digital camera in low light situations! I have an old Nikon CoolPix 2100. It's a 2 megapixel camera (buying a better camera won't be an option for a couple of months), but I was getting some decent shots with it three years ago. I haven't done much photography in the past couple of years though, so I'm very rusty.

Next week, a friend and I are taking pictures around Hollywood and Silverlake... we're making pilgrimages to sites mentioned in Tom Waits's songs and photographing them. To really capture that Waits-ian ambiance, we'll probably end up taking a lot of shots at night (I'm looking forward to photographing neon lights on Hollywood Boulevard) as well as indoors. I need some tricks to help make this work. Camera settings, tips to get motion effects with light using my gear, and any ideas you have to create good shots in the evening/indoors with less-than-ideal equipment will be appreciated! Don't be afraid to give basic tips, as I am woefully out of practice and want these photographs to be as good as possible.

Digtal Camera for low light?

cccorlew — Tue, 09 May 2006 11:22:10 -0800

Looking for a Point-and-shoot digital camera that has really good low-light ability. As a pro shooter I really like NOT hauling a heavy camera around when I'm not working. But most P&S cameras I try (like my Nikon CoolPix L4 I just lost...) can hardly shoot in a normally lite room without movement blur. (Yes, there is the flash, but you know how crappy on-camera flash looks)

I don't need movies, sound, or weird "modes." 4 megapixels is enough
I need a sensitive sensor and a FAST lens.
Small is good (again, that Coolpix L4 was a nice size) Tiny is unnecessary. Cheap is a plus.

Houseplants for basement apartments?

CaptApollo — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:32:39 -0800

The only window in my basement apartment faces north and is fairly obscured as well. I would really like a plant or two to liven the place up. Suggestions? Are there plants that will survive on the few hours of lights-on when I am home and not at work/sleeping?