Good Night-time Camera?

[hank755]

Hello,

I'm in the market for a new digital camera, preferable one that's slim and compact. I also want one that takes good night-time photos. I have friends who have cameras that take horrible night-time shots unless you hold the camera motionless for 10 seconds (not possible) or use a tripod (a pain to carry around).

Any info would be appreciated.
H

[TenzoR]

use a tripod

[CSAgent]

Slim and compact does not equal great night time shots. Slim and compact almost means smaller sensors. Smaller sensors = less quality in low light.

Basic rule of photography, low light requires shutter to be opened longer. For sharp images, stability is key in low light. Use of tripod is a must if you want great nightshots unless the subject is brightly lit in the dark. Example, a cityscape of urban architecture. And even then, the shutter's gotta stay open for 1/2 of a second and higher to take in all that light, especially on a slim and compact P&S.

[PQpine413]

photography...like many things in life...is less efforts = less results

i guess what the OP wants is the BEST POSSIBLE solution.. i think s/he gets the point we're trying to bring across

try the lumix FX series, ihave had good experience with it
it has custom ISO settings from 80-400 and longer exposure times of 1/8s up to 1s

[Little Dragon]

find a digicam that supports an ISO of 1600. that's the best you're gonna get.

[CSAgent]

find a digicam that supports an ISO of 1600. that's the best you're gonna get.

Fuji F31fd or any of the newer F series comes to mind. ISO 3200 baby, but the noise..try Noise Ninja, a 3rd party plug-in for PS. You can purchase it online, I did and its awesome. You lose some details though at higher ISO processing.

[cwb27]

I have a Fuji F30, FANTASTIC camera for at night no question about it.

[VorteC]

yeah.. cameras with small sensors get the noisiest/blurriest pics at night without flash. it's best to invest in a camera with the highest iso, and a good manual mode if possible!

[nden]

yeah.. cameras with small sensors get the noisiest/blurriest pics at night without flash. it's best to invest in a camera with the highest iso, and a good manual mode if possible!

My Canon 40D has an option ISO 3200, but I can't find how to change that. Do you know?

This camera has live view shoot. I love it

[volan]

find a digicam that supports an ISO of 1600. that's the best you're gonna get.

The Ricoh Caplio R7 is a very small camera (fits in your shirt pocket). It has 7 times zoom and ISO up to 1600.

[VorteC]

My Canon 40D has an option ISO 3200, but I can't find how to change that. Do you know?

This camera has live view shoot. I love it

It's not in the same selection menu as all the other ISOs?

[zoob]

Even if your camera supports ISO 1600 or 3200, it doesn't mean it's going to be "good". More often than not, it'll turn your pictures into watercolour paintings

[grego9198]

Fuji F series cameras are probably your best bet for high iso/ low light performance. I've seen some nice pics at iso 800 from the F30/F40's substantially less noise than other brands. The F50fd should be out soon, I'd give that a look and they're relatively compact.

[VorteC]

Even if your camera supports ISO 1600 or 3200, it doesn't mean it's going to be "good". More often than not, it'll turn your pictures into watercolour paintings

true, i refrain from using anything higher than ISO800.. especially with a tripod.

[ChinpokoMon]

Fuji F series cameras are probably your best bet for high iso/ low light performance. I've seen some nice pics at iso 800 from the F30/F40's substantially less noise than other brands. The F50fd should be out soon, I'd give that a look and they're relatively compact.

Yes, the Fuji F30/31fd cams are generally regarded to have the best-in-class image quality when it comes to high-ISO pictures. The newer F40/50fd are more compact and have more features, but due to megapixel-cramp, their noise level aren't controlled as well as the older models when you crank up the ISO.