yet another photography question

[disney_for_life]

I have a question for all you photography pros out there. I am somewhat a "newbie" when it comes to digital photography, so I am looking for a little bit of help. Here is my problem: whenever I am trying to take a picture on a moving ride like POTC or IASM of something moving it always comes out blury. Even when I am standing still and trying to take a picture of something moving it comes out blury. Is there a way to fix this problem. (btw, I always make sure my flash is turned off when i am trying to take a picure on these rides so I don't get in trouble). Thank you for all your help and advice

 

[crazydadguy]

Your camera is going to use a long shutterspeed in dark rides, especially with the flash off. To offset this, you need to increase the "speed" of the film (or digital) by raising your ISO setting on the camera. Now, depending on your camera this may or may not return clearer pics, as a higher ISO also increases noise in the picture. What kinda camera are you using?

 

[disney_for_life]

my camera is a Canon PowerShot S2IS Camera. Is this a good camera for a beginner photographer?

 

[JR6ooo4]

one example:

I have an $800 (when bought new) camera body and $500 and $600 lenses and I can not take a crisp picture on a dark ride. It is all blurr.

I also can not take a crisp picture in bright daylight without pausing, using both hands and exhaling slightly just before I snap the shutter.

In fact, before a disney trip, I will go to the zoo and practice shooting.

Raising the ISO will help but there are other fundamentals to bringing back good pictures.

Mikeeee

 

[JR6ooo4]

The S2 is my backup camera. And by backup camera I mean it is my wifes camera, heheheheee. We call it the Rebel Jr because it can take such good pictures it is almost like a DSLR.

Mikeeee

 

[pjacobi]

The S2IS has a maximum ISO of 400 which limits it's low light capability.

The current model, the S5IS has a maximim ISO of 1600 which will help to get better pictures in low light, however at the cost of "noise", i.e. red and green sparkles. Consider and upgrade at some point in the future.

To get a good photo requires a certain amount of light. If the light is not available, you won't get a good picture regardless of the camera that is used.


-Paul

 

[Groucho]

To get a decent photo on PotC, you pretty much require a DSLR with a very fast lens - one that doesn't zoom at all. Point-n-shoots have a very small imaging sensor, which allows the camera to be small but it also means trouble when the camera is trying to squeeze a lot of megapixels out of it and be sensitive for low-light shooting.

There's three parts to a camera's settings - shutter speed, aperture (aka F-stop), and sensitivity (aka ISO). To get a decent photo on a moving ride like PotC, you need a reasonably fast shutter speed. To get that, you need a "faster" aperture and high sensitivity. PnS cameras are limited to whatever aperture the camera lens was built with - if you're lucky, you might have F2.8 when not zoomed in. I think you'll need at least F1.8 or less to get decent results. In addition, you'll generally need sensitivity levels of at least 1600 - most PnS cameras show serious noise at only ISO 400, and ISO 1600 is either unavailable or extremely noisy.

IaSW is slightly brighter so you might be able to get away with a point-n-shoot, set your camera for the highest ISO level, set the shutter speed to 1/60th or 1/90th or so, zoom out as far as possible, and take a bunch of pictures.

And thanks for not using a flash, it's definitely appreciated by everyone else with you on the ride. If you want to be really super-considerate, you can also not use the LCD screen at all, use the viewfinder to compose the shot and turn off the post-shot review.

Good luck!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

With practice and understanding, it is possible to improve your pictures with your S2. Here's a thread which might be helpful. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1570685&referrerid=70088

 

[ukcatfan]

You can also do a little strategy to help. Go on the ride when it is very busy. You will wait longer, but the boats will likely backup at the end of the ride and you can get better shots. I was stopped in front of Jack Sparrow at the end on Saturday and got to fire off at least fifteen shots. I have not had the chance to look at them yet though.

Kevin

 

[NostalgicDad]

To illustrate some of what Groucho was talking about, these are shots I took with my D80 and 18-50mm f/2.8 lens. I have a lot of shots from POTC that are only worth the delete button. For me, it's a tough ride to get any good shots on since not only is your boat moving, so are the props and characters. The shot of Jack Sparrow was as we were moving up the conveyor. I was hoping we would stop but we didn't. And, of course, Jack is moving around as well. The shutter speeds on these are really slow but I guess I was having a good day and found a steady hand for a change.


1/25sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
50mm

1/20sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
50mm

1/8sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
18mm

1/20sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
31mm

 

[Bugdozer]

To illustrate some of what Groucho was talking about, these are shots I took with my D80 and 18-50mm f/2.8 lens. I have a lot of shots from POTC that are only worth the delete button. For me, it's a tough ride to get any good shots on since not only is your boat moving, so are the props and characters. The shot of Jack Sparrow was as we were moving up the conveyor. I was hoping we would stop but we didn't. And, of course, Jack is moving around as well. The shutter speeds on these are really slow but I guess I was having a good day and found a steady hand for a change.


1/25sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
50mm

1/20sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
50mm

1/8sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
18mm

1/20sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
31mm

Hi,

Ok my Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens arrived today and if I can get pirate pictures like these I will be jumping for joy. I so bad need to learn how to use this camera and lens before my DLR trip in April.
Thanks for beautiful pictures

Bug

 

[ukcatfan]

Hi,

Ok my Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens arrived today and if I can get pirate pictures like these I will be jumping for joy. I so bad need to learn how to use this camera and lens before my DLR trip in April.
Thanks for beautiful pictures

Bug

If POTC is that important to you, then go ahead and get a prime that is at least f/1.8. I do not believe that f/2.8 is enough.

Kevin

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

For POTC and IASW you Need very fast lens (f1.4/1.8/2.0) and a camera that has a high ISO level,(at least 1600/3200). Minimum shutter speed of 1/60 sec. These are tricky rides to get pics on, the sway of the boats makes things a bit harder. The best pics I have taken at POTC where when we were the only people on the ride. I personally for these rides use the Canon 40D + 50mm 1.8 lens, this combo plus the for mentioned high ISO level allows you to use a faster shutter speed to help fight motion blur. Here are a few pics taken with that combo;

1/60s f/2.0 at 50.0mm iso3200

1/180s f/2.0 at 50.0mm iso3200

1/90s f/2.0 at 50.0mm iso3200

1/60s f/1.8 at 50.0mm iso3200

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

sorry, puter went wacky or maybe the operator did?

 

[Bugdozer]

sorry, puter went wacky or maybe the operator did?

Hi,

Thought i would quote this instead of all your pictures. The pictures are AMAZING for such a dark ride. If you have time We-Luv-Disney could you check my thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22470747#post22470747

I ask some questions on which lens to buy for low light. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bug