Alright...
So...I'm mostly a camera collector and hardly ever shoot. I'm not sure how that happened. Anyway...here's what I'd like to do...I want to take nighttime shots of buildings...I want to shoot slide...and I have mostly point-and-shoot cameras.
Will I encounter problems? I hear slides have very narrow exposure range...and I hear point-and-shoots can't meter worth a darn in low light or difficult lighting. At least...that's what some photo.net people said...saying it's practically folly shooting slides at night with a p&s. But I found a couple glimmers of hope...a couple photo.net people said they've done it with great success.
So what do you guys think? If it makes a difference, I have just about every modern high end point-and-shoot camera...in case one is better than another at exposure metering.
Thanks!
So...I'm mostly a camera collector and hardly ever shoot. I'm not sure how that happened. Anyway...here's what I'd like to do...I want to take nighttime shots of buildings...I want to shoot slide...and I have mostly point-and-shoot cameras.
Will I encounter problems? I hear slides have very narrow exposure range...and I hear point-and-shoots can't meter worth a darn in low light or difficult lighting. At least...that's what some photo.net people said...saying it's practically folly shooting slides at night with a p&s. But I found a couple glimmers of hope...a couple photo.net people said they've done it with great success.
So what do you guys think? If it makes a difference, I have just about every modern high end point-and-shoot camera...in case one is better than another at exposure metering.
Thanks!
DougK
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The main problem with shooting slide film in the average P&S camera is you usually have little or no way to evaluate the exposure decisions being made by the camera's meter. Since you have very little room for exposure error with slide film, it could be a risky proposition depending on the camera. Having said all that, I use slide film in my P&S cameras all the time when I'm not shooting black-and-white film, even at night. Haven't had a problem yet, so I'd say go ahead and try it. Turn off the flash, use a tripod, and forget about shooting anything that moves 
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DougK
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Oh yes, and make sure you read the section in your camera manual which describes how the metering, exposure lock, and self-timer functions work.
what p&s camera do you use?
richard_l
Well-known
A Konica Hexar AF (not quite a P&S however) or possibly a Leica Minilux (with the f/2.4 lens) might be able to handle it. I successfully shot a lot of available light photos with the Minilux but usually with relatively fast (ISO 400) print film. It all depends on the meter sensitivity and accuracy.
pvdhaar
Peter
The biggest problem with slide at night is that strong point light sources (street lamps, car headlights) will easily get you blown out highlights. This is because the exposure meter gets biassed by the dark areas at night. And with slides, blown out highlights are really ugly..
So unless you can dial in -EV exposure compensation (like the Hexar and Minilux mentioned), I'd say don't bother and use print film.. Note that some cameras only have +EV exposure compensation (e.g. Minox35) for backlighted situations, and that's the opposite of what you need..
So unless you can dial in -EV exposure compensation (like the Hexar and Minilux mentioned), I'd say don't bother and use print film.. Note that some cameras only have +EV exposure compensation (e.g. Minox35) for backlighted situations, and that's the opposite of what you need..
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Hmmm...
How much -EV would you recommend starting with?
Also, would spot metering help? If so, how would I use the spot meter?
How much -EV would you recommend starting with?
Also, would spot metering help? If so, how would I use the spot meter?
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dmr
Registered Abuser
celerystalksme said:
I am finding out that for night shots, if I intentionally underexpose by one stop, I get much better highlight detail and cleaner dark solids. This is for print film, I don't think I would want to try slides for night shots. If I did I would bracket at least 3 frames for each shot I took.
ClaremontPhoto
Jon Claremont
Forget any sort of metering. None of them work in this situation.
Go outside wherever you live. Camera on tripod, biggest aperture, and expose for about 30 minutes.
Look at the result and double or halve the time as needed.
Ideally you need a cable release. but you can get by with a self-timer - press and leave well-alone for vibrations to settle before exposure.
A thermos of coffee or bottle of whisky is a good idea too.
Go outside wherever you live. Camera on tripod, biggest aperture, and expose for about 30 minutes.
Look at the result and double or halve the time as needed.
Ideally you need a cable release. but you can get by with a self-timer - press and leave well-alone for vibrations to settle before exposure.
A thermos of coffee or bottle of whisky is a good idea too.
pvdhaar
Peter
It's either the one or the other. EV-2 should be a good starting point for slides if you're using centerweighted or averaged metering.celerystalksme said:
But if you're going to use a spot meter it's all going to be different. Meter the brightest light source in the scene, such as a street lamp. To prevent this from getting exposed to average grey, open up 1.5stops from here (+1.5EV), which puts it just below blowing out.
DougK
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Since you didn't specify what kind of camera you were using, I'm afraid my original answer had to be a bit generic. Usually when I shoot P&S slide film, I use an Olympus IS-5, which blurs the line between P&S and "regular" camera. I have successfully shot slides at night with an Olympus XA as well. Both of these cameras tell me what exposure the camera is choosing. Even though my Stylus Epic has spot metering, I wouldn't shoot slides in it at night because I have no idea what aperture or shutter speed the camera is using. The key is having good control over the exposure the camera uses. Without those kind of controls, I'd stick with print film.celerystalksme said:
dkirchge said:
I literally own most of the "posh" modern p&s cameras. Ricoh GR1v, Contax t3, Leica CM, Rollei AFM35, Nikon 35ti, Olympus Stylus Epic, Yashica T5 (T4 Super)...and a Minolta TC-1 coming very shortly. Contemplating getting a Konica Hexar AF...not sure if I will. I have a few good SLR and RF cameras as well...and also some older p&s cameras...and some MF cameras.
But I really wanna figure out how to shoot slides with one of my p&s cameras...and I want to be able to take some low-light/night pics. I wanna see if I can do this for a trip I have coming up...and I only shoot with easily pocketable p&s cameras on trips. And I wanna shoot slides cuz I like em...and I wanna do something with them when done.
So any and all tips welcome! I just went to the local camera shop and found a lot of 10 expired Fuji Sensia rolls for cheap. I might start experimenting and seeing what I can do with what camera. But, of course, I would more than welcome some direction from you guys!!!!!
Thanks!!!
DougK
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I think with the gear you have you'll be fine to try some slide film. Go with Peter's recommendations for EV and you should be safe. Most of all, have fun!
DougK
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Just for fun, I thought I'd post a sample night shot taken with my Stylus Epic from my balcony a couple of weeks ago. Film is Kodak Elite Chrome 100, flash off, triggered the shutter with the IR remote control. The focus is a wee bit off because I brushed against the tripod, but I'm pretty pleased with the way the camera handled the exposure. I have no idea how long the camera chose for the shutter speed but I'm pretty sure it was longer than a second. Scanned at 1600 dpi and no Photoshop manipulations other than downsizing for posting then saving to JPEG.
dmr
Registered Abuser
This is a shot I took with the Olympus Stylus not too long ago. Flash off, autoexposure, braced on a trash can.
Rebranded Agfa 200 film. This was really a slop shot, I was just messing around.
Highlights are not as blown out as they often are when doing night shots with this camera.
Rebranded Agfa 200 film. This was really a slop shot, I was just messing around.
Highlights are not as blown out as they often are when doing night shots with this camera.
DougK
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I'm going to stray a bit off-topic here, but it seems like a good place to put a mini user report on my initial experiences with the Stylus Epic (Joe, please feel free to move this post if you deem it appropriate).
My Stylus is the black one without the date function (date backs are just plain annoying to me because I can guarantee I'll forget to turn off imprinting at some point or accidentally turn it on and ruin a photo at exactly the wrong time). I did a walkabout test with the camera on my lunch hour not long after I got it. The night shot above is from that test roll, just to burn film so I could get the roll in for developing and see how the "real" photos came out.
The camera felt a little awkward in my hand at first and I wasn't confident I was holding it steady at all. My results: not one blown exposure on the entire roll; they were all spot-on, even when I purposefully threw the camera curveballs (strongly backlit subject, contrasty subject, etc.). The focus locked every time and focused on what I wanted it to, although a couple of shots were blurred from me not being comfortable holding the camera or doing something stupid like that. The spot metering function, while awkward to access, is very nice to have if you're in dodgy lighting. I think I took two flash shots which came out fine without the typical P&S highlight blowout; very nice as I almost always choose slide film for color no matter what camera I'm using. No blown photos attributable to the camera, only the photographer. I think the overall photo quality is as good as output from my XA.
The only things I don't like about the camera are the weird shutter release button and the noise level (tolerable during shooting, annoying during rewinding). Also, the shape is very attractive and great for your pocket but a little strange to hold until you get used to it. I'd love to see more manual controls but given the essential purpose of the camera I can live without them. It'll take me a couple of rolls to get comfortable with the XA's shutter release, but it's definitely usable. The flaws aren't show-stoppers and I can write most of them off as quirks to get used to. I know it's probably impossible (or at least highly unlikely) but I would love to see Olympus put out an identical camera with a 28mm lens, maybe at f/2.4 to get just a smidgen more low-light capability.
My verdict: this camera is far better than any camera in this price range has any right to be, not that I'm complaining. Excellent value for the money and I could see this camera replacing my XA as both my go-to camera for travelling light and residing in my bag as a backup camera or loaded with B&W. I expect this camera and I will spend a lot of time together.
My Stylus is the black one without the date function (date backs are just plain annoying to me because I can guarantee I'll forget to turn off imprinting at some point or accidentally turn it on and ruin a photo at exactly the wrong time). I did a walkabout test with the camera on my lunch hour not long after I got it. The night shot above is from that test roll, just to burn film so I could get the roll in for developing and see how the "real" photos came out.
The camera felt a little awkward in my hand at first and I wasn't confident I was holding it steady at all. My results: not one blown exposure on the entire roll; they were all spot-on, even when I purposefully threw the camera curveballs (strongly backlit subject, contrasty subject, etc.). The focus locked every time and focused on what I wanted it to, although a couple of shots were blurred from me not being comfortable holding the camera or doing something stupid like that. The spot metering function, while awkward to access, is very nice to have if you're in dodgy lighting. I think I took two flash shots which came out fine without the typical P&S highlight blowout; very nice as I almost always choose slide film for color no matter what camera I'm using. No blown photos attributable to the camera, only the photographer
. I think the overall photo quality is as good as output from my XA.The only things I don't like about the camera are the weird shutter release button and the noise level (tolerable during shooting, annoying during rewinding). Also, the shape is very attractive and great for your pocket but a little strange to hold until you get used to it. I'd love to see more manual controls but given the essential purpose of the camera I can live without them. It'll take me a couple of rolls to get comfortable with the XA's shutter release, but it's definitely usable. The flaws aren't show-stoppers and I can write most of them off as quirks to get used to. I know it's probably impossible (or at least highly unlikely) but I would love to see Olympus put out an identical camera with a 28mm lens, maybe at f/2.4 to get just a smidgen more low-light capability.
My verdict: this camera is far better than any camera in this price range has any right to be, not that I'm complaining. Excellent value for the money and I could see this camera replacing my XA as both my go-to camera for travelling light and residing in my bag as a backup camera or loaded with B&W. I expect this camera and I will spend a lot of time together.