X100 seeing in the dark

[David_Manning]

I'm pretty impressed with the X100's low-light ability. I've owned the D700 and the EOS 5DII and the X100 compares favorably.

These were all shot at ISO 3200, f2, 1/25, RAW mode:

 

[isoterica]

I like what it does in black and white. Nice.

 

[infrequent]

these photos are lovely. the lens clearly shines.

 

[DamenS]

Now if only they would introduce an active infra-red focus system for low light like the Konica Hexar AF (which focusses incredibly quickly even in total darkness). It would make the x-100 a true "king of the night" !!

 

[Richard G]

Nice shots David. I have had reasonable success with MF in this situation. Just got a roll back from the Hexar: I think I miss the focus more often with that than I am comfortable with, especially as I don't find out till the roll's developed. I can't very well see the focus point signal in the top right of the viewfinder on the Hexar AF.

With the X100 I usually need to dial up -1.0 exposure compensation at least to preserve the low light ambience.

 

[David_Manning]

Richard, definitely for -EV.

It seems the X100 wants to make images all the same brightness level...bright like daylight...but I've found that same issue in both my dSLRs too. Gotta dial that EV down.

Focus can be slow when it's dark, for sure...but I'm shooting in light film can't record in (I've never actually seen ISO 3200 color print or slide film), so I don't complain.

 

[Archiver]

Dave, those photos look great. Stop doing this, because I'm starting to regret not getting the X100 when my number came up.

 

[DamenS]

Richard, definitely for -EV.

It seems the X100 wants to make images all the same brightness level...bright like daylight...but I've found that same issue in both my dSLRs too. Gotta dial that EV down.

Actually it is the same for any in-camera metering system ever made (which all use reflective metering).

The meter just tries to make everything look a well exposed 18% grey as it doesn't know what you want to do (even the colour matrix meters on new Nikons).

That's why we compensate -EV for any dark colours we wish to look dark rather than grey (or night we wish to look dark) or compensate +EV to make snow look white etc. Or we just use an incident light meter instead and don't worry about needing to "compensate".

 

[kuvvy]

A couple of shots from inside the War Tunnels on the channel island of Jersey.

 

[back alley]

you just keep getting better and better paul.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

My neighborhood at night with the X100

My neighborhood at night with the X100

Here are a few images from a nighttime walk around my neighborhood recently. These were all exposed at ISO 1250, in RAW mode. No adjustments other than cropping.