Motion in Low Light

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Talk
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Motion in Low Light

Unread post by Talk »

I'm looking for advice for capturing motion in low light situations on a DSLR. I'm fine with any advice possible. If it is possible... Thanks in Advance!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, This isn't talking about motion blur, I'm trying to get sharp(ish) photo of a moving subject.
I understand it might not be 100% possible, but to the best that is possible.
Last edited by Talk on Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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kd_1014
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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by kd_1014 »

You want it to blur? If you do, the SS will be 1/30 or lower. To create a long blur when it's dark, you can set up a long exposure with a tripod with the SS set to 1 second to up to 30 seconds. The ISO will be set higher and higher depending on how dark it is. Aputure also will be better if it's wide open. 1/30 creates a blur in daytime and might be over exposed a bit but after editing it'll be just fine.

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by Talk »

kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:05 am
You want it to blur? If you do, the SS will be 1/30 or lower. To create a long blur when it's dark, you can set up a long exposure with a tripod with the SS set to 1 second to up to 30 seconds. The ISO will be set higher and higher depending on how dark it is. Aputure also will be better if it's wide open. 1/30 creates a blur in daytime and might be over exposed a bit but after editing it'll be just fine.
Not blur, as sharp as possible with a moving subject. Thanks for that advice! I'll use it sometime

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by kd_1014 »

I haven't really figured out how to get a sharp picture without it being very grainy. I'll follow this thread for advice as well

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by Talk »

kd_1014 wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 12:32 pm
I haven't really figured out how to get a sharp picture without it being very grainy. I'll follow this thread for advice as well
I understand there will be some grain, But hopefully as little as possible.

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by GTWChris »

The short answer is you need a faster lens with a wider maximum aperture (lower f stop) that allows more light into the camera.

Three variables that affect image exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (film speed, sensor sensitivity). A wider aperture, slower shutter speed, and higher ISO all allow for a greater amount of light to penetrate the sensor, all of which you'd want in lower light. However, changing each of these has trade offs. A wider aperture decreases depth of field, a slower shutter speed can create a blur, and a higher ISO becomes grainy.

Since you want to stop motion and do not want a grainy image, you're left with increasing the aperture. You'll want to choose a shutter speed sufficient enough to stop the motion, an ISO that is not too grainy, and the maximum aperture that your lens allows.

Not all lens are created equal with regard to aperture. In order to stop motion in poor light conditions you'll want a faster lens with a very wide (lower f stop) aperture. Generally, the faster a lens the more expensive it will cost. The basic "kit" lenses that come with entry level DSLRs are typically slower lenses with relatively poor maximum apertures. For example, Nikon's basic 18-55mm lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 (which is really not a full aperture stop but no need to get into that). For comparison, Nikon makes a 50mm f1.4 lens which is almost a full 3 stops faster than the basic kit lens. You'll notice a huge difference in lower light conditions using a lens that is 3 stops faster.

A prime lens (those that have a fixed focal point and are not zoom) are typically going to get you a faster lens than a zoom lens. My recommendation if you want a good lens for lower light is to buy a 35mm or 50mm F1.4 or F1.8 lens. These are all in the $200-$500 range new. On a half frame camera, a 35mm lens is more or less equivalent to a normal lens which yields a similar perspective to human vision.

If you use a DX Nikon, I would personally recommend the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. It's a phenomenal lens and excellent in low light situations. New these go for $200, but there are plenty of used ones around and you can pick one up for around $100 used.

Hopefully this helps. I'm not sure how much you already know about cameras so I tried to provide a high level overview, but I'm happy to go into more detail.

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by Talk »

GTWChris wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:58 pm
The short answer is you need a faster lens with a wider maximum aperture (lower f stop) that allows more light into the camera.

Three variables that affect image exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (film speed, sensor sensitivity). A wider aperture, slower shutter speed, and higher ISO all allow for a greater amount of light to penetrate the sensor, all of which you'd want in lower light. However, changing each of these has trade offs. A wider aperture decreases depth of field, a slower shutter speed can create a blur, and a higher ISO becomes grainy.

Since you want to stop motion and do not want a grainy image, you're left with increasing the aperture. You'll want to choose a shutter speed sufficient enough to stop the motion, an ISO that is not too grainy, and the maximum aperture that your lens allows.

Not all lens are created equal with regard to aperture. In order to stop motion in poor light conditions you'll want a faster lens with a very wide (lower f stop) aperture. Generally, the faster a lens the more expensive it will cost. The basic "kit" lenses that come with entry level DSLRs are typically slower lenses with relatively poor maximum apertures. For example, Nikon's basic 18-55mm lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 (which is really not a full aperture stop but no need to get into that). For comparison, Nikon makes a 50mm f1.4 lens which is almost a full 3 stops faster than the basic kit lens. You'll notice a huge difference in lower light conditions using a lens that is 3 stops faster.

A prime lens (those that have a fixed focal point and are not zoom) are typically going to get you a faster lens than a zoom lens. My recommendation if you want a good lens for lower light is to buy a 35mm or 50mm F1.4 or F1.8 lens. These are all in the $200-$500 range new. On a half frame camera, a 35mm lens is more or less equivalent to a normal lens which yields a similar perspective to human vision.

If you use a DX Nikon, I would personally recommend the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. It's a phenomenal lens and excellent in low light situations. New these go for $200, but there are plenty of used ones around and you can pick one up for around $100 used.

Hopefully this helps. I'm not sure how much you already know about cameras so I tried to provide a high level overview, but I'm happy to go into more detail.
That is perfect! Thank you!!

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Re: Motion in Low Light

Unread post by J T »

Keep this mind as well.

For aperture, each one of these is considered "1 stop," or a halving (or doubling, depending on which way you're going) of light.

1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

For shutter speed, each of these is considered 1 stop:

25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

For ISO, same thing:

100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400


Therefore, an exposure of f8, ISO 200, and a shutter speed of 1/500 will be the same exact exposure as f4 (two stops more of light), ISO 400 (1 stop faster), and a shutter speed of 1/1000 (1 stop faster).

Same amount of light allowed to the sensor (or film if you're still using that), but the grain will increase with the ISO and the depth of field will be shallower with the large aperture opening of f4.
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