I want to buy a SLR and shoot night scenes with strong functions, such as Canon, Nikon, Sony and Kodak. Which is better?

To shoot the night scene, all you need is a tripod and a cable releaser. It doesn't matter which brand of SLR.

The colorful night scenes of various light sources are quite attractive as shooting objects. However, unlike daytime photography, night photography requires unique skills. Here we choose some subjects that everyone likes to shoot to explain and thoroughly analyze their shooting strategies.

Travel time etc. You will come across a beautiful night scene by chance. How should I shoot at this time? Next, let's talk about the basic skills of night photography with examples. The clever use of ISO sensitivity and the choice of white balance are very important in street shooting at night.

I happened to see the beautiful scenery by the roadside. The orange light source was not compensated when shooting, and the color tone seen in front of us was truly reproduced. In addition, in order to avoid hand shake when shooting with a hand-held camera, a lens with hand shake compensation mechanism (IS) is used while improving the ISO sensitivity of the camera.

Camera: EOS 500D

Lens: ef-s18-55 mm f/F3.5-5.6 is/programmed automatic exposure (f3.5, 1/30 seconds) /ISO 1600/ white balance: sunlight.

A key to shooting night scenes with hand-held cameras is the choice of shutter speed. Generally speaking, "one-second focal length" is the lowest speed to prevent hand jitter in 35mm specifications. However, because night scenes are mostly composed of point light sources, the jitter will be more obvious, so it is recommended to shoot with a shutter speed one level faster than usual. Let's take a look at how to judge the appropriate shutter speed. For example, when EOS 500D is used with EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (35mm equivalent focal length is 29-88mm) lens, if the focal length of 18mm (equivalent to 29mm) is used to achieve the maximum shooting range, the shutter speed should be set to "65438" according to the above method. In addition, a lens equipped with a hand shake compensation mechanism (IS) can also be actively used. According to different lenses, the compensation effect will be different. This time, a lens with compensation effect equivalent to about 4 shutter speeds is used to effectively prevent hand jitter.

Although it is more convenient to shoot many scenes with automatic white balance during the day, it is sometimes felt that it is not enough to highlight the atmosphere when shooting at night. At this time, you can try to choose the preset white balance such as "daylight" to make the image color cast consciously to get better results.

Shooting night portraits with gorgeous night scenes as the background. And surprisingly, such shooting occasions are often encountered. In the shooting of night portraits, it is the decisive key to balance the brightness of the background and the brightness of the characters.

It is very important to control the background exposure of characters in portrait photography at night. If you want to shoot a bright background, you need to shoot with a low-speed shutter. To make the background bright, the shutter speed is set to115 seconds. Although the shutter speed IS low, it is prone to hand shake, but by using the lens with hand shake compensation mechanism (IS), hand shake is reduced. In addition, when shooting with a flash, the light of the flash will illuminate people, thus reducing subject jitter.

As shown in the figure, the shutter speed is determined according to the brightness of the background building. In low-speed synchronous shooting, the brightness of the person is obtained through the flash. In this way, the control of background brightness has become the key to shooting.

Camera: EOS 500D

Lens: ef-s18-55 mm f/3.5-F5.6 is/shutter priority automatic exposure (f5.6,115 seconds) /ISO 1600/ white balance: flash.

Before releasing the shutter, reconfirm the camera settings. Confirm whether "Red Eye Prevention On/Off" is selected as "On". Because the retina is sensitive to the flash in the dim scene, red eye will appear. When focusing on people in dim scenes, it is suggested to use phase difference detection autofocus. In EOS digital SLR series cameras, the fast mode of viewfinder shooting and real-time display shooting adopts phase difference detection autofocus (some cameras do not have fast mode). In addition, in the case of difficulty in focusing, choosing the center with high autofocus capture power will help to complete the shooting smoothly. Pay attention to the possibility of occasionally focusing on the background when automatically selecting the autofocus point. In portrait shooting at night, it is one of the keys to coordinate the balance between the amount of flash light and the surrounding brightness. In order to prevent the overflow of facial highlights, flash exposure compensation can be used to reduce the intensity of flash to obtain brightness in harmony with the background. This will make the atmosphere more natural. In order to shoot more beautiful people at night, we can use the technology of "low speed synchronization". While the flash illuminates the characters, the low-speed shutter is used to capture the background light, thus completing the shooting of a photo. Specifically, according to the above steps, select the shutter speed that is not prone to hand jitter, and at the same time improve the ISO sensitivity to obtain a bright background, and illuminate the characters with a flash to shoot. Generally, the flash will automatically control the amount of flash light according to the surrounding brightness, so shooting is not as difficult as expected. The background brightness can be adjusted according to shutter speed or ISO sensitivity. If you want to shoot brighter, you can lower the shutter speed or increase the ISO sensitivity.

When shooting a magnificent night scene, it is recommended to choose a place with a good view, such as an observation deck, and use a tripod to shoot. But when there is no tripod, or where tripods are forbidden, how can you shoot with a camera? Next, I will introduce how to shoot the night scene with a camera on the observation deck. It is very important to prevent hand jitter when shooting night scenes with cameras in the observation deck. Secondly, attention should be paid to avoid the background light source and indoor scenery being mapped into the glass and entering the picture.

Camera: EOS 7D

Lens: EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM/ aperture priority automatic exposure (F5.6, 0.6 seconds) /ISO 800/ white balance: automatic/exposure compensation:+1/3EV.

Choose a lens with internal focus or back focus mechanism.

When shooting, the lens clings to the glass, which can not only avoid the jitter caused by shooting at a low speed shutter, but also prevent the background light source and indoor scenery mapped into the glass from being shot into the picture. Using focusing or back focusing lens can avoid the change of lens length when focusing, and it is easier to fix the camera. However, when using a zoom lens, it should be noted that if the lens is pressed too hard on the glass, the lens may malfunction. .

Set the shooting mode to Aperture Priority Auto Exposure (Av)

It is recommended to choose aperture priority automatic exposure mode when shooting. Consciously using a fixed aperture value, a sharper sense of resolution can be obtained by increasing the depth of field. Although different lenses will be different, as long as the aperture value is in the range of F5.6-F 12, most lenses can obtain high resolution. .

Set ISO sensitivity

Aim the lens at the subject to measure the light. In order to prevent hand jitter, please increase the ISO sensitivity until the appropriate shutter speed is obtained. Because the lens is fixed against the glass, you can shoot at a lower shutter speed than usual hand-held shooting.

Setting exposure compensation

When the night scene in the picture is different in light and dark, there will often be overexposure or underexposure. At this time, it needs to be adjusted by exposure compensation to obtain the desired night scene brightness. After determining the compensation value, press the shutter button hard.

Change settings to prevent highlights from overflowing.

When shooting a night scene with various light sources interlaced, there is often a big difference in light sources. Especially white and bright objects are prone to highlight overflow. In order to avoid this situation as much as possible, it is suggested to use the "Highlight Tone Priority" function to suppress highlight overflow.

In night photography, even a slight jitter is worthy of attention.

Judging whether the night scene shooting on the observation deck is successful mainly depends on whether there is hand jitter. Once the hand shake occurs, the tiny point light sources forming the foreground will form a line, thus making the shake more obvious. So it is very important to fix the camera firmly. In addition, when shooting in the indoor viewing platform, the reflection of the glass must also be paid attention to. It is a very simple and effective method to shoot the lens close to the glass. However, if the lens is pressed too hard on the glass, it will damage the lens, so pay more attention when using it.

Challenge real photography with a tripod. The night scenes on the shore are generally beautiful, and the gorgeous lights are reflected on the water, making the scenery more dreamy. After you find the best place to shoot the night scene on the shore, set up the camera and start shooting seriously. Taking the wide water surface as the foreground, the brightly lit night scene was photographed. With the effect of low-speed shutter, it adds a soft atmosphere to the whole picture. The taste is different from that when using high ISO sensitivity.

Camera: EOS 7D

Lens: EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM/ aperture priority automatic exposure (f6.3,4s)/ISO100/white balance: automatic/exposure compensation:-1EV.

Mount the camera on a tripod.

After arriving at the shooting location, determine whether the surrounding environment is safe and choose a position where the tripod can be placed smoothly. In order to prevent the tripod from falling over and damaging the camera, you should put it away before installing the camera. When shooting scenes with limited optimal shooting time, such as lighting shows, if you set them just before they appear, it is easy to lose the shutter opportunity. It is recommended to prepare a tripod and camera before dawn, which can also facilitate the confirmation of safety when shooting.

Set the shooting mode to Aperture Priority Auto Exposure (Av)

Aperture priority automatic exposure mode is recommended when shooting with tripod. Setting the aperture value to around F8 can give full play to the resolution of the lens. In addition, because the camera is fixed on a tripod, you don't have to worry about jitter even if you use a low-speed shutter. Therefore, there is no need to set a high ISO sensitivity, and it can be adjusted according to the water flow and light conditions based on ISO 100.

Focus through real-time display shooting

You can flexibly use the real-time display function to adjust the composition and observe the image in the LCD on the back. It is recommended to use real-time display shooting for focusing. Real-time display shooting can be focused by observing the imaging in the image sensor in real time from the LCD monitor. Because bright images can be observed and photographed in a liquid crystal display, it is easier to compose a picture and confirm the focus.

In order to prevent slight vibration, cable release was used when shooting.

After accurate focusing, release the shutter with the cable releaser connected in advance. Do not touch the camera to release the shutter, so as not to shake when pressing the shutter button. When using a low-speed shutter, even a slight vibration can cause jitter, so pay more attention. .

Advanced photography skills

Attach photo style file

Flexible use of photo styles that can determine color and image tendency in night photography can expand the scope of expression. The photo style can be freely selected according to the shooting situation. In addition to the preset photo styles in the camera, you can add other styles. Very convenient. For example, you can choose the "dawn and dusk" style for dusk shooting. In the case of fog and blurred vision, the "clear" style is recommended. You can observe the real-time display to confirm the actual color and tone, and choose the appropriate photo style.

Use the real-time display function to make shooting smoother.

When shooting the night view of the shore, neon lights and window lights will be reflected on the water, causing changes in the picture and showing a dreamy atmosphere. In addition, with the different shutter speed, the water surface performance will also change, and artistic photos can be obtained. The key to composition is to ensure the level. The "display grid" of real-time display shooting should try to keep the picture level regardless of the terrain of the shooting place. Real-time display shooting function can be effectively used for night photography.

When shooting colorful fireworks in the night sky, the key is to consider how long the fireworks will be pulled out. Try to adjust the shutter speed, let the fireworks bloom beautifully in the night sky, leaving a dreamy moment composed of light traces. We can shoot fireworks directly without a viewfinder. Use long exposure to leave traces, showing the dynamic moment of fireworks bloom. The appropriate shutter speed varies with the types and conditions of fireworks, so it is necessary to look at the B-door exposure according to the site conditions.

Camera: EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: EF 24- 105mm f/4L is USM/B door exposure (F8, 2 seconds) /ISO 100/ white balance: daylight.

It is convenient to change the composition by using zoom lens.

It is difficult for photographers to grasp the height of fireworks in advance. So before fireworks appear, it is better to use a wider composition. It is best to use a zoom lens, so that the viewing angle can be changed when fireworks appear.

Set the shooting mode to door b.

Generally speaking, it takes a long time to expose the beautiful traces of fireworks. B-gate exposure mode is recommended. In this mode, the exposure time can be determined according to the time from blooming to disappearing of fireworks.

Focus on nearby buildings through real-time display shooting.

If you focus directly when fireworks appear, you may lose a rare opportunity to shoot. You can focus on the same place as fireworks in advance. When shooting distant fireworks, the focus is basically set to infinity (∞) of the lens manually. If you want to focus more accurately, you can use real-time display to zoom in and confirm the focus position.

Use cable release to control exposure time.

Fireworks photography generally adopts B-door exposure, the aperture value is around F8, and the ISO sensitivity is set to ISO 100. The standard of shutter speed is about 4 seconds. At the moment when the fireworks are about to bloom, release the shutter through the cable release until the fireworks disappear. Watch the fireworks in the night sky, and release the cable in your hand to control the shutter switch to shoot regularly.

Advanced photography skills

Set the "long exposure noise reduction function" to "off" when shooting fireworks. Basically, for fireworks photography with the exposure time (shutter speed) above 1 sec, the "long exposure noise reduction function" is generally set to "off", so that fireworks can be photographed continuously. Starting this function can reduce noise, but image processing takes the same number of seconds as the exposure time, during which it is impossible to shoot. If you can't release the shutter continuously, you will lose some shutter opportunities for shooting fireworks. Therefore, before shooting, you should confirm the function settings from the menu to ensure that the "Long Exposure Noise Reduction Function" is in the "off" state. Generally speaking, "long exposure noise reduction function" is a very effective function in night photography, but when shooting fireworks, you should choose the camera setting that gives priority to shutter timing.

Adjust the exposure time according to the type of fireworks.

The key of fireworks photography lies in the adjustment of exposure time (shutter speed). As mentioned in step ④, the shutter speed can be determined by B-door shooting. When the fireworks are about to bloom, use the cable to release the shutter for fine adjustment. In addition, it should be noted that different types of fireworks will have different shutter speeds when shooting. Fireworks with continuous light or flowing light like waterfalls are easy to shoot too brightly. It is suggested to narrow the aperture slightly to reduce exposure. If it is the legendary fireworks, the shooting effect will be better with reference to the instructions.

When shooting exquisite and beautiful night scenes in metropolis, we should pay more attention to the camera settings. You need to be prepared in advance and use the knowledge about cameras and night shooting flexibly. I hope everyone can take a good night view.

Set the sensitivity to ISO 100 to suppress noise and shooting. In addition, the aperture value is F8 with high resolution of ordinary lens. Fix the camera firmly on the tripod, and use the "mode 1" of the real-time display function "silent shooting" to suppress camera shake shooting.

Camera: EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: ef 24-105 mm f/4 lisum/aperture priority automatic exposure (F8, 3.2 seconds) /ISO 100/ white balance: sunlight/exposure compensation:-1EV.

For high-quality recording, we use "RAW+JPEG" to shoot.

In order to get high-quality photos, we usually add RAW in the case of JPEG recording, so that we can use RAW imaging after shooting. Although "JPEG large/excellent" can also get high quality, the advantage of RAW shooting is that you can change the settings such as white balance, photo style and sharpness on the computer after shooting. In order to get a more rigorous imaging effect, it is best to record RAW and JPEG at the same time.

Set the shooting mode to Aperture Priority Auto Exposure (Av)

Set the shooting mode to automatic exposure with aperture priority, and determine the aperture value in advance. Different lenses can get different aperture values with high resolution. But when the aperture value is about F5.6 ~ F 12, most lenses have the highest resolution. You can use your favorite lens to set various aperture values for shooting, and understand and grasp the aperture values that can best play the role of the lens. What is important here is to maximize the resolution of the lens by setting the aperture value, which is not suitable for the shooting mode where the aperture value will change automatically. Therefore, the aperture priority automatic exposure mode with fixed aperture value and camera automatically setting shutter speed is very suitable for shooting night scenes.

In order to suppress noise as much as possible, we should set a lower ISO sensitivity.

Compared with daytime photography, night photography has less light and is more likely to produce noise. In order to suppress noise, ISO sensitivity should be set low. But the lower the ISO sensitivity, the lower the shutter speed. Therefore, we should choose a firm tripod to fix the camera according to its size and weight. However, in order to prevent jitter, ISO sensitivity can be slightly improved in windy shooting places such as mountain tops with wide vision. The shooting conditions should be considered to determine the final ISO sensitivity.

Manual focusing in real-time display mode

Switch to real-time display shooting, and use zoom-in display to focus on any position of the picture. Switch the focus mode of the lens to manual focus, manual focus. In addition, in this case, some models can also press the depth of field preview button to confirm the depth of field. Finally, release the shutter gently with the cable or remote control.

With the improvement of ISO sensitivity, the images taken by digital SLR cameras will be degraded by noise. But at the beginning, it is impossible to generalize how much impact it will have on the image, because the final print size and personal opinion are different. In addition, the obvious degree of noise is different for different subjects or scenes. Generally speaking, the dark part is more prone to noise, and the bright part is not as affected by noise as the dark part. I hope everyone can understand this feature, just in case, play back the image and enlarge it locally to confirm the quality.

If possible, it is best to actually print out your own night photos, and grasp how much noise will be more conspicuous, so that you will not suffer from the choice of ISO sensitivity when shooting, and you can also use ISO sensitivity effectively and skillfully. In addition, EOS digital SLR camera series has the functions of "long exposure noise reduction" and "high ISO sensitivity noise reduction", which can greatly reduce noise. If it can be used well together, it can expand the practical range of ISO sensitivity with inconspicuous noise.

Understand the performance of the camera and add all the experience knowledge.

In order to show the delicate night view of the city, I hope everyone will pay more attention to the picture quality when shooting. First of all, we should do the most basic focusing and give full play to the performance of the lens. It is also necessary to comprehensively use the lower ISO sensitivity to create favorable shooting conditions and elements in order to obtain better image quality. You also need to pay attention to prevent camera shake when shooting. In addition, when the shutter is released, someone walks past the camera or touches the tripod, which also happens from time to time and needs more attention. In addition to camera settings, there are many other things to pay attention to when shooting. If you can flexibly use the knowledge of night shooting introduced above and grasp the situation on the spot, then anyone can shoot beautiful night scenes.