tips: shooting in low light situations - concert or indoor events

this is an interesting post from olyclubph.com. i will be collecting tips that caught my interest and post it here for easier access.

In my experience with the 520, when shooting at indoor night events:

Use matrix metering as this will do a decent job at handling wider range of lightings.

Without using the flash, use higher ISO like 400 - 800 or even 1600 if you really want to get that shot. You can clean the image afterwards. Activate IS when the shutter speed gets too low. Go manual kung kaya mo, If not go for Aperture priority if you want to control your DOF. Shutter priority if you want to control blur. The minimum speed should be equal to the focal length of your lens (this can go lower with IS). Or go for Program which will give you a "balance" setting and more time to compose your shots.

If you find that the whites or highlights in your shots are overexposed, adjust your EV to a lower setting like -3

When using the built-in flash, i still suggest that you use higher ISO pa din (400 - 800) if the place is dim. This way, the camera can still pick-up anbient light in the background. Grain is not that noticeable. If grain is a really big issue, PP the shots or just use lower ISO, but you have to get really near your subjects as the internal flash has a very limited range which results in dark backgrounds. Oh, turn off the flash strobe assist (illuminat), it's very distracting on your people subjects.Try to use aperture priority especially when there's a group shot.

Nagtaka lang ako sa sinabi mo na "kapag malapit, sobrang bright naman". Normally, the camera with it's TTL technology will adjust the light whether near or far. May problema kaya camera mo?

If you have very good eyes in the dark while looking thru a small viewfinder, then by all means go manual focusing. If not, use AF. The AF will take some time in locking on a target on dim situations. Make sure to focus on high-contrast areas of your subject so that the AF can lock on quickly.

Setting your lens on infinity might not help espcially if your aperture is limited and your subjects are near you. It's better to use "Pre-focusing".

by
Mike De Vera
http://www.olyclubph.com/portal/index.php?topic=1700.0