Camera settings for different conditions...

[Greg Campbell]

It is one setting you tune to, but once you get to that setting you can change to P, A, S, and M mode. What would be the best mode for lightning in low light settings? Or daytime lighting? Just curious. I want to learn as much as I can about my camera. I found this site.....still reading through it currently.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/Z740/Z740A.HTM

You may be able to use the camera's meter to give you an estimated exposure time for any other objects in the scene, such as city lights, illuminated buildings. twilight sky, etc. To do that, put the camera in A - aperture priority - and set it to whatever aperture you want to use for the lightning. (At ASA 100, ~f4 for distant lightning, ~f9.5 for close strikes, F16+ if it's hitting in your back yard!) Select spot meter mode and aim at the object of interest. If it is bright enough, the camera will poop out an exposure recipe - F8 @ 10 sec, or whatever. You can recompose and shoot at that exposure, or - probably easier - use it as a starting point and go to full manual mode.

If you can't get a reading on anything, just go manual and start at f6.7 and a 10 sec exposure. (ASA 100~200). Chimp the shot and adjust exposure time and aperture as required.

Daytime lightning not much different. Run the camera in aperture priority. Meter the scene as if there was no lightning to worry about, but use an aperture appropriate for the lightning. You may want to use slower apertures than normal, just to increase the short shutter times. This will result in thinner lightning, but will increase your odds of catching it. With the camera in auto-drive mode, hold down the shutter hope for the best....

At any time of day, it can help to say the magic words: "Well, I guess that's it. No more lightning today!" Turn away as if you've lost interest. This will occasionally fool the lightning into striking for you, although it tends to wise up after a few go-rounds.

Dark frame removal is probably best done after the fact. Take several dark frame shots at 1, 1.5 2, 3 ,4, 6 ,8 , etc. second shutter speeds. When you get home, call up the embedded image info and select the dark frame that most closely matches the (lightning) image's exposure time. (ASA must be constant!) You can use PS, or any editor that supports layers to subtract the dark frame from the image. If you don't have a big photo editing program, there are several astronomy oriented freeware apps that will do the same thing. This way, you don't need to waste time to capture a dark frame for each and every shot.

-Greg

 

[John Diel]

Steve,

My experience is pretty much with the Canon 10D which uses the same power system as the 20D. I think I answered a similar question elsewhere in here, but can't find it right now, so here it is again.

Per battery, I have run about 3 hours of constant use shooting football games. This is no Chimping except at half time shooting the Cheerleaders. I've shot 30 minute exposures back to back with several 5 to 15 minute exposures on the same battery.

The largest battery drain to any digital camera is the LCD screen. The more you use it, the faster your battery goes. Cold is another killer for batteries (rechargables anyway). 30 degrees and below knocks my battery life down to about 30 minutes of real shooting. So I always try to keep a couple of spares in my pocket all nice and toasty.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the newer cameras will have some improvement on power management. Certainly better than they were a couple of years ago. With the Canon 10D and 20D you can find a battery pack/hand grip that will hold two batteries and help keep them better insulated for cold weather. From what I've read, this gives you more power than most people will use. These run about $150 or in that range.

For me, it's a matter of mere seconds to change out a battery if needed. I shoot a lot of different things and my 10D's shutter button finally went south. Now I'm back to my trusty old Olympus E-10. Hopefully, I'll be able to afford to send the 10D off to Canon for a repair, but I'm not betting on it.

Hope that answers a couple of questions.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I don't use the LCD much and get probably somewhere around 500+ shots? It's hard to tell. With the D30 (old battery tech), I'd go through a battery or two chasing in a day, but with the 20D, I've used the same battery for several chase days/photographic hikes back to back. Battery charge is pretty much a non issue for me with the 20D...

Aaron

 

[Laura Duchesne]

I have the Digital Rebel with EF 18-55 mm lens that came with the kit... for some reason I can't do bulb setting, is it because of the lens? When I try to change the shutter speed, bulb doesn't show up.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

What mode are you in?

Aaron

 

[Laura Duchesne]

okay never mind

Sorry forgot to mention that I was in Manual mode

edited: Jeepers don't I feel embarassed LOL. I had to scroll the dial a whole bunch of times before I got to the bulb setting. Now, the lowest apperture I can set to is 5 unfortunately, so that means I either have to leave the shutter open long enough to get enough light in there, or get a better lens heh.