your say the bigger the opening, meaning more exposure time correct? sorry Im trying to learn about this kinda of stuff before I decide to go and get one so I know what Im getting for my money

 

exposure is the balance between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. shutter speed is how long the shutter is open: faster to allow less light in (for daylight, freezing motion, etc) and slower to let in more light (night, etc) the aperture is the opening that allows light in, smaller number for more light (dim areas) and less depth of feild or bigger number for less light (daylight) or wider depth of field. ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. higher ISO for more sensitivity (night) lower ISO for less sensitivity (daylight)

when shopping for a lens you have to determine what is important to you. do you want the ability to zoom? in that case you have to sacrifice the huge aperture for zoom because the zoom lenses that have a large aperture will be quite expensive (canon Lseries lenses go for 1000+). if you can deal with a non-zoom lens like a 50mm lens, they can be made with a bigger aperture but without the ability to zoom in and out, you have to walk back and forth to frame your object

 

awesome great information thanks

 

here some black and white ones

 

those balck and whites are really nice!

 

Might I suggest this thread?

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...997&highlight=

They're extremely helpful. I shoot with an XTi, & I have 5 lenses (including the kit lens), 2 nice Lowepro bags,3 or 4 UV filters, 4 hoods, a remote, a 4gb memory card & a tripod. I spent ~$2000 on everything.

I also suggest CanogaCamera.com. I'm lucky they're local to me (about a 5 minute drive).

 

1. tripod.
2. no flash.
3. most p&s cameras suffer during the night

 

@ original post

Your point and shoot flash is going off, and you can tell that it's weak, as just the front face of your auto is lit with good color and the rest is dark.

Frequently you can override the flash and let the camera keep the shutter open to compensate for a lack of flash. Doing so requires a tripod or using a fixed object like a light pole to brace the camera against, as the shutter speed is too slow for you to hold in your hands without shaking the camera and blurring your images.

If you can't afford to buy new, you can also go out and buy a used (LN- / EX+) dSLR with lens for under $500. The place I've used frequently is KEH.com, and they've been around for eons... about 30 years.

Below is what you can do at night with a dSLR and a tripod (color edited to get the orange lights whiter).

 

Nice rig shots on the first gen Xb.

 

If you're going to do night shots, you need two things. A tripod and an external flash. I'm currently about to get an external to help me do more automotive stuff. If I was rich I'd get a rig as well but those cost so much!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avengermark/

 

been practicing with the settings on the point and shoot I have and this is what I came up with recently

 

these all suffer from grain unfortunately.. you have to try to turn down the ISO, sure the higher the ISO the faster your shutter but the more grain you have..

1. well composed and placement of the car. it looks like youre holding the camera a bit slanted and havent placed the car/road center. if both were center you would introduce a line which allows the eye to travel along the image.

2. this angle of the car isnt ideal. aiming the car slightly away and placing the car so close to the left edge, it makes the eye settle in the left part of the image.

3. very well composed. watch the line of the horizon next time. i know you tried to make the car straight but in exchange you made the landscape tilted.

4. good shot try kneeling next time and get a new angle of the car. no need to take every shot standing!

5. good shot. makes the car look loooowww

 

^^awesome thanks for the pointer miketf1!! I am going to get a tripod ASAP and practice more one angles and centering the point of subject in the picture!! really appreciate the feedback again!!

 

Kneeling is where it's at!





This one would be rad to retake. Just clean up the mirror.

 

I love the color on this one, its funny how parking structures are the Ideal place for pics.