Grainy pics at dawn (Page 2): just use a tripod with low iso as long as nothing is moving !!

Flash Falasca Loc: Beverly Hills, Florida

just use a tripod with low iso as long as nothing is moving !!

tcthome Loc: NJ

tdekany wrote:

I would disregard the previous reply. Get your tripod, lowest iso and appropriate aperture. You will get the quality that you were hoping for today.

Second that. Tripod , complete manual mode , lowest Iso , f8 - f11 for your aperture & , adjust your shutter for a good exposure. Try spot metering off of the sky off too the side of the sun . Check the pic on your LCD & adjust as necessary. As As the seen gets brighter or darker you need to readjust your shutter speed. Check & see if your camera has a long exposure noise reduction option in the Menu via the camera manual.

Have fun , Tom

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the hobby. You have a lot to learn, but you can have fun along the way! These answers all have some truth. What you are finding is that each lens has its' place and has places/times where it will be a challenge to use. Any telephoto requires more light than wider lenses - so that means that at either end of the day - or indoors - you will be challenged to use it. You can use a tripod, or indoors you can use flash. I am sure most of us don't grab our telephotos when we go out at dawn.

Now - the next part of the answer is that you need to learn about exposure, and the implications of adjustments to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. When your camera is set on automatic settings, it will get enough light for a photo - but if to do so it has to set the ISO very high, you will get a grainy photo.

So - welcome!

ELNikkor

ISO 200, (not auto ISO), tripod, especially if facing the mountains to the west, f 8 or 11. If facing east for the sunrise, you might want to go to manual exposure and experiment.

Nikon1201

The 1st part of the solution is a tripod , the 2nd is a shutter release or using your cameras timer . In aperture preffered say F8 you should be good take a shot and adjust from there

mgoldfield

tdekany wrote:

I would disregard the previous reply. Get your tripod, lowest iso and appropriate aperture. You will get the quality that you were hoping for today.

While photography is primarily an artistic endeavor, an understanding of certain technical principles is essential to making good photographs; this should include an intimate knowledge of one's camera and lens.

Good photography is virtually impossible without a comprehensive understanding of light and exposure.
Learn your camera!

M. Goldfield

Nikon1201

The 1st part of the solution is a tripod , the 2nd is a shutter release or using your cameras timer . In aperture preffered say F8 you should be good take a shot and adjust from there

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

Sounds like ISO too high with a camera that doesn't handle high ISO well. The D 3200 is not known for being an ISO monster. Use your tripod at around f8, ISO 100 or 200 and what ever shutter speed is required to to get the exposure. I would guess for a sunrise somewhere around 1/8 to 1 second maybe slightly longer. Use the self timer if you do no have a remote shutter release to avoid causing shake when you push the button.

Bill

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

A. T. wrote:

I'm new to DSLR photography, have fallen completel... (show quote)

You will get a lot of educated guesses, if you upload a couple and check store original we can give better answers..

With that said...... my 2 cents. Grain is typically caused by high iso. (There are other reasons, but since it was early morning, i do but think they come into play)... you say aperature priority, but do not say which. If you were high enough, then iso had to go high. Hand held will cause blur, not noise or grain. Low light/high iso = grain/noise.

BTW welcome to the hog and photography.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

mgoldfield wrote:

While photography is primarily an artistic endeavor, an understanding of certain technical principles is essential to making good photographs; this should include an intimate knowledge of one's camera and lens.

Good photography is virtually impossible without a comprehensive understanding of light and exposure.
Learn your camera!

M. Goldfield

Hi M! The question was about noise in the OPs pictures. Why should we lacture him about composition or light? For all I know, he is superior to most of us in that department, which wouldn’t be too hard. If you noticed, he was NOT shooting in the middle of the day. Let’s give the OP some credit.

On another note, in my opinion, learning the camera and exposer is a piece of cake. But to master composition, light, subject matter may never happen for most of us, because most of us lack creativity.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Using a tripod doesn't mean that you can forget completely about shutter speed - you still have to take movement within the frame into account. That can include things like branches or grass being blown by the wind or waves breaking on a shore. Using a cable (or remote) shutter release is also a good idea, especially in low light. If you're shooting sunrises, bracketing is a good idea.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

billnourse wrote:

Sounds like ISO too high with a camera that doesn't handle high ISO well. The D 3200 is not known for being an ISO monster. Use your tripod at around f8, ISO 100 or 200 and what ever shutter speed is required to to get the exposure. I would guess for a sunrise somewhere around 1/8 to 1 second maybe slightly longer. Use the self timer if you do no have a remote shutter release to avoid causing shake when you push the button.

Bill

Actually the 3400 is not shabby at higher ISOs (maybe 1/2 stop worse than a D500) and if you plan to shoot at VERY low shutter speeds as suggested, you better have a very stable (read expensive) tripod, use mirror lockup and remote release. While lower ISOs produce less noise, any camera movement at long shutter speeds will cause motion blur making the image unusable, while noise can be partially ameliorated in post.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

TriX wrote:

Post a shot that disappointed you, and be sure to check the “store original” box, so we’ll be able to provide accurate advice.

Ditto!

Boris77

A. T. wrote:

I'm new to DSLR photography, have fallen completel... (show quote)

#1 Use a tripod for dark conditions.

#2 Do Not use a slow telephoto lens (unless zooming in on a bright spot in the sky).
A shorter focal length equals fewer problems.

#3 and DO pay attention to / set the ISO to control Noise.
Lower is better, the tripod is the salvation.

Much more to the story, but I recommend Manual settings on the camera and bracketing the shots while checking the results on the camera back.
Of course if a wolf slinks by, spin the dial to automatic, use the tripod as a hanging weight, and fire like mad with your best panning technique. There is always a good exception to the rules.
Boris

A. T.

Yes Sir, you are so right, I do have a lot to learn but I'm a retired Houston Firefighter and I have lots of time to study and practice. I stopped using auto settings the second day after my purchase. I went on line and watched several videos about my D3400, the settings, the different affects of using each setting. From that point on, I have been using either aperture or shutter priority. I have done quite a bit of reading regarding ISO and its relation to aperture and shutter speed. I have even done some night shooting outdoors in total manual mode with some really outstanding results.

I do really appreciate your feedback and response to my issue. I can see that this forum is absolutely priceless.

Thanks again and God Bless.