Long exposures
By runi1024
@runi1024 (126)
United States
January 16, 2012 3:47am CST
I have a Nikon D5000 and I really want to take pictures with long exposures is there anyway to set the shutter speed to longer than their presents? I don't really want to use the bulb setting because pushing the button and holding will cause the camera to shake and make th pictures come out blurring. Suggestions?
3 responses
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
16 Jan 12
Many cameras have a setting for taking pictures of fireworks. The nearest I can find to this on the D5000 is 'Night Landscape', available by turning the dial to 'Scene' and using the menu.
Unless you are interested in abstract photography with random light traces all over the screen, you MUST use a tripod or other method of firm support. You absolutely cannot rely on holding the camera steady for longer than about 1/30 second!
Nikon, unfortunately, don't provide a socket for a cable release but, if you are going to do a lot of long exposure work, the Nikon ML-L3 IR Remote Control Transmitter (approx. $18) will be essential.
I think that you will find these links useful. EVERYTHING you need to know about your camera can be found somewhere in them!
Ken Rockwell's excellent Guide: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5000/users-guide/index.htm#advance
Official User Manual: http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D5000_en.pdf
You may also find this page useful (even if fireworks are not specifically what you want to shoot): http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/fireworks.htm
@runi1024 (126)
• United States
16 Jan 12
I didn't mean that I didn't want to use a tripod, I have one and its sturdy. The issue is I'm used to working with film camera that have a socket for the cable release and there is no option for that on the D5000.
These are sites that I will be sure to keep bookmarked for future reference and thank you so much for taking the time to put them all together.
The kind of photography I'm trying to do is shooting star patterns. This requires an extremely long exposure time, it might make more sense to just borrow a friends camera that has longer exposure times.
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
16 Jan 12
I agree. You need a wide angle lens and exposure times of several minutes or even hours! I think you will also find that film will be better than digital for this sort of work. Digital sensors are completely different in the way they react to long exposures in very low light. You tend to get a lot of noise.
If you don't have a film camera, it could even be worth your while getting one. Second-hand they can be quite cheap these days and, with luck, you might find one which will take your Nikon lenses!
@runi1024 (126)
• United States
16 Jan 12
I have a film cannon and a Minolta. Biggest problem with film these days is the places to get them developed are disappearing right and left. When I was in high school I took classes in the dark room, they were awesome but now its a skill that I don't really have to have. Just fun to tell people I know how to develop Black/white and color photos.
@obe212003 (2299)
• Philippines
16 Jan 12
i think other than the presets, there is an infinity/bulb exposure as you mentioned, and the best option so as not to shake the camera is use a still, firm tripod.
@bloggeroo (2167)
• Philippines
16 Jan 12
Actually, long exposures does not necessarily mean shutter speeds longer than 1 second so the photographer need not use the bulb setting. The ISO feature of the 35mm SLR camera is still found in the DSLR so the light sensitivity of the camera can still be adjusted like before. Lower ISO means longer exposures especially with if a small aperture is used.
@bloggeroo (2167)
• Philippines
16 Jan 12
Although I haven't seen the controls of the Nikon 5000, there should be a way to change the ISO setting. This ISO setting, by the way, is supposed to determine the camera's sensitivity to light. The higher the number the more sensitive it is so the shutter speed is also faster. If you want to slow down the shutter speed, you need to use the lowest setting of the ISO.
Although the ISO setting is really referring to the sensitivity of the film used in 35mm SLRs, I think it carried over to DSLRs because I've seen some digital cameras with this setting. ISO 100 is daylight or outdoors film. ISO 200 is used for indoors. ISO 400 and higher for night photography without flash or high speed photography. If I remember right, there are films with ISO numbers lower than 100. These are used for high definition shots like landscape photos. The film grain is so fine you can blow up a small portion of the photo and you'll get a stunning close up (or zoomed) photo.
@bloggeroo (2167)
• Philippines
16 Jan 12
I have just read the online manual here: http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/photography/9780470521267/nikon-d5000-essentials/iso_sensitivity
And it says that by default, the ISO setting is at ISO 200. This means the shutter speed is fast enough even when you use a small aperture. You just need to lower this down to ISO 100 (it seems this is the lowest setting) and then, reduce the aperture of your camera. This way, when the camera compensates, the shutter speed will be very slow.
By the way, at ISO 100, there is a risk the camera will shake so you will need a tripod or some way to support the camera.
@runi1024 (126)
• United States
16 Jan 12
thank you, your comments have been really helpful. I know that there is no way around the tripod, I was just hoping that there would be another way to make the lens stay open other than having my hand on the shutter the whole time. I will be sure to try out your suggestions to see if any work for the kind of photos I'm trying to take.
