Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (
More info?)
David J Taylor
: <david-taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid>
: wrote:
: Jerry,
: I've followed this thread and the previous ones, and I'd like to
: suggest a different approach which has worked for me in museum
: situations - albeit not cars. Perhaps if you camera dealer will allow
: you another test, you may bet some better results?
: - use natural light, not flash
: - use a camera allowing longer hand-held exposures - e.g Panasonic
: FZ20. This has an image-stabilised lens giving about three stops gain
: in what you can hand-hold at. So with a 100mm equivalent focal length
: you might be able to hand-hold down to 1/12s or even longer.
: - (perhaps) get a monopod to allow slower shutter speeds, without the
: inconvenience of a tripod.
: If you do try the FZ20, I recommend keeping it on ISO 100 to avoid the
: noise being too great.
: Yes, do try it with flash as well, but just perhaps the natural light
: will work as well. If it does, and you want to have something better,
: then you could also consider a DSLR with wide-aperture lenses. The
: DSLR would deliver lower noise or allow the use of a higher ISO and
: hence faster shutter speeds.
: Yes, I know you /want/ flash - but just perhaps without flash may give
: you the consistency you seek.
: Cheers,
: David
Along the same lines. If you have a camera with a B (bulb) setting (mostly
on DSLRs) you could actually "paint" with your flash. Place the camera on
a tripod, use lowest ISO, close down the lens (highest f-stop) and lock
the shutter open. Then walk around the subject (car) with a flash with a
"test" button, flashing it at intervals with special emphasis on any
special feature that you like. Then close the shutter and wait for the
camera to do its thing. It is possible to take a full min to paint the
light around and get a nice clear picture. And as a side benefit, if there
are a few people wandering around your subject, anything that is moving
tends to blur out and so they may tend to disappear. And this scheme works
best in an area that is rather dark. I have seen photos in caves where the
shutter was open for upwards of half an hour with several hundred
individual flashes from a single flash unit.
Randy
==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL