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To: Dallas59
Anybody got settings for Olympus or Canon digital SLR cameras for the best shots?

If you have a digital, then take quite a few at differnet exposures, doing what photographers call "bracketing" since the cost of film is no longer an issue. Use a tripod and set your camera on manual. Set the ISO to 16000. Open your aperture as wide as it gets (probably 3.5 if it's the stock 18-55m Canon lens) and take shots from 2 to 30 seconds (think you'll like the 5 second exposure). The longer it goes the more washed out the scene will be. Make sure there are no street lights in the view. Use the zoom to its full extent if there is a lot of lighting clutter around.

For composition try and get a tree or hillside silhouetted in the background using a more wide angle view on the zoom. Buildings are usually not attractive in these kinds of scenes unless it's something like attractive like a cathedral or a capitol dome, or a familiar high rise.

If we don't have fog here like last night, I'm going to give it a try too.

15 posted on 12/01/2008 10:21:04 AM PST by ElkGroveDan (Reagan is back, and this time he's a woman.)
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To: ElkGroveDan; Dallas59
Canon EOS 20D user here.

Actually, if you're using a tripod, a lower ISO and longer exposure times will yield a better photo. But not so slow a shutter that you have to worry about tracking. Higher ISO will also mean more "noise" in the image. A remote shutter release is preferable, if not, use the timer to avoid camera shake during the shutter press. Your Canon (assuming EOS line) has a setting for mirror lockup. That will help reduce shake as well.

As stated, you're using digital, so clear out you CF card, read up on your camera setting, and plan out what you want to do exposure wise and go wild. Try all sorts of settings. It's not like you have to take film in for processing.

What lens(es) are you using? Have any filters or lens hoods?

33 posted on 12/01/2008 12:47:03 PM PST by AFreeBird
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