E420 and shooting in low light

13 years 4 months ago #38164 by Lynn Kennedy
Just got back from a trip to Israel and had a lot of problem taking pictures in low light. I didn't bring my external flash. It would work on Auto sometimes, and sometimes on candle or fireworks setting. Another person who had a Canon said to take it off autofocus.

I will stand there trying to take a picture and it tries to focus and won't flash and it's just plain frustrating. I tried the A and S settings.

What's the answer to this problem?


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13 years 4 months ago #39004 by Baydream
Digitalcamerareview had this to say about the E420 and auto-focus:
"While the E-420 offers good AF acquisition times for an entry-level product in moderate to good light, it struggles a bit in dim light. There is no dedicated AF assist lamp per se, but the built-in flash will act as such if it is deployed. Even with the flash functioning for AF assist, the E-420 generally took about 2 seconds to acquire focus in dim conditions; once it acquires focus, subsequent shots at a similar range find focus coming much quicker. If you're able, try to manually focus the camera on your subject in dim conditions to get the lens in "the vicinity" before using AF to fine tune the focus (but make sure you've set the AF mode to one that permits auto and manual focus via internal menu or the Super Control Panel – AF only is the E-420 default value)."

All AF cameras require a certain level of light to "see" well enough to auto-focus.

Shoot, learn and share. It will make you a better photographer.
fineartamerica.com/profiles/john-g-schickler.html?tab=artwork

Photo Comments
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13 years 3 months ago #46608 by Todd Frederick
If the AF is the problem it is probably best to focus manually as the Canon photographer suggested. Practice that at home.


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13 years 2 months ago #67527 by Turbogirlie
Hi,

I have an E400 & have learned how to use it in low light conditions. I put it into Manual - it does autofocus but you have control over the settings. You can then adjust the ISO - the higher the ISO, the better the chance of taking the photo but you will lose definition - the image will become grainy (see image below - ISO 1600), you can also then tweak the aperture and the shutter speed.

Doesn't ALWAYS work, as it really does depend on what final image results you are looking for, but worth playing with.

Have fun experimenting - as Todd suggested, try practising at home.:thumbsup:

Luv Turbogirlie

xxx

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13 years 1 month ago - 13 years 1 month ago #81401 by Turbogirlie
Here's a photo taken inside a church. Due to the decoration, I didn't want to use flash as:- 1) the photo wouldn't look right, and 2) I was worried that the flash would affect the paintings etc. So, hand held (hence not brilliant focus) with slow shutter speed, achieved these.








Luv Turbogirlie

xxx

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The following user(s) said Thank You: Lynn Kennedy
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