I have a Samsung S85 digital camera and i am struggling to take pictures at night.

I go onto night mode and it uses slow syncro, the thing is it takes ages capturing and processing the picture in night mode and the result is normally a blurred picture.

I can use the camera very well mainly and can take some good pictures but i really need some help with this night mode thing.

Also i've never really bothered taking macro shot's before, can anyone help me out with this as well?

Some help and advice would be much appreciated, thank you.

The pictures are blurry because the shutter is open for longer. As far as I know the only way to stop this is to get yourself a tripod. Something like a gorillapod might be idea? :)

i got a nice and cheap tripod from Argos. I think it was like £10'ish and has a removable mounting plate, so it goes hand held to tripod in seconds.
http://photos-025.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v265/114/25/551878025/n551878025_649821_9211.jpg

The brand is STAR42 , yeh i know maybe the best thing in the world but it does the job.

i got a nice and cheap tripod from Argos. I think it was like £10'ish and has a removable mounting plate, so it goes hand held to tripod in seconds.
http://photos-025.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v265/114/25/551878025/n551878025_649821_9211.jpg

The brand is STAR42 , yeh i know maybe the best thing in the world but it does the job.

Might be a bit overkill for a point and shoot camera :)

The pictures are blurry because the shutter is open for longer. As far as I know the only way to stop this is to get yourself a tripod. Something like a gorillapod might be idea? :)

I've just goggled gorillapod and WOW :o:o:o:o

http://www.joby.com/images/gorillapod-family.jpg

it reminds me of a thing from Aliens :hihi: , no joke gonna ebay for one right now :love:

I've just goggled gorillapod and WOW :o:o:o:o

http://www.joby.com/images/gorillapod-family.jpg

it reminds me of a thing from Aliens :hihi: , no joke gonna ebay for one right now :love:

Mine is useful in some situations. It's no replacement for a proper tripod though.

I can't decide whether to buy my 100-300mm lens, or a tripod.

Thinking I might buy the 100-300mm lens, and get a tripod in NZ. Then send it back with my missus in her baggage! :)

I <3 my gorillapod :)

Might be a bit overkill for a point and shoot camera :)

Not if it's needed. LIke others have said, it being dark the shutter speed is slow to capture more light, that means blur unless you use a tripod or beanbag or something like that.

Even with a tripod you still have to take great care to avoid camera shake at night time exposures lengths. It's the moment you press the shutter that is the worst time - your finger is applying pressure to the shutter and then moves off - not necessarily straight up but usually with a small sideways tug as well. The tripod must be rigid and standing on something good and solid. For best results you should use either some sort of cable release or timed shutter release if your camera supports it.

No - your tripod is not overkill - don't even think about hand holding at night unless your camera can manage ISO1600 and you have a F1.4 lens handy!.

Why does it take 30 seconds to take a picture on night mode? just tried it again, seems weird, it's very frustrating waiting that long.

So far i haven't managed to take one decent picture in the dark.

Also can someone help me out with macro mode, why is it when i put the camera on macro mode and take a picture of something it just comes out like a normal picture?

many people think a tripod = professional
(I certainly get stares when I get mine out espcially when my baby kodak goes on top)

but its just the best way to keep my cameras steady.

Its only a cheap one. But an essential piece of kit, as a flash just doesnt do it for me and generally i go AGH to flash.

Why does it take 30 seconds to take a picture on night mode? just tried it again, seems weird, it's very frustrating waiting that long.

So far i haven't managed to take one decent picture in the dark.

Also can someone help me out with macro mode, why is it when i put the camera on macro mode and take a picture of something it just comes out like a normal picture?

its just saying that because it is so dark it takes 30 seconds for the camera to get enough light to record an image.

Its why it would still be blurry, because not very much stays still for 30 seconds...

But makes for some interesting images.

Why does it take 30 seconds to take a picture on night mode? ...

Er... coz it's dark at night?

Try taking a pic in 'day mode' at night and see what happens. My guess is it will take even longer because, in night mode, the camera expects everything to be dark and exposes accordingly. In day mode it would expect it everything to be light and try to over-expose to make it so in the pic.

Er... coz it's dark at night?

Well other cameras i have had never done what this camera did and i could take pictures ok at night, now i seem to be having some problems.

Post some and let's have a look.

Ok will do, asap.

Sometimes using self-timer can help reduce vibrations as you're not pressing button on camera.

Camera manual here :

http://www.samsungcamera.com/common/manual_down.asp?prj_uid=649&fg_lang=EN&fg_site=COM

Maybe the ASR setting would be worth a try too ?

Think you'd love a Gorillapod with your S85. G'pods are great but only hold a certain weight of lens/camera and if you havent got something tall to stick it on you get a lower angle sometimes than you'd really want.

But then again you can stick them on just about anything

http://www.joby.com/gallery/gorillapod/original/

and that can actually be good and make for new angles you wouldnt usually use :)

By the way, Amazon can sometimes be cheaper for G'pods than ebay and elsewhere :)

I'll keep my Gitzo 1325 and Wimberley II for my SLR + 500mm though :P

I started out with a cheap Hama Star tripod from Argos for my night shots, they really do make all the difference, as well as setting the 2-3 second delay on the shot so you don't wobble it.

I started out with a cheap Hama Star tripod from Argos for my night shots, they really do make all the difference, as well as setting the 2-3 second delay on the shot so you don't wobble it.

i tend to set the timer to take night shots, gives the tripid time to settle after you press buttons.

It's amazing how much difference you get by setting the timer. Even if you don't notice any wobble the camera picks it up. I got a remote for my 350D as it only has a 12 second timer.