Dark Digital Photography

About a year ago my company purchased a Sony DSC-F1 camera for me.  For the last year I've taken it almost everywhere.  A also personally own a Canon ELPH APS camera (not digital).  Usually I carry both cameras.  I use the Canon for outdoor pictures and the Sony for indoor pictures.  Specifically because with the Sony, I don't need a flash to take a picture and also, since I don't have to look through a viewfinder, I can take pictures inside stores and malls without anybody knowing I'm taking a picture.  (Usually if you try to take a picture in a store you are told to stop and desist.)

I also like using it to take pictures of friends because they often don't know I'm taking a picture and so I can get candid shots.

When I left that job, I decided I wanted a digital camera of my own since I would have to give up the DSC-F1.  A year has passed since I got that camera and many newer cameras have come out.  I read all the reviews I could find and settled on the Kodak DC210.  I tried it outdoors, took a picture of my car and a few other things.   It was great.  The pictures were clear and I loved that I could get the pictures almost instantly by inserting the CompactFlash card in the PCMCIA adapter for my notebook.

Then, one day about 2 weeks after I got the camera I went to Disneyland.  I brought the camera and I took pictures inside the Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World and Alice in Wonderland.  When I got home and pulled the images off almost non of them came out.  It was also frustrating taking the pictures because the DC210 doesn't remember your settings.  Every time you turn the camera on you have to wait a few seconds for it to warm up and then you have the press the flash mode button 4 times to turn the flash off.  (Remember, you can't take flash pictures inside a ride at Disneyland). The Sony has a manual flash, so by default it's off.

Well, after that I sent the Kodak back.  I thought it was a great camera but it didn't do what I needed it to do.  What I did most often with my previous digital camera.

I'm curious what other cameras will do.  I tried the Epson PhotoPC 600.  It tried taking a picture in my office with the blinds closed and no lights.  The Sony still took a reasonable picture.  The Epson wouldn't even take the picture.  It claimed there was nothing to take a picture of.

So, now I have my own Sony DSC-F1.  I took it to Disneyland the other day to show it off.  You'll see that many of the images are dark and or have a red tint the darker they get.  That's fine with me, at least it took a picture.  Note: non of the pictures below have been enhanced in any way.

Click on any picture for a larger version.



Inside It's a Small World

Outside It's a Small World


Inside Alice in Wonderland

Outside Alice in Wonderland

Inside Indiana Jones


Pictures of the new Tomarrowland

A cool old Disney ride poster

The banner for the new Tomarrowland Exhibit and the Art Gallery above Pirates of the Caribbean

The Rivers of America


Inside Pirates of the Caribbean

Inside the Haunted Mansion

It's me riding with a ghost.

Inside Star Tours

The Disneyland Hotel

Here's a page with a few photo's from the Kodak DC210 in the same situations. (click here)

 

 
All images not copyright me copyright their respective companies. Everything else copyright me.
Comments:

It's not the problem of the camera [ e ]

Normally if you want to take a picture in a dark place, you have to turn off the flash and use a tripod. Longer exposure time won't be a problem. Actually under this circumstance, it's what a normally functioned camera should do.

Or you can adjust the ISO value to a higher one, like 400 or 800. Still it will not solve the problem completely (In a relatively dark place you still need a tripod).

As for the user interface, Kodak is really not designed well.

Anyway, your photos are really great. I always thought they were taken with an SLR camera. Good job!

Clint in L.A.

posted by anon_ClintJanuary 30, 2003 at 23:05

It *is* a problem of the camera [ e ]

With regular film, yes, you need a tripod and a long exposure time.  Digital Camreras don't use film though.  They can use any sensor in existance.  There are sensors that will take pictures in complete darkness including in color.

My point above was basically that the sensors in the Sony cameras (at the time) do a better job than the sensors in the Kodak cameras (at the time).  So, given my old Sony DSC-F1 I almost never needed to use the flash to get a picture.  On the Kodak camera (and Epson) at the time they would just not take pictures in the dark.

It's also possible the software in those cameras was just bad, checking the sensors, getting a low reading and refusing the even save the image (espon) or not taking multiple readings and adding them up (some cameras do that) or it could be both bad software and poor sensors.

The main point I want to make though since digital cameras are not stuck with the limits of film, if there were two cameras on the market that had all the same features except one would take good pictures in the dark and one would not I'd buy the one that could.  My hope is digital camera reviews will point out which cameras do a better job in the dark, people will buy those cameras and therefore manufactures will put effort into making the cameras do that better and better until we have cameras that will take nearly perfect pictures in the dark.

posted by greggmanJanuary 31, 2003 at 2:55

[ e ]

I am from Malta and our Sony Agent here are only to sell products then as if they dont exist no more, I have a DSC-f1 and the first problem was the Battery, I had to buy from the UK for the agent here in Malta dont have it, 2nd problem the connecting wire dont have either, and I cant find it on the net, so please HELP....

posted by CamenzuliFreddieOctober 7, 2003 at 9:10

DIGITAL STILL CAMERA SONY DSC-F1 [ e ]

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A SONY DSC-F1 CAMERA BUT THE MEMORY WAS FULL! PLEASE CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO DELETE THE MEMORY PLEASE REPLY SOON THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by CONFUSEDPERSONMarch 22, 2004 at 10:09

[ e ]

ALSO CAN SUM1 PLEASE TELL ME WHAT VIDEO OUT MEANS ON THE CAMERA THANKYOU

posted by CONFUSEDPERSONMarch 22, 2004 at 10:11

video out [ e ]

is a socket that lets you connect the camera to your TV to view the pictures.  You need a mini <-> RCA cable.

As for instructions it looks like there is a manual here

http://www.cybershotcentral.
com/drivers.php?Model=DSC-F1

posted by greggmanMarch 22, 2004 at 20:51

[ e ]

I have a Kodak CX4300.  It's a great camera, but I'm struggling with making good pics in the dark.  The light is great but if there's any motion at all in the shot, the subjects moving turn out blurry.  A good example is from this past Easter weekend when I took shots of our drama team on stage.  The stage lights were bright enough to give the picture good light.  The actors however were really blurry, even though the background was sharp as a tack.  I'm wondering if my camera's shutter speed is just too slow, or if my EV compensation wasn't right.  Any advice for taking better pics in the dark is certainly welcome.

posted by JohnnyinMonroeApril 11, 2004 at 20:09