night time shots w/ cannon G9

[Ogal]

First off, I don't know much about photography. I'm creative, but not technical. SO please understand that & be patient. I have a Cannon G9. I am going to Paris I in Jan. & I want to be able to take a sharp pic of the Eiffel Tower at night, lit up at a distance. Is it possible? I won't have a tripod with me. I know there is a night time mode on the camera. Will that be enough? I haven't been able to get clear shots using it yet, here at home. I usually keep it on auto. I have been trying out the different modes. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... I won't have a tripod with me...

In absence of a tripod, you will HAVE TO find something to rest the camera on during exposure. The cause of blurry pictures in low light are unsteady hands (i..e, hand shake). A table, any kind of pedestal, or any flat surface would do. If you need to tilt the camera a bit, you'll need to put something under the lens... a book, a folded piece of clothing, or similar.

And of course, you will have to use a self-timer, as pressing the shutter button with your finger would cause blur-inducing camera shake. Also, use a low ISO (e.g. 100, or even 80 if G9 has it) to minimize noise. Turn the Image Stabilizer on (IS Mode).

If you are going to use SCENE modes, there are two (at least on my G10): Night Scene and Night Snapshot, and I suggest you use the Night Scene. Night Snapshot would result in more noise, since the camera will automatically use a higher ISO than in the Night Scene mode.

[DarkPenguin]

Got enough space to carry a gorilla pod?  You can probably get away with the lighter one.  But you'll need to rest the camera on something.

[wolfnowl]

Or a bean bag.  Take it empty and fill it with dried peas or rice or something when you get there.  It does assume you have a table or something to set it on.

Mike.

[HiltonP]

. . . I usually keep it on auto . . .

That might be a stumbling block. If left on AUTO the camera will try and compensate for the lack of light, and make its own adjustments w.r.t. ISO, aperture, and such, regardless of what settings you choose. Get off AUTO mode and into Av or Tv modes, preferably the latter for a longer exposure night photo (2sec or more).

[Paul Sumi]

Don't know how light you're traveling, but a little table top tripod like this should fit in your luggage:

http://www.rei.com/product/777250

[cn15]

I went to Paris recently and took some pics of the Eiffel Tower at night with the Canon 40D/24-105mm.  I didn't have a tripod but managed to prop the camera up with my backpack, water bottle, lens cap and a Paris tourist map.  This is where the Live View feature is very handy for framing the shot since the camera was sitting next the ground and it would be very hard to look thru the viewfinder.  Initially, I shot some pics in P mode, then aperture priority but none gave good results.  After some trial-and-error shots, manual mode was the best and easiest.  Manual focus, f10 for maximum sharpness, 10 sec exposure, lowest ISO to minimize noise (100), timer exposure to reduce camera shake.  The light meter was not very useful in this case and I had to take several shots with different exposure times before getting the desired exposure.  Try to find a dark spot with no nearby street lamps that can glare or fog your shots.  This is easier said than done in real life since the areas near the Eiffel tower are well lit at night.

I also have the G9 but have not tried taking a night shot with it yet, but I am quite sure that it is capable.  Be sure to try out your G9 during the day to familiarize yourself with the buttons so that you don't have to fumble around in the dark adjusting the various settings.   I suspect that you will have to shoot in manual mode for best results.   Good luck and have fun.
Chuong

[jasonrandolph]

I took a night shot this past weekend with my G9 handheld, set to ISO 400, Aperture Priority, f/2.8 and 1/10 sec.  It took a little manipulation in LR2 to reduce noise and recover blown highlights, but it's okay.  While the shot will certainly not make a decent print, for internet purposes it's more than sufficient.  If you want to make a good print, IMHO it's simply not possible with the G9, especially without a tripod.  By the way, I'll post the image after I get home from work in case you are interested.