Night Photography
I went for a walk on a very chilly night tonight with my camera and tripod. Mainly because my holiday To Do list had "use new tripod more" on it.
Tonight was mainly about making myself take photos at night and become more comfortable with the process of deploying tripod, adjusting the settings and not being scared about muggers. Thus, it was a successful mission. I kept to only well lit streets though, and not only for exposure reasons. I theorised that staying in crowded areas would make me safer, but that didn't stop me from regarding with steely suspicion everyone I crossed paths with. I realised later that these were the same people I was expecting to protect me if I needed it, so later when I was waiting at a crossing I gave a head nod to a guy on a bicycle who pulled up beside me.
I also remembered that if I was mugged while night shooting, my tripod is solid but also lightweight and if wielded with the illusion of competence might be a deterrent.
Besides experience, all I ended up with was some clichéd North Adelaide photos. And - see if you can spot it - a thumbs up from a bored bus driver.
Comments
what camera and lenses do you have?
A Canon 500D, these were taken with the kit lens but a lot of my other shots are taken with a Canon f1.8 50mm Prime
Why do you ask? Thinking of buying a DSLR?
Yeah, I leave for half a year in Europe mid August so am looking to pick one up before going. I've been told to try buy second hand, though if i buy one new within 30 days of leaving I can get it gst free. I want to spend about $1000-$1300.
The 550D came out a few months ago which pushed the price of the 500D right down. It's a really good newbie DSLR, lets you do all the pro stuff without a few of the expensive things - full frame sensor, full weather proofing. I think you'd be able to get the 500D with the twin lens kit for around $1300 new, or for about $1100 without the long lens which would be a bit annoying to carry around if you weren't going to use it.
If you're happy with a second hand camera you might as well grey-market a new 500D. You can get one from Hong Kong with the kit lens and an SD card for < $800 including shipping.
It really depends on what you want to do with the camera before you decide which one to get, so do your research and go to Harvey Norman and ask them to let you play with some. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.