Manual shutter speed on compact?

<taras.young.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the quick responses! I'm not really looking for many other
> features beyond the standard ones you'd expect on a middle-range
> compact as far as I can think - slow shutter speeds are the major thing
> because I'd like to do a lot more night/low-light photography, as I
> live in the middle of nowhere and we get some spectacular skies.
>
> One general question though - I always wondered why it wasn't possible
> to upgrade camera software, or perhaps even write custom software to
> add features like unlimited shutter speed, manual focus etc. Other than
> "most people don't want to be power-users", I can't really think of an
> excuse why not...
>
> I'll check out the cameras already suggested but do keep suggesting

One thing you can do without buying a new camera is to take multiple
7-second exposures and stack them together in Photoshop or other editing
software. You end up accumulating all the noise from the various
exposures, too, but that just adds to the 'character,' no?

See for instance: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/mile23/33589517/>

Also look for a camera with a 'bulb' setting, to which you can attach a
remote.
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

On 15 Jan 2007 13:07:12 -0800, taras.young.RemoveThis@gmail.com <taras.young.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> (Apologies in advance if this has been discussed, but I did a thorough
> search and couldn't turn up anything.)
>
> Does anyone know whether there is a digital compact on the market which
> allows manual shutter speed control, or at least a very slow shutter
> speed? My last compact was a gift (Pentax S50), but I found it
> frustrating that the maximum shutter speed time was 7 seconds.

Sure, a lot of the mid-range and above compct cameras have full manual
control, with shutter speeds maxing out in the 15-60 second range. Doing
a quick spot check, the Canon A630/A640 have manual control up to 15
seconds, the Panasonic LX2 does shutters as slow as 60 seconds. There
are plenty of other models that will do that; what other features are
you looking for?

-dms
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

Paul Mitchum wrote:

> One thing you can do without buying a new camera is to take multiple
> 7-second exposures and stack them together in Photoshop or other editing
> software. You end up accumulating all the noise from the various
> exposures, too, but that just adds to the 'character,' no?
>
> See for instance: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/mile23/33589517/>
>

That approach would also allow you to do image stabilization by
re-registering each frame, for instance to reduce motion blur on the
stars in that image.

It would also allow you to simulate higher dynamic range. Brighter
parts of the image might be properly exposed in the first image, whereas
darker parts, you stack on more exposures.

Offhand, I don't see why multiple exposures would result in more noise
than a single, longer exposure, but what do I know?
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

taras.young RemoveThis @gmail.com wrote:
> Does anyone know whether there is a digital compact on the market which
> allows manual shutter speed control, or at least a very slow shutter
> speed? My last compact was a gift (Pentax S50), but I found it
> frustrating that the maximum shutter speed time was 7 seconds.

Panasonic FX01 / FX07 although normally "all auto" has two special time
exposure modes: fixed 15, 30, or 60 secs ("starry sky" mode); also a "night
scenery" mode which extends the normal auto range to 8 seconds. Both modes
seem to use dark-frame subtraction (post-exposure processing time equals
the exposure time).
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

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 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

timeOday <timeOday-UNSPAM.DeleteThis@theknack.net> wrote:

> Paul Mitchum wrote:
>
> > One thing you can do without buying a new camera is to take multiple
> > 7-second exposures and stack them together in Photoshop or other editing
> > software. You end up accumulating all the noise from the various
> > exposures, too, but that just adds to the 'character,' no?
> >
> > See for instance: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/mile23/33589517/>
> >
>
> That approach would also allow you to do image stabilization by
> re-registering each frame, for instance to reduce motion blur on the
> stars in that image.

Well, if you wanted to, you could reregister the sky part per image
while leaving the ground alone, and end up with stationary stars. But
star trails were part of the exercise in that particular image.

And really: Correcting for star trails wouldn't exactly count as 'image
stabilization.'

> It would also allow you to simulate higher dynamic range. Brighter parts
> of the image might be properly exposed in the first image, whereas darker
> parts, you stack on more exposures.

That's the idea behind high dynamic range photography in multiple
exposures. But again, what I'm talking about doing is overcoming the
limitations of the camera by taking a number of images and adding them
together for a cumulative long exposure.

> Offhand, I don't see why multiple exposures would result in more noise
> than a single, longer exposure, but what do I know?

For the same reason that a single long exposure is more noisy than a
single short one: Noise accumulates over time. Plus most of the image
data will be way down close to the noise floor.
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

In article <1168895232.714573.42430.TakeThisOut@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups.com>,
taras.young.TakeThisOut@gmail.com wrote:

> (Apologies in advance if this has been discussed, but I did a thorough
> search and couldn't turn up anything.)
>
> Does anyone know whether there is a digital compact on the market which
> allows manual shutter speed control, or at least a very slow shutter
> speed? My last compact was a gift (Pentax S50), but I found it
> frustrating that the maximum shutter speed time was 7 seconds.

Finding a point & shoot camera with manual shutter speed selection
should be easy. My Sony DSC-W100 has manual shutter control and it even
has a bulb function to keep the shutter open as long as I want. Check
http:/www.dpreview.com to see what cameras are available that meet your
criteria.
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

<taras.young.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1168900524.756477.58260@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks for the quick responses! I'm not really looking for many other
> features beyond the standard ones you'd expect on a middle-range
> compact as far as I can think - slow shutter speeds are the major thing
> because I'd like to do a lot more night/low-light photography, as I
> live in the middle of nowhere and we get some spectacular skies.

With long exposure times you can have problems with digital sensors--hot
pixels start to show up that act normally with shorter exposures, and you
can get a sort of uneven "fogging" effect or wash as well over large parts
of the frame. This is why dark frame subtraction and various long exposure
noise reduction schemes are often incorporated into digicams. So just upping
the exposure time will often give very poor results unless you have software
that can contain the problems.

Toby
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:19:00 -0700, Bill Funk wrote:

> Arnold Schwarzenegger was at
> the Golden Globes Monday to
> give away the award for Best
> Motion Picture Drama. He's no
> newcomer to the winner's circle
> himself. The Consumer Electronics
> Show in Las Vegas once voted him
> most lifelike over Al Gore.

Good choice, given Ahnold's fondness for fondling globes. I
suppose that for Gore it would have been a chore.
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:00:43 -0500, ASAAR <caught.TakeThisOut@22.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:19:00 -0700, Bill Funk wrote:
>
>> Arnold Schwarzenegger was at
>> the Golden Globes Monday to
>> give away the award for Best
>> Motion Picture Drama. He's no
>> newcomer to the winner's circle
>> himself. The Consumer Electronics
>> Show in Las Vegas once voted him
>> most lifelike over Al Gore.
>
> Good choice, given Ahnold's fondness for fondling globes. I
>suppose that for Gore it would have been a chore.

Yes, but who will save the planet?
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact? 

On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 12:34:10 -0800, irwell wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:00:43 -0500, ASAAR <caught.TakeThisOut@22.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:19:00 -0700, Bill Funk wrote:
>>
>>> Arnold Schwarzenegger was at
>>> the Golden Globes Monday to
>>> give away the award for Best
>>> Motion Picture Drama. He's no
>>> newcomer to the winner's circle
>>> himself. The Consumer Electronics
>>> Show in Las Vegas once voted him
>>> most lifelike over Al Gore.
>>
>> Good choice, given Ahnold's fondness for fondling globes. I
>>suppose that for Gore it would have been a chore.
>
> Yes, but who will save the planet?

If you're counting on an elected official to save the planet then we're
doomed.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
 >> Stay informed about: Manual shutter speed on compact?