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"subject is too dark"


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5 replies to this topic

#1
NOkinG

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Hi guys, i am using NIKON D5100 and when i set Shutter mode 1/1000 and Aperture mode f8. settings are ISO 320, exposure compensation set 0.0, Matrix metering, AF-Area mode single point. taking pictures either inside my house or outside on a day light ... i get this warning on the live-view screen "Subject is too dark". While on shutter mode if i set it around 1/25-1/10 that's where the warning disappears. But i was trying to taking a picture of a moving object and i did not want to get the motion of the object into the picture, i wanted it to be still. mostly i was getting blurry dark images. So what am i doing wrong?



#2
Ron

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Try setting your camera to AUTO ISO.

 

--Ron



#3
Merco_61

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Don't be afraid of cranking the ISO up. Some noise that can be treated in post without losing detail is better than blur because of subject movement. How fast is the object moving? 1/1000 is really short. We all have different thresholds for when noise levels become intolerable, but I wouldn't hesitate to use ISO 6400 on a D5100 to get the photo. Dfine works really well with the noise characteristics of the 16 MP sensor.

 

Try shooting in Aperture (A) mode with AutoISO. Set the aperture to what you want to get the DOF you need, AutoISO to range between the lowest calibrated ISO the body has and 6400 and the threshold shutter speed to whatever you need to freeze the action. This is set and forget for sports and birds etc.



#4
NOkinG

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thank you guys!
So i've tried setting the ISO on Auto, I also tried higher ISO, the "object" was my niece, she was moving a lot with her leg and that was causing the blurry result, I did not want to have the movement of her leg in the photo. This time I used one of her toys (the toy was some colored spinning wheel) to practice and see what would work in terms of settings. So on shutter mode i tried 1/1000 as well as 1/4000 and i got the shot i needed while the wheel was spinning, i got this "frozen" moment like the wheel was still and not in motion. but i had to point i light directly at the wheel so i don't get "subject is too dark". I could use the flash while taking photos of my niece but she is just 4 months old.



#5
leighgion

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What you were doing originally is trying to defy optical physics. 

 

Photography is essentially about getting enough light, and your original settings were much more suited to being outdoors on a sunny day. They were never going to get you a good exposure indoors unless you were under hot studio lights. Based on the numbers you gave, if 1/25th of a sec cleared the low light warning, then you needed roughly five times more light than your choice of settings (with 1/1000th shutter) was going to get you. Pushing your ISO to 6400 would just about make up the difference but, no matter how much you want to freeze motion, you really should consider either opening up from f/8 a little or easing up on insisting an a 1/1000th shutter speed or you'll very easily find yourself in lighting situations were it's impossible to get a shot again. 



#6
NOkinG

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What you were doing originally is trying to defy optical physics. 

 

Photography is essentially about getting enough light, and your original settings were much more suited to being outdoors on a sunny day. They were never going to get you a good exposure indoors unless you were under hot studio lights. Based on the numbers you gave, if 1/25th of a sec cleared the low light warning, then you needed roughly five times more light than your choice of settings (with 1/1000th shutter) was going to get you. Pushing your ISO to 6400 would just about make up the difference but, no matter how much you want to freeze motion, you really should consider either opening up from f/8 a little or easing up on insisting an a 1/1000th shutter speed or you'll very easily find yourself in lighting situations were it's impossible to get a shot again. 

I see now, I can't thank you enough for clearing this up.