Well, Christmas was only a few days past, and I still have the spirit. This is a shot of my neighbor's house across the street from us. I am not unhappy with this capture, considering the only available light source came from the subject. Thanks for looking.

Tony

[eaglem]

I take it you had this on manual setting to get the settings shown in the exif data. With night shots it pays to put your camera on a tripod remembering to turn off the anti-shake in your menu. Set your camera to "Bulb" so you can extend the shutter time while having a good DOF setting through your aperture, ie F8 to F11. I would suggest trying 20 to 30 seconds with the shutter open but you can experiment with timing. In general I'd use a cable shutter switch or remote to take shots so you don't accidently shake the camera while pressing the shutter button. Hope this helps. BTW it was a damn good effort.

[forest_bear59]

I also strongly recommend the usage of a tripod. Night scenes have almost always a very high contrast, so usage of raw image data can help. Even then contrast may be too high. I have tried the HDR function of my K-01 (exposure compensation -2 to -3) with success.

Give it a try. It's surprisingly good.

[slowpez]

I can't add anything to what has been said but emphasize the use of a tripod.

[interested_observer]

Good Morning,

Actually, for a first night attempt with a K100 this was pretty good!!!! The K100 does not have the light sensitivity of the newer sensors, but since it's a CCD - and it's very capable of some wonderful colors, even at night. A couple of suggestions to try.

• 1/125 sec is pretty short. I would go into (M)anual mode and try extending the shutter time - 1 sec, 2 sec, etc. The film is free - just go out and give it a try, setting the camera on something solid if you don't have a tripod. Another suggestion is a bag of rice, beans or whatever. Also, craigslist is a good source for tripods. Folks use them once, toss them into a closet, find them years later and want to move them to someone else's closet for $20.
• You can also extend your shutter speed to beyond 30 seconds by using (B)ulb mode. With a wired external shutter release you can extend the shutter time to minutes.
• Remote Shutter Release for Pentax K20D, K200D, K10D, and K100D Cameras - BestBatt.com
• Another item is the aperture - f4 yes, does let in more light, but it limits your depth of field. Since the house is not moving (no California earthquake?) try stopping down to f8. It does let in substantially less light, but by cranking up the shutter time to 10, 15, 20 seconds, you have the luxury of mitigating that by just extending the period that the shutter is open.
• I see you were using Spot mode. At night it probably does not matter that much, but one of the other averaging modes would evaluate the entire frame to varying extents, rather than a single spot in the middle of the frame. It will probably help a bit.

[gifthorse]

I can't add anything to all the excellent advice already given so I'll just say "Welcome to the Dark Side!"

[Tonytee]

I can't add anything to all the excellent advice already given so I'll just say "Welcome to the Dark Side!"

Well, I certainly wish to thank everyone for all the wonderful advice and suggestions. I wanted to see how well the Pentax k100d Super could handle night photography. My friends advised me to never sell the camera because of the excellent quality of the CCD sensor. Everyone is correct regarding the use of a tripod. I do have a good quality tripod, but truth be known, since retiring a few years ago, I now have the energy level of a spoiled clam. I'm thinking of posting the other three or four photos of the same house, just for ha, ha's. They do in fact appear to have been taken during a California earthquake. On this photo of my neighbor's house, I did cheat a little, I used the light emanating from a lamp post which cast some warm rays (Kelvin) on the right side of the house. Alrighty then, many thanks for everyone's input.

Regards,
Tony

[interested_observer]

... but truth be known, since retiring a few years ago, I now have the energy level of a spoiled clam.

Tony - don't tell me that. I am several months away from retiring. Still recovering from surgery 4+ weeks ago, and have done really nothing this last week and a half off for the holidays - other than sleep, eat and surf the web.

[Tonytee]

Tony - don't tell me that. I am several months away from retiring. Still recovering from surgery 4+ weeks ago, and have done really nothing this last week and a half off for the holidays - other than sleep, eat and surf the web.

Well sir, I certainly wish you a speedy recovery. I have had 5 back surgeries since 1999, ( a day that will live in infamy),
and I have had to give up competitive ten pin bowling, golf, racquetball and tennis. So, photography has been my main passion since 1975, however now I cannot walk very far, or stand in one place very long. Ravages of time. Happy New Year,

Tonytee

[Sagitta]

I actually tend to shoot hand-held for night shots. A tripod is tremendously useful, but if youre just walking the neighborhood and taking shots at random, it can be a nuisance.

If I'm hand-holding nights hots, my method can vary depending on what I'm shooting, but it usually involves NOT setting myself for manual exposure if the lens has an 'A' setting (as your shot can vary depending on what youre shooting). I tend to crank my ISO as high as doable without hitting bad grain, lowering my AV to -1 to -3 (depending on the lighting involved). This of course all requires a wide-ish, fast lens, because anything much past f/2 to f/2.8 is going to force the ISO so high you may as well not bother (at which point its tripod time).

If you're rolling with a tripod, make sure the shake reduction is off (I use a remote with mirror-up or the LCD, both of which force the mirror open anyway) and go into manual mode. The sheer use of a tripod slows things down enough that its a whole 'nother game than if you're handholding. This is also where spot-metering comes in handy, as you can meter off the brightest portion of the scene and adjust from there if the exposure is off.

[Tonytee]

I actually tend to shoot hand-held for night shots. A tripod is tremendously useful, but if youre just walking the neighborhood and taking shots at random, it can be a nuisance.

If I'm hand-holding nights hots, my method can vary depending on what I'm shooting, but it usually involves NOT setting myself for manual exposure if the lens has an 'A' setting (as your shot can vary depending on what youre shooting). I tend to crank my ISO as high as doable without hitting bad grain, lowering my AV to -1 to -3 (depending on the lighting involved). This of course all requires a wide-ish, fast lens, because anything much past f/2 to f/2.8 is going to force the ISO so high you may as well not bother (at which point its tripod time).

If you're rolling with a tripod, make sure the shake reduction is off (I use a remote with mirror-up or the LCD, both of which force the mirror open anyway) and go into manual mode. The sheer use of a tripod slows things down enough that its a whole 'nother game than if you're handholding. This is also where spot-metering comes in handy, as you can meter off the brightest portion of the scene and adjust from there if the exposure is off.

I intentionally left the shake, rattle and roll reduction on thinking I wouldn't need more than a split second to complete the shot. I was leaning up against the edge of my garage door for some support, however use of a tripod with the shake, rattle and roll reduction off would have been more rewarding. I will try again soon before the New Year.
Thanks very much for your input.

Tony

[aleonx3]

..My friends advised me to never sell the camera because of the excellent quality of the CCD sensor. y

Sensor technology has advanced quite a bit in the last few years alone....unfortunately, CCD sensor technology has given ways to CMOS sensor technology which could only be better with each upgrade. Yes, CCD fairs better than CMOS but only if you compare both in the same era. I wouldn't hold too much to it... in fact, all modern day CMOS sensors of different sizes are good.

Back to your original topic; I couldn't quite get what you are trying to accomplish on "night photography" so I can not make any suggestions.

[Tonytee]

Sensor technology has advanced quite a bit in the last few years alone....unfortunately, CCD sensor technology has given ways to CMOS sensor technology which could only be better with each upgrade. Yes, CCD fairs better than CMOS but only if you compare both in the same era. I wouldn't hold too much to it... in fact, all modern day CMOS sensors of different sizes are good.

Back to your original topic; I couldn't quite get what you are trying to accomplish on "night photography" so I can not make any suggestions.

I understand what you are saying and it is a valid statement. What I am trying to accomplish is to be a skilled night scene photographer. As I stated in my section heading, this is my first attempt at shooting in the dark. So, now with the wealth of information that has been so generously offered, I do feel encouraged and excited about becoming adept with this new venture of mine. I understand what you mean about the differences between the sensors. The Pentax k100d Super is intended to be my bridge into digital photography. Up until a few moments ago, I was checking out the reviews in PF regarding the K-50. Appears to be a stellar performer, so I will continue to research it further. Thanks again for your input, very much appreciated.

Regards,

Tony

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

K-50 for night photography is a great option, I take night landscapes all the time with mine, and at the price it's well worth it. As for the k100d super settings... I don't know what limits you have available, but I'd try a 3s exposure at ISO 800 with an aperture of about 3.5 if available on that lens (better if 2.8 or wider is available). The fastest I'd use for a shutter speed would be about 1/40, but you'd have to boost iso or widen aperture even more.

[Tonytee]

K-50 for night photography is a great option, I take night landscapes all the time with mine, and at the price it's well worth it. As for the k100d super settings... I don't know what limits you have available, but I'd try a 3s exposure at ISO 800 with an aperture of about 3.5 if available on that lens (better if 2.8 or wider is available). The fastest I'd use for a shutter speed would be about 1/40, but you'd have to boost iso or widen aperture even more.

The sensitivity range for ISO is: 200 to 3200. The lens is a 1:3~5.6. So it seems I will be in good shape in the future. You said you take night landscape shots. I imagine you must wait until the moonlight is just ideal. Is that correct?
Thanks again for your input.

Tony