A tripod is my most valuable photo accessory. In fact, I view it as an essential item, and not an accessory. But sometimes using one is just not practical. Sometimes you get caught without it unexpectedly, and sometimes they even break. It’s good to know what to do in these situations so you don’t miss any photo opportunities. If you don’t have your tripod with you, or you’re trying to make do without one, you still have some options for low-light photography. If you want to handhold your camera in low light, you’ll have to work with a wide aperture, a high ISO, or both. Often landscape photographers want to use a small aperture such as f/18 to get maximum depth of field, but that isn’t practical for low light situations. Instead, use your camera’s widest aperture (the smallest f number) and focus on the most important feature in the frame. Most standard kit lenses don’t perform very well in the dark, so if you do a lot of this type of photography, consider picking up a simple 50mm f/1.8 lens;

nearly every brand has a cheap one and they’re well worth it for their sharpness and low-light capability. The maximum aperture of f/1.8 is a full 3.5 stops (lets in 12x more light!) wider than a standard 18-55mm kit lens at the same focal length. The rule of thumb for shutter speed is that if you want a sharp image, the shutter speed should be no slower than the same fraction as your focal length – that is, if you’re using a 50mm lens, set your shutter speed to 1/50 second. However, if your lens has image stabilization, the shutter value can be two or three stops slower than this. This leeway makes a big difference in low light situations. In low light photography, learning the proper stance and camera holding technique can give you even more leeway when it comes to preventing camera shake. It’s all about stability – plant your feet firmly, about shoulder width apart. With your right hand on the shutter button, hold the lens with your left hand, to steady it. Tuck your elbows tightly into your chest and control your breathing, shooting after you exhale whenever possible.

All these things will contribute to your own stillness, minimizing handshake blur. ISO refers to the level of light sensitivity of your camera. The higher the ISO the more sensitive the sensor is to light, therefore the less light is needed to make a good exposure. The downside is that the higher the ISO, the more “noise” you will find in your image. Carpet Cleaners Rental WalmartNoise is a grainy look as opposed to a smooth look. Metal Repair Clips For Vertical BlindsSome noise is okay and it can often be removed in post processing.Replacing Headlight Bulb 2012 Dodge Charger When photographing in low light, turn your ISO up as high as you can before the image quality gets too noisy. This setting is different on every camera and an acceptable amount of noise is different for every photographer.

I recommend that you do an exercise so you know the maximum ISO for your camera, that results in a noise level you think is acceptable. Take the same shot at a number of different ISO settings and when you view the photos on your computer later (view at 100% size or 1:1), you will see at what point image quality begins to deteriorate. With today’s cameras this point is probably higher than you might think. Often with ISO 800 or 1600 you will see some noise, but not so much that you can’t fix it in post processing. It’s a good idea to try this exercise both in good light, and low light situations. Noise is not necessarily a bad thing and can be used for creative purposes. If you are using a very high ISO, try shooting in black and white – it removes the colour from the noise and instead gives your photos an old-school grainy look. Some of the most beautiful landscape photographs are made in low light, so learning these techniques will help you take advantage of low light opportunities and get that great shot even when you don’t have a tripod.

Further reading on low-light photography: Front Screen EVF View Pop Up Flash EVF View Back Tilted High View Back Tilted Low View 20.1 MP 1" Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor BIONZ X Image Processor Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log2 Gamma Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f/1.8-2.8 Lens 2359k-Dot OLED Tru-Finder Pop-Up EVF 3.0" 1229k-Dot Multi-Angle Xtra Fine LCD Slow Motion Video at 960 fps Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC ISO 12800 and 16 fps Continuous Shooting Save Up to $20.00 trade in your gear for cash The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Digital Camera is a versatile and advanced point-and-shoot featuring a large 20.1-megapixel 1" Exmor RS CMOS sensor to produce high-resolution still imagery and 4K video. This sensor's construction utilizes a stacked backside-illuminated design to improve clarity and image quality when working in dimly-lit conditions as well as to increase its sensitivity to a native ISO 12,800. By completely placing the camera's photodiodes over the sensor's processing structure, the light-gathering ability of the Exmor RS CMOS sensor is further improved over previous backside-illuminated devices and faster image processing capabilities are added as well.

16 fps of continuous shooting is made possible as well as UHD 4K movie recording with the option of Super Slow Motion frame rates of up to 960 fps. Also benefitting the performance of this sensor is the BIONZ X image processor, which helps to produce images with smooth quality and tonal gradations. To make ultra-high definition video captures convenient, short 4K clips of up to five minutes can be recorded with no line skipping or pixel binning as well as with minimal moiré and visual aliasing. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Digital Camera is NTSC and PAL switchable, while utilizing the XAVC S format to maximize high-bitrate shooting up to 100 Mbps for professional-quality video. When recording, creative potential is further extended with the ability to capture Super Slow Motion High Frame Rate movies at up to 40x slower than real time. These slow motion clips are recorded at 960 fps, 480 fps, or 240 fps and can then be played back at 1920 x 1080, in 60p, 30p, or 24p, when the camera is set to NTSC.

For PAL, slow motion clips are recorded at 1000 fps, 500 fps, or 250 fps and can then be played back at 1920 x 1080, in either 50p or 25p. While recording at video resolutions lower than 4K, such as Full HD 1920 x 1080p, video clips up to 29 minutes in length can be saved. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Digital Camera's enhanced Exmor RS CMOS sensor also helps to supplement the camera's top mechanical shutter speed of 1/2,000. It does so by enabling electronic shutter speeds of up to 1/32,000 second which minimizes distortion caused by "rolling shutter" which can become apparent when shooting fast moving subjects. Additionally, this high-speed shutter provides the ability to shoot photos with defocused backgrounds even while using large aperture settings under very bright lighting conditions. This is achieved by a combination of the 1/32,000 second electronic shutter speed and a built-in, three-stop ND filter that allows photos to be shot under extremely bright light at a maximum of EV19 with a fully open aperture setting.

The built-in Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 2.9x zoom lens provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 24-70mm, covering wide-angle to portrait-length perspectives to suit working in a wide variety of environments. An f/1.8-2.8 maximum aperture benefits working in low lighting and controlling focus throughout the zoom range. Optical SteadyShot image stabilization is also available to help minimize the appearance of camera shake when working in dimly-lit conditions and with greater zoom magnifications. The lens also features a Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating, which helps to reduce surface reflections, lens flare, and ghosting in order to produce imagery that is rich in contrast and clarity. Complementing the imaging capabilities of the RX100 IV is a sleek body design featuring both an electronic viewfinder and an LCD screen. The 0.39" 2,359k-dot SVGA OLED Tru-Finder has provides a bright, clear means for eye-level viewing. It features a unique pop-up mechanism that helps to maintain the compact form factor of the camera when carrying or if preferring to work with the rear screen.

The 3.0" 1,229k-dot Xtra Fine LCD incorporates WhiteMagic technology for easier visibility in bright conditions and its tilting design permits greater usability from high, low, and front-facing angles. Furthermore, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC allows instant image sharing to, as well as remote camera control and monitoring from, linked mobile devices. NP-BX1/M8 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1240mAh) Actual: 21.0 MegapixelEffective: 20.1 Megapixel 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Still Images: JPEG, RAWMovies: AVCHD Ver. 2.0, MP4, XAVC SAudio: AAC LC, AC3, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM (Stereo) 20 MP: 5472 x 3648 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar, 10 elements in 9 groups9 AsphericalEFL: 8.8-25.7mm (35 mm equivalent: 24-70mm)Aperture: f/1.8 (W) - 2.8 (T) Optical: 2.9xClear Image Zoom: 5.8xDigital: 11x Wide: 1.97" (5 cm) - InfinityTelephoto: 11.81" (30 cm) - Infinity Auto, 125-12800 (Extended Mode: 80-12800) Type: MechanicalSpeed: 4 - 1/2000 second in  Auto ModeType: MechanicalSpeed: 30 - 1/2000 second in  Program ModeType: MechanicalSpeed: 30 - 1/2000 second in  Manual Mode30 - 1/2000 second in  Aperture Priority ModeType: MechanicalSpeed: 30 - 1/2000 second in  Shutter Priority ModeType: ElectronicSpeed: 4 - 1/32000 second in  Auto ModeType: ElectronicSpeed: 30 - 1/32000 second in  Bulb ModeType: ElectronicSpeed: 30 - 1/32000 second in  Program ModeType

: ElectronicSpeed: 30 - 1/32000 second in  Aperture Priority ModeType: ElectronicSpeed: 30 - 1/32000 second in  Shutter Priority Mode Modes: Aperture Priority, Intelligent Auto, Manual, Memory Recall, Movie, Panorama Shot, Programmed Auto, Scene Selection, Shutter Priority, Superior Auto Anti-motion BlurFireworksGourmetHandheld TwilightHigh SensitivityLandscapeMacroNight PortraitNight ScenePet ModePortraitSportsSunset Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature Filter, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Day White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade Up to 16.0 fps at 20.1 MP for up to frames 10 Sec, 5 Sec, 2 Sec AutoFlash OnOffRear SyncRed-eye ReductionSlow Sync Maximum Effective Flash Range Wide: 1.31 - 33.46' (0.4 - 10.2 m)Telephoto: 1.31 - 21.33' (0.4 - 6.5 m) Memory Stick DuoMemory Stick Pro DuoMemory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed)Memory Stick PRO HG-DuoSDSDHCSDXC 3840 x 2160p: 30 fps, 25 fps, 24 fps1920 x 1080p: 60 fps, 50 fps, 30 fps, 25 fps, 24 fps1920 x 1080i: 60 fps, 50 fps1280 x 720p: 30 fps, 25 fps1920 x 1080p: 240 fps, 480 fps, 960 fps1824 x 1026p: 240 fps, 480 fps, 960 fps1676 x 566p: 240 fps, 480 fps, 960 fps1920 x 1080p: 250 fps