The annual hot-air balloonfest is coming up and I'm going to be there for the balloon glow event held the first evening. Has anyone photographed a balloon glow here? Looking for some starter settings. Didn't find much on the Internet. I'll be using my Nikon D70, 50 f/1.8, 18-200 VR (VR turned off when on tripod) and a tripod. Thanks for any pointers!
There is always hot air ballooning going on in Albuquerque. Now, someone at their Fiesta website hasn't discovered what "CCD" or "CMOS" means, so they have some basic tips using...<gasp> film. http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Guests/At_ ... totips.php Personally I would use manual mode because the lighting is going to be changing constantly and you may want a certain look... or use a spot meter on the balloons and then + or - exposure from there, but you'll probably recompose, unless you've got a spot meter that links to the AF point.
I read that one, Roger, and didn't get much out of it. I'll probably start in Aperture priority mode and see how the shutter speed is calculated using ISOs of 200 and 400. Since the balloons won't be moving much (hopefully! Unless it gets windy), I should be able to go up to a second. Well, my D70 doesn't have such technology to select my metering area beyond matrix, center-weighted or spot. I'll definitely post my results. Going to be doing a lot of chimping that's for sure. ;D
you're in luck Scott. Your d70 will spot meter based off the active focus area! Look here; go down to the metering box http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD70/page2.asp
no problem, Scott. I love that our cameras will meter off the active focus. I use it all the time to take people pictures! It's so nice to focus AND meter their faces. I cant go wrong!
Scott does the D70 have the "custom" button on the front of the camera body? I have mine set to switch between the three focus screens, Auto, active, and not active? Sorry, I don't know the right terms. Hopefully you can make sense of what I am saying! EDIT- Roger, can you clear this up for me!?
No, don't have one them custom buttons on the D70. I have to go into my menus to switch AF modes of which I only have two. Single or Continuous. There is a switch for Auto/Manual and Manual. Most lens I have go to Manual at a touch of the focusing ring so I leave it in the Auto/Manual position. Someday I'll upgrade to the D300 or whatever they get to by the time I can afford it or want to go into debt for it. ;D
I just googled what I meant. Not Single or continous, but "AF Area Mode" On the d80 it is • Single Area AF • Dynamic Area AF • Auto Area AF I switch these modes all the time. The Auto area AF can be frustrating sometimes, because it will pick whatever has the sharpest lines or whatever is the "easiest", so sometimes its wrong!
Scott is leaning towards the D300 customization option with saved settings for each focus mode, so continious would use dynamic 3D area AF, while single may use one-point AF.... But you shouldn't have to do anything with the spot meter setting when you are using a single focus point - it will move the spot meter to your focus point. Something most non-prosumer cameras can't do; even Canon's 30D only added spot at the center.
I pulled out my Thom Hogan Guide to the D70 & D70s and I find, yes, I have three AF Area Modes: Single Area, Dynamic Area and Closest Subject Priority. It is Custom Setting #3. Still no "custom" button to hook it to though. I'll have to explore this setting on mine and other cameras. Something to blog about! yeah!
