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Help!
I have a 35mm SLR (Minolta Dynax 500si Super) which has manual exposure and aperture settings. I assumed that to take night-time shots eg streaky car lights I could just set the exposure to as long as I want. However, I recently read in a photography magazine about the "bulb" setting and got confused! I can't find my camera instruction manual and have found this bulb setting under "M mode". How do I use it? Do I put the camera on "bulb" and then am I able to set the exposure and aperture separately?
I would appreciate any help in this and any good tips on taking night-time shots eg Houses of Parliament at night, streaky car motorway lights etc. This bulb thing is confusing me and I'm going to Iceland this summer - I do not want to get it wrong then! Can I trust my night-time mode on my camera for apertures?
Thanks to anyone who can help!
Bulb mode is a shutter speed setting and basically means the shutter stays open for as long as you have the shutter button pressed so you can keep it open as long as you want.
If you are going to do this:
1. use a tripod
2. get a locking cable release, as if you stand with your finger pressed on the button for 1 minute you will get camera shake.
For traffic trails, on the manual setting, set aperture to F8 then use the bulb setting. Around 30 seconds to 1 minute is good. If you open the shutter and the traffic stops coming, keep the shutter open but cover the lens with a black card. When more traffic comes, move the card and start counting.
Hi There,
The bulb setting on your camera is for long exposures that are not timed by the cameras normal shutter settings. When set to bulb if you depress the shutter release the shutter will stay open as long as you keep the shutter button depressed, when you release the shutter button the shutter will close.
Your cameras exposure meter may not be able to calculate an exposure say of 20 sec in other words it won't be able to tell you what aperture to use at 20 or more sec it depends on the sensitivity of the meter.
Another problem with long exposures is that of reciprocity failure but this is more to do with a films inability to cope with long exposure times.
The worst film in this respect is Black & White Film, colour transparency the best. The solution is to add more exposure time. With some transparency film you can have exposures up to 100 sec or more without the need to consider recprocity failure in other words you don't have to add extra time. don't let this perhaps mind bogling range of facts stop you having fun.
I suggest you try and get a meter reading if you can't have a guess, your camera may have timed exposures as long as maybe 8 - 10 sec so start here with an aperture about f8 then double the time for the next shot and double it again for the next so you would have say an exposure of 10sec then 20sec then 40 sec and this is were the bulb stting comes in. set to bulb press the release button and time on your wrist watch 20 sec and release and likewise at 40sec. Of course the camera must be mounted on a tripod.
Regards Bill
ps its more complicated to write than do!
Elegamba.The Bulb setting on your camera is basically an extension of you exposure timings.Where you have 60th of a second, 125th 30th, ect.the bulb setting keeps the shutter open whilst you have your finger on the shutter release button. With the camera in the manual mode Choose a suitable aperture, say f16 for good depth of field,look through the camera's view finder and see what the shutter speed that the camera's metering suggests it may be some thing like 2 or 4 seconds If you cannot get a reading turn the ISO dial say from 100 ASA to 400 ASA that will be a two stops differance, your meter may give you a reading now.If your reading on the meter is say 2 second exposure with 400 ASA film and you are useing 100 ASA film(Slide)you use a shutter speed of 8 seconds (a two stop increase) This is where the bulb settings come in put the camera into manual mode set f16 on the aperature and when you are ready to take the picture hold the shutter button down for 8 seconds,so long as you do not release the button the shutter will stay open,after 8 seconds or what ever time you think right let go, and there, Picture captured.With night time shots it worth bracketting with both aperture and shutter settings,this is near impossible with out a tripod
This is where the bulb settings come in put the camera into manual mode set f16 on the aperature and when you are ready to take the picture hold the shutter button down for 8 seconds,so long as you do not release the button the shutter will stay open,after 8 seconds or what ever time you think right let go, and there, Picture captured.With night time shots it worth bracketting with both aperture and shutter settings,this is near impossible with out a tripod
I have a feeling that I used 4 minutes at f16 using iso 50 Fuji film to photograph Albert Dock at night.
This equates to:-
2 mins @ f11
1 min @ f8
However, when photographing Mr Smiths night club in Warrington when lit up with Christmas lights the exposures were half.
ie.
2 mins @ f16
1 min @ f11
30 seconds at f8
If you use iso 100 film, then half the above times for the given apetures.
Before going on holiday I would recomend experimenting in your local town.
regards
Dave
=====
Thank you all for your help. Apparently I can't get a cable release for my camera (my partner bought me a tripod for my birthday and I asked him to ask the bloke in the shop about getting one!), so lots of standing about to be done!
May I ask, is there a difference between bulb mode at 30s (keeping the shutter button pressed) and setting the exposure for 30s and pressing the shutter button? Is the difference simply that with bulb mode you set the aperture and in exposure mode your camera makes one up for you?!
My camera only self-exposes for 30s, so I guess the bulb was invented for 1minute onward jobs.
Cheers,
Ele
I think firms like SRB filters make a crude adaptor which allows use of a cable release. It is a piece of alloy that is fitted via the tripod hole at the base ot the camera and is bent and twisted to cover the shutter release button, where a threaded hole is positioned - allowing the fitting of a cable release.
Thank heavens for 'Meccano'!
You might find that setting the camera to modes other than bulb will affect the aperture setting and this will intoduce reciprocity failure.
Reciprocity failure is the behaviour of the film in low light / long exposure conditions. Once you reach exposure settings of 1 second or longer, the film begins to require additional exposure. ie. if a meter indicates 10 seconds, you may need to add an additional 5 seconds. At 30 seconds, you may need to add 20 - 30 seconds etc..
Dave
=====
Dave
=====
You're going to Iceland in the summer? Wow! I love that place; I've been twice now and have every intention of going back as often as possible.
One word of caution though; Iceland in summer has almost 24 hour daylight! You won't have much opportunity for low-light shooting at that time of year. When we went last, in June 2002, the sun set at 11:30pm and rose again 2 hours later!
You can see my pics from our June visit on my site if you're interested.
Ele,
Does your camera have a self timer? Without a cable release you can set your aperture & shutter speed (but not bulb), then set the timer so the camera takes the shot without you having to touch the camera.
The downside is that you can only use the shutter speeds your camera allows before bulb, and you have less control over when the shot is taken because the timer has a 10 second or so delay between pressing the shutter release and the shot being taken. Timing is everything!
Steve
I have a minolta 505si Super, and have recently enquired about a cable release. There are two options available, one short, and one long (not sure of the lengths) these cost 40 and 50 respectively. Any camera shop should be able to order one from Minolta. The cost id due to them being electronically operated rather than manual.
Hope this helps.
Matt
Not quite sure what the shutter release button on the Minolta looks like, but I'm sure that a bit of ingenuity you could make a cable release for pennies and save the 40 - 50.
You could try using the top off a pill bottle ( screw cap ).
Drill a small hole in the lid and screw a cable release into it. ( if it works OK, glue the cable release to the cap )
Place this over the shutter release and see if you can activate the shutter with it.
If so, use a strong elastic band or velcro strap to secure it in place.
A bit Heath-Robinson - but cheap.
I have some spare bottle tops @ 40 ea. :o)
Dave
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