using just 8 second exposures for long exposure photography

kevcampbell

11 Nov 2012 - 10:07 AM

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hi all

so as you may know if you have read other posts from me, I am a new owner of a Nikon P510.

now when compared to other bridge cameras such as canons which have 15 seconds (when thinking of similar cameras) the P510 only allows you to keep the shutter open for no longer than 8 seconds and the camera itself has a minimum (or maximum?) aperture of f8.2 i think it is...

i have been finding inspirational photos on groups i am joined too on flickr and from google image search etc. but of course that brings back a mixed bag of results, most of which i can not achieve with my P510, which i know for a fact as obviously yes there are cameras/lenses out there that could allow me exposures of multiple seconds/minutes, but that is not what i am asking about here today...

what i am asking today is if anyone can give me advice on getting the most out of my camera, my P510, when it comes to long exposure photography, i guess lights on cars if i stand over the top of a motorway/highway and leave my shutter open for 8 seconds, that should be easy enough i guess, but of course there is going to be alot more to it than that, like iso, and aperture, can't remember though but i think the P510 may get locked to iso 100 when shooting with 8 second shutter speed? do not have my camera with me right now...

and reason for wanting to shoot long exposure photography is just for the fun of it and enjoyment of it, and i understand i am very limited to what i can shoot, but i will only be rarely shooting with 4, 6, or 8 second shutter speeds anyway, and i can not list any examples of what, because i do not know what i can shoot, all i understand is the basics of what i can and can not do, like if i try shooting with an 8 second shutter speed in daylight, that will of course not work, from my understanding anyway, i understand there is covers or filters you can put over lenses though that allow you to shoot in the daylight? think i read something about that in the book the photographers guide to the p510

but anyway, any advice and inspiration if you could provide me with any will be much appreciated so that i know or have an idea of what i can and can not do when it comes to using 8 second shutter speeds etc

widtink (e2 Member)

11 Nov 2012 - 12:46 PM

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aye 8 seconds is plenty to start with , think what you are talking about are nd filters they make a great difference to LE shots allowing longer shutter speeds than normal and Janeez is right they are addictive lol

Rod

RTR

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11 Nov 2012 - 9:07 PM

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Look to see if the camera has a bulb mode. This is a method of having the shutter open for as long as the button is pressed. To use it properly though you will need a remote shutter release of some kind so you dont get camera shake holding on to it with your finger. Again, i dont know whether this camera will accomodate one, you will have to have a read up in your manual.
Hope this helps. Rich.