low light

What camcorder for filming kids in low light?

Digital Living The faster your child moves in low light, the more blurred the image will become, until you end up with something barely recognisable, rather than a heartwarming Kodak moment. Luckily, most modern camcorders are fairly good in low light.

14 September 2006, 15:02

Better digital photos

Digital Living Built-in camera flashes are convenient, but they can produce deadly results -- from red-eye to a nuclear-looking, unnatural glow -- when used to take pictures of people in low-light situations, such as evening parties.

3 August 2006, 15:09

What kind of camcorder is best for night-time shooting?

Digital Living Fortunately, many modern camcorders can cope with low light. CCD (charge coupled device) camcorders, like the Panasonic SDR-S150, are generally better in low light as they capture red, green and blue light separately.

19 September 2007, 16:13

How can I take pictures without flash?

Digital Living If turning off the red-eye reduction doesn't help, you need to find a camera that can cope with low light, so you can take photos without using the flash. These cameras make it easier to take pictures in low light by compensating for any movement...

13 December 2006, 11:58

Should I buy a camera or a camera phone? review

Digital Living Because they're so small, most of these sensors aren't very good at working in low light, so shots taken in dimly lit bars and clubs suffer from a great deal of digital noise. We reckon most people would still want to use a dedicated camera for...

Tags: compact, digital camera, lens, cameras

26 November 2007, 8:00

Bluff it as a fashion photographer

Digital Living However, these low ISOs need plenty of light to expose properly. Less light will give you a lower f-stop, and more light, a higher one. Photography is often described as painting with light. Today's digital SLRs feature a range of light-metering...

10 November 2006, 15:23

Camera phones

Digital Living Avoid low light: because they automatically make adjustments to the shutter speed based on the amount of light available, camera phones have difficulty capturing details in low-light environments. Therefore, the more light in your environment, the...

11 May 2005, 11:43

Calibrate your LCD television

Digital Living Images with brightness set too low tend to lose detail in shadows, and distinctions between dark areas disappear in pools of black. Called the backlight, this light source affects the brightness of the entire screen.

9 May 2005, 15:14

Hollywood style for your home movies

Digital Living You -- and your subjects -- will be happier with multiple light sources spread around the scene. Replace some of the low-wattage bulbs in the room with some 75- or 100-watt ones. Bring in a desk light and position it close to the action.

23 June 2005, 10:35

How do I set up my TV properly?

Digital Living In a normal home there isn't an awful lot of light around, especially if you turn all your lights off to watch a movie, so the first thing to change is the backlight. Ideally, a backlight should be set as low as you are comfortable viewing.

22 August 2007, 16:32

Become a camcorder pro

Digital Living Just one studio light can set you back several hundred pounds. Luckily there is a light source that's free and substantially more powerful than most studio lights. This ensures the reflector is kept out of shot, but still throws enough light back...

29 June 2006, 16:02

How to build your own home theatre

Digital Living A white light rated at 6,500K will exactly match the white on a correctly calibrated TV set. By placing a simple light behind your TV, you create the illusion of depth, resulting in less eyestrain and a more pleasant viewing experience.

Tags: depth, paint, wall, benefits

27 June 2005, 11:18

Choose the right gear for high definition

Digital Living This instructs the crystal to let varying amounts of fluorescent light through from the back of the screen. Cons• LCDs typically have a lower contrast ratio than other HDTVs, meaning blacks can appear grey • LCDs also usually feature a...

4 June 2007, 14:46

What's the best type of image stabilisation?

Digital Living Some dSLRs also move the sensor, while some dSLR lenses move elements of the lens to steady the image as light passes into the camera. This would mean that you could, say, employ a slower shutter speed to capture more light without the palpitation...

25 July 2007, 12:16

How to clean your digital SLR camera

Digital Living Changing lenses is best done in dust-free, neutral environments, where the risk of contamination is low, but this isn't always possible when snapping in the field. Your camera's sensor is too delicate to completely expose it to the elements, so it...

17 September 2007, 10:55