Quote (Futurama @ Oct 20 2010 04:54pm)

You probably need to use the self-timer function when shooting with long exposures otherwise you would get blurred pictures due the fact that the camera shakes when you press the shutter button
and a sturdy tripod also helps. Does your camera have long exposure noise reduction? If not you can shoot RAW and try to reduce the noise in post-processing.




wow good shot!
Have you tried to adjust the overexposed parts in Photoshop?

Quote (AnimeFTW @ Oct 20 2010 10:31pm)

I shoot in raw, used 2sec self timer, and have a sturdy tripod... Still crap =/
I actually pride myself is PS work, and I couldn't reduce as much noise as I'd like.

Quote (Chantal7 @ 21 Oct 2010 09:09)

Hmm... maybe the problem is with the camera and it's sensor not making good quality shots at night :\

Even my camera can produce a lot of noise and nonsense.

Also, getting the focus right is probably the most difficult for me. I usually manual focus

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4638194776_da31ace0e5_b.jpg

Can't wait to take more lightning photos next year.... ugh.... too many months to wait!

Quote (Chantal7 @ Oct 20 2010 10:09pm)

Hmm... maybe the problem is with the camera and it's sensor not making good quality shots at night :\

Even my camera can produce a lot of noise and nonsense.

Also, getting the focus right is probably the most difficult for me. I usually manual focus

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4638194776_da31ace0e5_b.jpg

Can't wait to take more lightning photos next year.... ugh.... too many months to wait!

Quote (Futurama @ Oct 21 2010 12:18am)

Sony isn't known for good high ISO performance
If you want a decent one you need to look at either a Nikon D90 or Rebel T2i.

Quote (AnimeFTW @ Oct 21 2010 01:41am)

Well hopefully if I get a new camera it will be an upgrade and not just a cross-budget model =P

Quote (Futurama @ Oct 21 2010 12:55am)

hmm well I kinda forgot to say that noise also appears when you underexpose an image. That's usually the cause of noise in the first place. So that in combination with a Sony probably the cause.
Have you taken any other long exposure pictures?

Here is a picture I took with a 30s exposure and ISO 400. The noise in the sky part is apparent but can be reduced when processing the RAW file.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5035100467_25fd0e5039_b.jpg

Quote (AnimeFTW @ Oct 21 2010 01:14am)

Yeah, I was assuming it's the sensor. It's like a $5-600 camera I think, so it's not the best camera around. But I'm new at photography so I didn't want to get something super expensive at the start.
I want to learn the differences between lenses, sensors and such before I upgrade =]

That's a badass shot though, it looks like that's a tornado!