Sony's hand-held twilight mode

[John Mitchell]

A question for Sony users, I have some night images shot at ISO 6400 using Sony's "hand-held twilight" mode (NEX-6). I'm surprised at how good they look, especially after a little downsizing. Virtually no noise -- that I can see -- and good detail.

 

Has anyone had success (or failure) submitting images shot at this high an ISO rating using hand-held twilight? I don't do much high ISO shooting, so I'm a bit paranoid.

[spacecadet]

I tried it three years ago with the A55 at 6400 but wasn't brave enough to submit. Looking back with new glasses, all I can say is that they're better than without HHT. But they're jpegs, and I can hardly look at a high-ISO OOC jpeg without having to go away for a nice cup of tea and a sit down nowadays.

 

I tried it on the Toulouse metro last week but inconclusively- too much motion blur and the ones with the longer shutter speeds were more effective anyway. Just like being back at college when you could do anything with Recording Film.

 

I suspect- just suspect- that at minimum size they'd be OK but be careful of the multiple exposure blurring out camera shake.

 

Last week I had a suspicion that very few of my sales were high ISO but I was wrong- about 15% are 800-1600 (the 3200s from the A58 have only just gone up).

 

Edit: just had a go. Yes, I would submit the 6400 from the A55 so the newer sensor ought to work out. It is quite bad on strong colours though (poppies on a war memorial- the memorial and inscription is fine).

[Betty LaRue]

Yes. My F9BNPF and F854R2. But with RX100-3.

[John Mitchell]

I tried it three years ago with the A55 at 6400 but wasn't brave enough to submit. Looking back with new glasses, all I can say is that they're better than without HHT. But they're jpegs, and I can hardly look at a high-ISO OOC jpeg without having to go away for a nice cup of tea and a sit down nowadays.

 

I tried it on the Toulouse metro last week but inconclusively- too much motion blur and the ones with the longer shutter speeds were more effective anyway. Just like being back at college when you could do anything with Recording Film.

 

I suspect- just suspect- that at minimum size they'd be OK but be careful of the multiple exposure blurring out camera shake.

 

Last week I had a suspicion that very few of my sales were high ISO but I was wrong- about 15% are 800-1600 (the 3200s from the A58 have only just gone up).

 

Edit: just had a go. Yes, I would submit the 6400 from the A55 so the newer sensor ought to work out. It is quite bad on strong colours though (poppies on a war memorial- the memorial and inscription is fine).

 

Thanks. I have a number of H-H Twilight images (lower ISO's) on Alamy. Can't remember if any have licensed. These current ones look as good to me as those. However, because I do so little high-ISO photography, I'm not even sure what to look for beyond the obvious (e.g. noise and lost detail).

[MircoV]

A question for Sony users, I have some night images shot at ISO 6400 using Sony's "hand-held twilight" mode (NEX-6). I'm surprised at how good they look, especially after a little downsizing. Virtually no noise -- that I can see -- and good detail.

 

Has anyone had success (or failure) submitting images shot at this high an ISO rating using hand-held twilight? I don't do much high ISO shooting, so I'm a bit paranoid.

 

Hello John,

 

I also use a Sony Nex 6 and i do sometimes some handheld accidental shots. I simply use a 17 mm with iso 1600 on around 3.5 aperture. On most situations when there are enough lamps like in cities Sony is capable of creating acceptable images. This way i get better results then handheld twilight. 

 

Mirco

[John Mitchell]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. Night scene mode in RAW probably would have been a better choice since high-ISO shooting gives me the jitters. Not sure how different night scene mode is with the NEX-6 than with the RX100. Shall have to do some more experimenting.

[Betty LaRue]

Tell the truth, I'm not sure if I used Night Scene or Twilight. That's been a year ago. I have more than those two on Alamy taken on the same trip. No failures. I was shocked they turned out so well.

[John Walker]

I very often use my Sony RX100 in the "night scene" mode for shooting low light scenes. This way I shoot HANDHELD in RAW and - now that's the little miracle - only at ISO 125.

 

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

Same for me on my RX100 M3.  Night scene mode is the only mode I've used that shoots RAW too.  I like the way it holds the ISO at 125 for low noise.  The camera does all the technical stuff automatically and I can concentrate on composition etc.  Shutter speeds can be a bit on the low side as you would expect but a tripod or careful hand holding soon sorts that out.   Your results are excellent Philippe

[Niels Quist]

Sony RX100-3, night scene, Nyhavn, Copenhagen:

 

 

PS How do you change the size of the photo when posting in the forums?

[Niels Quist]

Thanks again, Philippe. 

[Ed Rooney]

I'm confused (still? again?). But a careful reading of this page may have answered most of my questions.

 

I did tests on these two Scene setting a year or so ago. I was not happy with the results. At that time, I took Sony's Scene instructions --I read those as suggestions now--that we 'should' use the Night Scene mode with a tripod. The Twilight mode, where handholding is suggested, allows jpegs only. Now Philippe and others are using Night Scene handheld. Ha ha! I don't think I tried that, because of the extreme f/1.8 opening it offered. But f/1.8 at 24mm on my smallest Sony offers usable DoF . . . and it's sharp.

 

I've got a night shoot coming that I want to do, and I think I'll bring both the RX10 and RX100-3, using the 10 in A and RAW and Auto ISO and the 100-3 in handheld with Night Scene.    

[Niels Quist]

I'm confused (still? again?). But a careful reading of this page may have answered most of my questions.

 

I did tests on these two Scene setting a year or so ago. I was not happy with the results. At that time, I took Sony's Scene instructions --I read those as suggestions now--that we 'should' use the Night Scene mode with a tripod. The Twilight mode, where handholding is suggested, allows jpegs only. Now Philippe and others are using Night Scene handheld. Ha ha! I don't think I tried that, because of the extreme f/1.8 opening it offered. But f/1.8 at 24mm on my smallest Sony offers usable DoF . . . and it's sharp.

 

I've got a night shoot coming that I want to do, and I think I'll bring both the RX10 and RX100-3, using the 10 in A and RAW and Auto ISO and the 100-3 in handheld with Night Scene.    

 

My night shots are handheld, though I often bring a small tripod in a pocket, I almost never end up using it. However, I would use a wall, a railing or a lamppost as steady support in various ways, if available.

[Ed Rooney]

Niels, I have tripods, table pods, clip pods, and pod-pods. Setting a support device up in a public area of NYC has become next to impossible . . . and I know most of those cutie pie tricks. I'm from the film era. With digital, most of the time, IS and higher ISOs have replaced the need for a tripod. I was referring to what Sony has in it's menu.

[Niels Quist]

Niels, I have tripods, table pods, clip pods, and pod-pods. Setting a support device up in a public area of NYC has become next to impossible . . . and I know most of those cutie pie tricks. I'm from the film era. With digital, most of the time, IS and higher ISOs have replaced the need for a tripod. I was referring to what Sony has in it's menu.

 

Okay. Should have been aware knowing that you are a NYC photographer 

[John Mitchell]

Sony's image stabilization (OSS) can work wonders sometimes. I shot this at 1/3 second, hand-held with my NEX-6 and Sony 18-55 zoom (19mm, f/3.5).

 

[Bryan]

I have been obtaining reasonably sharp results with the Rokinon 12mm f2 down to about 1/15th hand held, with the lens wide open, but no image stabilisation. Using shutter speed priority.

 

I remember being impressed with Philippe's hand held night scene shots in the past, but I'm not sure that the NEX 6 allows this mode with raw files? To be honest I don't even know how to access it....

[Betty LaRue]

Does your camera have a Scene mode on the dial, Bryan?  That's where it should be.  If no scene mode on the dial, then it must be in the menu.  Usually these are on the dial where you find A preferred, S, M. I don't have that camera, but my RX100 has a scene mode on the dial.  Then I think you press the middle of the man wheel, and it brings up the options of Twilight, Night Scene, maybe Moon, and such.

[John Mitchell]

I have been obtaining reasonably sharp results with the Rokinon 12mm f2 down to about 1/15th hand held, with the lens wide open, but no image stabilisation. Using shutter speed priority.

 

I remember being impressed with Philippe's hand held night scene shots in the past, but I'm not sure that the NEX 6 allows this mode with raw files? To be honest I don't even know how to access it....

 

Yup, it does allow RAW, last I checked. Night scene is accessed via scene mode. Then keep turning one of the selector dials until a crescent moon appears on upper left of screen.

[Bryan]

Thanks Betty and John, found it now. 

 

It appears that raw is available in Night Scene and Night Scene Portrait modes, but, sadly, not in this mysterious and apparently useful hand-held twilight mode. 

[John Mitchell]

Thanks Betty and John, found it now. 

 

It appears that raw is available in Night Scene and Night Scene Portrait modes, but, sadly, not in this mysterious and apparently useful hand-held twilight mode. 

 

Right, the mysterious hand-held twilight mode is JPEG only, but it stacks six (I believe) JPEGs and the final results can look really good. I've used it quite a bit when feeling lazy, which is fairly often these days.