Halloween decorations are showing up in the USA

[Smaug]

Let me try to post my first photos here in a long while, with my new OM System TG-7. It does pretty well in bright lighting:

• OM Digital Solutions TG-7
• ƒ/3.2
• 5mm
• 1/500s
• ISO 100

Here is one that I shot in Handheld Starlight mode. It took several frames quickly and combined them together in camera as a way to reduce noise and get more light on the sensor. I don't like the final effect very well, it seems pretty soft. What do you think?

• OM Digital Solutions TG-7
• ƒ/2.7
• 6mm
• 1/25s
• ISO 3200

Here is one last shot, hand-held with no trickery in the software or ART modes. I don't mind the little bit of noise, as it is nice & sharp:

• OM Digital Solutions TG-7
• ƒ/2.3
• 5mm
• 1/15s
• ISO 250

 

[barondla]

It is a little soft. But, it was handheld. Have you tried it using a tripod? The rest of the shots are sharp. I've often thought about getting one of these. The focus stacking would be nice to have.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

 

[Smaug]

It is a little soft. But, it was handheld. Have you tried it using a tripod? The rest of the shots are sharp. I've often thought about getting one of these. The focus stacking would be nice to have.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

Strangely, the one where I used a tripod with self timer, "Starlight" or something, was the MOST blurry. I couldn't figure it out, as the camera didn't seem to be moving.

My old iPhone 12 Pro does a much better job of getting noise-free, handheld night scenes, I'm afraid.

 

[dirk]

Strangely, the one where I used a tripod with self timer, "Starlight" or something, was the MOST blurry.

Does the TG7 has antishake? If yes, you need to switch it off when using it on a tripod.

If the images above have been made handheld, tje SS is too slow. Depending on the resolution of the sensor and weight of the camera, you need at least 1/60s handheld. The lighter the camera is, the faster the SS needs to be (as a general rule).

 

[Smaug]

Does the TG7 has antishake? If yes, you need to switch it off when using it on a tripod.

It does, and I hear it's effective for only a couple of stops' worth of shutter speed. My experience echoes this.

The SCN mode I was disappointed in is called Nightscape, which is described by OM System like this:

Suitable for shooting night scenes using a tripod. We recommend that you use a tripod and take pictures remotely with either OM Image Share or an optional remote control.

I used a tripod, and the self timer to ensure no camera shake, but images were blurred anyway. I didn't share any of these, they were awful.


There is also a Handheld Starlight mode that is described thusly:

Suitable for shooting night scenes without a tripod. Reduces blur when shooting low light/illuminated scenes. The camera makes eight exposures and combines them into a single photograph.

It works fine. Compares images to remove noise, but one can spot the noise reduction efforts, which make the image pretty soft. (boardwalk/harbor shot above)

If the images above have been made handheld, tje SS is too slow. Depending on the resolution of the sensor and weight of the camera, you need at least 1/60s handheld. The lighter the camera is, the faster the SS needs to be (as a general rule).

With this camera, we cannot directly set the shutter speed, only influence it by setting a minimum shutter speed in P and A modes. That's what I did with the evening Halloween decoration above. It's pretty sharp at 1/15 sec, so the anti-shake tech seems to work well, at least for a couple stops. 1/60s @ 25 mm FF eq. isn't normally necessary. The old guideline from the film days was 1/focal length is the slowest safe shutter speed for hand-holding. Therefore, at a 25 mm eq. focal length, 1/30 s should be safe, and 1/15 should be fine if the anti-shake tech works at all.