[NobleMatt]

Hey, I have just bought a nikon D40 and am struggling to get the high quality photos that I know it is capable of when in a low light surrounding with moving subjects without using the flash (basically achieve decent gig photography) I have been playing around with it for about a month and tried all sorts of settings, but I am beginning to think I am missing something quite obvious, any ideas/suggestions
Thank you
Hannah ( using matts account)

[Demonhood]

can you post an example picture along with the settings used?

[Tim Collier]

Also, it's not just the body that can make the photo's good. What lens have you got?

[MacosNerd]

I suggest that you pick up some photography books.

They'll instruct you on the basics. There's not one setting that will give you high quality shots. There's so many variables, what lens you're using, lighting, shutter speed, aperture, ISO. The list goes on and on. While it may seem daunting, picking up a book will help you understand the basics to which you can then practice and build upon. Before long, knowing the settings and how to shoot will be like second nature.

[Veltliner]

Problems with low light and moving objects?

a. not sharp: you need to shorten the exposure time. To still get the same amount of light, you need an aperture that is open wider and lets in more light. Higher numbers (8,11,16) let in less light, lower numbers (4.0, 5,6) let in more light.

You are possibly shooting with the kit lens which is not "fast".

b. Color cast, regarding existing light. Street lamps, etc, setting sun have different color temperature, and you need to set your camera to that before shooting. There are presets on your camera, and you can do the recommended custom white balance.

Generally, it sounds like you just started in photography, and a search of books on amazon would be good.

This book could be helpful for you, and explains why you are not getting any good shots and how to get good ones.

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition): Books: Bryan Peterson

[tiger]

I believe the D40 is the consumer model of the D40x, I've had a chance to play around with it and it seems that it is very capable.... however it might be of lower quality than the D40x. You might want to play around with the automatic features that come with your camera. I find that the automatic features that come with the camera seem to be better than if you were going manual... better as in performance and convenience.

Well, just my 2 cents.

[Ed+iMac]

The D40 is an slightly earlier version of the D40x. The D40 has a 6.0MP sensor from the D50. For low-light picture where a lens with a wide aperture such as f/2.8 is not available, I would suggest using an off-camera flash. Learn more about off-camera flash at Strobist.com

As previously mentioned, you'll also want to adjust ISO and shutter speed to freeze motion while correctly exposing the image. A maximum ISO of 1600 is possible with the D40. I'd also recommend using a -1.0EV exposure compensation, shoot .NEF (RAW), then bring up the exposure in Aperture or your preferred Adobe product. This will give you an effective ISO of 3200. You should expect significantly more digital image noise using this technique, but if done with care, you'll achieve a gritty texture that adds to the scene rather then detracts from it.

PS: my first post on a mac, woot!

[Timo]

Originally Posted by Veltliner 

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition): Books: Bryan Peterson

Great book.

[NobleMatt]

thanks guys, helped me too, save told Hannah that she has some good responces and she'll take a look later. Thanks Again

Matt

[NobleMatt]

brilliant, my first time on a technical forum, never thought i would get such a vast amount of helpful responses, i shall print them off and work through them all and will post one of my better pics (if i ever work out how ) thanks very much hannah (using matts account)

[Oisín]

For general photography tips, read this thread, as well. It has some real gems for gaining some deeper understanding of many concepts within digital photography.