Taking Pictures in a Pitch Black Room

[allstraws]

Hello Damien.

I am newbie to the photography world. 

I have Sony DSC-HX200V camera. I want to take pictures of tv screen in pitch black room. 

When I take pictures and see them on computer, they often looks grainy.

Please suggest me best camera setting to take pictures of tv screen in a pitch black room.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Damien Symonds]

This is a camera question rather than an editing one, so I'm going to move your post to Ask Brian.

[Brian]

It's best to do this with the camera mounted on a tripod. Set your camera to Manuel Mode, and choose 1/60 for the Shutter Speed and f/8 for the Aperture. The ISO should be set to 200. I would focus the camera on the edge of the TV with the lights on and then switch to manual focusing, this way the camera won't try to focus. Then turn out the lights. You should be able to take photos of the TV.

Remember, you'll need to think as if your camera is shooting outside in daylight, since the room is pitch-black and the TV is so bright. If you leave your camera on a auto mode, then it will try to compensate for the dark room and bump up the ISO. That's why you are getting lots of "Noise"  or "Grain" in your photos.

[Brian]

In case you misplaced your manual, here it is:

Sony DSC-HX200 Manual

This should help you set your camera to a manual mode and turn off the focusing.

[allstraws]

Thanks a lot for the help Brian. 

Actually I am not been able to manually set shutter speed, aperture value and ISO at once on this camera.

Maybe I am missing some step. I have talked to Sony customer care and they have arranged a call back for me.

Once I will know how to set all these manually, I will try the settings mentioned by you and let you know the response. 

Regards.

[Brian]

These point & shoot cameras aren't meant to do that, typically. You might have to invest in a DSLR, but you don't need anything fancy. An old Nikon D40 and a prime lens will do just fine. 

[Crystal Felton]

hmm..I'm not sure why one would need an aperture of f/8 to photograph a flat tv?  a lower aperture would allow for a lower iso.  the tv will be on the same focal plane, so a higher aperture isn't necessary.  Additionally, the tv should be pretty bright, and not need a huge iso bump?

[Brian]

You know what? I gave you bad advice. I'm sorry. My formula was based on photographing a computer CRT monitor, which had a higher refresh rate than a typical TV. 

You might have to set your SS to as low as 1/25 if you are photographing a Tube TV. Also, it's recommended to photograph the TV at a slight angle, probably to counter distortion and help with possible glare.

Flat screen TVs might need a SS as high as 1/125 or 1/250 maybe 1/60. It really depends on the refresh rate and you will need to fiddle. Plus figuring out WB to make things look correct. Try Apertures between f/4 - f/8. ISO 200 should be fine.