How to take flashlight beamshots (with a budget camera)

I'm sure this thread will lead to quite a discussion, and different photographers may use different settings to accomplish decent beam shots. A lot of where you set your parameters is based on how bright your flashlight is. My goal when doing beamshots is to make the photo look as closely as possible to what the human eye sees.

I use 1/2" exposures for dimmer lights and 1/3" for brighter lights, but I ALWAYS set my aperture wide open, which for my camera is f2.8. I also set ISO to 400 and metering to pattern/matrix, not center-weighted.

Perhaps the most important setting is to put White Balance in manual mode. so that you get consistent colors in your beamshots. If you use Automatic White Balance, you defeat the whole purpose of taking the images to compare one to another. So I usually set it to 5400.

If your camera will not let you use manual settings for aperture and shutter speed, set it to Sports Mode if that is available. It will then give you wide-open aperture for your shots.

Focus is a big problem in manual settings, it takes me 3 or 4 test shots to get the manual focus sharp enough in dark surroundings.

Xin T6 C8

Settings for the above photo:

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/4 second ===> 0.25 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 14/5 ===> ƒ/2.8
Exposure Program = manual control (1)
ISO Speed Ratings = 400
EXIF Version = 0221
Original Date/Time = 2012:03:15 20:00:31
Digitization Date/Time = 2012:03:15 20:00:31
Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
Exposure Bias (EV) = 0/1 ===> 0
Max Aperture Value (APEX) = 24361/8200 ===> 2.97
Max Aperture = ƒ/2.8
Metering Mode = pattern / multi-segment (5)
Light Source / White Balance = other (255)
Flash = n/a (8)
Focal Length = 25/1 mm ===> 25 mm

Also remember to aim your flashlights at the same point. Surprising how much difference a little movement makes until you do a mouseover and try to compare them!

I found "Night Landscape" mode to work best on my cheap Nikon Coolpix L20. Not sure if I have a "Fireworks" setting.

-Garry

I'm hoping for a discussion! Other opinions and different ways to accomplish something are useful for taking pictures for purposes like this one. Well, for photography in general. ;)

Your focus problems tell a story of their own.

All of my shots were taken at their first attempt (after I've found the setting that works). No repeats and focus problems. And compare how little light there is on my beamshots compared to your. I'd hazard a guess that focus problems will be gone if you use f8.0. Or your camera simply has problems with focus, it's not uncommon.

I have set white balance to daylight on all my beamshots above. I'll add some white balance info, good point.

Viktor

An inexpensive neutral density (ND) filter may help with the saturation issues.

Great thread, btw.

In Manual Focus mode, my camera has no problem at all, it is me that has the problem, and that is being able to assess focus visually on the LED screen in the dark, with a dark image. But once you get it right, you leave it at that setting for the rest of the shots for consistency.

Any setting that you leave to "AUTO" in beam comparisons will pretty much void a valid comparison between different flashlights.

Yes, focus problems would be eliminated with f8.0, but Shutter and Exposure settings would then lead to very poor image quality. I'm not sure I know anyone who shoots in dim light who doesn't leave aperture wide open. That is one of the three reasons that adjustable aperture exists.

Do you guys realize that 2 different universes have just collided? There is a another group of fanatics out there that live and breath cameras. We shall call them "The Others". They are like us in EVERY way except their weakness is cameras. Actually they are in an "Antiverse". We are all about Emitting light, they are all about Capturing it!

Yes, it is all about photons, either sending them or receiving them!

BTW, if you see a beamshot you like, and want 'to take photos like that', Google "Exif viewer for (********)" the asterisks being the web browser you use. Once you download teh EXIF viewer, you can right click on any image on the internet and see what camera took the photo and what settings were used. Then you can just set your camera to the same settings, when possible.

Example

EXIF IFD0

Image Description = OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Camera Make = OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
Camera Model = E-620
Picture Orientation = normal (1)
X-Resolution = 72/1 ===> 72
Y-Resolution = 314/1 ===> 314
X/Y-Resolution Unit = inch (2)
Software / Firmware Version = Version 1.0
Last Modified Date/Time = 2012:02:08 19:38:20
Y/Cb/Cr Positioning (Subsampling) = centered / center of pixel array (1)
Print Image Matching = PrintIM
version = 0300

EXIF Sub IFD

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/2 second ===> 0.5 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 14/5 ===> ƒ/2.8
Exposure Program = manual control (1)
ISO Speed Ratings = 400
EXIF Version = 0221
Original Date/Time = 2012:02:08 19:38:20
Digitization Date/Time = 2012:02:08 19:38:20
Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
Exposure Bias (EV) = 0/1 ===> 0
Max Aperture Value (APEX) = 24361/8200 ===> 2.97
Max Aperture = ƒ/2.8
Metering Mode = pattern / multi-segment (5)
Light Source / White Balance = other (255)
Flash = n/a (8)
Focal Length = 25/1 mm ===> 25 mm
User Comment (Hex) = 0x41,0x53,0x43,0x49,0x49,0x00,0x00,0x00
User Comment Character Code = ASCII
User Comment =
FlashPix Version = 0100
Colour Space = sRGB (1)
Image Width = 800 pixels
Image Height = 600 pixels
Image Source = 0x03,0x00,0x00,0x00
Custom Rendered = normal process (0)
Exposure Mode = manual exposure (1)
White Balance = manual (1)
Digital Zoom Ratio = 1/1 ===> 1
Scene Capture Type = standard (0)
Gain Control = high gain up (2)
Contrast = normal (0)
Saturation = normal (0)
Sharpness = normal (0)

LOL :D

This thread is about best of the both worlds! Universe and antiverse working together in harmony! :)

Use a tripod (or any steady surface) to have a wider field of view. 2.8 to 8.0 is just 3 full stops. For your example that would increase exposure from 0.25 secs to 2 secs. Set the ISO to 800 and you can reduce that back to 1 sec.

Some cameras have dynamic range optimization (DRO) or similar feature. When on, this feature will try to make dark areas of the image brighter, and bright areas darker. You don't want that, so always turn such features off.

Help me, please!

I have an old bridge camera: Fuji FinePix S5700.
I want to make beamshot photo, but I can not do this.
There is a manual mode.

ISO: 64-100-200-400-800-1600
F: 3.5 - 4 - 4.5 - 5 - 5.6 - 6.3 - 6.8 - 13.6
Exposure time:1000-800-640-500-400-320-250-200-160-125-100-80-60-50-40-30-25-20-15-13-10-8-6-5-4-3-2.5-2-1.6-1.3-1”–1.3”–1.5”–2”–2.5”–3”–4”

Help me, what settings will be nice in the photos?
I would like to take pictures 100m target illuminated by C8.
Thanks!

Hi WestBam,
you must try some settings:
I use this: ISO 200, F 5,6 Time 4” Sek. when it is possible Colour temperature 5200 K or Daylight.
You must try some other settings too.

Try 50-60 m for the shots. 100 m are to long, there is not enougth Lumen in the finish.

Is there a tree ore some other items at the end of the range. A white cloth 1*1 m woud be great.

Good luck, i hope we see some shots. :slight_smile:

Anyone figured out how to take good beamshots with a Samsung smartphone?

Hello Bluzie,
thanks for your reply! Tomorrow I’ll try your advice. I share my photos when completed :+1:
C8 XM-L2 factory vs. C8 XPL-HI factory :smiling_imp:

I have to subscribe on this one :+1:

I wish! If anyone does it, let me know! :person_facepalming:

Hello Bluzie,
the photos are very good!
Thank you for your help!

The right tree 100 meters away from me.
Mouse out: Stock convoy C8 XPL-HI 8x7135
Mouse over: Stock convoy C8 XM-L2 8x7135

Me too. Amazing this thread was just resurrected after more than 4 years!

And interesting timing as I’m getting ready to try beamshots with a simple camera, here’s the two cameras I have to work with:

FUJI FINEPIX Z33WP (10MP)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 (7.2MP)

It looks like they both have manual mode, not sure what settings are available yet, charging batteries now.

Both my cameras have limited settings in manual mode.

For trying beamshots the cannon has a Fireworks mode and the Fuji has a Sports mode.
The Fuji also has these modes: Night, Night Tripod, Sunset and Landscape

In post #2 it was advised to use “daylight” if the White Balance couldn’t be manually set to neutral. Not sure if that meant Sunlight or Daylight fluorescent? Anyone have experience with using an auto camera and know which settings would be best for beamshots/tint comparisons?

Here’s the options I have for the White Balance settings:

1. auto
2. direct sunlight
3. shade
4. daylight fluorescent
5. warm white fluorescent
6. cool white fluorescent
7. incandescent

I’m not a photographer, but I’m pretty sure that the term “daylight” used means actual sunlight. The reasoning (I think) is that the sun is our most perfect source, and it doesn’t change from day to day. So, all the pics taken with White Balance set to “real sunlight” should be directly comparable for purposes of comparing colors and tints. No photograph is going to show exact tints, and we all see colors differently anyway. So, it’s not like you’re going to show someone what a Cree 3D tint is like. But, you can show how a Cree 3D compares to a 3C, or 5A, or 1D0, or even another manufacturer, like Nichia or Luminus.