Better Available Light Digital Photography : How to Make the Most of Your Night and Low-light Shots

130 Better Available Light Digital Photography

to—and most of the time beyond—Joe’s expectations. As L-

series lenses go, this one’s a bargain—not only in price, but also

in its ability to function under a wide range of diffi cult photo-

graphic conditions. Sometimes the difference between getting a

good shot and not getting any shot is a matter of the tools at

hand, and the EF 70–200 mm f/4 L IS USM was the right tool

at the right time.

In-body stabilization

Olympus, Pentax, and Sony offer in-camera stabilization that

works in similar ways. The Shake Reduction (SR) system in the

Pentax K100D offers a two-stop advantage for sharp, blur-free

images when made under diffi cult shooting conditions, such as

using a long telephoto lens or shooting in low light without a

Joe’s not a bird photographer,
but the EF 70–200 mm f/4 L IS
USM, especially with its image
stabilization, helped him get this
photo of a heron that took off just
ahead of his boat while navigating
the Tres Palos lagoon. Exposure
was 1/640 sec at f/13 at ISO 320.
© 2006 Joe Farace.

Because the Pentax K100D has
Shake Reduction (SR) system built
into the body, the camera system
does not require special (read
expensive) anti-shake lenses and
can be used with almost all exist-
ing Pentax-mount interchangeable
lenses, including those vintage
manual focus Takumar lenses you
inherited from your granddad.