I've got a Canon T1i and the 18-55mm EF-S kit lens or an older Tamron 28-200mm without an external flash so we are using similar equipment.
I have a long way to go with night stuff (well day stuff too actually
) but something else to consider is your photo contents (composition is the technical term I believe), it is somewhat limiting but if you zoom in (either on camera or with your feet) so that the scene you are capturing is better lit and even vs 1/2 in light 1/2 in shadow it can help make up for your camera / lens / skill combo. So rather than getting a shot of the whole house with fire coming out a window, you might have to go for the close up of fire coming out of the window.
Obviously this isn't a solution to the whole problem, but it helps morale as you will get more good shots in the mix. We have limited ability due to skill and equipment so anything helps.
You also might try playing with one of the in between semi auto modes with aperture priority or shutter speed priority which will allow you to experiment with just part of the equation and allows the camera to do the rest on its own. I find this helps as I'm often overwhelmed trying to deal with the full manual settings while on the fire ground.
I have a long way to go with night stuff (well day stuff too actually
) but something else to consider is your photo contents (composition is the technical term I believe), it is somewhat limiting but if you zoom in (either on camera or with your feet) so that the scene you are capturing is better lit and even vs 1/2 in light 1/2 in shadow it can help make up for your camera / lens / skill combo. So rather than getting a shot of the whole house with fire coming out a window, you might have to go for the close up of fire coming out of the window.Obviously this isn't a solution to the whole problem, but it helps morale as you will get more good shots in the mix. We have limited ability due to skill and equipment so anything helps.
You also might try playing with one of the in between semi auto modes with aperture priority or shutter speed priority which will allow you to experiment with just part of the equation and allows the camera to do the rest on its own. I find this helps as I'm often overwhelmed trying to deal with the full manual settings while on the fire ground.
Aaron Woods
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