lightning

[poorman]

Hi all its that time of year where the powers from above strike..what im struggling with im looking for some sort of settings for lightning on a canon 550D as id like to capture some pictures of them..im not sure if I should run with either Bulb or just in night mode.any help would be appreciated thankyou Damo

[Mark L]

If you have a remote release, bulb is the way to go. It allows you to close the shutter after what you think is a reasonable amount of strikes or if one absolutely stunning strike happens.
If you don't have a remote release, use manual at maybe 20 seconds. If you get plenty of strikes before the time is up, just cover lens with hand to stop any more exposure.
Lightning exposes quite well, so try ISO400 (ISO200 even). How good your lens is may determine your f/#. Try f/7.1, lower if you have a good lens. You want the lightning to be sharpish.
Check the first couple of photos and see if you need to change ISO.
There are other considerations, though the above should get you on your way.

[Analog6]

I've had good success starting with f8 / ISO100 / 15 seconds. You need a tripod or other stable base for the camera. Use the self timer if you don't have a cord or remote release. If the sky is fairly light you may need to up the f stop to 11 or even 16.

[poorman]

Cool thanx fellas will write all this down ,yeah I have a 70-200 L lens and a remote come with the camera so ill have to have a play with it , at least I have a ballpark figure to start with ..cheers

[Analog6]

You my find a wider angle more useful too - I usually shoot with the widest lens I have on whatever system I am using. More margin for errant lightning strikes - and they are common. They are all 'there' so you focus there, and then there's a rogue off to the side that you miss with more tele lenses.

Cool thanx fellas will write all this down ,yeah I have a 70-200 L lens and a remote come with the camera so ill have to have a play with it , at least I have a ballpark figure to start with ..cheers