Lightning

[khalil]

took these 2 not to long ago. but i ain't really happy with them

shot at 18mm (kit lens) 1/30sec F3.5 iso 1600

whats the best settings to use to catch lightning bolts handheld (don't have a tripod)

[Mr Darcy]

Almost any setting will get lightning. Think of it as a giant flash gun in the sky. No one seems to complain of blown hotspots

The trick is to have the shutter open when the lightning strikes. The normal approach here is to leave the shutter open a long time, and close down the aperture so the rest of the scene is not over exposed. An ND filter can help.

But if you don't have a tripod, long exposures can be iffy at best. It can be equally valid to use short exposures set for the scene, take lots of photos, and hope like hell. I tried this with a P&S once, that had no manual anything , and out of about 100 photos got two that worked. Don't forget film is cheap.

Another option is to go for the long exposure, and use a table, car roof, fence post or whatever as an impromptu "tripod". you can use a wadded up hankie or a cushion to position the lens to point in roughly the right direction (ie up!). Use the timer release to fire the shutter so you minimise movement.

With your photos, I think they both work well. The first shows the storm, rather than just the lightning. The second is a good direct strike. Lightning doesn't always branch.

[Killakoala]

That second one looks like what i imagine God's hand would be like

[khalil]

thanks for the comments much appreciated.

would of been easier with a tripod. which is next on my list of purchases for my dslr.

[Cre8tivepixels]

thanks for the comments much appreciated.

would of been easier with a tripod. which is next on my list of purchases for my dslr.

Mate you wont look back....well done good shots!

Take the ISO right back to scratch when you get a tripod!