[Blackout]

I just bought a Nikon D40x and I like it so far. I was using my cousins Canon EOS 5D which I must say is the sickest camera I have ever laid hands on. We are trying to break into the photography world but honestly I suck. From shooting with both the Canon and Nikon I realized that equipment is important but really comes down to skill and being able to control the settings. With that said a lot of you guys are outrageously good and I am sure you all have some knowledge to share. So, please school me ecspecially on the best ways to take night shots.

[remmib]

For night shots, a tripod and no flash

[Cliff3]

Originally Posted by remmib

For night shots, a tripod and no flash

And to that recommendation I'll add that you should use the camera's self-timer or a remote shutter release to eliminate vibration when you trigger the shutter.

[Caster]

If you're not using a tripod, bump up the ISO and try using a lens with a wide aperture (smaller F/ #). I think you should read up on how to use the cameras and the manual settings, the 5D is an insane camera, but your Nikon isn't that bad either

[tjtanker]

just take lots and lots of pics each in a different setting. ive come to learn that how people take pics is somewhat personal pref. expirement with angles lighting and aperature/iso/shutter speed settings. with enough pics you'll find some that you like and some you hate.

[LOLrance]

For night time shots, make sure you have a lens that has a low f stop so you can stop down the lens enough during low light conditions.

[Neema]

Like they're all saying, use a tripod, no flash, and set shooting mode to self timed or use a remote. I like to always set the ISO as low as possible to avoid grainy images. Test out some different white balance modes, and even try messing with the custom white balance settings.