Home › Forums › Photography Q&A › Something's wrong with my lens (I think) :D › Reply To: Something's wrong with my lens (I think) :D
Hmmm…. That is quite a difference, but I think it’s not too hard to figure out what the problem is.
First, we are comparing a $1,600 lens to a $200 lens. I would hope that the expensive one does a little better! 🙂
But you have to realize that your exposure settings are quite different as well. Your camera is underexposed by more than a whole stop compared to hers: f/3.5 -> f/5 = 1 stop. ISO 1600 -> ISO 1250 = 1/3 stop. A total of 1 & 1/3 stops darker.
I’m sure @jamesstaddon will have some words of wisdom for you, but I figured I’d just chime in on the technical side of things. 🙂 If you want to go REALLY technical and understand how aperture and lens diameter and exposure settings make such a big difference, here you go: http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/characteristics-of-best-cameras-and-lenses-for-nightscape-astro-photography/ He’s talking about photographing stars (REALLY low light), but the principles are exactly the same for ALL low-light photography.