Firefly - I Need Help.

[Chinavet]

I live in the 'bush'...the rice fields od Surin. My house has a large balcony overlooking a small river and rice fields. I am lucky enough that I have a display of Fireflies almost every night.

A few months back, I bought a Canon S51S. I am having serious fun with it. http://picasaweb.google.com/Colinhmartin/W...feat=directlink My pics are technically <deleted>, but I have great subject matter, I read and research a lot. Think I might be getting better. The camera is a terrific starter for people like me, interested in digital photography, but a novice, knowing the high end DSLR cameras are expensive and wasted on point and shoot people. I am a lucky one and this camera has given me enough that I now know I need a real camera and lenses to progress (great pointers on this forum). I would thoroughly recommend the S51S for other learners that are not sure if they will get the bug.

Anyway, my immediate problem is to get great firefly photos.

Tonight, in the dining room, the missus asked me why the power button was flashing on an evaporative cooler in our dining room...the electric plug was disconnected and hanging on top of the unit! Not being too bright myself (4th beer) I went over to push the blinking 'power button'. The firefly flew to the floor.

I managed about six pics before the fly disappeared while I was fiddling with settings. I hope I have a couple more decades to get this really right, but I'm in a hurry to start and want to fast track.

So here is the issue....what kind of light does a firefly emit? Most of my opportunities are going to be outside, in the dark. Appreciate any suggestions on settings, so I can go out with a starting chance and start the beginning of a learning curve.

I have not touched the attachments, both were in auto with flash (good pic of the cooler?). The light on lower left is reflection of our dining table light.

Fireflies 'flash'. I don't believe any of my pics caught a full 'flash', that I expect will be many times the magnitude seen here. Keep that in mind, because that is the pic I want, full glow firefly

.

Happy to make it a collaborative effort.

I am seeing fireflies as I write this, out of my open 'den' door. Help, please.

[aeon]

put your camera on a tripod (or over a stable surface), shoot in manual mode, and expose with a very slow shutter speed... if you get also some firefly flying, you get a really nice light trail.

[lordsux]

The CDHK upgrade could maybe help out in some situations. Especially the Motion detection script and the Ultra-long shutter speed script - up to 64 seconds, and much longer on some cameras.

I use the S5 IS with CDHK. CDHK turns an already very good camera into an extremely good camera.

[Chinavet]

Thanks to both of you. Lordsux, I have managed to get CDHK going, but it either has issues or the technology is beating me. I need some experimentation time, but there is a good chance I'll be back to pick your brains. Thanks again.

[lordsux]

CDHK can be a little overwhelming to begin with. You have got it "going" as you say. That's well over half way:) Most initial issues tend to fix themselves with some experimentation time. I'm still learning about it myself, but feel free to pick my brain. :