Long Exposure on Mavica

Mavica shutter speed limitations

Most Mavica models have limited manual exposure control. The FD91 offers the most flexibility with a slow shutter mode up to 1/4 second. Most other models rely on automatic exposure that tops out around 1/30 to 1/8 second.

Night photography on a Mavica

Despite the limitations, Mavica night photography is one of the most popular genres on MaviCats:

• CCD long readout — at slow shutter speeds, the CCD readout time adds additional "exposure," creating interesting light trail effects
• Hot pixels — longer sensor activation reveals fixed-pattern noise as colourful speckles
• Bloom streaks — point light sources in night scenes produce dramatic CCD bloom
• Noise floor — the visible noise in dark areas adds a film-grain-like texture

Tips for night shots

1. Use a tripod or rest the camera on a solid surface
2. Look for scenes with mixed light — streetlamps, neon signs, car headlights
3. The FD88/FD90/FD92 models with SteadyShot handle low light better
4. Try the self-timer to avoid camera shake when pressing the shutter
5. Shoot at Fine quality — dark images compress poorly and need all the data they can get

The "accidental exposure" effect

Because Mavica auto-exposure is somewhat unpredictable in low light, you'll occasionally get wildly over- or under-exposed frames. Embrace these accidents — some of the most striking Mavica images are happy mistakes.