Help with Dark Museum shots

[440GTX]

I am going to the Tyrell Museum in a few days. ( Dinosaurs )
I am taking my trusty Sony H10. I know not the best but that that is all I have for now.
I can set most everything except the focus. Shutter speed etc,
ISO Auto, or 100 to 400 , 800, 1600 and 3200
The objects are in a dark room with usually a light near or above it centering the object.

Any help or tips with setting for this type of photography . ( I do not have a tripod )

Thanks in advance
Fred..

[WesternGuy]

Fred, do you know if you can take pictures in the Tyrell? A lot of museums will not let people take pictures, although some will give limited permission in a few areas. Just curious.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[440GTX]

Fred, do you know if you can take pictures in the Tyrell? A lot of museums will not let people take pictures, although some will give limited permission in a few areas. Just curious.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

Good question.
Never thought of that. I guess I will find out on Thursday and let you know.

Fred..

EDIT
I just checked thier website.

Hand held cameras only , Personal use only , No tripods

[Loupey]

Use ambient lighting only - disable your on-board flash. The curators are good at setting up modeling lights for their displays so use their expertise in your favor.

Shooting in low light is common in many museums. Even though you have optical stabilization with your camera, you must get creative at times to use slow shutter speeds without a tripod. I've used handrails, trash cans, walls, etc. to prop/hold/set my camera against in order to keep the camera steady enough.

Expose for the spot lighted areas and let the shadows go to black. If you can't adjust exposure manually, use exposure compensation set for underexposure (-1 to -2 depending on how little the lit areas encompass). This will increase your shutter speed as well.

[WesternGuy]

Fred, thanks for the info on cameras at the Tyrell. Have to remember that for my next visit.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[another view]

I haven't been around much lately so I'm late getting in here - but what Loupey does works very well. Optical stabilization is such a big help in situations like this, and added to that table or column you put to use the results can be pretty good.

Be careful of the lighting; watch the histogram. A dark museum with a brightly lit object can lead to your subject (the lit object) being totally overexposed and blown out. A small camera that has optical stabilization, a fast lens, shows the histogram and has exposure compensation is perfect. I've found that in the Panasonic LX3 and my D200 doesn't get much use anymore...