Can you take pictures inside St Peter's?

I have a Canon Elan II and a Canon G9.
On the G9, Is it better to set the ISO to very fast for inside pictures such as churches?

I am not taking a tripod and I haven't played around enough with the G9 to see what workes the best (hint-indoor pic tips appreciated).

as I recall we were allowed pics in St. Peters but not the Sistene Chapel at the Vatican (but pics allowed outside the Sistene Chapel in the Vatican for sure!)

there will be signs posted (usually a camera with a line thru it) when you're not allowed, you can always ask the TD or city guide or the guards, they'll let you know......

sorry I didn't see the "tips" part

in one particular church the lighting was really bad but I was able to get a good shot by using a pew as the tripod (rested camera on the back of the pew) also side walls/columns work well (hold camera against the wall/colum then shoot)

Temery's suggestion of putting your camera on the pew is a good one.

Set the camera to Program mode (not Auto mode), turn off flash and set the camera to delay shutter release for about two seconds. This will give time for the camera to stabilize after the shutter is pressed.

If you can turn off the flash in NIGHT mode, you can try this as well and compare the results.

Not sure why but I also saw no tripod signs in alot of churches also.

Hi Hotel Guy, my cynical side says that they want you to buy their postcards instead of taking the pictures.

However, when the church is very crowded, I find it very difficult to take good pictures. If I know I cannot take better photos than the postcards,I will buy the postcards.

As to why tripods are not allowed, I do not know and have not asked why either. From my own experience with tripod use in touristy area, I find people not aware of the tripod even though you are standing next to it. There are many instances when people trip up on one of the three legs. I am more worried about my camera/tripod flying off the ground.

When I do use a tripod, I would ask my wife to stand on the left side of the tripod and I would stand on the right side of the tripod to stop people from tripping the tripod and at the same time watching out for any small kids running around and near the tripod.

I suspect tripods are a Occupational Health and Safety issue and we all know the Catholic church has no money.

We took some photos inside the St Peter's Basilica.
Because of the darkness of some area, It was difficult to have good pictures.
Our flash was not "strong" enough.
Pic 1
Pic 2

quote:

Originally posted by Yvon:
We took some photos inside the St Peter's Basilica.
Because of the darkness of some area, It was difficult to have good pictures.
Our flash was not "strong" enough.
Pic 1
Pic 2

Yvon ~ Thank you for the photo's, I never tire of looking at St Peter"s Basilica.

Hi Yvon, I have almost the same shot of the confession booth , it was at that point that a guard came running over and told us not to take pictures, we wern't sure if he meant at all or just of the confession booths so we just stopped taking them inside altogether

(that's why I said I didn't know for sure if pic were allowed inside St. Peters...)

Hi,

The last time I was inside Italian churches that didn't allow flashes I was using a Canon G6. After reading suggestions on the TT BB, I set my camera to night and turned off the flash. I also took a few shots on the automatic setting. I can't remember which pictures came out best. Whenever possible, I rested the camera on the back of a pew or braced myself against a column.

The beauty of the digital is that if you don't like the photo from one setting you can try another.

I was too chicken to tray taking photos in the Sistine Chapel. They watch like hawks in there.

ZeldaSue,

The last time we were there, a lady was slowly walking around the area in the Sistine Chapel. She had her movie camera facing up in her handbag, which was open at the top. The camera was running! No one noticed, except me.

quote:

Originally posted by Cat's Inheritance:
ZeldaSue,

The last time we were there, a lady was slowly walking around the area in the Sistine Chapel. She had her movie camera facing up in her handbag, which was open at the top. The camera was running! No one noticed, except me.

That REALLLY annoys me, I must admit. When the rules say "no photography" that means "no photography". Why some people think that the rules don't apply to them, I really don't understand.

I think it shows a lack of respect... on my last trip I visited Auschwitz were they request no photos, a few people on the tour felt they were "special" enough to ignore this...

quote:

Originally posted by Folly32a:
I think it shows a lack of respect... on my last trip I visited Auschwitz were they request no photos, a few people on the tour felt they were "special" enough to ignore this...

I don't recall any "no photos at Auschwitz." My husband certainly took quite a few and so did everyone else. When did you go? I was there two years ago.

Another place where they very strongly said not to take pictures was at the place --south ? of Melbourne where the fairy penquins are. They said the flash was harmful to the penquins. I saw one man taking his flash picture about 1 foot from a pair of the birds.