Photographing in nocturnal houses

[Nasua]

Hey guys,
I'm asking for some tips at photographing in nocturnal houses.
Of course, in all nocturnal houses, you're not allowed to take photos with using flashlight(I never use flash anyway). But if you turn off the flashlight, and there's no other bright light, you're allowed, right?
So, I don't know if that's normal but when I turn off the flashlight on my camera (Casio Exilim HS ex-zr200) and take a photo in the darkness (e.g. in my house by night without lights), there is always a red smooth light which shines on the object (principally like a flashlight, just not bright, but red and smooth). And now my questions are: Can I turn it completely off? (it's the same in all settings the camera has)
Or is it allowed in nocturnal houses? (I mean, it's very smooth and should not affect the animals)
There is also every time this annoying sound when I take a pic and I can't find an option to turn it off

 

[Chlidonias]

regarding photography in nocturnal houses, the best thing to do is to ask what the rules are first at the particular zoo. Some places do allow flash photography (which is just stupid in my opinion), others allow photography without flash, and some don't allow any photography. This last one is because most people don't know how to turn the flash off on their cameras (on simple cameras the flash is automatically on in dark situations), and arrogant people can then use "oh it was a mistake" as an excuse, so it is easier to just ban cameras altogether.

The red light shouldn't bother the animal.

You can't turn off the noise (as far as I know), and many animals do find it an annoying noise unfortunately because it is strange and sudden. Not much you can do about it though.

 

[Jackwow]

I've never been in a nocturnal house that didn't allow photography.

If you want decent images then you need a DSLR with good low light (high ISO) capability and a fast lens.

 

[Nasua]

regarding photography in nocturnal houses, the best thing to do is to ask what the rules are first at the particular zoo. Some places do allow flash photography (which is just stupid in my opinion), others allow photography without flash, and some don't allow any photography. This last one is because most people don't know how to turn the flash off on their cameras (on simple cameras the flash is automatically on in dark situations), and arrogant people can then use "oh it was a mistake" as an excuse, so it is easier to just ban cameras altogether.

The red light shouldn't bother the animal.

You can't turn off the noise (as far as I know), and many animals do find it an annoying noise unfortunately because it is strange and sudden. Not much you can do about it though.

Thanks!
I looked it up and, for example, in Frankfurt it's allowed (just no flash). The zoos I'm going to go this summer don't tell if it's allowed but I think it is, just because they don't say it's forbidden.

 

[zooboy28]

My camera, not a DSLR but I can turn the flash off, has a blue light that shines in dark situations, but it doesn't seem to bother many nocturnal animals. I can cover it with my finger though, so I do that sometimes when its obvious to other people.

 

[gentle lemur]

I think this may be your focus assist light, in which case you can turn it off - but you will probably find it difficult to focus.

Alan

 

[Arizona Docent]

What Jackwow said is exactly right.

All-in-one cameras will emit a focus assist beam that probably cannot be disabled. Covering it will likely not work, as the camera will not fire until it achieves autofocus. And all-in-one cameras are really not made for manual focus, even if they have it as a feature (just really hard to use).

Basically you need a good SLR and a large aperture lens or perhaps a tripod. The attached sample of a pygmy loris was taken with an aperture of 1.4 and an ISO of 2000 (and cropped before posting here).