Want to take better pics... Can someone give me an idea for some simple settings?
421675
read the manual, front to back. read everything. you should be an expert when you're done. if not, come back and i'll try to help you if i can.
1102564
By reading the answers it seems you are a novice without much experience with photography. Use the auto settings. You cannot do better unless you take some classes on photography. Which I recommend you do if you can. Most Community Colleges have Photography classes for pretty cheap.
1936433
You can get within four or five inches of most still subjects and get a good shot. The lighting can sometimes be a challenge indoors. I experiment with flash/no flash to get what I need. :^)
2089332
Your shutter speed is probably not correct. If you call the company, they will advise you as to correct settings. They are very helpful.
773120
I have no idea. Scrolling through the settings, I can not find where any camera setting would be selected. Sorry.
781337
Pick up a lens with a low F stop. I have a Minolta Maxxum AF 50 mm f 1.7 on my alpha and I can take pictures without flash.
1019970
Ok noob, this is how it goes. With any DSLR, you choose the trade-off between shutter speed and noise. It helps to have a fast lens, like a 50 mm f/1.8. Set the camera on aperture-priority, and set the aperture to max. That means get the f-number as low as possible, i.e., f/1.8 is better than f/3.5. On a bright sunny day that will stop almost any action in its tracks and be as crisp as can be. If you don't have enough light, you might have to start cranking up the ISO, but that will introduce noise into the photo. So that's how you choose the trade-off between shutter speed and noise with a DSLR. A newer sensor will get you a better trade-off, so you can get to higher ISOs (like 1600 or 3200) without adding too much noise, while with a little bit older camera like this you'll start seeing noise even at ISO 800.
954748
Hands down, indoor low light is the most difficult for this camera. I find that using the 'action' scene mode helps alot. The picture comes out better and the flash seems to go quicker after you press the button. Since you posted your comment last October, hopefully you've found some ways to improve the pictures that you can share with us.
391681
Look up "canon chdk". It's a firmware that you load from your sd card. I'm getting optical zoom in my SD800IS, along with many other features, like shooting in raw, and control over shutter speed. For those cameras with aperture control (mine just has a NS filter), you can even adjust that.Still, I really like the looks of the SX1 coming out. I'm going to start saving for Christmas now.
1425101
Try using the ADJUST tab first, and avoid so-called "EDIT" mode. This pares down your options quite a bit. In addition start with the Smart Photo Adjust or whatever in adjust and look at how the recommended settings look. Then mess with the levers and knobs and see what all they do, and how they adjust the picture to get the look you want. Also, with Ultimate mode you can use their plugin that is bundled with it, which kind of does the same thing. Its meant for quickly doing basic improvements on a photo, with a few basic sliders that adjust settings.
1597222
try putting your finger in front of your lens, move it closer to the lens or further away until you can see it clearly. I use a 300mm lens and extension tubes. you have to experiment with where to put your subject. be patient, it works! I got snowflake photos this year!
661202
You can get some nice crisp photos/text at close range using the "Macro" setting. Need to turn the flash off though...which of course slows the shutter speed. Takeing a picture of a page is very doable though and it looks fantastic. I was really suprised when I tried it.
938104
Use the aperture priority mode and set +/- exp. to +2. Depending on the light level, try to use the lowest ISO possible. 400+ is likely to be grainy. If you can get away with it, 80-200 looks great in most situations. In a restaraunt, you may be better off using the flash -- perhaps on a lower setting.
142358
Hi,I don't have advice- but have the same problem! I'm frustrated that I purchased this camera and now can probably not return it!!! Good luck!! let me know if you find any tricks to get better pictures.
1241418
You should select "smart mode" first. You may do that by turning the knob on top of the camera to the black rectangle with a white "s" in the middle. You should then see a menu on the screen for various lighting situations. Select "Low Light Shot" from the menu, and remember to hold the camera steady during the shot. In this mode, you'll hear four clicks in rapid succession, and then the camera will process the shot. I hope this has helped.
1089977
Also... what seems to help is a half press on the capture button. I do this before every shot to re-focus the camera especially if at a distance or people are moving. I notice that when I don't the photo is grainy or blur can occur. Hopefully the other post helped you, but you can do this too.
939836
I agree. Make sure your lens is decent. Other than that it takes great photos!