Desperately need help with my new camera - HELP!!!!!!!

[missyscove]

TinysMom wrote:

I've already shared some photos w/ my new camera but I'vegot to say that I feel like an idiot when it comes to the settings...

Why oh why did my EasyShoot have to EasyDie on me????

Ok - here is where I'm struggling.

The majority of my photos - at least for now - are going to be of myrabbits on the grooming table - to show them to people. I will also bedoing some videos of bunnies - maybe for the board...

• Image mode
  
  • High 2288 X 1712 pixels - compression ratio 1:4 - suitable for enlargements
  • Normal 2288 X 1712 pixels - compression 1:8 - best for most situations
  • Normal 1600 X 1200 - compression 1:8 - smaller size for more photos to be stored on memory card (I have 1 GB card)
  • PC Screen - 1024 X 768 - compression 1:8 - for displaying on computer monitors
  • TV Screen - 640 X 480 - compression 1:8 - for full screen on tv or 13" monitor or for distribution by email or on web
  • Use the high, that's what I ususally do... unless you'reworried about running out of memory card space.

• White Balance
  • Auto
  • Daylight
  • Incandescent
  • Flourescent
  • Cloudy
  • Speedlight (use with the flash??)
  • well, I don't know what speedlight is, but... unless oneof the other situations specifically applies, I'd useAuto.
• Continuous
  • Single - one shot is taken each time shutter button is pressed
  • Continuous - While shutter release button is pressed, camera takespictures at 1.5 fps until wait icon is displayed (huh???)
  • Multi-shot 16 - Each time shutter release button is pressed, cameratakes 16 consecutive pictures 572 X 428 pixels in size at rate of about2 fps and arranges them in four rows to form a single picture of 2288 X1712 pixels. Image mode automatically set to normal
  • 3 shot buffer - Camer shoots at up to 1 fps while shutter-releasebutton is pressed but only last few shots are saved number of picturesrecorded depends upon current image mode setting) - NOW CAN THEYEXPLAIN THAT IN ENGLISH???
  • English: the camera will take pictures really quickly aslong as you're holding the button down... one after the other, but itonly saves the last couple pictures from before you let go of thebutton. I don't know what your setting optionsare...

• BSS (Best Shot Selector) - I tried playing with this one and wanted to bang my head on the wall
  • BSS off - camera functions normally (maybe this is best forme?) this is definately what you're lookingfor... normal camera. I wouldn't rely on the others untilyou've played around with them a bit.
  • BSS on - Camera takes shots while shutter release button is pressed,to a maximum of ten, but only sharpest picture (picture w/ highestlevel of detail) is saved. Flash turns off automatically and focus,exposure, and auto white balance are determined by the first picture ineach series. Recommended for situations in which inadvertant cameramovement can produce blurred pictures (What about inadvertant BUNNYmovement?)
  • AE Exposure BSS - Camera takes five shots each time shutter-releasebutton is pressed (I think this is the one I tried) but only picturethat best meets selected criterion is saved. Flash turns offautomatically and focus and white balance for all photographs aredetermined by the first photograph in theseries.

I'm not even going to get into things likeimage adjustment and image sharpening. I have chosen "vivid color"versus normal color. Oh - and I have an option of blue tinted photos("hey mister...wanna see my blue bunny??")..along with sepia.

HELP?

I think I got more camera than I can handle....

Peg

What I usually do with my camera is just leave it on normalcamera settings... auto focus, auto everything. Then when Ihave time I play around with different settings, I do. Forexample, my camera has 20 or so "best shots" which are named for pets,food, fireworks, etc that do what I don't know how to do, adjust thosefunky settings.

BTW, I have a 5 megapixel 3.0 x zoom casio exilim ex-z50that I payed about $300 for almost 3 yrs ago. I still loveit. If anyone's lookng for a camera with lasting battery,this is it. I don't think I've ever run out ofbattery!

 

[HoneyPot]

Peg - I agree with missycove.

You want Image Mode on High (so you can crop, enlarge etc.)If you're never going to do that, then Normal is fine, although I leavemine on high becase I take my pictures off the camera pretty much assoon as I take them

Continuous.... I keep my camera on "Continuous" shooting. Ifyou press the button to take the picture, and you hold it down, itkeeps taking pictures over and over until you let go of thebutton. I like this because if Misty or Charlie are likecleaning their face let's say - and I hold down the button, it willtake about 5 pictures in 5 seconds and you can get like a slide show ofthem cleaning. And if you just press it once like normal anddon't hold it down, it will only take one picture.

Edit: I thought I should explain a bit better too. fps = Frames PerSecond. So if it says it will take 1.5 fps, it means it'lltake a photo every 1.5 seconds for as long as you hold down thebutton. The "wait" thing is probably just the point when thecamera will not be able to process any more info or your memory card isfull, so it will stop taking photos, but until then, as long as youhold down the button, it will keep snapping pictures. This isalso cool for trying to get binky shots.. just aim at the bunny andhold the button down and it will take continuous pictures...



and BSS - I would turn that off... I rather go through my picturesmanually and delete the crappy ones instead of letting the cameradecide for me.

White Balance - Auto is usually enough.I play with this a loton my camera, but Auto usually does the trick. If you findthat the Auto is making the colors in the pictures kinda crappy, thenwe can go into all the explanations of the others - but I would staywith Auto for now if it's working.

(hugs)

Nadia

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Hi Peg! I'm here! :wave:

Congratulations on your new "Nikon" camera.

It's a step up from the Kodak Easyshare,and has many more features, but don't worry about those fornow. Learning a new cameracan be asteep learning curve, but once youget familiar with the controls, it becomes an assetfor you.

How should I begin?

1. Beginner. Very easy and basic.

2. Intermediate. Analyse your pictures and give you suggestions.

3. Advance. Give you settings I would use and let you try them out.

 

[ebunnbunne]

just so you know i didn't read the whole convo.but if you do decide to get a new camera, get the Sony cyber shot ihave one, and i'm 12! i know how to work it and i compliments on mypictures all the time!!!! i don't think it's that expensive either!

 

[Pet_Bunny]

1. Beginner. Very easy and basic.

Like driving a car, you just put iton D (drive) and drive away. You don'thave to worry about first gear or second gear...For any camera, most people useAuto, and shoot away.

On your camera set everything to Auto and try that.
So here is your settings...

Imagesize:640 X 480straight out of the camera andperfectsize forthis forum.
Shooting mode: ProgrammedAuto Exposure (the camera icon) on your dial.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto
White balance: Auto
Flash mode: Auto Flash.

When taking the picture, press the shutterrelease half way to let the camerafocus and set the exposure.
Wait for the green light to come onand take the picture.

The nice thing about digital cameras, is you can shoot asmuch as you want, see your results immediately and deleteanything just as fast.

 

[TinysMom]

Thanks for the tips. Now here are a couple of questions.

a. When I took my first pictures last night, I don't know if it wasbecause I had it on sports setting or BSS - but it would take somethinglike 5 pictures at a time and then give me one. But it was really fast.

Later - I switched it to something else (I don't know what) and itdidn't do that. Instead, it would flash a red light for maybe 2 or 3seconds....and then take the photo. I was not thrilled with thosephotos as much as the rabbits would move and I think I deleted moreshots that way and had to take more. It was like the camera slowed downto put that red out there (for red eyes I'm sure)....I think the firsttime it also had the red dot out there but it didn't seem to have aslong of a delay.

Would that be the sport setting doing that? Or the BSS?

b. I decided to play around last night (I should haev writtenthis stuff down) by taking the same photo from my desk of a rabbitsitting in his cage about 3" away. The first ones came out prettygood....the last ones were very washed out. I think I had changed toBSS and something else...I don't remember. I know I went back in andchanged it immediately. Is this a good way to try and learn thedifferent things?

What would make a picture be so washed out? It was almost like thefirst couple were really pretty and then suddenly the rest were almostas if they were a bleached out version....very very sad.

I guess that is it. I really like the first set of photos I took withthe camera (they're on this thread) but the ones I took later, I'm notas impressed with...

Peg

 

[HoneyPot]

IS the white balance still set to Auto?

 

[Pet_Bunny]

2. Intermediate. Analyse your pictures and give you suggestions.

Looking at your pictures, I see that they are 1024 X 766 in size.

That is fine, because you post with a small clickablepicture, which opens a new window to show the largeversion. Like HoneyPot and Missyscovesaid, they use the largest image for cropping anddoing enlargements, but you do use upmemory.

The first four pictures posted, the flash was used. The last picture had no flash.
(Actually the first picture you took had no flash and no dateset, and then you turned on your flashand datefor the rest of the pictures).Inside information between Peg and me.

For your questions ...

A). BBS takes 10 fast pictures,it thenpicks and saves the best one. Notgood for rabbits and camera batteries. I could seethis feature good for landscape orstill pictures (flowers) where it would give youthe best looking picture.

Don't use sports mode unless you areoutside in bright sunlight. This featureonly turns the shutter speedhigher to stop action.

The red light is forthe flash. It comeson only when the flash is charged up. That is whyit wouldn't let you take the picture because it waswaiting to charge up.

Don't use the Red Eye Reduction. Youdon't need it for your rabbits and it only delays you andwastes batteries.

B). For your bleached out version, I amguessing the ISO was on Auto and gave ahigh setting and then the flash washed out the picture.

Because it is a Point and Shoot camera, you will get shutterlag. You have to pause between pictures forthe camera to set and focus. Remember topress and hold your shutter button half wayfor the camera to correctly set itself before taking thepicture.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

TinysMom wrote:

Ok - here is where I'm struggling.

Speedlight(use with the flash??)

There is an external flash youcan buy for the camera.



TinysMom wrote:

[*]Continuous
[*]3 shot buffer - Camer shoots at up to 1 fps while shutter-releasebutton is pressed but only last few shots are saved number of picturesrecorded depends upon current image mode setting) - NOW CAN THEYEXPLAIN THAT IN ENGLISH???

If you shoot 15 pictures a 1fps, only the last three pictures are saved whenyou release theshutter button.


TinysMom wrote:

BSS (Best ShotSelector) - I tried playing with this one and wanted to bang my head onthe wall

• BSS off - camera functions normally (maybe this is best for me?) YES.
• BSS on - Camera takes shots while shutter release button is pressed,to a maximum of ten, but only sharpest picture (picture w/ highestlevel of detail) is saved. Flash turns off automatically and focus,exposure, and auto white balance are determined by the first picture ineach series. Recommended for situations in which inadvertant cameramovement can produce blurred pictures (What about inadvertant BUNNYmovement?)

It won't work because the bunny would beblurry. Unless it was the best picture of them all.


[*]

[*]TinysMom wrote:

I havechosen "vivid color" versus normal color.

I like that"vivid"setting too. It isgood for making things more colorful. Good forlandscapes, flowers, rabbits.
Don't use iton humans though, it makes their faces too red. :embarrassed: