Cameras and photography

[snakehill]

Nice!!!!

[chris-uk]

Is it the holy grail? How are close-up photos with the flash? I still have to rely on good light using my Canon G9 in macro mode.
If you read any guides about macro photography they tend to focus of photographing stuff that doesn't move, if anyone has seen (or has) any good guidance for macro photography using a compact camera and moving targets I'd be interested to see the links.
My tips would be:
1. Hold the camera still by resting on the side of the tank or something else solid, or I use a gorilla pod sometimes. It's better to compromise the composition slightly to get a steady shot, you can crop it down later but you can't fix camera shake in Photoshop.
2. Flash will always washout the shot, so turn it off and use good ambient light.
3. Use manual focus, choose the focal point and move the camera to that distance rather than using any zoom or relying on autofocus.
4. Use the self-timer to help eliminate camera shake.
5. Expect to miss something like half the shots you attempt.
This is based on what I've learned so far using my G9, obviously other cameras may not have the same features or may have different strengths/weaknesses.

[RedSidedSPR]

Is it the holy grail? How are close-up photos with the flash? I still have to rely on good light using my Canon G9 in macro mode.
If you read any guides about macro photography they tend to focus of photographing stuff that doesn't move, if anyone has seen (or has) any good guidance for macro photography using a compact camera and moving targets I'd be interested to see the links.
My tips would be:
1. Hold the camera still by resting on the side of the tank or something else solid, or I use a gorilla pod sometimes. It's better to compromise the composition slightly to get a steady shot, you can crop it down later but you can't fix camera shake in Photoshop.
2. Flash will always washout the shot, so turn it off and use good ambient light.
3. Use manual focus, choose the focal point and move the camera to that distance rather than using any zoom or relying on autofocus.
4. Use the self-timer to help eliminate camera shake.
5. Expect to miss something like half the shots you attempt.
This is based on what I've learned so far using my G9, obviously other cameras may not have the same features or may have different strengths/weaknesses.

That's what I learned too, with my old camera.. Everything applies.

But this camera is just so...... easy.. when it comes to lighting.

[RedSidedSPR]

I got a new camera for Christmas (we also got a 32" LED TV and Bluray player but let's not get carried away) amazing flash and low light photos, something my camera lacked, couldn't take any good shots without sunlight. 0.4 inch macro. 0.4 INCH WHAT?!! Can't get much closer. I can litterally set the lens against something and have it focus.

And full 1080p video!

Consider this a teaser for what's to come.

Crap. Just realized I didn't upload in HD.......

[ConcinusMan]

Is it the holy grail? How are close-up photos with the flash? I still have to rely on good light using my Canon G9 in macro mode.

Same goes for the coolpix cameras, but heck, the price is right and the pics look great. As far as "wash out" goes, that will happen if you're closer than about 3 feet. Adjusting ISO sensitivity downward sometimes helps reduce "wash out" but it will also make any shadows very black.

If you read any guides about macro photography they tend to focus of photographing stuff that doesn't move, if anyone has seen (or has) any good guidance for macro photography using a compact camera and moving targets I'd be interested to see the links.
My tips would be:
1. Hold the camera still by resting on the side of the tank or something else solid, or I use a gorilla pod sometimes. It's better to compromise the composition slightly to get a steady shot, you can crop it down later but you can't fix camera shake in Photoshop.
2. Flash will always washout the shot, so turn it off and use good ambient light.
3. Use manual focus, choose the focal point and move the camera to that distance rather than using any zoom or relying on autofocus.
4. Use the self-timer to help eliminate camera shake.
5. Expect to miss something like half the shots you attempt.
This is based on what I've learned so far using my G9, obviously other cameras may not have the same features or may have different strengths/weaknesses.

Good tips. I might add that the coolpix cameras have a "vibration detection" mode so camera shake isn't as much of a problem, as long as light is adequate, making for a fast shutter speed. The camera adjusts exposure based on detected light levels. This is why it takes great pics in low light, but without a tripod, you'll get blur in low light from moving the camera in macro mode.

In artificial light, it takes better pics if you manually set the white balance to "incandenscent" or "florescent", etc. The preview gives you instant view of the effect of these white balance settings.

If you are not taking macro pics, and light is low, set flash to "on" but don't forget to change white balance to "flash" or the photo will look icy blue.

As far as manual focus goes, that's how I get the good shots too. If you press gently to focus, and hold, the camera will stay focused at that distance until you let go, or press harder to take the photo. I'll usually use that feature, hold the focus, and move the camera until my subject is in perfect focus.

As far as the "auto" setting goes, it's better than many cameras but I always get best photos in manual mode. You just have to learn the effects of the different settings to get the best results in manual mode. The coolpix settings menus are extremely easy to navigate so you can change settings very quickly, unlike some other PITA cameras. They are very easy to learn/use.

[PINJOHN]

I have also been given a camera for Xmas but reading all that has gone before this post tells me i have just inherited a major headache,...if i said my technical skills are woeful then you should consider that as bragging [they are infinitely worse than that,
for the record it is a olympus D_720 14 megapixel hd 10x super wide. all Greek to me i'm afraid

[chris-uk]

I have also been given a camera for Xmas but reading all that has gone before this post tells me i have just inherited a major headache,...if i said my technical skills are woeful then you should consider that as bragging [they are infinitely worse than that,
for the record it is a olympus D_720 14 megapixel hd 10x super wide. all Greek to me i'm afraid

John you should be able to get good pictures with it. I just had a quick look at some specs/features for that Olympus, so a couple of things I'd advise you to look for (bearing in mind I don't actually have the camera, so I'm making some assumptions based on information online)...
It can focus down to 1cm, so find out how to put it in macro mode, generally a button with a stylised tulip, or you may need to select it from a menu if you're unlucky.
You won't be able to use the flash when you're in macro mode, it will white out the picture, so work out how to turn off the flash.
The autofocus has a face recognition mode, which may be a default. I doubt the face recognition will recognise a snake, so I would turn that off if you find problems focusing.

At the end of the day it's digital, you get an instant view of what you've just taken, so have a play and take hundreds of photos to see how different modes respond. Enjoy the new toy.

[PINJOHN]

thanks Chris that's helpful ... to my surprise i understood at least part of your advice ....i am making big strides in this techno world... you will have to excuse me now as i am going to watch a movie on my betamax video recorder you just cant beat these new fangled gizmo's

[RedSidedSPR]

Same goes for the coolpix cameras, but heck, the price is right and the pics look great. As far as "wash out" goes, that will happen if you're closer than about 3 feet. Adjusting ISO sensitivity downward sometimes helps reduce "wash out" but it will also make any shadows very black.



Good tips. I might add that the coolpix cameras have a "vibration detection" mode so camera shake isn't as much of a problem, as long as light is adequate, making for a fast shutter speed. The camera adjusts exposure based on detected light levels. This is why it takes great pics in low light, but without a tripod, you'll get blur in low light from moving the camera in macro mode.

In artificial light, it takes better pics if you manually set the white balance to "incandenscent" or "florescent", etc. The preview gives you instant view of the effect of these white balance settings.

If you are not taking macro pics, and light is low, set flash to "on" but don't forget to change white balance to "flash" or the photo will look icy blue.

As far as manual focus goes, that's how I get the good shots too. If you press gently to focus, and hold, the camera will stay focused at that distance until you let go, or press harder to take the photo. I'll usually use that feature, hold the focus, and move the camera until my subject is in perfect focus.

As far as the "auto" setting goes, it's better than many cameras but I always get best photos in manual mode. You just have to learn the effects of the different settings to get the best results in manual mode. The coolpix settings menus are extremely easy to navigate so you can change settings very quickly, unlike some other PITA cameras. They are very easy to learn/use.

All this is very helpful, and I'll but not all if it applies to my camera, FYI

[RedSidedSPR]

Your camera has some of the macro capabilities as mine, John. Hit that flower and you could probably get some nice shots of your snakes, which none of use have ever seen, to my knowledge.