+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Is there anyone who would be willing to help me with my camera setup. I have realised that I take crap photos! I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-T200. I would like to know what the best settings are, How to take advantage of all the features of the camera and how I get decent quality photos. As Im going on Holiday soon I'd like to be able to come back with some decent photos. Many Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney T. Administrators Posted July 5, 2009 Administrators Share Posted July 5, 2009 Topic moved here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Charming Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Posting some examples would be really really helpful, preferably with the EXIF data intact. (Exif is the embedded metadata in each photo that shows what camera settings were used, and can be preserved by posting the file straight from the camera, or by using File -> Save As (JPG) in photoshop instead of Save For Web) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Ok Cool Right Thanks Will do that. So If I have imported them with Windows (built in tools) will this have the Exif Data in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Frank B. Subscriber² Posted July 5, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted July 5, 2009 Ok Cool Right Thanks Will do that. So If I have imported them with Windows (built in tools) will this have the Exif Data in it? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betadan Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Wow i am dyslexic and tired, i was expecting pictures of crabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Ok so two of them I took past few days, Turned out Blurry. Where can I upload photos that are over 2MB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Charming Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 www.localhostr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shihchiun Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Get more light or use a tripod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://localhostr.com/files/baf7b4/Camping%20011.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted July 5, 2009 Veteran Share Posted July 5, 2009 Seems like the camera is not very good in the first place. The chromatic aberrations are wide and evident and the noise is just too much for ISO 200. Also the shutter speed seems odd for those light coditions. Your camera has some kind of manual mode? Try that at iso 100 and show us the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbabyte Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 the pic looks as though he's not allowing it to focus, he's just simply clicking to take the picture and moving the camera around while doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks for that, Thats worst case. I will post a better one. But for 8MP I thought it would be better quality. I had 5MP Canon Digital Ixus 50 that too better photos before this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gollux Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Learn to see what your camera sees. This is what differentiates between a snap-shot taker and a photographer. Not being sure of what your camera is capable of, but real cameras have an OSD that gives you shutter speed and F-stop. For stills, you have to hold the camera still. Shutter speed below 125 on a regular lens and below 250 on a zoom need a tripod, though with experience, you can learn to brace on a walking stick, light pole, use breathing technique and get down to 60 with good results. Shooting motion is like shooting skeet. Anticipate the motion (where you want to hit the pigeon) for the timing. Pan the camera to follow motion and remember followthrough, don't stop the pan just because you clicked the shutter. Shutter speed is important, the higher the better until you go too far and the shutter speed causes the photo to be devoid of all motion. If all this is meaningless, there are a lot of really good photography books out there that give you all the basics so you will understand what I'm driving at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Charming Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Nah, that's not a focus issue, and furthermore, on P&S cameras, due to the huge depths of field, missing focus isn't hugely critical. Chromatic aberrations and noise isn't even that bad, it's just obvious because of the blob-patch pattern created by motion blur. At 1/40th second, the shot is getting pretty difficult to handhold with any degree of stability on a P&S. Motion blur is the main big killer in this image. On the plus side, the DSC-T200 used does have image stabilisation (doubt its effectiveness though). OP; on most Sony cameras, IS mode is activated by turned the dial to one that looks like a hand with wobble lines. Try the photograph on that mode and it should be significantly clearer, but what you're running into here is relatively low light forcing the camera to pick a slow shutter speed, making it sensitive to motion blur. Try and remember that cameras have a far more constrained low-light ability compared to the human eye. What might seem to your eye as perfectly acceptable light (because the eye continually auto-adjusts), may be, for the camera, very poor, low light. There's not many solutions to that on a P&S, as adding more light is usually out of the question, as is a faster lens. Consider a tripod, or a gorillapod if a tripod would get in the way, and it will give your camera far better stability and stop camera shake. Just like to reinforce that the camera is not really a limiting factor here, I wouldn't go out and replace your camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks for that, Thats worst case. I will post a better one. But for 8MP I thought it would be better quality. I had 5MP Canon Digital Ixus 50 that too better photos before this. sigh... megapixels only mean the SIZE of the images. Not how good they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 sigh...megapixels only mean the SIZE of the images. Not how good they are. +1 http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&...-8&oe=utf-8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks for this guys I have been experimenting with the settings on the camera. I found that setting the ISO at about 200 for still shots produces very good quality pictures. Thats closeups. Im going to try stuff long range in a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FizzyChickenBroth Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks for that, Thats worst case. I will post a better one. But for 8MP I thought it would be better quality. I had 5MP Canon Digital Ixus 50 that too better photos before this. Whoever sold you that camera should have been fired for not clearing up that myth on the spot :p Remember that old saying? QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY! If a car has more wheels, does it go faster? TBH, Sony point & shoots are garbage compared to Canon. Sony cameras sell due to style and gimmick features. Everyone flips out over stuff like "make people smile" feature. lol Having said all that, even crappy cameras can take good pictures if you understand and accept the limitations of your camera: 1. Point and shoots take crappy night shots unless you have a tripod. The ISO ratings on point and shoots go from 100 to garbage in less than a blink of an eye. Learn to set the ISO manually and never ever let it go above 400. If you have a tripod, MAKE SURE the ISO is set to 100. No tripod, 400 is the max. 2. Point and shoots are slow. Unless there's a ton of light available, many things that move will blur. Your hands shaking these days is rarely the cause of blur with the IS built into every cam. 3. Zooming ALL the way in or ALL the way out will not give you the best results from a point and shoot lens. There's typically major barrel distortion or pin cushioning at the respective ends. If you can help it, keep your camera zoom somewhere in the middle and use your feet to zoom in and out. This will give your images a subtle correction, but better looking shot. The rules I've stated above apply to all point and shoot cameras. Not just Cybershots. At the end of the day, certain cameras simply have superior optics and image processing engines which will bring home a better quality picture, even among the cheaper ranges, this will be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks very much guys I have been playing around this afternoon manually getting to know the settings and I have produced MUCH better photos than I have done in the past! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted July 5, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://localhostr.com/files/2f676e/Test3%20003.JPG http://localhostr.com/files/c17921/Test3%20014.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsy Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Maybe you need a polariser, or a tripod you could catch some traffic trails, or I might get shot for this, but why not try an old SLR for ?20 from a charity shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterC Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 the pic looks as though he's not allowing it to focus, he's just simply clicking to take the picture and moving the camera around while doing it. I think that's it. My mom and brother do the same thing. They hit the shutter button and instantly move the camera down so they can see. Hold the camera still until the image shows on the LCD. (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://localhostr.com/files/2f676e/Test3%20003.JPGhttp://localhostr.com/files/c17921/Test3%20014.JPG nature/flower photography, and urban/environment photography , right there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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