Help shooting my Digital camera properly

Spilchy

Spilchy

New member
When you guys take shots of cars, what settings do you use to ensure a crisp, clean, bright pic?



Also, how come some images here are large and when I post mine according to the 440x380 size, they are much smaller?



I just got a digital camera and would like some tips on how to shoot images of car properly.



I have the Canon A85 and I have it set on Auto to allow the camera to do all the thinking. I pres the shutter half way allowing it to focus and then snap the pic. However, my images stink! They lack the crisp detail that other pics have here.



What can I do? I mean the A85 is a nice camera. I'm hoping to be able to take quality pics.



For example, I shot this with my new camera according to the way I described above (scroll to the bottom to see the sheepskin mitts)

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=530805#post530805



Now, look at this. This is what I want to achieve. Note the size of the image and how crisp and clear it is:

http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53890
 
The reason your pictures are so small is because the site makes you resize them. I had the same problem when I started posting pictures, no matter how good they looked on my computer I had to resize them way to much and photo quality really dropped. I then set up an account at www.photobucket.com(free) and just use them to host my pictures. You don't have to go crazy resizing them for the forum restrictions.

As far as the actual image quality goes, i'm not to sure. You should read up on the manual. Maybe try using a tripod and the self-timer to avoid any shaking that would cause the image to be blurred. Even though its focused with the shutter half-way down, if you move while pressing it completely down it will blur the shot.
 
Thanks :xyxthumbs



Testing from my newly created photobucket account

edit: Jeez it's huge! What should I resize too??!!

Sheepskins.jpg
 
Spilchy, typically I like to crop my pics to filter out whatever part of the pic I want to remove. Then I like to resize mine to 800x600. Some of it might also depend on how good your monitor is. I would just experiment and see what size works best for you.



Also, be SURE to keep an original full size version somewhere in case you want to undo all the editing you've done. I keep all full-size originals on CD.



Your sheepskin pic is fine, but it looks like you just need to keep the camera a bit more steady when taking the shots. Since this was an indoor pic, the shutter speed was probably relatively slow, making the pic vulnerable to bluriness from movement while taking the snapshot.



It's tough at first and can be a bit overwhelming. I recently purchased an Olympus 8080 from GeekySteve (8.0 Megapixels) and it's going to take me a while to utilize this camera's full capabilities and features. I took some awful pics at first, but I think I'm slowly getting better.



This pic below is 800x508.



663p3270200.jpg




BTW, raven's pics are incredible! He's got some skills with the camera. Of course, I'm sure most of it's his good detailing job though!
 
I think 800x600 will work. Photobuckets seems to resize my pictures further and makes em smaller, however the quality is still there. Anyone got any rec's?
 
I'm not real familiar with the A85. Do you have manual control over aperture and shutter speed?



There is likely a combination of problems that caused the blurry photo. One, if you used any zoom, your aperture likely closed (higher numerical value) to let less light in (few cameras have a constant aperture value throughout the zoom range). Second, an indoor shot without flash, and even with flash, will/may require a longer shutter speed. The longer the shutter speed, and the more zoom you use, the greater an impact handshake will have. This is where image stabilization comes into play but even then it is limited in what it can do. Your camera does not have image stabilization.



Learn the manual controls of your camera and start using them. My experience with auto modes is that they either tend to make the pictures too bright or too dark.



[edit] Your maximum aperture is F2.8-F4.8. What that means is that at wide angle (zero zoom), your maximum aperture is F2.8 (lets the most light in), whereas at full telephoto, your maximum aperture is F4.8. F4.8 lets less light in than F2.8 and thus requires a longer shutter speed for the same exposure. Aperture is like the pupil of your eye...it closes to let less light (bright light) in and opens to let in more light (low light).



You have manual control over shutter speed, aperture, white balance, exposure compensation, and focus. Learn to use these controls as they can allow for better pictures.
 
Thanks fellas! I will resize to 800x600. I use EZThumbs to resize.



I'm excited! I'll be snapping pics of an Audi A8 tomorrow.



Also, should I change my compression? I can go from Superfine - Fine - Normal. Superfine is higher quality images and Fine is normal quality images.



Should I select any particular mode or keep it on Auto. I can select Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast Shutter, Slow Shutter.



I can also select a special scene like Fireworks, Snow, Underawater, Beach and Indoor.



Any particular setting good for cars?!
 
The forum feds prefer 640x480, but I go 700 - 800 width sometimes if I need a larger pic for enhanced detail. A couple of notes that I like by:



-Auto Setting always

-Take pics at max resolution and resize later

-Set quality at "Fine" or "Sharp" or "Superfine", whichever is the highest

-White balance at Auto

-Auto Settings usually allow you to play with your exposure (brightness) which is good when its darker out
 
Keep your compression at the highest quality (least compression). You can always compress the photos in a photo editing program but you can't increase the quality. ;)



Portrait, landscape, night scene, fast shutter, slow shutter, fireworks, snow, underwater, beach, and indoor are all preprogrammed settings controlling white balance, aperture, and shutter speed. I personally do not like them and would use AUTO mode over everything else.
 
TW85 HHI said:
Keep your compression at the highest quality (least compression).
Click to expand...



Thanks for your help. I'm like :cry: when it comes to this. It's new to me.



My manual has it backwards from you.



It says the highest quality images should be on Superfine compression (the highest compression). You indicated least compression.



For normal quality photos the compression should be on normal.
 
Compression makes a photo smaller in size and it can impact the quality of the photo. SuperFine is the highest quality image on your camera and compresses the images less than any other setting. SuperFine is the closest you can come to RAW or TIFF (zero or near zero compression, respectively) on your camera according to what you posted earlier.
 
TW85 HHI said:
Compression makes a photo smaller in size and it can impact the quality of the photo. SuperFine is the highest quality image on your camera and compresses the images less than any other setting. SuperFine is the closest you can come to RAW or TIFF (zero or near zero compression, respectively) on your camera according to what you posted earlier.
Click to expand...



So, I should leave it on Superfine?



Also, the resolution settings are 2272x1704, 1600x1200, 1024x768, 640x480.



Which resolution should I use with the Superfine compression?



Thanks :bow
 
Keep it on Superfine, if you pay the money for a 4MP you should take pictures that are 4MP. 2272x1704 is the resolution for 4MP, the smaller resolutions are for if your using less MP, which IMO is pointless.
 
I'm just using the camera to post images on the web.



So, I'm looking for the best resolution, compression ratio to do so.



Thanks for putting up with me guys:o
 
Ok, I set it for 2272x1704 and Superfine.



Should I use a flash outside in the sun? Should I use it in the shade?



Last question, promise!



I've never really used a camera.
 
Not necessarily. Using flash outdoors can help better distribute light but it can also mute what you may be trying to capture (flake, reflection, etc.).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top