How To Use a Point and Shoot Camera Effectively?


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Hi Friends,

I have got Fuji Film FinPix Point and shoot camera last year (http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/gadgets-more/9570-fujifilm-finepix-c25-point-shoot.html). It is more than one year and am still learning with it.

I would like to discuss about how to use P&S Camera effectively.

Why am raising this topic is, still after one year 5 pictures out of 10 pictures are very bad when I try (blurred and image quality is very poor). When My kids use it is 7 out of 10 is bad.

I really dont understand how to use this.

If anyone of you posses a P&S and know how to get clear picture pls share your knowledge.
 
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if your hand shakes while clicking, result is "bad one" you posted. stability is very important while clicking pics with any camera. in the bad one you posted your wife must be moving. and low cost cameras such as yours do not offer image stabilization. So you need to ensure your target and the clicker ( as in you) should be stable.

you should have purchased a lumia and it would have served both the purpose of a phone a camera.

Pro Tips for Regular People: Five Photography Tricks Anyone Who Owns a Camera Should Know
 
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Thread Starter #6
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Have you read the manual which came along in the box ? I think they must have given a detailed description on how to use the camera in different scenarios .
I did sir, but could n't get thru it. I will try to read it again. (but it is very simple manual)
 
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I did sir, but could n't get thru it. I will try to read it again. (but it is very simple manual)
I think Freakdude has already given you tips on this topic have you followed them

Nice buy sethu buddy. A few workarounds to avoid shaky pic :

1. Avoid night mode.
2. Do not press the "click" completely, half press it to let it auto focus and then press fully.
3. Do not over zoom, if possible go near the object.
4. Keep ISO at 100.
5. Keep white balance to AUTO (or similar setting as per your cam).
6. Get a lens cleaner pen, should cost a few hundred bucks only.
7. Use HC category cards of at least class 10.

Happy clicking.

freakdude.
Beside that every camera in it it's price range has capabilities limited to the price asked .

A 8000rs nikon and sony will give you more better image quality since the sensors used will be better and also the features . A 10thousand one will be more good and the 15thousand will be much superior .

I think your camera produces decent results relatively compared to what price you paid for it last year and for the features it must be coming with .

If you want superior results and if you don't mind I would suggest you to trade in your this camera and buy a a better one which is in range of 8-12 thousand you will be extremely happy with the results .
 
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I think Freakdude has already given you tips on this topic have you followed them
Raja, i have seen those and I do follow the following ones.

1. Avoid night mode.
2. Do not press the "click" completely, half press it to let it auto focus and then press fully.
3. Do not over zoom, if possible go near the object.

I think I for the following parts (or did n't know how to do it) Let me try these today/
4. Keep ISO at 100.
5. Keep white balance to AUTO (or similar setting as per your cam).

When ever possible I will try to get the followings
6. Get a lens cleaner pen, should cost a few hundred bucks only.
7. Use HC category cards of at least class 10.

Beside that every camera in it it's price range has capabilities limited to the price asked .

A 8000rs nikon and sony will give you more better image quality since the sensors used will be better and also the features . A 10thousand one will be more good and the 15thousand will be much superior .

I think your camera produces decent results relatively compared to what price you paid for it last year and for the features it must be coming with .

If you want superior results and if you don't mind I would suggest you to trade in your this camera and buy a a better one which is in range of 8-12 thousand you will be extremely happy with the results .
I know that every quality/feature comes with a price tag. I do not want super pictures. If always the pics I shoot comes very bad means I would n' have raise this question at all. Some times it is good (not very good, that is where price tag comes into picture) sometimes it is bad.

I had noticed one thing, most of the picture I have clicked outdoor it is really good. Just check this
DSCF0295-resized.jpg

But check out this
DSCF00241.jpg

I am really happy with the first one. I expect that kind of pictures.

Only difference could be between those two is, first clicked by me and second one clicked by my son. I think he is missing the point 2 mentioned by freekdude. I try training him on that and click a picture again.
 
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Sethu,
All the pictures where you have printed 'bad' is result of camera shake.
Generally when you take pictures, camera and subject should not shake for starters [evil]. I don't know what all the modes your camera has, but if you think this is the main reason and then you might want to try the sport mode(if available) In this mode the shutter speed will be bumped up so chances of freezing the motion are better, but on the contrary the overall image quality will drop since ISO figures are automatically bumped up by the camera.

When you have to camera first spend lot of time on experimenting on the camera settings. I have seen people buying a new camera just before the weddings or some important function and without familiarizing the camera attempting to shoot important event. Try taking many pictures in different modes and compare. As HR said, post the bad ones people should be able to guide you. [:)]
 
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I too was waiting for some inputs before posting my comments.

I even looked in your purchase thread where people saying 'this much megapixel' for this price is a steal deal etc.

That is a big myth to attract customers. You start typing Megapixel , you get a suggestion for Megapixel myth. Yes, that is right. Megapixel is not only the factor determining the quality of image.
The megapixel myth was started by camera makers and swallowed hook, line and sinker by camera measurebators. Camera makers use the number of megapixels a camera has to hoodwink you into thinking it has something to do with camera quality. They use it because even a tiny linear resolution increase results in a huge total pixel increase, since the total pixel count varies as the total area of the image, which varies as the square of the linear resolution. In other words, an almost invisible 40% increase in the number of pixels in any one direction results in a doubling of the total number of pixels in the image. Therefore camera makers can always brag about how much better this week's camera is, with even negligible improvements.

This gimmick is used by salespeople and manufacturers to you feel as if your current camera is inadequate and needs to be replaced even if the new cameras each year are only slightly better.
One of the link

The sensors CCD/CMOS play an important role. CMOS sensors works better in low light compared to CCD. Even now, some 10MP camera from Sony costs 13-15K when their 16MP costs only 7000.

A camera with 'Anti-Motion Blur' would have resulted with much better image.

Now tips:- (Not from a pro)

Take the same shots with different settings. Try the same with Night too.
Avoid flash and see how the result is. Try using flash at day time and see the results(for testing).
At night, Increase the ISO settings and see the noise and see how much you can increase it up to get a good image without much noise.
Avoid camera facing to the light source. Move and click from different angle.

If you do not find your result satisfactory, as Raja said, look for a better camera !!

And, any camera - whether it is phone , point and shoot or slr, you need to press half and focus before clicking!
 
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Raja,

I know that every quality/feature comes with a price tag. I do not want super pictures. If always the pics I shoot comes very bad means I would n' have raise this question at all. Some times it is good (not very good, that is where price tag comes into picture) sometimes it is bad.

I had noticed one thing, most of the picture I have clicked outdoor it is really good. Just check this
View attachment 116451

But check out this
View attachment 116452

I am really happy with the first one. I expect that kind of pictures.

Only difference could be between those two is, first clicked by me and second one clicked by my son. I think he is missing the point 2 mentioned by freekdude. I try training him on that and click a picture again.
Is the 2nd pic indoors ? And is flash used or not ?

See what Indian and appus have explained is right . Some cameras come with CMOS sensors , and also have optical image stabilization . This 2 features also enhance the quality of the pics very much specially when light is less .

Read this

Optical Image Stabilizer | LUMIX | Digital Camera | Panasonic Global

And

Abbreviated as OIS, optical image stabilization is the apparatus, contained within a digital camera or other digital recording device, that compensates in real-time for shaking and vibrating while recording. Because OIS is a real-time compensation there is no alterations or image degradation to the image.

So it's important that more then mega pixel you need this features in the camera IMHO . Can you click a pic indoor with and without flash and show us pls ?
 

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Thread Starter #12
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Is the 2nd pic indoors ? And is flash used or not ?

See what Indian and appus have explained is right . Some cameras come with CMOS sensors , and also have optical image stabilization . This 2 features also enhance the quality of the pics very much specially when light is less .

Read this

Optical Image Stabilizer | LUMIX | Digital Camera | Panasonic Global

And

So it's important that more then mega pixel you need this features in the camera IMHO . Can you click a pic indoor with and without flash and show us pls ?
Thanks a lot for sharing such a good info. I also went thru some pages where they have explained more about censors.

Sir, I will post some pics as you have requested. I think I will have a Photo Shoot this weekend [;)]
 
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Sethu, Every camera has some limitation or other. I too get pictures like the second one that you have posted when I shoot birds even while using costly DSLR.


  • Make sure your subject is not moving while you click. What ever caution we take to keep the camera steady and in focus, if the subject moves when you are clicking that will be the result.
  • Don't move the camera as soon as you click. In point and shoot camera the shutter lag is more. So you need to take care the keep the camera frozen for a little while after you complete the click. The same applies for the people you are photographing also. Ask them to hold the pose till you say done.
  • Try to practice holding the camera steady while clicking - try different ways of holding the camera to get to the best steady way of doing it.
  • Get the camera to focus on the correct object or person. Your camera will have different modes for focusing. Experiment with them. Spot focusing will be good for people photography. While wide area will be good for landscapes.
  • Your camera will come with different preset scenes. Use them as per the requirement.
Enjoy clicking with your camera. I would not blame your camera. Learn to use it to the best of its ability. Learn the strong points of your camera.


Happy clicking...
 
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Sethu, Every camera has some limitation or other. I too get pictures like the second one that you have posted when I shoot birds even while using costly DSLR.


  • Make sure your subject is not moving while you click. What ever caution we take to keep the camera steady and in focus, if the subject moves when you are clicking that will be the result.
  • Don't move the camera as soon as you click. In point and shoot camera the shutter lag is more. So you need to take care the keep the camera frozen for a little while after you complete the click. The same applies for the people you are photographing also. Ask them to hold the pose till you say done.
  • Try to practice holding the camera steady while clicking - try different ways of holding the camera to get to the best steady way of doing it.
  • Get the camera to focus on the correct object or person. Your camera will have different modes for focusing. Experiment with them. Spot focusing will be good for people photography. While wide area will be good for landscapes.
  • Your camera will come with different preset scenes. Use them as per the requirement.
Enjoy clicking with your camera. I would not blame your camera. Learn to use it to the best of its ability. Learn the strong points of your camera.


Happy clicking...
Ya I understand that some time back. But the second point in that I did n't know. I make sure the person also without moving for some time after clicking.
 
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@Sethu

Looking at those pics, I feel that my Lumia deliver best pics than that camera as Nitin said.

I think either we have to buy a basic camera(preferably with a phone) for instant use where we do not need much expertise OR a good SLR and learn to take best pics[:)] and everything in between is waste of money
 

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