Getting good pics from a point & shoot

[lovenhim]

Hello everyone.  I see some nice pics taken on here for closeup shots of multi tools and such.  How are you doing that without the blur?  I have this camera:

Casio Exilim 7.2MP.  in silver

http://www.casio.com/products/cameras/exilim_zoom/EX-Z77PK/

How can I get better pics from it?

[jzmtl]

Use the macro function if you have it, but otherwise I don't think it's possible with P&S camera. All mine are taken with an antique 4 MP camera (state of the art at the time, you don't even want to know how much it cost me) but it has macro and manual function so they come out okay.

Close up of carbon fiber:

[yud]

using the macro mode, on your camera you can focus as close as 4 feet from your subject

if you are haveing problems with motion burl then get a tripod

[Pacu]

my p/s kinda sucks but x2 on macro with good natural lighting.

[jekostas]

if you are haveing problems with motion burl then get a tripod

This one.  Doesn't even have to be expensive for the camera you have - one of those pocket size flexible dealies like the Gorillapod or it's many, many copies will do you fine.

[lovenhim]

My camera in its menus does not have a macro mode except for video recording mode.  Now that being said, what other modes or settings should I try with it such as ISO or white balance, etc.  I have an older Minolta Maxum 5 35MM and with that I found that ISO800 film gave me better shots, but for everyday use digital is the way to go.  The camera will not focus closer than 1 foot nor take a pic in an optical zoom for a closeup shot.  Hmmmm   

[Pacu]

im not real slr camera intelligent but you get a lens for macro. It's real short for those close ups.

[Zack]

Your camera does have Macro mode while not in movie mode.  In movie mode the camera focus turns to fixed focus using macro.  It the flower shaped icon (i think its a button)

http://upload.cyfrowe.pl/cyfrowe/instrukcje/aparaty/casio/instrukcja_casio_exz77_eng.pdf

[Zack]

im not real slr camera intelligent but you get a lens for macro. It's real short for those close ups.

His a point and shoot, and Macro lens' don't necessarily have to be short, all of mine have been somewhat long due to the focal length.

[yud]

My camera in its menus does not have a macro mode except for video recording mode.  Now that being said, what other modes or settings should I try with it such as ISO or white balance, etc.  I have an older Minolta Maxum 5 35MM and with that I found that ISO800 film gave me better shots, but for everyday use digital is the way to go.  The camera will not focus closer than 1 foot nor take a pic in an optical zoom for a closeup shot.  Hmmmm   

Burl comes from one of two things

A. Focus, the cure if it can't find focus, is pull the camera back away

B. Motion, you can either make the camera faster (you can crank the ISO), or use a tripod, and fi all eles fails add more light

[Multitaskertools]

1) Macro is a must, my G11 even has manual focus (a nice bonus)
2) lower ISO setting and use a tripod
3) adj white balance as needed

[Grant Lamontagne]

In addition to setting the camera on macro and mounting it on a tripod, I find that is really tight shots, like trying to get tang stamps etc, the act of pressing a button can provide enough vibration to mess up a photo.  To combat this, I set my camera's timer to 2 seconds, press the button halfway down to focus, then press it the rest of the way down to start the timer.  Then, two seconds later, I usually have a pretty decent shot.

I'm not going to say I am a great photographer (because I'm not!) but I do take a buttload of pics, both for work and for these websites, and I do have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't.









This is the camera I use:



It's a Kodak z650, and it's a p&s, although it is one of the better p&s cameras out there.  I have been pounding on this camera for years, and it keeps coming back for more, plus it takes great pics. 

Def

[DaveK]

My camera in its menus does not have a macro mode except for video recording mode.  Now that being said, what other modes or settings should I try with it such as ISO or white balance, etc.  I have an older Minolta Maxum 5 35MM and with that I found that ISO800 film gave me better shots, but for everyday use digital is the way to go.  The camera will not focus closer than 1 foot nor take a pic in an optical zoom for a closeup shot.  Hmmmm   

Burl comes from one of two things

A. Focus, the cure if it can't find focus, is pull the camera back away

B. Motion, you can either make the camera faster (you can crank the ISO), or use a tripod, and fi all eles fails add more light

I use a P&S camera and lack of light is the source of most of my problems.

[AHB]

Handheld 7.2 MP Sony Cyber-shot..

[lovenhim]

I am looking for the tripod that the camera came with.  It might be packed away, I am not sure.    How much light do you need?  I am in an 11x14 room with energy saver bulbs from Wallys World but there is 300w of light in here....and more if I need it. 

[DaveK]

Without buying speSmurfpillst lamps, there's no substitute for natural daylight IMO.

That's why an increasing number of my photos are now taken outdoors

[Zack]

You're eyes are basically very small camera lens.  Your pupil contracts and expands with the light so you can see clearly.  A camera lens does the same thing.  You have a small diaphragm (f/stop) that you open to let more light in, and close to let less light in.

You open to shutter to let light it when light is at a premium or if you want a really shallow depth of field.  Depth of field controls what parts of your picture is in focus and what is not.  However, to get really sharp photos you stop down about 2 or 3 stops (depends on the lens).

The more light the better.  You can use the flash to add more light, but that will sometimes add a very harsh effect.  So, place a piece of tissue paper in front of the flash to diffuse it a bit.

A room with a few lamps may seem bright to your eyes, but to a camera its simply not.  You could of course take your photos under or very close to a lamp to bring the light levels up of what you are photographing.

[yud]

I am looking for the tripod that the camera came with.  It might be packed away, I am not sure.    How much light do you need?  I am in an 11x14 room with energy saver bulbs from Wallys World but there is 300w of light in here....and more if I need it. 

You can never have enough light, the more light the faster the shutter speed, the other thing is ISO is the light sensitivity the higher the number the more sensitive it is (but the trade off is it will be more grainy), so the more sensitive the faster the shutter

[Chako]

It is like everything else...you can have too much light, or not enough. Photography is all about the light. This is the reason why I never buy a P&S without a hot shoe mount for accessory flash guns.

Most of my photographs for this forum are taken with a Canon S5 IS with one of several Canon Flashguns attached to the camera. The flash is then bounced off a ceiling, wall, object, myself…whatever works. The lighting in my MT studio (Top of my cat’s tree house) is not the best…but because I have an accessory flash, I do not have to worry, as I supply my own lighting.

P&S cameras, due to their small image sensor size, are terrible for noise (grain if you want to compare film technology…although grain and noise are completely different and even look different), especially if you up the ISO rating (another throwback convention to the film days). When you set your ISO to let’s say 800, you are increasing the electronic gain on your image sensor, thereby making the sensor more light sensitive. This gain causes noise. Smaller sensors suffer from more noise than larger sensors. The trick with a camera like yours is to use the lowest ISO setting possible. To do this, you will need a lot of light. Outdoor light is great, but you can use a substitute. I have found a circular florescent light on a moveable office arm works great. You can position it over the item, and it will bath the object with a nice diffused light (Diffused light is what you want…who cares if it is natural or not). Another way would be to set the ISO very low, set the camera to program mode, use a tripod, and do the slow shutter thing to get a proper exposure. Both techniques will give you different end results. The joy of photography is in the experimenting.

White balance is very important to a point. I usually leave mine on auto as the Canon does a very good job figuring it out. However, you can play with the white balance settings. In fact, I encourage you to play with those settings. See what works and what does not.  Just remember to set it back to auto when you’re done, as there is nothing that sucks more than getting green photos on crucial can’t take them again pictures because of a forgotten setting.

You can experiment in trying to get that little flash to work for you better by using a white sheet of paper over it held at a distance, or some clear plastic container, etc. You are trying to get away from direct light and into diffused lighting. This is why I bounce my flash off a ceiling, etc… If that does not work, turn the flash off. In fact, that might be the best thing to do, as you don’t want direct lighting anyways. Don’t be afraid to try different things. After all, you are not burning through film.

Macro mode has its place. You may or may not need it depending on your lens characteristics. I have to use it on mine simply because I can’t focus close enough (super zoom category), and the macro mode allows me to get that much closer. I am not right on the object though. I am usually 3 feet away from the object using macro mode. I do this because I want the diffused light full access to the object I am photographing. Some macro modes will only work if you’re right on the object…and if that is the case, then you have to figure in the lighting. Angle the camera to eliminate any camera shadows. I would like to point out that every camera has its own specs.  You will just have to figure out what works and what does not.

I won’t go into what causes blur as Yud already mentioned it, but I would like to talk about post processing.  Every digital photograph needs post processing. This is no different than film, where you had to send it to a photofinisher…who did the post processing for you. Digital cameras really need darkroom software to tweak your digital files. A good photo may not need much tweaking, but it will be all the better for it. Quite often, people do not run their photos through a software program like Adobe Photoshop/Elements/Lightroom or some other darkroom program and I have no clue why.

[ryan1835]

i use a point and shoot on macro mode and get quite decent pics


its a samsung wb500

[MultiMat]

Macro is a must , macro is a must 






Did you find Macro feature on your camera mate