anyone have thoughts on the f200exr?

[phaither]

i have had this camera for a little over a year now. after my favorite canon died, i did lots of research and found this fuji to be one of the highest rated point-and-shoot cameras around. i have been a bit disappointed with it though. some shots are completely blurry and sometimes the shutter is super slow. i know i need to revisit the manual soon, but if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them...
faith

[inkista]

Maybe post some samples with EXIF information, and we can help you with any technique things that might have gone wrong? The F200EXR from what I've read is quite a capable and fun camera.

[phaither]

thanks for the input. i will try to upload some photos after work. i have not really made use of the manual settings- that may be the entire problem, in a nutshell. i am really just starting to learn about ISO and all the rest...
faith

[inkista]

Well, it's probably not so much about not using the manual settings as it is simple inexperience. A lot of folks starting out are surprised by how much more light the camera needs to "see" by than the human eye. Light enough to see something with is often times not enough to take a picture by.

The blurriness is likely to have been caused by shooting in low light. The exposure system in this situation tends to increase the iso, open up the aperture, and to lengthen the shutter speed. Your shutter speed was probably too low to handhold by without camera shake or subject motion introducing blur into the shot.

In those situations, you can either a) stabilize the camera by putting it on a tripod or a table top, b) increase the iso, c) open up the aperture (unlikely, as you're probably at your maximum), and/or d) add more light [flash, opening curtains, turning on another light, etc.]

[phaither]

thanks- i'm sure inexperience has played a large role...lol. i actually started experimenting with the manual settings yesterday. here's a link to my first shots. tell me what you think...

Flickr: it's phaither's Photostream

i'd have to look up the EXIF when i get home- i don't have the info at work. like i said, i'm new at this.

thanks again,
faith

[inkista]

Yeah, those shooting situations (indoors, relatively low light) are the kind that most P&S cameras aren't great at, without adding flash. The 200EXR, however, has that "natural light" mode, which might help with this kind of shot.