Help for a novice!

[CharliesMummy]

To say I am a novice is an understatement, I am not just a baby, I'm still inside mum's tum

I only got my camera, a Fujifilm FinePix S3280, for xmas, and that was only when I started to read up on photography. I've been taking photos on auto for as long as I had my old camera, so when I got my new one, I wanted to get straight out of auto and start using different settings.

However, just recently I've been having real problems taking photos! Using the aperture setting while hand holding my camera, all my shots have become blurred. Is this a common problem and should I use my tripod wherever possible, or is it my camera? I try my very best to keep as still as possible, and brace the camera either with my own body or my surroundings i.e. a rock etc. And then even if I do manage to keep still, if my subject (normally my son!) moves even a mm, that's it, the photo is blurred. I understand that aperture can restrict the amount of lighting entering the lens, so the lens will be open for a certain period of time, so that's when I tried shutter priority. Although I might manage to get the shot without it being blurry, it's very dark and noisy.

I am trying to convince myself it must be because the lighting at the moment due to my lovely English weather is not very good and this is the reason my photos are not up to scratch. Am I right? I know it might help to have some examples, but I'm too embarrassed to show any of my rubbish shots

I was loving my camera and learning from DPS after christmas, as everything seemed to be going right, but now, I just can't seem to take a decent photo and it really is getting me down ! I just want to be able to enjoy my camera again, I know my photos will never be used in magazines or anything like that, that's not what I'm aiming for, I am just aiming for photos that I am happy with and mean something to me.

I think I just need a little morale boost and to know I will get past this, and hopefully some tips that let me know it's not all my fault, as that's how it feels right now!!

Sorry to be a moaner, and I don't even know if I have posted this in the right place, I just need a bit of help and you guys seem so wonderfully helpful and kind, I hope you can help me!

Thank you in advance

[Tito87]

Don't be embarrassed. Post your shots with the EXIF data in one of the critique forums. It will be easier for people to help you.

[bigben6]

Without having an example pic and seeing EXIF data (ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture) its very hard to tell you WHY you might be having these issues.

Out of description I would say that your shutter speeds are too slow. That seems like the answer but some people mis term :blurry" when they really mean out of focus, so again, an example would help.

If it is in fact blurry you need a faster shutter, a small F stop (F/3.1) will allow this at the loss of depth of field meaning only your subject will most likely be in sharp focus. A large F stop (f/5.9 for instance) will make your shutter speeds longer but give a great depth of field.

If you getting noisy or grainy images you need more light as your most likely running into high ISO noise, again without an example this is conjecture. This may mean that given your location you just have to live with the noise or miss the shot, if your aperture is as wide as possible, and your shutter is a slow as you can allow, then the only other resource you have is raising your ISO....

[mshockley]

Hello, and congrats on the new camera and the desire to move out of auto!

Here's my two cents for ya:
I find that a shutter speed of 1/60th is about all I can do to keep my images sharp if i am hand-holding the camera. Every once in a while I get lucky on a slower setting then that, and your ideas of leaning on whatever you can to brace yourself is a good one! But when using aperature priority mode, your allowing the camera to then decide on your shutter speed.

So with that said, you may have to just really watch what your camera wants to do when your in that mode. I'm not familiar with your camera, but I would guess you should be able to see what shutter speed it is setting based upon whatever aperature your using while in aperature priority mode. Just keep an eye on that and if your shutter speed is falling below about 1/60th, adjust your aperature to open up the lens---to a smaller number---and you should see the corresponding shutter speed increase--or get faster.

Alternatively you could try using shutter priority mode. Set it at at least 1/60th and play around that way for awhile to see what you get.

Just keep playing with it and practicing and you will start to get the hang of it.
Also, the whole point of the critique section is to get help. Don't worry about showing "your rubbish shots", seriously, you already know the shot is messed up right, that's why your asking for help when you post there. People will do their best to try and help you figure it out!

[loons49]

Your camera has a pretty high level of automation which if set incorrectly would adversely impact your image quality. So, I would get out the manual and double check all the settings, especially ones affecting the auto-focus and IS imge stabilization (since that camera has no manual focus capability). Also, until you are fully comfortable with the operation in Aperture preferred mode or Shutter preferred mode, start out using the camera in its programmed mode but utilize the program shift function to select a different shutter speed / aperture combination based on the scene and your creative needs. Even in scene mode, you can look at the shutter speed and aperture settings the camere selected and gain insight into setting them yourself. Good Luck and Enjoy the experience!

[CharliesMummy]

Thank you so much everyone! I really, really do appreciate the help and for you to take the time to reply to me with such helpful info!

I have re-set my camera back to factory settings and am starting all over again, so I can at least eliminate that, and at first I did look at the EXIF data of photos that I wanted to achieve, but have got out of the habit, so I will most certainly start doing that again and keep doing it, and look at my own EXIF data too.

And I will defiantly keep in mind the 1/60th shutter speed, and try and find what works for my camera So thank you all!

I just need to keep taking photos and keeping learning from my data, and I know if I do have another problem I can always come here and get some really valuable help

Thank you

[bigben6]

Originally Posted by CharliesMummy

I have re-set my camera back to factory settings and am starting all over again, so I can at least eliminate that, and at first I did look at the EXIF data of photos that I wanted to achieve, but have got out of the habit,

This is fine but don't rely on it, your lighting may be different, use it as a guideline and make sure your identifying WHAT exif data matters to the shot.... in landscapes shutter speed may not matter much.... in sports aperture may not be what MAKES the shot but a fast shutter.... so do not look at photos X and say to yourself: he used 1.250's, f/3.5, and ISO 100, and they go try and use EXACTLY those settings, use them as a guideline...

Originally Posted by CharliesMummy

so I will most certainly start doing that again and keep doing it, and look at my own EXIF data too.
I just need to keep taking photos and keeping learning from my data, and I know if I do have another problem I can always come here and get some really valuable help

This is more what matters.... look at images your not happy with, then the exif and try to determine which setting let you down and how you can compensate next time.

[inkista]

Just a small footnote to the 1/60s thing, since your camera has a superzoom lens on it.

The general "rule of thumb" is that your shutter speed (at least with 35mm film) should always be at least 1/focal_length or faster. So, if you're shooting with a 50mm lens, then 1/50s, or 1/60s is the slowest shutter speed you can hold out. (If you have good handholding technique, the slowest you can go, regardless of focal length is usually going to be in the 1/30s arena).

With a small-sensored camera, you generally use not the actual focal length, but the "35mm equivalent", with the "crop factor" multiplied in. In the case of your camera, that means 24mm-576mm.

So, depending on how far in you're zoomed, you probably need a shutter speed of 1/30s-1/600s. The farther in you're zoomed, the faster you need to be to eliminate camera shake blur.

Except. You've also got image stabilization. Stabilization can generally help you lower this speed limit by a stop or two. A stop is a halving/doubling of the light. So, if you're zoomed all the way in, chances are good, you only need 1/600-> 1/300 -> 1/150s or faster to eliminate camera shake, assuming you're holding the camera reasonably steady with a good grip/stance/breathing, etc.

But 1/60th of a second is basically a holdover from film days when a lot of folks shot exclusively with a 50mm prime lens.

And. This is only about camera shake blur. Subject motion blur is another kettle of fish and may still require a faster shutter speed, depending on how fast the subject is moving.

[CharliesMummy]

Thank you so much for such in-depth help! I have recently managed to get some good (to me) shots of stationary objects, but tomorrow will be the real test as I am going to try and take some photos of my son playing in the snow When I first got my camera, and even now, I just tend to stick to aperture priority, but as I have now learnt, this isn't going to work for everything! So tomorrow while my son is running around I will get used to my shutter priority! And I will try to remember the excellent advice and knowledge given to me by you inkista I pray I get something worthwhile, but even if I don't, I can examine my EXIF data and see where I went wrong Thank you everyone!

[Mandy73]

These guys have left some fab advice to keep you going....

So shutter priority and snow sounds like the order of the day tomorrow!

We haven't had any snow here in Liverpool - yet...

You never know with the British weather hey?

But most importantly...... Have Fun!!!