Camera problems

Why has nobody mentioned that the quality of a lens drops off the wider the aperture you use, there will be a fair difference in quality between a £4000 lens set at F 2-8 and a £300 Sigma set at F3-5, it will be at the edge of the frame were the difference will be seen. I think a lot of peoples problems are
caused by camera shake
Regards Phil.

Hi Rob

DPI means dots per inch. It basically is about the resolution of a picture. The higher the number, then the better the resolution. 300 DPI is a talked about number as it is typically an optimal number to get a decent resolution. Below that number you can usually see a deterioration, above that number you often wont see a huge improvement. If you scan pics then you will always need to set the DPI at which you are scanning. The same goes for saving them as JPEGs.

As I said earlier in this thread make sure that you are using the maximum resolution that your camera allows when taking pics. My ‘point and shoot’ is a Canon S5is. I always set the resolution to Large and Superfine – these two settings give 3264 by 2448 pixels and the minimum jpeg compression.

Regards

Paul

The resolution of the saved copy is only 5dpi, I feel this is the cause of the poor quality.

When you edit the origional and then save it make sure that the resolution is saved at the maximum, preferably 300dpi.

John.

JOHN im a little confused by what you mean dpi?

how would i save an image at 300dpi?

thanks rob

if anyone else can help id be most grateful

lol

adam regarding a previous questions you asked about shooting through the fence

9 times out of 10 i do but when im on the other side by the gate i shoot through a handy hole lol

rob

Rob don’t do it 😀

Silly Adam! 😀

Paul

I’m at [email]paulmnichols@hotmail.com[/email] if you do want to add me.

Rob don’t do it 😀

wicked paul i will add you straight away

cheers

im at [email]rnoel7@hotmail.co.uk[/email]

im sorry adam for using the AUTO function i just couldnt find a good setting most of my pics came out blurry

Mr Spalding isn’t being serious! Looking down our noses at the Auto mode is just one of the ways those of us who like to think we know how to use a camera make ourselves feel better! (Myself included!) 😀

If your S8000 is anything like my old S5500 you can set it (by pressing Display?) to show the shutter speed in the viewfinder. You’ll just have to take a few test shots without the aircraft to check you’re getting a high enough shutter speed to get sharp photos.

That’s where having a reasonable spec DSLR comes in handy. On my 30D I can look through the viewfinder when taking a shot and if the shutter speed isn’t high enough, I just need to press a button that sits right under my finger and the ISO adjustment appears on the rear jog wheel. The ISO adjustment shows in the viewfinder as well so it’s very easy. I remember this was a dream even after using my 350D, where you have to take your eye away from the viewfinder to change ISO. It was even more awkward on my S5500 but all you have to do is do a few test shots first. You should be able to find some settings that work, it just takes a little more time.

By the way, you’re not being a pain at all! Asking questions is one way people learn and we’ve all been there, so ask away. In fact feel free to add me on MSN if you want to chat further. It might be easier than doing it here (although you do get the benefit of other people’s experience here as well, which is always good). I’m at [email]paulmnichols@hotmail.com[/email] if you do want to add me. I’m usually more than happy to spend time talking cameras!

Hope that helps.

Paul

paul barry
adam
and paul

thanks so much for the help and feedback

todays weather was cruel lol the winds at BRS was servere and the aircrafts went to show that…. there were 2 go arounds in the first 30 mins of my arrival

im glad you liked the ryanair and im sorry adam for using the AUTO function i just couldnt find a good setting most of my pics came out blurry

im trying to understand the shutter speed how would i find out if its at
1/60th …. i know im a pain lol

thanks guys

(Although I don’t like the fact you used AUTO on it 😉

AHEM… JPEG Boy! 😀

Rob, there are many different ways you can get resonably sharp shots in less than ideal conditions, however it takes lots of practice to get to learn them but they still don’t always work! Just remember there are no rules in photograpy, so do try things and experiment.

As far as dropping your aperture is concerned that will make your depth of field shallower, but remember that the shorter the focal length, the greater the depth of field will naturally be. If you’re reasonably close to an aircraft you may find you can shoot at F5.6 or even F4 and still have an acceptably in focus shot.

With regard to increasing ISO, sometimes it simply has to be done if you want to shoot. Most people are more than willing to compromise a little noise for a shot that’s at least sharp and useable, so don’t think for a second you can’t leave ISO 100. You can, it’s just that you’ll have a little more noise. Most modern cameras can cope with ISO 200 reasonably well.

As far as 1/60th being too slow to capture a sharp image is concerned, that simply isn’t true although it does depend on the circumstances and how/what you’re shooting! (Sorry, Spalds! 🙂 ) This shot was taken on a rather fast moving aircraft at 1/60th:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5875200&nseq=3

Panning is an art in itself (and certainly not one I’ve perfected by any means), but 1/60th or even slower can give great effects if you use it right!

Paul

P.S. I should actually have just referred to Paulbarry’s post (No.19). It makes a lot of sense!

Hi Rob

I just took a quick look at your pics. The problem is shutter speed. Your camera has a great zoom. At full zoom I expect that you are at 600+mm. That really requires a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second or faster. The actual shutter speeds of your pics are much slower.

Because of that you are seeing a lot of camera shake in the first two pics in particular.

OK, so a few things – please read my earlier post again 🙂

Accept that pics will always be poorer in overcast weather.

If you want to use your zoom to its fullest, which I suspect that you do, then pick a shutter speed priority mode and set it to 1/500th of a second. Once you have done that and taken a few pics (you should have no camera shake/blur) look at the f stop and ISO speed. In truth, if its a bit overcast, your ISO will be high and you will have noise in the pic. So go to the pub and wait for better weather!!! 🙂

Frankly the only alternative in ‘poor’ weather/light is to not zoom in much ie find a static aircraft and get up close. Then you will zoom at say 50mm, can have a slow shutter speed eg 1/60th of a second and your f stop and ISO will be more optimal!

Cheers Paul

Sorry, on another note mate, that Ryanair isn’t half bad considering todays weather & the fact that it hasn’t been through photoshop
So nice one! (Although I don’t like the fact you used AUTO on it 😉 )

Keep up the hard work, and it will come. Just give it time.
Adam

Rob,
If you don’t mind I would just like to make the following points.
I’ve had a look at the EXIF data of these pictures and although you have the right idea in terms of using your camera in Aperture priority mode, but because of the weather the shutter speed was just too slow. In these circumstances I wouldn’t personally shoot aviation. With these aircraft moving at great speed, a shutter speed of 1/60 just isn’t going to capture a sharp shot.
You’ve got the right idea and the camera in the right mode, shooting at ISO 100, all you need is just to wait for some sunshine so that shutter speed is faster. When that happens i anticipate your shots will greatly improve.
Next learning point is photoshop 😉

On another note, when you photograph at Bristol from the southside do you shoot over the fence or through it?

Adam

thanks paul for that , thats really made me think more about my camera

ive got some shots here that i took today as asked and they havent been edited

the first to shots are with a f-stop of 7.1 and i found it very fraustrating all my shots came out blurry at that setting my ISO was 100

here they are the final pic of the ryanair was with the camera on AUTO setting they settin gi find the easiest.

please see what you can do and where im going wrong

take care
rob

Hi Rob

OK a few things…………..:)

First of all, understand that your pics will always be poorer when taken on a dark or overcast day. Pics taken in bright sunshine will always be better. BTW, I am talking here about the detail/noise etc of the pic. You can take some great atmospheric shots in poor weather – eg water spinning off the tyres as the aircraft lands and so on. Just dont expect the clearest of pics in poor weather.

Next, just make sure that you are taking your pics at the highest resolution and detail that your camera will allow. Sometimes people use a medium setting to save on card space and that will always produce a lower quality pic.

Now, my probably poor attempt at trying to explain how cameras work! There are four things that you can play with – and they all interact with each other!

Shutter speed, f stop, zoom and ISO.

Lets start by assuming that the camera is being used in automatic setting. The only thing that the user chooses is the amount of zoom used – basically to frame the shot. Now the camera is being asked to automatically find the best balance between the other three items ie shutter speed, f stop and zoom!

If the light is good ie a very sunny day, then the camera can probably find a decent balance between all three. But if the light is less than good (overcast etc) then the camera will have a problem!

Let me explain why –
First of all zoom – the more that you zoom in, then the more likely that you are to have camera shake when hand held. Its a bit like binoculars – zoom in and they seem to shake around a lot! So if you zoom in you need a faster shutter speed to avoid any shake/blur. As already said use the 1/1 rule. If your zoom is 500mm then use a shutter speed of 1/500th. If your zoom is 100mm use a shutter speed of 1/100th.

So, lets assume that you are using a zoom of 500mm. Now the problems start! You set your shutter speed to 1/500th to avoid shake and blur. But the faster shutter speed means that less light is entering the camera (less time equals less light, makes sense?)

The camera now has two things to play with – f stop and ISO.

A low f stop allows more light into the camera, but there is a limit with a compact. Also. the lower the f stop then the lower the depth of field. What does that mean? Depth of field is the distance over which the camera is in focus. A short/low depth of field means that the camera is in focus ie sharp over a shorter distance than when a higher f stop ie longer depth of field is used. Once again, good light is king! In good light the higher f stop increases the depth of field ie the distance over which the pic is in focus. Imagine a big airliner pic taken a 3/4 front view. The airliner is 150 feet long – you need a good depth of field to keep both the front and tail of the airliner in focus.

A low ISO eg 80 or 100 will usually avoid noise in a pic. A high ISO eg 800 will create a lot of noise in a pic. So you want a low ISO. But a low ISO lets in little light and a high ISO lets in a lot of light! So your camera will usually try to push the ISO higher when you are using it in demanding situations (ie low light) and will give you more noise in the pic.

I hope that I am explaining the compromises OK? The issue all of the time is light! Plus remember that the four bits above (zoom,shutter speed, f stop and ISO all interact with each other!)

Ideally, assuming that you are using your zoom at 500mm, then you want to set your shutter speed at 1/500th of a second. If you have a really good image stabilisation system and you can hold your camera very steady, then you might get away with half that number ie 1/250th of a second. You want to keep your ISO at 80 or 100 ideally. Plus your f stop would be best at around f8 to give you a decent depth of field. You can do this in bright weather, but not in bad weather.

So you really need to play around with your mix in bad weather and see what works best for you.

Look at the different modes on your camera. They will allow you to set shutter priority, or aperture priority (f stop) or set ISO. Do a few tests. See which ones that you like best.

Most importantly…..Have fun!!!!!

Hope this helps you.

Cheers

Paul

7.1 actually, made a typo. My camera has the option to choose between 1/2 stops and 1/3 stops. I use 1/3 stops. Lowest is 2.8, highest is 32.

I actually knew that, I was just being sarcastic. 😀

Rob, I usually find it’s a better idea to go to the pub in rainy conditions!

Whether you use ISO 100 or 200 really depends on the circumstances you’re shooting in. In an ideal world you’d stick on 100 to keep the noise down, but if you find your shots are blurry at ISO 100, going to 200 will halve your shutter speed and help a little.

There’s a guide you can use to help ensure you get sharp hand held photos. Basically you should try keep your shutter speed at least equal to your focal length, so if you’re at 100mm, your shutter speed should be 1/100th or quicker. The problem is, as your camera isn’t an SLR it’s quite difficult to know what your focal length actually is! Try ISO 100 first and see if your shots are reasonably sharp. If not, try upping the ISO to 200. If they’re still not quite sharp try opening the aperture a little to get more light in. 🙂

Paul

would it be better to use ISO 100 OR 200 in cloudy rainy conditions?

Thanks grey

and thanks also for moving my topic to the right forum post its helped a lot

take care
rob

so do you think i should have my camera on the aperture priority setting and set my f-stop to 7.0?

what is f-stop?

thanks
rob

This is as good an explanation as you’re likely to get.

so do you think i should have my camera on the aperture priority setting and set my f-stop to 7.0?

what is f-stop?

thanks
rob