Help with Camera Setting ???

[Xenia King]

Some of the photos I see on RC are unreal. I'm not sure if my camera can even take pictuure like that. Can anyone please let me know how to take better photos.
My camera is a Cannon Powershot A60 2.0 mega pixels 7.5 x zoom it has a million setting. If anyone can let me know what setting are the best.


Flash on/off
light auto/ daylight / cloudy / tungsten / fluorescent / fluorescent H
ISO speed 50 / 100 / 200/ 400
Effect vivid / neutral / low sharpening / sepia
Size 1600X1200 / 1024X768 / 640X480

There is also a flower on the camers that says 5cm 2in I'm not sure what it means.

superfine / fine / normal

Then I'm not sure what this is:

1/4 to1/2000 ( it goes 1/4 1/5 1/6 all the way to 1/2000

Then it goes down from
1/4 to 15"

So if some of you photo pro's can help. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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[lessthanlights]

with out looking at your lighting try this

flash off
white balance (light) auto
iso 400
effect neutral- you can change this in the computer
size 1600x1200
superfine
1/60th of a second

the flower is your macro (really close up) settings

that will get you started but i can tell you that reading the manual will get you alot further than anyone online can.

goodluck and post some pics with those setting and go from there

 

[aberg12012]

Amazing photos are more a product of the photographer, rather than the camera. There is no magic "use these settings to get the perfect photo." As you've probably realized, it's more a matter of using good technique with the tools you have to get excellent photos, rather than needing better tools. Are better tools some times needed to get better results? Sure, but your 2 megapixel camera is capable of much more than most folks realize.

The single, most common cause of "bad photos" is camera shake. Use a tripod, or brace yourself against a wall or fixed object. Second, make sure your letting your camera focus. Make sure your not closer than it's minimum focusing distance. Macro mode reduces this distance so you can get closer. Exposure... get to know all about it, and how to modify it with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Every camera has these three things, in some shape or form. Most cameras big and small allow you to adjust these three values in some way. Some do not, and only allow "EV" adjustment... Meaning auto exposure mode, the camera decides the settings for you based on the exposure value you set.

Spend time reading photography books and websites. Practice what you learn from these. Get familiar with not just the functions of your camera, but WHAT exactly these functions mean and what affect they have on the exposure. Each peice of the photography puzzle will help gain quality and artistic creation in your photos. Each piece alone isn't that much, but put them together and you will start to nottice your photos improving greatly.

Here is an example of a pic I took with my very old (in digital years, anyway) 2 mega-pixel Fuji Finepix 2650. Yea, it's kinda a boring pic of just FW plants.

 

[lessthanlights]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8913473#post8913473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aberg12012
Amazing photos are more a product of the photographer, rather than the camera. There is no magic "use these settings to get the perfect photo."

Well said! If everyone were a great photographer I would be out of a job. The skill can be learned but there is a certain degree of talent is required too.