<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13734072#post13734072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Saltwater Kid
I mean some pics come out okay but none are crystal clear WOW type pics and that's sort of what I expected coming from a 6MP camera to a 10MP camera.
People get so caught up in this megapixle gig. You will likely barely notice a difference between 6mp and 10mp. Anything over 7mp is really just overkill unless your are heavily cropping.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13734072#post13734072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Saltwater Kid
I have tried almost all of the different ISO settings, some Av, Tv and manual settings (which are completely dark without the flash up...even during the day) and I still can't take consistently good pics.
You just aren't using Av, Tv, and Manual setting right. I will try to teach you.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13734072#post13734072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Saltwater Kid
There was a camera right beside this one in Best Buy that took RAW images...the Canon G10 and that was a 14.7MP but it only had a 5X optical zoom and was $100 more...should I have gotten that one instead?
The G10 is a superior camera. I am pleased you pointed out Optical zoom as opposed to Digital zoom. Digital zoom is worthless. Optical zoom "5x" can also be a hard concept to grasp. My 24-70mm lens has 3x optical zoom as 70/24=2.91... My 70-200mm lens has 3x optical zoom as 200/70= 2.857... Now my 70-200 @ 200mm has 8x the zoom as my 24-70 @ 24mm because 200/24=8.333...
So both of my lenses have 3x optical zoom but the 70-200 zooms in way more than my 24-70 if that makes any sense.
With a reef aquarium, RAW image quality is very importiant because of the strange lighting in the canopy and the strange colors that are then reflected off of the corals. A RAW image will save every changeable setting in the image file for later. You can then load the image onto your computer and adjust white balance ect.
You will need to learn the bare bones basics of photography, exposure. Exposure is made up of
Shutter Speed,
Aperture, and
ISO. These are 3 equally importiant angles of a triangle. If you change one angle, there is an equal and opposite effect on the other 2.
Since you do not have a tripod, the most critical exposure element for you will be
Shutter Speed. Without a tripod your hands will be moving the camera about as you take a picture. Your "ultrasonic" image stabilization will combat this, but it can only do so much. The coral and/or fish will also be blowing around in the current. The
Shutter Speed chosen determines whether all of this movement is frozen or simply blurs the image.
The
Aperture will be your 2nd priority. This effects how much in front and behind your focus point will actually be in focus. You have a relatively small image sensor, so lots of the image will be in focus compared to a DSLR.
Your final priority will be
ISO. You will always start at 100
ISO. After selecting your desired
Shutter Speed and
Aperture, use
ISO to fill in the blanks. Again your image sensor is fairly small, so
ISO's negative qualities (a grainy image), will be more of a challenge for you. The negative properties of a higher
ISO speed are evident in all three of your examples as a salt and pepper effect dotting your image.
The more optical zoom you use, the faster your
Shutter Speed must be. Here your smaller image sensor is working against you once again. On a full frame DSLR, such as the new Canon 5DmkII, a general rule is to have 1/1000 of a second for ever mm of focal length your lens is set to. So at 100mm, you should shoot for at least 1/100
Shutter Speed.
The 5D's image sensor is 1.6 times larger than that of my own Canon 40D. So @ 100mm I need to shoot for 100x1.6= a 1/160
Shutter Speed. Again this is a general rule.
The new 5DmkII's image sensor is a whopping 5.6 times larger than the SX10 IS's sensor. This is why they say it has an
equivilant 28mm-560mm lens when in actuality it has a 5mm-100mm lens. So for The SX10 zoomed all the way out to 100mm, you need 100x5.6= a 1/560 minimum shutter speed.
Now that we have the formalities out of the way, lets look at your actual pictures.
1.
Shutter Speed 1/160
Aperture f/5.7
ISO 800
Focal length 100 mm
So as I said above, to get a decently sharp picture @ 100mm, you need a 1/560 shutter speed, or 3.5
times faster than you had. This is simple physics. Your actual shutter speed was MUCH slower and you see the result. With a tripod you just may have gotten away with it.
Because your sensor is so small, your ISO 800 interference will be much worse than that of my 40D. More megapixels crammed into your sensor are also only hurting you here.
2.
Shutter Speed 1/80
Aperture f/3.5
ISO ?unknown? probably Auto
Focal length 72 mm
Again your
Shutter Speed needed to be at least 72x5.6= 1/400 or 5
times faster than it actually was.
3.
Shutter Speed 1/60
Aperture f/3.5
ISO ?unknown? probably Auto
Focal length 72 mm
Do you see the pattern here?
Verdict:
Your camera is fine, you just need to learn some photography 101.
. I want a camera that will take as close to what I am seeing with the naked eye through the glass with a minimal amount of adjusting...is there one like that? I don't need 50 million options or to take pictures like a pro...I just want to be able to get crystal clear pics of my tank and corals.
.
