Shots w/ Canon S3 IS

[on3ofak1nd]

I picked up a Canon S3 IS about a month ago and have had little time to play with it... however what I have done is produce some less then desirable quality photos ... With that being said I think a lot of it has to do with my unstead hand. I am looking into purchasing a tri-pod. My question is would this tri-pod be ok for a beginner and is that price alright?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ripod&lp=7&type=product&cp=1&id=1168044601803

Consider that I would like it ASAP and would prefer not to wait for shipping.

Additionally do you think that a tri-pod can make a significant difference in getting clear shots both Macro and non? I know this seems like a loaded question but seriously I'd rather not make the investment if it's not going to be prove worthy. I'm looking for testimonials from people who have had trouble taking clear/crisp photos and found a tri-pod to help moderately to "a lot".

thanks

-Wes

 

[TIMMYE]

A tripod will help if the blur is coming from shaking. Post a couple of pics and we can see what they look like. If its shakes that make them blur then this will help, but some of your settings can also make them blur.

 

[Maxxumless]

The general rule of thumb is to shot with a tripod when your shutter speed is lower than your the focal length of your zoom. The S3 I believe has a zoom of 36-432mm which means when zoomed all the way to 432mm you should consider using a tripod if your shutter speed is slower than 1/400. The IS on that camera will make hand holding a bit more easy up to three stops. Here is an example if you are at max focal length:

1/3200 Safe to shoot with hand
1/2000 Safe to shoot with hand
1/1000 Safe to shoot with hand
1/500 Safe to shoot with hand
1/250 Safe to shoot with hand due to IS
1/125 Safe to shoot with hand due to IS
1/60 Iffy â€"œ will likely get good shots due to IS
1/30 Iffy â€"œ will likely get blurred shots
1/15 Will likely get blurred shots
1/8 Will get blurred shots
1/4 Will get really blurred shots
1/2 Will get really bad blurred shots
1 s Ummm what is that blurry glob on the screen???

ISO is usually the only on-camera tool available to the point-and-shoot photographer to raise the shutter speed and above ISO 200 P&S's start getting a lot of noise in their photos. You can lean on walls, support your arms and do other tricks... However, tripods are really very necessary for quality shots of aquariums.

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Well I did buy a tripod and it has helped some...
When you say “ISO is the only on camera tool available to raise the shutter speed” do you mean I can not manually adjust it? I see where it tells me the shutter speed but that’s it.

I usually shoot w/ ISO 80 in an effort to reduce noise but even then some of my pics are a bit noisier than I'd like. Here are some I took today w/ the tripod. I did do a small bit of post processing in photoshop. Primarily auto leveled and some color adjustment in an effort to get them closer to real life. That is the other issue I'm having... getting true colors. I've tried a variety of color balances including setting a custom color balance with a piece of white paper under the tank lighting. I know it’s not a professional white/grey card but I was hoping it would help a bit.

Anyway here are the pics, I was in aperture priority mode F4 using the macro setting. ISO was set to AUTO (I thought it was 80 but upon reviewing it was not) and I am not sure what the shutter speed is as it does not display in this mode.

http://image63.webshots.com/463/4/7...atic&track_action=/Owner/ViewActions/FullSize

http://image30.webshots.com/466/1/2...atic&track_action=/Owner/ViewActions/FullSize

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Ok so I messed those links above up sorry...

I hope those work better!

 

[Maxxumless]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10345244#post10345244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by on3ofak1nd
Well I did buy a tripod and it has helped some...
When you say “ISO is the only on camera tool available to raise the shutter speed” do you mean I can not manually adjust it? I see where it tells me the shutter speed but that’s it.

When you adjust your ISO up it is basically going to double your camera's sensitivity to light for every step - thus moving you up 1-Stop faster shutter speed. This is an over simplification and other things can change this, but basically if you go from “ISO 80 & shutter speed 1/60” and change your ISO to 100 then your shutter speed will change 1-Stop faster to 1/125. Do not confuse f/stop with Stops â€"œ they are two different terms but f/stop (on lens) works the same way. Moving your f/stop up or down one level will effectively double the light coming in thus again changing your shutter speed 1-Stop. I know, it can get confusing â€"œ but if you can look at a DSLR it would make a lot of sense. To make things a little more complicated different cameras will move in different steps (numbers), but the rule is still the same.

Sooooo, basically, if you change your ISO your shutter speed will change and if you change your f/stop again your shutter speed will change â€"œ the changes will be 1-Stop in whatever direction you go. Think of them as sliders â€"œ both ISO and f/stop changing the shutter speed 1:1. That is why most macro lenses have f/2.8 which is pretty fast and why a Canon MkIII (ISO6400) and a 50mm f/1.2 will set you back $6600 together! You could practically take pictures in the dark with that combo

Oh, and by the way, great photos! Some people will tell you to just mess around with the settings until you get it right â€"œ but there really is a science to it.

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Well I believe I understand the relationship between ISO and shutter speed. I'm a little confused about changing my f/stop for as far as I can tell that seems to be controlled automatically on my camera. I could of course be wrong however...

I believe it is a science and I'd rather learn the science then just "mess" around.

 

[flipteg]

if you are in TV mode, then yes, the camera will control the aperture while letting you select the shutter speed...

 

[on3ofak1nd]

I really feel like I should be able to get in tighter on shots and crisper for that matter... I've seen other people with an S3 produce some great shots! Could the fact that I have a bowfront tank be making it significantly more difficult?

I just took a look at Jugglers thread "New Additions" and he has produced some better macro shots than I've been able to.

 

[on3ofak1nd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10348899#post10348899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flipteg
if you are in TV mode, then yes, the camera will control the aperture while letting you select the shutter speed...

Well I am at work right now so I can't look at it but I'll have to examine things again... I put it in TV mode but I don't see the function to change the shutter speed...

 

[Maxxumless]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10348815#post10348815 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by on3ofak1nd
I'm a little confused about changing my f/stop for as far as I can tell that seems to be controlled automatically on my camera. I could of course be wrong however...

Admittedly, I do not know your camera very well (just going by specs). It says you have from F2.7 to 3.5 which isn't a lot to play with â€"œ but thats pretty wide open already. Have you looked at the manual? On my camera it is the dial by the shutter release button which rotates to change the aperture value.

Also, have you tried bracketing your photos by using the EV (Exposure Value) settings? On the specs it says that is possible. What it will do is shoot 3 pictures, one under exopsed, one over exposed and one what it thinks is perfect.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10348902#post10348902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by on3ofak1nd
I really feel like I should be able to get in tighter on shots and crisper for that matter... I've seen other people with an S3 produce some great shots! Could the fact that I have a bowfront tank be making it significantly more difficult?

I just took a look at Jugglers thread "New Additions" and he has produced some better macro shots than I've been able to.

I haven't seen the thread, but was he using an 'add-on' lens? I believe the S3 can be fitted with different lenses. Quote from review: "A Super Macro mode with 0cm shooting distance and optional Close-Up lens 500D (58mm) allow for detailed macro photography.” I believe that lens is around $130.

Also, the very first thing you should concern yourself with is light. It is the most important element and will dictate how well your photos come out. And you have to remember, a lot of these pictures you are seeing are processed through software to clean them up (sharpness, noicse reduction, saturation and so on).

 

[Maxxumless]

Just looked at that thread by Jugglers â€"œ the only thing he has on you is light â€"œ he has more. Light = Clarity. 500W of high K light isn't a lot in photography.

 

[djc1026]

My two cents on some of the questions above:

The 2.7-3.5 is the largest aperture at the wide end and the telephoto end. I believe it can be controlled up to f8.0 in aperature and manual modes.

Also, the super macro on the S3 may have specific focus distance requirements depending on the amount of zoom. It may be able to focus at 0cm, but at the wide angle only, if you start zooming at all, you will have to back up some.

Yes, the bowfront makes a more difficult difference IMHO.

Dave

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Well I went home on my lunch break and played a bit... placing the camera in manual mode allows me to adjust the shutter speed and f/stop manually. Of course I'll have to investigate it more after work. As far as my lighting goes... there isn't much I can do at this time to increase the lighting over my tank...

I have considered getting that lens (500D) but I was hoping to master the camera as is before I make further investments. If I am merely expecting too much out of the camera for what it is then I guess I'll have to accept that.

Is there anything I can do to compensate for the lack of adequate lighting? (funny when I built my light setup all I had in mind was having enough light for the corals to grow, not for them to be photogenic lol)

Further more is the fact that my tank is a bowfront affecting the clarity of my shots? I can't see much (if any) distortion from viewing it with the naked eye but perhaps it is refracting light through the lens differently... Do you know anyone who has successfully taken shots through a bowfront?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[on3ofak1nd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10350356#post10350356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djc1026
My two cents on some of the questions above:

The 2.7-3.5 is the largest aperture at the wide end and the telephoto end. I believe it can be controlled up to f8.0 in aperature and manual modes.

Also, the super macro on the S3 may have specific focus distance requirements depending on the amount of zoom. It may be able to focus at 0cm, but at the wide angle only, if you start zooming at all, you will have to back up some.

Yes, the bowfront makes a more difficult difference IMHO.

Dave

Yeah I've tried shooting in both normal mode, macro, and super macro... Havn't had much luck getting the clear shots I'm wanting in any of them. Some shots are ok but still not quite what im looking for. I am itching to get out of work now to fiddle some more... I think I'm going to get some new bulbs today (going from 10k to 14k) - not sure how that is going to affect my photography but I really want to switch back to 14k's as I like the asthetic appeal (in real life at least).

I'm sad that the fact that I have a bowfront may be limiting my abilities, I really like the bowfront tank but that may actually affect future tank upgrades for me.

 

[djc1026]

Generally, I personally utilize exposure compensation and slower shutter speeds for lighting issues as I tend to shoot in aperature priority. The other helpful thing is to see if you have a manual setting for White Balance, I'm pretty sure the S3 does, then you need to set it for taking pics of the aquarium (refer to the manual for setting it). Correct WB helps tremendously with aquarium photos.

I don't think the bowfront is limiting your abilities, it's just adding some challenge to your abilities.

Dave

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Yes it does have a custom white balance setting... According the manual I need a grey card or a white piece of paper (I'll have to read it again to be sure, as it is at home right now.)

I attempted using a plain piece of white paper to do this... I opened the canopy of the tank so that the light was shining onto the white paper and then I set the WB off that. This was less than effective however as it turned out to be worse then just using one of the preset WB settings. I probably need to get a professional grey card or something...

Is opening the canopy so the actual tank light shines on the card/paper a good method or is there a better way?

 

[djc1026]

Using trial and error you can focus on things in the tank that are supposed to be absolute white or a neutral grey. The grey color is hit or miss if you have never actually seen the shade of an 18% grey card. So if you have a piece of white pvc in the tank, you could use that. Without the card, it's definitely trial and error. The item needs to be in the water for best results IMO.

Dave

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Ok I'll give that a try... might be hard to find something without coralline growth... Maybe I'll just dip a piece of unused PVC in the tank for this purpose....

 

[on3ofak1nd]

Ok well since my last post I have been experimenting with the Manual mode as well as Av and Tv and to be honest I am still struggling... Im not sure what my problem is. I've tried all different combination's...
This is the best picture I've come up with in my opinion, the only post editing was to crop the photo... but there is a problem with it... the center of the focus was actually the lower polyp of the candy cane... however that is what I could NOT get in focus!! The purple monti was actually to the far left in the original photo before cropping yet it came out SIGNIFICANTLY more focused and crisp. What could be causing this? Why am I having such difficulty getting the center subject focused?

This one was alright as well I suppose but I wish I could get in tighter on the subject... Again this was cropped but the clove polyps were the center of my attention. They came out relatively clear but again this is as close as I was able to get in with out significant difficulties focusing. Am I expecting too much from the camera or do I just need to practice more? It seems like I see other postings from P&S cameras with much better macro shots. Before I consider buying a macro lens I want to make sure I am getting the full potential out of what I currently have.

Suggestions appreciated!