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 Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
1100 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:17 PM
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| Seeing a lot of blurry pictures. Try this. Hold your button down half way untill it focuses and then finish off by pressing it down the rest of the way. Most cameras have a green circle or something similar that flashes, when it turns solid then press all the way. Voila, in focus pictures. |
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 Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5372 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:23 PM
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Are you talking about Digital or SLR Cameras?
Most of the blurry shots are in digital which is notorious for requiring an extremely steady hand especially in cloudy, dark conditions that require a lower exposure.
Not easy to do when you're constantly on the move |
Edited by - exscape on 03/08/2004 12:25 PM |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:24 PM
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Since switching to digital last fall, I have noticed that they do seem a quite bit less forgiving to camera shake than film cameras.
I'm sure that part of this is the tendency to hold the camera at arm length while using the LCD, rather than tucking in your elbows and resting the camera against your face, like you would when using a view finder.
Having a swivel LCD really helps make up for this. I have started flipping the screen upward and shooting from the hip, so I can tuck in my elbows or rest the camera on something handy, while viewing the display from above.
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
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ass wigglin, cheese lovin, 4x4 drivin, apostrophe hatin, hiking chick who loves camping on snow
spaceship..
Canada
7209 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:49 PM
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I think Hodge is right about holding the camera at arms length... more shakiness occurs.
camera shake occurs at slower than 1/60th of a second for shutter speed as a general rule of thumb
Of course the darker the lighting the slower the shutter speed...
But with digital cameras you can change the ISO setting to compensate
They are more versatile than film when it comes to compensating for lighting conditions
However, when it comes to blurry shots, personally I find it hard to tell whether the original was taken with digital or film |
Edited by - Shadee on 03/08/2004 12:51 PM |
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Buntzen roving stealthy beer mule and artist, aspiring weird image findmaster who loves BC
lower mainland
Canada
1647 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:55 PM
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On my camera, a film point and shoot, I use the 'half way down' and green light to tell the camera what subject I want to focus on. If the depth of field in the scene is great, but I want to make sure that a person or thing in the foreground is in focus (and the only thing in general focus), I'll centre the camera on the person, push the button half way down until the green light comes on, then move the camera to compose the shot I want, and the person will still be in focus (although no longer in the center).
I think the way the automatics work is if I want the whole shot to be in focus, then just shoot. But if one thing is to be in focus for whatever reason, then I use the above method.
There's a difference between blurry and in/out of focus. For my camera at least, the holding down half way won't help a blurry shot because that's usually caused by camera movement, after the buttons pressed, while the film is being exposed by the light.
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'Keep on keepin on' |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13048 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 12:58 PM
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| Hodge,that is absolutely true.When I'm out trail running and photo shooting-it reminds me of Biathlon in the Winter Olympics.You know,ski like hell,stop,shoot targets and repeat same.Holding the camera closer to the body and using Kman's tip about half depressing the button are both things I try to remember to do,since I don't have a swivel screen.That,and since you have a digital cam,take more than one shot-hey,you're not wasting film.... |
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trigger happy, bear bangin', beer swillin', dirt-lovin', event organizin', hell raisin' REDneck
Maple Ridge (Redneckville), BC
Canada
2615 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 1:31 PM
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I always use the pre-focus feature (green circle), but as I am new to my digicam, I quite often find I am in the wrong setting for the pic I want to take, and hence, the odd blurry photo.
I also don't mind posting the odd blurry photo if it still gives people a sense of the trail and or trip report.
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Why? Because I can! |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 1:34 PM
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Most cameras, both digital & film, have the 'half way down' type focus lock.
One bonus that I've found, with the Canon digital anyway, is an additional 'focus lock' button. The advantage here is that you can press the shutter half way, using the center spot in the viewfinder, and lock your focus.... then you can recompose the shot and actually 'spot meter' the exposure somewhere else, once again using the using the center spot, without changing the focus.
The same can be done in reverse, where you lock the exposure, then recompose reusing the center spot to focus elsewhere, without changing the exposure setting.
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
Edited by - Hodgeman on 03/08/2004 1:34 PM |
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Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
1100 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 1:55 PM
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quote:
I'll centre the camera on the person, push the button half way down until the green light comes on, then move the camera to compose the shot I want, and the person will still be in focus (although no longer in the center).
I do the same. I noticed that some digitals also have a hard time focusing when the majority of the shot is all white, like when most of the pic is snow. Mine has a one push white balance feature that helps with this. |
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:00 PM
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This is not aimed at anyone in particular.
Ok, I have to ask..just what's the rush? Take your time and get that shot. Heck, if it's a digital, take a bunch! Experiment with the settings and perhaps consider taking a tripod. In fact, take some time and enjoy that fresh air and your surroundings! You're in the great oudoors, not in the great rat race on the way home from work. Stop being so darned consumed with collecting trail stats or how fast you can hike and relax.
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"Function is beauty" |
Edited by - Hiker Boy on 03/08/2004 2:11 PM |
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Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
1100 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:12 PM
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quote:
Most of the blurry shots are in digital which is notorious for requiring an extremely steady hand
My experience ( I work in service and engineering for an electronics company ) is that the majority of blurry shots are from people not focusing. The things that you mention can happen, but not as often as user error. |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:17 PM
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Kman - I have noticed, with the G5 at least, that the automatic white balance is not very good. It's well worth experimenting with the manual selections on that. I find that the 'cloudy' and 'tungsten light' settings in particular are much more acurate than 'auto'.
I was discussing the blue snow issue with my brother (a pro photographer) recently. To complicate the exposure difficulty with snow, there is actually quite a bit of blue light reflected by snow. For some reason however, the human eye does not percieve this in the same manner as is it does for sky and water.
If you are going out on a snow day photo mission, consider taking a grey card along for proper exposure metering. On the other side, a plain white sheet of paper can provide a target for a manual white balance setting
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
Edited by - Hodgeman on 03/09/2004 06:38 AM |
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Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5372 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:31 PM
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First of all thanks for the words of wisdom Hodge
quote:
kman
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:12:30 PM
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quote:
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Most of the blurry shots are in digital which is notorious for requiring an extremely steady hand
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My experience ( I work in service and engineering for an electronics company ) is that the majority of blurry shots are from people not focusing. The things that you mention can happen, but not as often as user error.
I can see where both camera focus and camera movement would be linked. When you have "camera wiggle" after the object in question has already been focussed upon, the logical result would be that that object may come out of focus. (Lets not miss the forest for the trees.) From my experience there was a bit of a learning curve attached to taking pictures with my digital as opposed to my SLR (and still learning) ~ where camera wiggle was never really as much of an issue for me.
And I agree that the beauty of digital is that you can take one shot, and if you're not sure, take another, and another... |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:34 PM
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To expand on the grey card subject just a little, this obviously isn't something that I, or many others would bother with, while snapping quick shots along the trail.
Automatic, evaluative, and center-weighted light metering are designed to take an average of available light, and tell the camera how to make a certain overall percentage of the picture 'medium grey'. This works okay when you have a broad range of lighting, but will let you down in more extreme situations ie: beaches, bright snow scenes or dark corners.
Use your 'spot meter' and select an are of the beach or snowscape, such as a boulder or tree trunk, to tell the camera what 'medium grey' is supposed to be. The rest of the image will then be appropriately light or dark.
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:47 PM
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quote:
I can see where both camera focus and camera movement would be linked. When you have "camera wiggle" after the object in question has already been focussed upon, the logical result would be that that object may come out of focus.
In many situations, I don't think it's so much a matter of losing focus, but moving subject blurr. I've never done a side by side comparison with a fim camera, but I do find that the automatic settings on the digital not nearly as forgiving with exposure. Or at least they do tend to want to fire the flash more, and seem to have more difficulty in freezing motion, than I was used to with my film camera
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
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trigger happy, bear bangin', beer swillin', dirt-lovin', event organizin', hell raisin' REDneck
Maple Ridge (Redneckville), BC
Canada
2615 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 2:49 PM
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I agree with Exscape's comments. I have found a huge learning curve going from a film SLR to the digital camera's. I found my Canon EOS 35mm SLR was much more forgiving than my Canon A80 digital.
Also, sometimes I do "whip out" my digital to take a quick snap shot. That's why I bring it on the trails with me, as it is much lighter and easier to use. If some turn out blurry, I could care less, as I always take plenty of shots.
With a note to Hodge's comment, I agree. I find the blurry shots are usually "moving subject" blurr. Again, digital camera's seem to be much less forgiving in this regard.
That is the beauty of digital photography. There is quality in quantity  .
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Why? Because I can! |
Edited by - Hiking_nut on 03/08/2004 2:52 PM |
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alpine seekin, therma loungin, java brewin, licorice whorin, stealth hikin, all weather trail guru
Pt. Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
1772 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 3:00 PM
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A couple of thoughts on dealing with motion blur in general.
Try to position yourself so that the subject is moving either directly toward, or directly away from the camera, rather than side to side or on an angle.
The alternative is to put the blur to creative use. If your subject is moving side to side, press the shutter half way down to lock the focus on your subject, then shoot while making a steady pan. this will help to freeze the subject and transfer the blur to the background and provide a sense of speed to the shot. Catching the subject in what is clearly an action pose ie: one foot in the air, will add to the effect. This effect is almost mandatory when shooting someone that is jumping or falling. Freezing someone in mid-air without the sense of motion just doesn't look natural
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^^ Go Vertical !! ^^ |
Edited by - Hodgeman on 03/08/2004 3:07 PM |
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Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5372 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 3:16 PM
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| Nice shot Hodge! Why wasn't he in last month's "trail pets" Photovote? |
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Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
1100 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 3:25 PM
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quote:
take more than one shot-hey,you're not wasting film.
Yup, take enough and one will turn out. |
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 right wingin', rock climbin', photo takin', computer geek
North Van, BC
Canada
742 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 10:10 PM
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Those of you who hike with poles, I know that Manfrotto markets a monopod that also doubles as a hiking pole. The good thing about this is that if you find yourself getting tired yet still wanting to take that awesome shot, simply slap the camera on your hiking pole and voila! A little bit of added stability.
Check out http://www.manfrotto.com/home/ and drill down a coule of menus until you come to monopods. I have no idea as to the cost of this puppy but any of the camera stores in Vancouver should be able to quote you a price.
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425 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2004 : 12:11 AM
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| Years ago had the tip that if taking a landscape or shot where timing is not critical to use the timer feature and just hold the camera and let the timer do the work. Thus avoiding press down jitter when tripod not available . |
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photo tip
