Could do with help please

[skiprat]

I just got a new camera as my old one died...:frown:

I got a Fuji Finepix S1500 because it looked like the best deal of what was available.
So far I've found that it isn't as forgiving as my old one in just basic mode and I think I need to try and understand some of the details and functions better if it's not going to be a waste.
I honestly get pretty confused with all the terminology and I'm wondering if there is a sequence of learning I could follow to help me get through it?
At the moment I feel as if I need to already know it all before I can understand the next function:redface:
The manual tells you how to operate it as if you already know the jargon.
I took the pic below after about 600000 tries but it's not as good as I'm sure the camera is capable of.
I probably need to take most of my pics indoors under flourescent lights.
I do have a tent and halogen lights but never needed it with the old camera. I'd prefer not to use them if pos.

Please tell me where to start so I can conquer this beast!!!:biggrin:

Thanks in advance

oh yeah, the background card is grey, but slightly darker than it appears in the pic

 

[gketell]

OK, so the main thing you need is a way to color balance your photo. Best in camera if possible but post photo will work too.

Since you said the background was gray this is a one-click fix using iPhoto or any software that has a way of using a "gray dropper" to set the color balance.

I'll look up the camera manual and post more shortly.

 

[gketell]

OK, got the manual. Looks like all the features you need are in the camera. Just not easy to get to the first time. But once you do it once you can save all the settings so you don't need to do it over and over again each time.

Which brings me to your tent. If you use your tent with the same lighting every time you take a picture then you can save all your settings and just turn the camera on and shoot. If you use different lighting and locations and backgrounds then you will need to go through the process of setting the camera for those choices each time. Your choice but I love just turning my camera on and pushing the button to get the perfect shot.

If you let the camera decide what your pen should look like you get what you get. You need to manually control the following things to get a good shot every time:
ISO
White balance
Depth of field
Exposure
Focus

ISO: Page 64-65 of your manual. Press the "F" button on the back of the camera. Select ISO from the menu and set it to 100 or 200.

White Balance. You want to set your camera's white balance by hand to match the lighting you are using. Page 72 of the manual. Go into the menu: shooting mode: white balance. Select "measure" which is the box with two triangles under it. Set up all your lighting the way the photo will be taken then put a piece of white paper where the pen would go angling it so all the lights hit it and it still faces the camera, zoom so it fills the frame fully then push the button to have the camera measure the white balance and adjust for weird light color.

Depth of field: let's keep it simple and maximize it. Set the camera to "Manual" exposure. Page 39. Turn the dial on top of the camera to "M". Press the "+/-" button until aperture is selected. Use the selector pad, left/right to select the biggest number the camera has.

Exposure: If you have a gray card this is easy. Replace your white paper from setting the white balance with the gray card and then use use the selector pad up/down to change the shutter speed until the exposure meter shows that the picture will be properly exposed. If you don't have a gray card it will be trial and error. Put the pen in place, shoot it. Adjust the shutter speed until it looks good.

Focus: set the pen the way you like it trying to keep it "mostly" parallel to the back of the camera. If it isn't 100% parallel then use "Focus Lock" (page 23) to have the camera focus about 1/3 of the way "back" on the pen. This will maximize your depth of field so you have a better chance of getting the entire pen in focus.

Now you should be getting good pictures.

Go back into the shooting menu and select "Custom Set" option. Next time you shoot in these exact conditions just set your dial to the "C" setting and everything you set above will be repeated.

Feel free to IM me if you want to talk in real time. You can also use skype with my AIM ID from my profile.

GK

 

[skiprat]

Many many thanks Greg. I'm going to try all of that right now:biggrin:
Your pic looks a lot closer to reality than mine too:wink:

 

[randyrls]

Greg nailed it, but one more thing. Do a Google search and find the PDF version of the Users Manual for the camera. Down load it and save a copy to your computer.
Not only will it be less likely to get lost, but you can ZOOM in on it so it is readable.

 

[gketell]

Manual:
http://www.fujifilm.com.mx/fuji2007...x_s1500/pdf/index/finepix_s1500_manual_01.pdf

I forgot one thing: before you do the Depth of Field setting, manually set your ISO down to 100 or 200. (Page 65) Otherwise your camera still has some leeway to decide what it thinks the picture should look like. With manual ISO and manual exposure then it can only do what you told it to.

GK

 

[skiprat]

Thanks, I got the manual on disc but for some reason they wrote it in Gobbledegook

Greg I took loads more pics ( struggled a bit, but will get there )

I'll also do as per your last note about the ISO thingy.

Here is the last pic I took. Although all the details are there, I'm sure it can be improved a lot. The little polish pot is the whitest thing I have, just for comparison. This pic was taken using 'Super macro' and the camera was about 8 inches from the pen. I think that it may be too close to get the ends of the pen into good focus though?
My last camera was always about 5 foot away and I zoomed in to fill the LCD. Although this might not be toooooooo bad, I think it is a little 'soft' and would like it sharper.:biggrin::beer:

 

[NewLondon88]

A lot of the cameras automatically apply a 'sharpen' filter after the
shot is taken. (it's buried in the settings, so most people don't even
know that it is happening) it may be turned off on your camera.
You may or may not want that. It bumps the levels of adjacent
pixels in contrasting areas so that it appears sharper. That doesn't
mean it changes the focus, but it might seem like it does.
(at least that's the way I *think* it works)

You also have settings for film, chrome, B&W etc.. and these have
different color profiles built in that may increase or decrease the
apparent sharpness too.

I don't think I've ever taken a shot that I didn't monkey with afterwards.
They can all use a tweak here and there.

Greg nailed pretty much everything, though. That should get you
99% of the way there, then you can tweak as you see fit.
If you REALLY like editing, that camera can save in RAW format with
no post processing at all. Then you really get exactly what you shot
and you can do with it what you will.

 

[VisExp]

Greg has given you some good advice. With regard to the white balance your best bet is to get a white balance card in order to manually set the white balance. This is the one I use: White balance card

Also your camera may be achieving "super macro" electronically and not optically. By this I mean it may be taking the pixels and expanding them in order to zoom in. Try backing the camera off and taking the shot. Even if it doesn't fill the frame, if you are able to get better focus that way you will still be able to crop the image before resizing.

 

[khogan16]

The macro feature should allow you to get closer to your subject and allow the camera to focus. I would not use the "super Macro" i would think it would be like a digital Zoom, which just magnifies the pixels. If you can take one thing at time and keep a log to correct this problem.

If it's a color problem then you must look to the white balance as the issue, also if you have a mixture of lights i.e. Tungsten (will appear yellow) and fluorescent (will appear green) that can cause you a lot of problems also. If you can, use just one kind of light as well as the same color temperature.

As for the ISO the lower the ISO the less pixelated or Grainy, but the trade off is that it is less sensitive to light.

The Aperture controls the depth of field, the wider the aperture (4, 5.6) means that less will be in focus. The high the number (11, 16, 22) the more will be in focus.

The Shutter Speed controls movement, if you want to freeze something you should use a setting around 250 to 500. In your case use a longer shutter speed and a tripod.

not sure if that helps or not, I have seen the neutral gray cards that Greg posted and they are a good choice to use.

 

[TellicoTurning]

OK, got the manual. Looks like all the features you need are in the camera. Just not easy to get to the first time. But once you do it once you can save all the settings so you don't need to do it over and over again each time.

Which brings me to your tent. If you use your tent with the same lighting every time you take a picture then you can save all your settings and just turn the camera on and shoot. If you use different lighting and locations and backgrounds then you will need to go through the process of setting the camera for those choices each time. Your choice but I love just turning my camera on and pushing the button to get the perfect shot.

If you let the camera decide what your pen should look like you get what you get. You need to manually control the following things to get a good shot every time:
ISO
White balance
Depth of field
Exposure
Focus

ISO: Page 64-65 of your manual. Press the "F" button on the back of the camera. Select ISO from the menu and set it to 100 or 200.

White Balance. You want to set your camera's white balance by hand to match the lighting you are using. Page 72 of the manual. Go into the menu: shooting mode: white balance. Select "measure" which is the box with two triangles under it. Set up all your lighting the way the photo will be taken then put a piece of white paper where the pen would go angling it so all the lights hit it and it still faces the camera, zoom so it fills the frame fully then push the button to have the camera measure the white balance and adjust for weird light color.

Depth of field: let's keep it simple and maximize it. Set the camera to "Manual" exposure. Page 39. Turn the dial on top of the camera to "M". Press the "+/-" button until aperture is selected. Use the selector pad, left/right to select the biggest number the camera has.

Exposure: If you have a gray card this is easy. Replace your white paper from setting the white balance with the gray card and then use use the selector pad up/down to change the shutter speed until the exposure meter shows that the picture will be properly exposed. If you don't have a gray card it will be trial and error. Put the pen in place, shoot it. Adjust the shutter speed until it looks good.

Focus: set the pen the way you like it trying to keep it "mostly" parallel to the back of the camera. If it isn't 100% parallel then use "Focus Lock" (page 23) to have the camera focus about 1/3 of the way "back" on the pen. This will maximize your depth of field so you have a better chance of getting the entire pen in focus.

Now you should be getting good pictures.

Go back into the shooting menu and select "Custom Set" option. Next time you shoot in these exact conditions just set your dial to the "C" setting and everything you set above will be repeated.

Feel free to IM me if you want to talk in real time. You can also use skype with my AIM ID from my profile.

GK

Greg,
I do most of these steps anyway, but it's good to have them laid out like this... my camera is a Fuji Finepix S5200 and is a pretty nice camera for a hand me down... thanks for post this.. maybe I can improve my pictures some too.