I know NOTHING about photography!

[WesternGuy]

WesternGuy,

Thanks for your reply, I know images can be processed through photoshop or some other softwares, but thats something which I don't want, I want to click best photographs through my camera which shouldn't need any processing at all! and you mean with those SLR cameras I can't delete the photographs and move on?

Most digital images do need some post processing even if it is only a little sharpening and maybe colour correction, a lot depends on the camera, that is the nature of digital cameras and the images they produce.

No, I definitely did not mean that you cannot delete photographs and move on, on the contrary, that is the nice thing about digital cameras, when you look at the image you have captured in your photograph, if you don't like it, or the effect was not what you had hoped for, then you can simply delete the image and try it again. Hope this clears up any misunderstanding about "deleting" unwanted images. As I said before, best wishes and good luck with your journey through the world of photography.

Kindest regards,

WesternGuy.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

Thanks WesternGuy for the reply,

As I said before, best wishes and good luck with your journey through the world of photography.

Saying this statement means "don't post silly questions again"? May be not! But when I say "Goodbye", "All the best" etc.. again and again, I mean "Please leave now"

By the way, am I the only one who's not seeing the "thanks" button?

 

[enzodm]

I think you are correct

Following is mentioned in its specifications:
Manual, Av and Tv modes for full creative control

I think I could set the shutter speed too!
What else features I am missing here?

formally you are not missing any possibility. However, on a point&shoot camera, depth of field is much deeper than on a SLR, so is difficult to obtain some of the effects you seek when shooting with a SLR.
In any case, you may choose to shoot aperture priority (Av,), shutter Priority (Tv) or full manual. If your camera is similar to other Canon, you may also manually focus, if needed, although missing a viewfinder it becomes not so simple.
Anyway, to learn basics is good, with reference to tutorials other people here suggested to you. I add this: 10 Top Photography Composition Rules | PhotographyMad.com

Regarding postprocessing, it is and it has always been (even on film) part of the photographic process, so do not dismiss it. Of course, the better you capture the picture, the better will be after postprocessing.

 

[Compaq]

Hi again. You said you can set your camera to "Av" and "Tv". What this is, is basically "semi-manual". Av stands for "Aperture value" (commonly referred to "aperture priority mode), and lets you set the aperture (opening of the diaphragm). The camera then "calculates" the "correct" shutter speed to give you a "correct" exposure. As you will read in the tutorials, this enables you to control the depth of field (how much is in focus) of the image. Tv stands for time value (shutter priority mode), and lets you control the shutterspeed. The camera then calculates the aperture for your "correct" exposure. Of course, the camera's "opinion" of whats correct isn't something you have to follow all the time, experiment with different exposures to give different moods. Sunrise/set pics often require underexposure to show the highlights of the sky, for example.

To be honest, I have yet to discover situations where fully manual is a necessity (though I'm sure more experienced members of this community have found them). So my point is you have good possibilities for creativity - at least settings wise. Can you change lenses on your camera?

 

[OrionsByte]

Thanks WesternGuy for the reply,

As I said before, best wishes and good luck with your journey through the world of photography.

Saying this statement means "don't post silly questions again"? May be not! But when I say "Goodbye", "All the best" etc.. again and again, I mean "Please leave now"

By the way, am I the only one who's not seeing the "thanks" button?

That's not what he meant; please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to - it's how we learn!

Regarding the "thanks" button, this forum only lets you give out a certain number of thanks per day, so you must have hit your limit.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

Compaq,

Thanks again,

Just now I turned on the camera and clicked the wheel button round and round and found the following settings, am I missing something crucial out there? The text in italics was written on the screen when I selected these modes, and also there were some petty things which I have omitted here!

Manual: Set aperture and shutter speed for max flexibility.
Av: Set aperture, camera will select shutter speed.
Tv: Set shutter speed, camera will select aperture.
P: Set various camera functions.
Flash:(Adjustable).
ISO speed: (Adjustable).
AWB: (Adjustable).
Colour preference: (Adjustable).
Light Metering: (Adjustable).

and secondly the depth of field you mentioned in your second post, I don't know what that means but I shall look it up on Gooooo.

You asked:

Can you change lenses on your camera?

I don't know but I'll find out!
This is written on my lens which is pre attached to my camera, see if it tells you something:

CANON ZOOM LENS 14x15, 5.0-70.0MM, 1:3.1-5.9

 

[Anisha Kaul]

If your camera is similar to other Canon, you may also manually focus, if needed, although missing a viewfinder it becomes not so simple.

Thanks to you,

Your words were soothing for my heart, (i.e. when you mentioned that I was not missing anything with this camera) I was in fact thinking of throwing away this camera to buy an SLR!

And the manual focus, you are talking of, yes that is there, I saw it yesterday! and I don't know what is a viewfinder nor do I know what am I missing by not having it! (Ignorance is bliss!)

Thanks again, both the links you posted where pointing to same location?

That's not what he meant; please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to - it's how we learn!
Regarding the "thanks" button, this forum only lets you give out a certain number of thanks per day, so you must have hit your limit.

Thanks to you too, its the second most active and helpful forum Ive seen till now
and if Ive found the various other posts to be very much helpful what i am supposed to do w.r.t thanks button? Perhaps wait for the next day!!:er:

 

[Compaq]

It seems your camera has fully manual mode - which of course is a plus I looked your camera up, and I don't think you can change lenses. If it was possible, it would say so in the description, as it's not very common for compact cameras. You have the possibility of going from wide angle to big tele (~400mm). However, I don't think your actually changing the focal elngth of the lens (ie zooming) the way one does on slr lenses. You might just be magnifying the image, which produces much lower quality images. Someone a bit more experienced will have to answer that fully.

However, as you're able to do manual exposures, I think this camera actually will introduce you to the world of photography satisfactory. You will understand exposure in depth. When you learn more about focal lengths and what the difference between a 18mm and a 200mm is, you'll see compositional possibilities. In time, you can upgrade to a (digital) slr, and feel how much easier it is to use this to take creative photographs than with a compact camera set at automatic mode.

As for depth of field, it may become "your best friend", as formulated by the guy in the link I'm about to provide I urge you to take advantage of YouTube. Lots and lots of great videos explaining exposure, DOP (Depth of Field), shutterspeed, ISO, aperture, white balance and more. Great place, youtube is

Understanding Depth of Field:

Understanding White Balance:

Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed:

Here are three videos that gives you some terminology and understanding. They are made for slr camera, it seems, but the principle is identical Keep searching the net and youtube. Experience with your camera to see the theory in action. If you're going to take the step from auto to semi-manual/manual mode, you're going to have to practice But that's not a bad thing. Experience is alfa and omega

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask questions in here
Regards from Norway.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

You might just be magnifying the image, which produces much lower quality images.

Thanks again,

But the this link says:

When using optical zoom quality remains the same and the full resolution of the camera can be used on the zoomed image.

However, as you're able to do manual exposures, I think this camera actually will introduce you to the world of photography satisfactory...

Thanks for soothing words, can it be said that this camera is in a way equivalent to the SLRs? Or I am hoping for too much! Well, everyone I have come in touch with till now (on forums or in real life) is going around to buy a Nikon SLR.

As for depth of field, it may become "your best friend", as formulated by the guy in the link I'm about to provide I urge you to take advantage of YouTube. Lots and lots of great videos explaining exposure, DOP (Depth of Field), shutterspeed, ISO, aperture, white balance and more.

Thanks for the links, I'll download those videos from my office tomorrow!

Regards from Norway.

I have read about Norway in "Asterix and the Normans"


Question:
Will it be feasible if I practice these manual settings inside my house at night?
Will I be able to see the results?

 

[OrionsByte]

Thanks for soothing words, can it be said that this camera is in a way equivalent to the SLRs? Or I am hoping for too much!

As far as learning how exposure works (balancing aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), and learning the basics of composure and such, the camera you have will be just fine.

Eventually, as you continue to learn more and more about how photography works, you'll start noticing that the capabilities of your camera are holding you back, and that's when it's time to invest in a DSLR. Until you can specifically identify which features your current camera lacks that a DSLR would provide (and how you could use them to take better photos), however, I don't think there's any reason to get rid of your current one.

Just one man's opinion.

 

[itf]

I say go out take pictures on different settings, then go home and see which ones you like best. Just experiment and you'll get better quickly.

 

[Compaq]

You might just be magnifying the image, which produces much lower quality images.

Thanks again,

But the this link says:

When using optical zoom quality remains the same and the full resolution of the camera can be used on the zoomed image.

Thank you for that link. I was unsure about the zoom of compact cameras. Optical zoom is what happens when you change the focal length of the lens. The lens actually moves (though you may not see it) when zooming. Digital zoom is then the "cheat" zoom that lures us. You're just magnifying the image on the sensor, making the pixels bigger, so to speak (try "zooming in" on a picture on your computer. It get's pixel-ish and poor). I am going to assume that your camera is providing optical zoom from wide angle to around 400mm, which I believe was the longest focal length. Keep in mind that camera shake (your moving the camera) is very big that far up (of course, not any bigger than usual, but its consequences are more noticeable).

Regards from Norway.

I have read about Norway in "Asterix and the Normans"


Question:
Will it be feasible if I practice these manual settings inside my house at night?
Will I be able to see the results?

Firstly, Norway rocks

You can experiment with your camera anywhere at any time. Just remember that low light usually means longer shutter speeds. You'll find out this better by yourself One quick rule of thumb, though You can hand hold your camera and get nice shots (blur-wise) at shutter speeds as low as 1/focal length. So if you have your camera zoomed in at 100mm, you can use shutter speeds down to around 1/100th second. 40mm gives enables you to use shutter speeds down to 1/40th of a second. I guess you see the pattern, now ;P But then again, you have IS, so you can probably get along with a little slower shutter speeds than that.

As for your last question, I'm not quite sure what you mean :S

And I must add, I totally agree with OrionsByte. When you feel limited by your camera, and actually can imagine what a dslr can do for you, and how it will improve your photography, you're ready I'm actually starting with a lens with a fixed focal length. And I'm starting to see how and why different focal length will help me better my photos. It's a great way to learn. Lots of people who can afford the best buy the best right away. There's a reason why everyone that's a guru in their field can say that they started with lower end equipment, and moved up the latter from there

Also, you'll discover that learning the technical stuff (how control DOP, motion blur etc etc) isn't the hard part. The hard part, the part that takes years and years, is using that to take GREAT photos

 

[Anisha Kaul]

You can experiment with your camera anywhere at any time. Just remember that low light usually means longer shutter speeds. You'll find out this better by yourself One quick rule of thumb, though You can hand hold your camera and get nice shots (blur-wise) at shutter speeds as low as 1/focal length. So if you have your camera zoomed in at 100mm, you can use shutter speeds down to around 1/100th second. 40mm gives enables you to use shutter speeds down to 1/40th of a second. I guess you see the pattern, now ;P But then again, you have IS, so you can probably get along with a little slower shutter speeds than that.

Right now it is Greek for me, but soon I'll myself translate it to English.

I say go out take pictures on different settings, then go home and see which ones you like best. Just experiment and you'll get better quickly.

Of course that's logical, but now a days when I reach home from office it gets dark outside, that's why I wanted to practice inside the house at night!

As far as learning how exposure works (balancing aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), and learning the basics of composure and such, the camera you have will be just fine.

Eventually, as you continue to learn more and more about how photography works, you'll start noticing that the capabilities of your camera are holding you back, and that's when it's time to invest in a DSLR. ...

Thanks for the valuable guidance :hattip:
I am not sure whether it will take me some months or some light years till the DSLR purchasing day comes

Just one man's opinion.

This girl respects your opinion!

Here's a thanks to all the posters of this thread for bearing with me all this while.

-Anisha

 

[WesternGuy]

Thanks WesternGuy for the reply,

As I said before, best wishes and good luck with your journey through the world of photography.

Saying this statement means "don't post silly questions again"? May be not! But when I say "Goodbye", "All the best" etc.. again and again, I mean "Please leave now"

By the way, am I the only one who's not seeing the "thanks" button?

This IS definitely NOT what I meant and if you interpreted it in that way, then I am sorry. Like you, I come to these forums to learn from those more experienced than I am and believe me, there are many who are more experienced than I am. I also try to give back to the forum and share some of my limited knowledge and experience where I think it can help others. For you to suggest that I would say or imply otherwise is just not a correct interpretation of what I meant...I REALLY do wish you good luck with your journey through the world of photography...we all have one, it has to start somewhere and we seek advice along the way and, hopefully, get some that is relevant and good, and with good wishes thrown in.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[Anisha Kaul]

This IS definitely NOT what I meant and if you interpreted it in that way, then I am sorry.

I did put up two smilies in that post to indicate a bit of dry humor there, thanks for following up, and I am gearing up to plunge in the ocean now