Just joined

[seehim]

Hi
I am new to digital photography and have picked up 3 cameras to get myself in to this hobby.
Sony R1, Sony 717, and a Fuji F31f. I would appreciate any feedback on my choice of equipment.
I chose the Fuji F31f as I read somewhere that it is good for low light indoor shots
I have tried a few shots of a baby in a dark room using a nearby tablelamp for lighting but the shots turned out fairly grainy.The camera selected 3200 ISO.
Do I need to increase the light, or choose a different camera setting.?
I dont have an owners manual. Is there a formulae?
Any F31 owners out there ?
Should I select N/sp, M, Auto, or A/S ? for low light shots without flash ?

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Those cameras are a little old, but only because technology moves so fast. The only one that really interest me, is the Sony R1 because that one has a larger sensor. 95% of digital cameras have very small image sensors but the R1 was one of the first 'point & shoot' style cameras to actually have a larger sensor. I think that may have been a failed experiment though, because the price of DSLR cameras has come down so much that it doesn't make much sense to spend that much on a P&S style camera.

I have tried a few shots of a baby in a dark room using a nearby tablelamp for lighting but the shots turned out fairly grainy.The camera selected 3200 ISO.

All but the newest and/or most expensive cameras have trouble at ISO levels that high. A camera with a small sensor like that, it going to have a really hard time at ISO 3200...frankly, I'm surprised it's even an option on that camera.

Do I need to increase the light, or choose a different camera setting.?

Increasing the light is probably the best option. That's why cameras have a flash...although, the built-in flash on most cameras will give a terrible 'flat' light that photos just don't look good.
You could change the setting, and use a much longer shutter speed. However, this would cause blur if either the camera or the subject moves at all. So you have to decide what is worse, noise or blur.

Should I select N/sp, M, Auto, or A/S ? for low light shots without flash ?

It really doesn't matter. In order to get the exposure in that low light, you would need to have either a slow shutter speed or high ISO (the aperture is probably all ready maxed out).