Settings Question

[seven]

I mountain bike quite a bit, and I was wondering which manual settings would be best for bikers going at fast speeds. It always seems that the subjects are always blurry. I use a PowerShot S410 Digital Elph, and some of the manual settings are limited. The ISO's max. is 400, and most of the pictures are taken outdoors with lots of sun.

What settings would you suggest, and should I let the ISO stay on auto?

Also, if I were to get a new camera, what camera would you suggest for action pictures?

 

[DaphneOracle]

The ISO is the speed of the film you are using. 400 speed is generally considered a good all around film for outdoors work. I think you are thinking of shutter speed which you would change to capture the rapid movement of the bikes. I am not familiar with the camera you are using but check the manual for increasing the shutter speed.

Of course, if you shoot a little slower, but hold the camera steady or put it on a tripod, you will get just a little blur which will give a feeling of speed to the shot.

Remember also that if you change the shutter speed you will probably also need to change the aperature setting of the lense.

Bryant

 

[Big Mike]

There are limitations to those little digi-cams. You really have to figure out what it can & can't do...and then work with what you have.

To freeze action you need fast shutter speeds...and the faster the shutter is, the less light gets in...so the aperture has to open wider. The problem is that there is a limit to how wide the aperture can open...which means that for a certain lighting condition, there is a maximum shutter speed that you can use (and still get a good exposure).

Yes, setting the ISO higher will help, so put it at 400 rather than auto. Of course the trade off will be higher noise in the image.

There are different ways to photograph moving subjects. Panning with the subject (if done properly) will give you a sharper subject and a more blurry background.

Another problem you will probably find is that your camera does not snap the photo right when you press the button, it probably delays a half second or so. This could make it really hard to get good action shots.

A better camera would be the best option, IMHO. Something like a modern SLR camera. You could then use a lens with a wide maximum aperture. With a real shutter, the camera would be more responsive and you could catch the action better.

You could go with a film SLR, like any of the EOS line-up from Canon. You could also get a digital SLR but those are pretty expensive.