Blurry photos S2IS

[RadioNate]

What am I doing wrong here? I keep ending up with blurry photos with my S2IS. I expect some blur when I'm shooting at a hockey or basketball game but I feel like I'm getting too much blur. I keep seeing great S2IS shots here and mine never look that good.

DS gymnastics demonstration out of the 25 shots I took 9 are unusable because they are out of focus. His ice skating lessons...13 of 36 unusable because of focus issues. Birthday party...30 of 93. I won't even do a count of my fiest shots because way more are out of focus than in, but that was extreamly poor shooting conditions (think spectro).

I never had such a focus problem with my Sony point and shoot.

I wanted so much to love this camera and I'm just not feeling it. I know I'll need a dSLR to get some of the shots but it isn't in the budget right now and like is always said 'it's the photographer, not the camera' so I feel like until I can get GOOD shots with the S2IS I should spend the money.

So any ideas about what I'm doing wrong? A lot of the problems happen indoor but I wouldn't consider the situations truely 'low light.' Most of the time it occurs when I'm using the zoom.

Could I have a setting 'wrong'?
The AF Mode is set to contunuous
AF-Assist Beam is off
IS mode is continuous

help please.

 

[anut4disney]

What am I doing wrong here? I keep ending up with blurry photos with my S2IS. I expect some blur when I'm shooting at a hockey or basketball game but I feel like I'm getting too much blur. I keep seeing great S2IS shots here and mine never look that good.

DS gymnastics demonstration out of the 25 shots I took 9 are unusable because they are out of focus. His ice skating lessons...13 of 36 unusable because of focus issues. Birthday party...30 of 93. I won't even do a count of my fiest shots because way more are out of focus than in, but that was extreamly poor shooting conditions (think spectro).

I never had such a focus problem with my Sony point and shoot.

I wanted so much to love this camera and I'm just not feeling it. I know I'll need a dSLR to get some of the shots but it isn't in the budget right now and like is always said 'it's the photographer, not the camera' so I feel like until I can get GOOD shots with the S2IS I should spend the money.

So any ideas about what I'm doing wrong? A lot of the problems happen indoor but I wouldn't consider the situations truely 'low light.' Most of the time it occurs when I'm using the zoom.

Could I have a setting 'wrong'?
The AF Mode is set to contunuous
AF-Assist Beam is off
IS mode is continuous

help please.

This is going to sound weird but take your IS mode off. It helped me and the blurry pictures, but there are smarter people than me on this board that can help you. After looking at some of the places I went it might be that it is in shoot mode, not sure because I don't have my camera with me, I'll check when I get home.

 

[RadioNate]

This is going to sound weird but take your IS mode off. It helped me and the blurry pictures, but there are smarter people than me on this board that can help you.

Hey I'm up for trying anything.

I should also mention that it isn't really just motion blur...it is out of focus photo that should be in focus. I am using the half-press but I'm still getting photos that should be in focus that aren't.

Like this one

 

[goodferry]

I don't have the same camera, so I can't give you any advice on how yours specifically works, but it looks like the cabinets in the background are in focus, you need to make sure that the focal points are on the subject you want in focus.

 

[RadioNate]

I don't have the same camera, so I can't give you any advice on how yours specifically works, but it looks like the cabinets in the background are in focus, you need to make sure that the focal points are on the subject you want in focus.

Yes, I noticed that too. This photo isn't really a great example of what is happening. I have ones that the entire photo is out of focus. I don't think the focus point can be changed on the S2IS.

Right now I'm 1/2 pressing to focus on the subject (focus box in center illuminates green) and then taking the shot. I don't think I do a lot of reframing the shot after focusing.

I'll look for a better example of the problem.

 

[RadioNate]

Here's a better example

 

[Greg K.]

It seems to know EVERYTHING about your particular camera.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/canon-s2-blog/index.htm

 

[ldibo]

What settings are you using for these pictures? I have this camera so I'll try to help you.

This was taken inside without a flash, but there was a lot of natural light.

Lynn

 

[hlbtimes2]

A couple tips: use the Auto setting until you get a good feel for the camera. There will be plenty of time later to use other settings.

Make sure you are not covering up the small round censor in the upper left corner. When we first got the S2 I was having problems getting good pic's- I was covering the censor without knowing.

This was taken in "auto". As you can see, there is slight blur where his foot is moving, but the rest is in focus.

This was also taken in auto. There is no blur or out of focus and considering Peter is "flying", he was obviously moving! LOL

 

[RadioNate]

They were taken in auto mode. See I expect motion blur like in the soccer photo but I really think I have way too many photos out of focus.

I'm so frustrated.

A lot of it is happening when I'm using the full 12x zoom which according to the site Greg posted can be an issue. That is fine but why have a 12x zoom if the camera can't focus. I find a take a lot of shots will full zoom because I want DS's face and I can't get any closer physically.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

The camera can focus. It just focuses slower. The longer the zoom, the slower the foucs time is going to be. This is normal with ANY camera (even dSLR). Especially in less than perfectly brightened situation and in backlit/semi-backlit situation.

Add to that, camera shake. The longer the zoom, the more difficult it is (even for IS) to work.

That's why when I take concert pics (at 300mm, 400mm) I turn IS OFF.

 

[ldibo]

The best pictures I have gotten like the ones you showed above was using the indoor setting. Same thing for sports. The best I got with this camera was using the indoor setting. These were with the indoor setting.

The pictures I took outside were awesome, however without a flash the inside pictures were too blurry for me so I've since upgraded to a Canon Rebel XT. Now I get pictures more like this:

Lynn

 

[Kelly Grannell]

1. If you have a Rebel XT, use ISO1600 for indoor shots, that'll boost up the shutter speed so less motion blurriness will happen

2. If you don't have a dSRL, use the highest ISO your camera can provide you (usually ISO400 although most Canon P&S now can do ISO800)

3. Learn how to hold your camera properly. Not saying that you didn't do so, but when I go to any place at all, I see people holding their cameras (dSLR or P&S) like they've never held a camera before in their life.

 

[RadioNate]

http://web.mac.com/najlundy/iWeb/Site/Primrose Graduation.html

case sensitative
username Lundy
pwsd dizzy1

here is an entire series of shots that really showcase the problem I am having.

I'm not sure that I'll be able to get the shots I want w/out going to a dSLR. Yet I keep seeing great S2IS photos.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

After looking at your pics, maybe your camera have a problem. It seems like it's backfocusing by about one foot.

 

[Greg K.]

I see the one flash picture in the group looks okay. Have you encountered this problem with the flash on, or just when using natural light??

 

[CheshireVal]

I'm not a pro and don't know a whole lot about the technical issues of taking good pictures....

....however, I have an older model digital Canon Power Shot, and when I first used it (on a holiday trip to WDW), I got home and discovered that about 30% of my pictures were inexplicably blurry (they had looked fine through the viewfinder). I can't tell you how upset I was!!

It turns out I had the assist beam turned off for all those shots (I shoot mostly in auto mode). So I turned it on, and haven't had any problems with blur since.

 

[RadioNate]

the AF beam was off and looking at the exif data there are some slow shutter speeds 1/30 that may account for the blurring especially when you take in account the zoom. Some are actually down to 1/8. I'm sure DH took the shots posted in auto mode so I'm willing to guess that the ISO was pretty low. I try to keep it at at least 200 in P mode if I'm not in a situation where using a flash would be benificial.

Do you think it is better to use the flash even when it won't reach the subject. Like in the graduation photos. Using the flash would have sped up the shutter in auto mode but since DS was 15 yards away it wouldn't reach him.

Oh course some of the indoor skating photos are taken at 1/60 and out of focus yet those at 1/30 are in focus.

I'll try some tonight at ice skating using a bunch of different settings and see what happens. I called Canon and I can send it in for warrenty service for the cost of shipping. If I decide to do that I need to ASAP so we'll have it back in time for WDW.

 

[anut4disney]

Sorry took so long, it is in "Shoot only" mode. Here are 2 that I took of the twins throwing bean bag chairs this morning. It is in Auto mode, flash on and IS is in shoot only mode. Not the best but they do capture the bean bags being thrown and not too blurred. I am still playing with mine also so my pictures can be hit or miss.