Canon S3

[Amy]

Well, I'm going to disagree with Andy (sorry Andy! ) - I think your first step from Auto would be P - Program mode. You say you're a novice and haven't quite grasped aperture and shutter - P is essentially Auto BUT you can change a few things by using the function button on the back.

Say it's a bright, sunny day, and you're worried your photos will be over-exposed or blown out. Just press the function button and change your exposure - you can adjust it + or - 2 stops (with increments between). You don't have to know a thing about apertures or shutter speeds.

The best part about Program mode is that you can set the ISO yourself, rather than letting the camera decide it for you. This will help avoid noise, unless you're shooting in dim light and need the higher ISO.

Once you're feeling a little more confident and understand aperture and depth of field, then move into Av mode as Andy suggested.

For nighttime shots, I've had good luck using Sports mode. Yes, the camera will boost the ISO and you'll need to use Nosieware, but I get sharper photos in Sports mode than either of the 2 night modes. But experiment yourself; what works for me might not be comfortable for you.

And I DO agree with Andy about the Short Courses book - it's a wealth of information and you'll really learn what your camera is capable of.

 

[Amy]

For nighttime shots, I've had good luck using Sports mode. Yes, the camera will boost the ISO and you'll need to use Nosieware, but I get sharper photos in Sports mode than either of the 2 night modes. But experiment yourself; what works for me might not be comfortable for you.

Now there's a typo for you! Let's all use "Nosieware"!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree, no accessories needed with the exception of one - a good tripod or large gorillapod. I would also go out now and practice a bit, see what works for you (there can be a learning curve with this camera). I like both Program and Aperture Priority (the latter of which will give you a better shallow depth of field if you like that in your photos) as well as some of the Scene modes. Have fun!

 

[JR6ooo4]

Well.... you do need a cute little camera bag. With some pockets to hold the memory and batt.s. Maybe a waterproof one. A shoulder strap that converts to a belt strap.

Mikeeee

 

[JR6ooo4]

Just about the only thing I do not like about DW's S2 is that when I turn the camera on, to be ready to take a shot, it knocks the lens cap off.

The lensmate allows the lens cap to stay on while the lens is zoomed out. But when the lens retracts to the closed position the lens tube is still out there. Its great protection for the lens but it makes the camera a lot bigger.

Mikeeee

 

[awoltoday]

I made a quick trip to the botanical garden this morning and practiced not using auto mode Here are a few of the shots I took.

Mode: Tv
Exposure Time: 0.0016 s (1/640)

Mode: Av
Aperture: f/3.5

Mode: P?

 

[Jeanne B]

Just about the only thing I do not like about DW's S2 is that when I turn the camera on, to be ready to take a shot, it knocks the lens cap off.

The lensmate allows the lens cap to stay on while the lens is zoomed out. But when the lens retracts to the closed position the lens tube is still out there. Its great protection for the lens but it makes the camera a lot bigger.

Mikeeee

I second the lensmate adapter!!

 

[wdwmom2]

My favorite bird, the cardinal...

 

[AndrewWG]

Well, I'm going to disagree with Andy (sorry Andy! ) - I think your first step from Auto would be P - Program mode. You say you're a novice and haven't quite grasped aperture and shutter - P is essentially Auto BUT you can change a few things by using the function button on the back.

And I DO agree with Andy about the Short Courses book - it's a wealth of information and you'll really learn what your camera is capable of.

So, I hardly ever hear from you nowadays and now you start disagreeing with me??? Wow!

Just kidding!

Amy has a good point here. Use the P mode for a bit. I just never used it or any of the scene modes on my S2 other than the color changing ones. Quite honestly, I had no idea what the difference between auto and P was at the time. I jumped right to Av (after auto) and got used to it that way. My main reason for having the S2 was to get used to more manual control of the camera before my jump to the DSLR world. The problem was that since I liked the S2 so much, it took me MUCH longer to make the jump!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Very nice shots, awoltoday and wdwmom!

awol, for the shutter priority/hummingbird picture, did you use a tripod? Great shot!

Totalsnowwhite, I had decent luck on our last trip getting some handheld shots on dark rides using (I think it was) P mode, bumping the ISO a bit and holding really, really still. I also prefocused before pushing the shutter release. I posted pictures here on 2/5/08 if you want to see them. (I don't know why, but I don't have great luck using Sports mode but I know Amy and others have.)

 

[awoltoday]

Thanks Pea-n-Me, I shot everything off hand. I really had no idea what to set the shutter speed at. I was doing a bit of flailing, changing settings and trying to get the bird to hold still long enough for me to find it and press the shutter button! I was surprised that I got several pictures that captured the hummingbird and a couple that were decent.

wdwmom2 - Nice shot! I have a couple cardinal shots from yesterday, but didn't get any good ones. Most of the birds evaded me. This cactus wren was wily booger too - But, I got lucky! Just an okay pic, though.

I can't wait to do some more when my teleconverter gets here!

 

[DocSooner]

Thank You guys so much for the tips. That will give me some direction in my tinkering! Thanks Again!

 

[awoltoday]

If you want to use filters, you'll need that lensmate, or similar, adaptor. I've had my S3 for a year and half and just got the lensmate. So, you CAN live without it. That is until you want a teleconverter lens or a filter

Can someone explain to me why that short course book is $24.95 for a PDF downnload and only $19.99 if you order a CD with the PDF on it? That makes NO sense at all!

Thanks JR6ooo4! I never thought about having a strap that converts to a fanny pack! That would be sweet. Now, I've got to go shopping (again)! I need a couple of filters anyway

 

[Amy]

Nice photos, Chris and Sharon! Chris, that hummingbird shot is awesome.

And Sharon - love the cardinal against the blossoms. There was a photo in our newspaper yesterday, talking about winter hanging on - it was a robin sitting on some snowy branches, but of course it was black & white since it was in the paper. I told DH that I'd bet the full-color photo was beautiful, and then you go and post your cardinal!

 

[wdwmom2]

Thank you Pea-n-Me, awoltoday, and Amy. I have been trying soooo long to get a good pic of a cardinal. They are so skittish!!! This one only gave me time for one shot, and then he was gone. Came out soft, not the best, but the best that I have gotten.

awoltoday - that teleconverter will come in quite handy!!!!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Still really new to my S5 - what is this for?

The CHDK software is an extension to the camera's firmware that increases the camera's abilities in a number of areas:

-accurate battery meter
-can take RAW pics like the DSLRs
-live 'zebra' mode shows over/under-exposed areas as you're framing
-multi-color histograms (R-G-B etc).
-longer/shorter shutter speeds (and flash sync up to at least 1/10,000!).
-higher/lower ISO
-smaller apertures

It can actually run programs in a language called uBasic.

The S3/S5 can also sense motion and take pictures like a "camera trap"

You install the program on an SD card and then load it into memory after the camera starts up (or as it's starting in an "autoboot" mode).

It's an amazing piece of software and has a very dedicated group of fans and developers working on it.

awoltoday: WOW! Love the hummingbird! Great capture!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I use my Lensmate adapter all the time; for protection and to attach filters and lenses (I own a teleconverter and a macro lens, both from Raynox, a DCR-1540PRO and a DCR-250).

I took all of my S3 gear to Disney last fall, but I didn't use much more than the Polarizing filter (which was basically on all the time in the blazing FL sun) and the teleconverter (at AK, only). So, you don't really *need* a lot of accessories.

A nice comfy bag *is* a must. So's a good portable AA charger.

 

[awoltoday]

I put the CHDK software on one of my cards and was trying it out. It will be on all of my SD cards soon. It's worth getting just for the battery meter! I also like having the depth of focus & focal length displayed on the screen.

The hardest part getting started with the software was figuring out the whole <alt> mode shortcut key thing. Once I figured out the right button to press, it wasn't difficult to get set up.

Thanks LPZ_Stitch. I got really lucky with the hummingbird and got several decent shots. Unfortunately, all of my pictures that I tried messing with settings turned out worse than letting the camera set them. But, that was the point of the exercise - to figure out what works and when! I'm learning...

Here's another where the bird juked me just a little, but the shot still turned out okay - this one was at 1/320, so there's quite a bit more blur to it's wings.

 

[Twingle]

The CHDK software is an extension to the camera's firmware that increases the camera's abilities in a number of areas:

-accurate battery meter
-can take RAW pics like the DSLRs
-live 'zebra' mode shows over/under-exposed areas as you're framing
-multi-color histograms (R-G-B etc).
-longer/shorter shutter speeds (and flash sync up to at least 1/10,000!).
-higher/lower ISO
-smaller apertures

It can actually run programs in a language called uBasic.

The S3/S5 can also sense motion and take pictures like a "camera trap"

You install the program on an SD card and then load it into memory after the camera starts up (or as it's starting in an "autoboot" mode).

It's an amazing piece of software and has a very dedicated group of fans and developers working on it.

Thanks!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Here's another where the bird juked me just a little, but the shot still turned out okay - this one was at 1/320, so there's quite a bit more blur to it's wings.

I really like it! It's just amazing to me that there's *that* much blur with a shutter speed of 1/320; that little guy is *really* moving his wings fast!!

Hummingbirds are amazing little critters ... I wish I had some in my area, but I've never seen one. I keep wondering if getting a hummingbird feeder would attract them, or are there none around to attract...

If you can, try a couple in Av mode with the aperture set wide open (2.7 wide/3.5 tele) and the ISO set to 100 ... you'll get the highest possible shutter speed for the given light. For an outdoor pic in bright light, you could even go ISO 200 or 400 and not have *too* much noise to remove with Noiseware. You might be able to get a "frozen wing", which would also look cool; you'd probably need to shoot a lot on high-speed continuous, too....