I did both of these things. Still got some blurry shots. I'll try to post those soon. A weird thing that's happening is that the batteries are already needing changed??? I thought they could go for weeks....? I have taken lots of pictures the last few days, but I doubt it's been more than 200 total - lots of those got pitched. Will that really wear down the batteries that quickly? I also tend to review them after I take them, so does that wear it down as well? I guess I don't like the thought of having to have my camera out of commission for 14-16 hours while I charge them. Guess that's all the more reason to have more than one set of the rechargables on me, huh? Do you guys usually charge them nightly while on a Disney trip?
What kind of batteries? I generally get 300-400 shots out a a set of 2500mAh NiMH batteries.
Flash and LCD review wear down the battery fast ... as does always using the LCD for composing. The EVF is a little more power-friendly.
I took three sets of batteries to WDW in Sept; one in the camera, one in the bag, and one in the charger (or, in the bag if it was fully charged). I routinely used up two sets each day, but I didn't need to buy any!
A "smart" charger, that can recharge in about 4 hours is a great way to go.
I've got one that charges AA and AAA in 1-4 pieces (great for toys, too!) that I got from BatterySpace.com; it's extremely portable and quick, but not so quick it will kill your batteries (like the 15min. chargers do).
Also, the subject has primarily been my two year old niece, who is definitely a ball of energy. I tried using Sports mode thinking that's meant for trying to get shots while the subject is in motion. Is my thinking on this wrong?
Nope, you're not wrong. Sports is the "best" scene mode for quick-moving subjects. However, you can sometimes do better in Av and setting a large Av (smallest number) and bumping the ISO up just as high as necessary.
Sports mode tends to chose smaller apertures, and high ISOs; I think it picks the small apertures to reduce Purple Fringing of light colored uniforms against dark colored grass....
Would a small tripod, such as a Gorillapod, help decrease the blurriness of my shots? Guess it depends on how the shots look, huh? Because maybe it's the settings, not my shaky hands.
It will help if you've got shakier hands than the IS can compensate for. It won't help if your subject is moving too fast. We really need to see some of these blurry pics....
Do I want to clear my memory card each time I transfer the pictures to my computer? I thought I read this might mess with the formatting?
I generally format the card in the camera every time I go out on an "important" photo shooting excursion (unless I'm using the CHDK hack in which case I format and then put those files back on, first).
You should format your cards every so often, just to keep them in the best shape (defragmented, I guess). But, you don't need to do it *every* time you transfer files to your computer.
Whew - this definitely has a heavy learning curve. It's fun to take the shots but it'll be even better when they look good AND we're at Disney!
I will agree that the manual seems to be intermediate at best in its explanation of how to use the camera.
It does take some time, but the results are well worth it. Remember that 90% of your Disney pics are going to be in bright sunshine ... where the S3/S5 excels!
I shot 90% of my pics in P mode with the ISO locked at 80 and was happy with most of them! It's only when you start trying to take pics in the rides or at night that you need to really learn the settings and tricks....
and now must go back and reread them and take notes as I finally purchased the S5 over the weekend.
