Canon S5

[waytoomanywebkinz]

so both of those lenses are telephoto? Which one is better? I guess that's where I'm confused. I do use the zoom on my S5. I love to take nature pix - birds, animals outside, etc and zooming is a great thing. I also have issues with low-light - especially indoor things - like school awards assemblies in a lit auditorium but you are in the back - trying to take a photo and the flash doesn't help at all. Plus kids sporting events - like soccer - that are played in the evening when the sun is going down but the field lights are up - but the pics don't come out very well if you zoom in.

 

[ukcatfan]

I use Pentax, so cannot help you on the particular lens choice. For low light sporting events, I doubt either will be good enough to blow you away, but should be a little better than the S5 just because the ISO 1600 is usable on a DSLR. You really need a zoom that is f/2.8 all the way through the range, but those start at about $800.

 

[bob100]

I guess that's where I'm confused. I do use the zoom on my S5. I love to take nature pix - birds, animals outside, etc and zooming is a great thing. I also have issues with low-light - especially indoor things - like school awards assemblies in a lit auditorium but you are in the back - trying to take a photo and the flash doesn't help at all. Plus kids sporting events - like soccer - that are played in the evening when the sun is going down but the field lights are up - but the pics don't come out very well if you zoom in.

if you itching to get a dSLR go right ahead but just to let you know, your Canon S5 can take good indoor pics in low light situations without a flash such as in an auditorium or night time sports. You need to turn off the "safety shift" in the main menu and use Tv mode and higher ISO levels,
here is one example

do a search for S5 and concerts http://flickr.com/cameras
you will find plenty of low light actions photos where people have used the S5 for indoor basketball games, music concerts, etc.




www.s5users.com/forum

 

[Cdash]

so both of those lenses are telephoto? Which one is better?

The 18 to 55 is a good lense for things you are close to, and yes it is a Zoom, although it doesn't "zoom" that far. The 70-300 picks up where the 18-55 leaves off and "zooms you further".

It is hard to figure out until you buy one and start using it. I got a XTI about 5 months ago (at Costco as part of a package) then returned it 2 months later when they started selling the XSi for nearly the same price. I have the 18-55 IS lens and the 70-300 (non IS) lens. It's a good camera, the lenses give you a good starting point. Between the two of them, they cover you pretty good, except low light conditions. Thats when you hear people talk about the "nifty 50", which is a fixed 50mm f/1.8 lense (meaning the aperature can open wide letting in more light) and is less than $100. That is my next purchase.

Then you start reading websites and hear about lenses like Tamarons new 17-270, which is like having the two lenses that came with my camera, in one (no having to switch lenses to go from wide to zoom). Many people call this a walk around lens, since it will cover about 90% of your shooting needs.

If you interested, check Costco. The are now selling the XSi with the 18-55 IS and the 55-250 IS for $850 (not too bad a price and a great return policy) It is a good kit to get you started!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I bumped up The Learning Curve thread for you. Good luck.

 

[jakoky]

hi, want to ask all my dis friends this question...right now i have a canon s5 which i do love....love the good pics and the amazing movie mode...i do find the screen too small....i have been reading mostly great things about the sony h50(used to own an h5 and really liked it, but the movie mode lacked)..anyways, i have ordered the h50 and it should arrive any day...just wondering if anyone on here as the h50 and can tell me about it, what the like and dont like, what the picture quality is like and also, how the movie mode is...i have read that it is really good in low light and has fast continuous shooting...both great....also, the lcd is great....anyways, i just want to make sure my decision to switch is the right one...i already have 2 people who want my s5...thanks for anything and everything you can tell me, good or bad....
sharon

 

[tazdev3225]

I bought the H50 when it came out in April and had it on my trip to Disney in October. I like the camera. It takes amazing macro shots and zoom shots. The continuous shooting is a good feature. It does slow down some when the battery is low. The only problem I had was that in auto it did not perform as well as I had hoped in some low light situations. I don't really use the movie feature. The night vision feature is fun to play with too. It's a decent P&S but I upgraded to a DSLR.

 

[Rob_Drebel]

Do you have any pics of your Disney w/H50 shots?

 

[tazdev3225]

I do have shots from my trip in October. I have to figure out which discs are which and then I'll post a few for you. I used my H5 and H50 and took over 1700 pictures so I have quite a few discs.

 

[MHolleman]

I have last years version of the H50 if you want to see my pics. I just had a trip there in Oct. I have the DSC-H9 version. I think it is close to the H50, just minus a few upgrades. You can see my Disney Pics here http://melissaholleman.shutterfly.com/ I didn't delete the bad pics, I just wanted to make sure I had copies of everything so I uploaded everything to the website. I also have an adobe photo gallery that you can click on and see in my Signature area below. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

PS: This camera takes fantastic macro and daytime shots. Even night time shots with a tripod are pretty good. Not all will turn out perfect, but you can get some great ones with a little practice.

Melissa

 

[tazdev3225]

Here are some of the shots I got with the H-50 In October. Sorry for the delay but I had trouble getting some of them onto photobucket.
This is from The Haunted Mansion with no flash:

Finding Nemo Musical:

Macro shot at Polynesian at night:

Coral Reef Restaurant with zoom from second level and no flash:

Infra-red of the Troll on Maelstrom:

Enchanted Tiki Room - no flash:

Fireworks at MK with no tripod:

These are a sample of some of the cameras features. It has a small sensor so indoor shots are tough without a flash but are possible for a few good ones. Hope this helps.

 

[S. C.]

Did it reach it's max post count?

 

[tlenzendorf]

I am just now figuring out all I can do with this camera. I have a few questions, though... I am VERY new at trying "artsy" pics, forgive me as I'm sure my terms will be wrong. I sure wish I had taken or had time to take a photography class now.

1. To take food pics in darker restaurants, my thought is to go with the AV setting, set the F low and the ISO at 1600, then do the shutter speed at 1/60 or 1/80?

2. I'd like to maybe get a lens, not sure exactly what this will do? I like the photos that have a great/crisp focal point and then a blurry background or surroundings. Something that would also let me zoom in further and more clearly and isn't horribly expensive. I have no idea if I can get 1 lens to do all of those things and still be $100 or less

Thanks in advance! I'm sure I'll think of more questions

 

[Tuffcookie]

Hi! I have the S5 and as far as I know you cannot get interchangable lenses. The S5 is still considered a point and shoot. To get interchangable lenses you need to step up to a DSLR.
To get food pics in a dark restaurant with a point and shoot, you are right in setting the F stop low. Since food does not move I would probably go with a much slower speed than what you suggested. And forget the 1600 ISO, nothing higher than 400. Look at what your subject looks like in the monitor and adjust the speed until you get the look that you want. (And use something as a mini tripod because there's no way when you have a low speed to keep from moving!)

TC

 

[Frantasmic]

What Tuffcookie said. For low light food shots, you should be able to get a small tripod, scoot everyone way from the table, set to M(anual) and no zoom with Aperture at 3.2 or whatever the lowest setting is, and Shutter of 1/4 or so. ISO about 200.

You can add a teleconverter to the S5 (google teleconverter and S5) and get a longer reach, but your pictures at max zoom will be anything but clear.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-TC-DC58B-Converter-Digital-Camera/dp/B0009NEUOA

Another option is to contact the poster b100 (for questions), google CHDK for the Canon S5 and see if you want to attempt to install this software for added capabilities for the S5. He was quite good at using the CHDK capabilities for his S5. Additionally, research into high def pictures to learn how to take 3 pictures (one correctly exposed, one overexposed, and one underexposed) and then merge them into a single photograph. That will help with your clarity.

The S5 is a great camera, but you need to do some extra work to get decent shots at lower light levels and even then, it's not superb.

 

[tlenzendorf]

So what you are saying is food pictures take a bit of time and I'll be lucky if I get any before my family snarfs it all down

I think I'll skip a lens until I'm better from the sounds of it(or til I get a better camera). But I will check into the software, thanks!

Next question, fireworks? Should I just use the fireworks setting or do the settings myself? And if so what should I use?

Thanks for your help Tuff and Frantasmic!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am an S3 user (and now have a dSLR). I agree with the previous folks, especially the parts about the ISO and using a small tripod.

I would try to set up your food pics in a way that gets as much light as possible, without relying on high ISO or flash. Sometimes this is as easy as moving a dish a bit on the table, sitting near a window, or just asking someone to move out of the light for a second. The biggest secret of all is that you must keep the camera perfectly still if you want sharp and no blur.

For fireworks, the same holds true. You have to keep the camera still. You might want to look into a gorillapod which can wrap itself around poles and such. Try using the fireworks setting for ease of use as long as you have a tripod/gorillapod. There is a longer shutter speed so even the slightest movement during that time will cause blur.

I agree with using Aperture Priority if you like bokeh (blurred backgrounds). You can adjust the aperture using the arrows on the back, but it's limited how wide the aperture can go on it. Some of the semi-auto modes will do the same thing, like portrait and night portrait modes.

You have an excellent zoom already, you shouldn't need much more than that in most situations.

There is a really long running thread here for S3/S5 users, you should read through it, you'll get lots of other ideas there. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1235546&referrerid=70088

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[ukcatfan]

About the only way to get the blurred background on a p&s camera is to get as far away from your subject as possible and zoom in on it while also using the lowest aperture. This can be difficult in crowds. You can also get really close to get this effect, but this will only work on small objects. People are too large for this method.

 

[Frantasmic]

I don't think you will have this extreme, but here's a handheld shot of a table in candlelight I did from the S5. I don't know of any restaurants at Disney that are this dark.

This one is 1/8 sec at f3.2 ISO 200

 

[Frantasmic]

Here's more of what you are likely to encounter as far as darkness goes. Some restaurants will be kind of in between my worst case scenario above and this one.

This one is 1/13 sec at f3.2 ISO 100