I need a Cannon S5IS crash course for dummies!

[Nickymouse]

Okay, I admit that I've put off reading the manual. We are leaving for a Disney Cruise on Friday and I haven't figured out how to use my new camera yet. I was hoping that some of you experts could help me out. In particular, these are the things I'm having some difficulty with:

I'm unable to get a clear picture indoors when I zoom in on something.

I can't take a clear (non blurry) indoor picture without a flash.

I actually wish that the manual came with a diagram of the camera. I have a hard time figuring out what buttons they pushed to get you to the screen that they are referring to. Anyway, I'd be really appreciative if someone could give me some beginner tips. TIA

 

[Shasta]

I understand your concerns. I bought my s5 about a week ago and am unimpressed with the manual. There is quite a bit lacking.

I have learned more from trial and error while using the manual for the explanations fo buttons. If your leaving Friday, I'd advise just using the Auto and SCN buttons. Auto will do it all for you and with SCN, you still have many choices for different perscriptive settings like "night scene", "indoors", "fireworks" and "beach". Yu don't have the time at this point to learn more well enough to recall it when needed at a park upon demand.

Remember to give your camera time to auto focus by pressing the button down only half way first until the focus locks. When zooming, this auto focus time can take a bit longer so be patient.

I don't claim to know much more than you so someone may jup in with better advice later. I will also mention that I went to the library and requested two books about digital photography. I hope that they will help me, you may consider that too.

Good luck and please post some vacation pictures when you get back!

 

[Tuffcookie]

I agree with what the previous poster said: use auto since you'll be leaving Fri. You do not need to be stressed out about camera settings!

Then, when you get back, you can take your time and learn the camera.

Have a great trip!

TC

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I'm unable to get a clear picture indoors when I zoom in on something.

I'm not sure what you mean by this ... can you post a pic? The S5 should be clear and sharp at any zoom level indoors or out.

By "clear", however, do you mean "not noisy"? Is the picture sort of grainy?

If so, the only way to reduce the noise is to shoot a lower ISOs (which isn't always possible indoors without a flash). You need to switch to one of the "creative" modes (P, Av, Tv or M) to set a specific ISO (it's got it's own button on the back, but it doesn't work in Auto or Scene modes).

The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the camera is to light, but the more noise you get in your pictures.

I can't take a clear (non blurry) indoor picture without a flash.

That's probably because you're shooting in low-light conditions. The blur is either camera shake or subject motion, and it's visible because of slow shutter speeds. Without a flash, you might be getting shutter speeds of 1/4 of a second or less, and it's very hard to hold a camera perfectly still for that long (without a tripod). If you're shooting static subjects, using a tripod will help. If you're shooting moving subjects, a flash is the only real option.

When the light is low and you don't want to/can't use a flash, one of the best options is to switch to Av mode, set the ISO to 400* (or 800, or 1600 if you're desperate for the shot) and set the aperture to 2.7 (or as small a number as you can get for the zoom level) and the camera will pick the fastest shutter speed it can. Sometimes, switching to spot metering helps if you've got lit subjects against a dark background (like a stage show or concert).

Half-pressing the shutter button will display the shutter speed the camera is picking in the lower-left corner of the EVF/LCD ... if it's too slow (anything less than about 1/30 is really hard to get a sharp picture with) you can try increasing the ISO (if you're not already at 1600) or decreasing the aperture number (which is making it a larger opening) ... you might have to zoom out from the subject to decrease the aperture value (2.7 is as low as the setting goes, at the wide end, 3.5 at full zoom).

Remember the S5 is a great camera, but it's not a $1000 DSLR with a fast prime lens.

*using ISO 400 or higher, you'll probably want to use Noiseware or something similar.

 

[Nickymouse]

Thanks for the replies, especially you, LPZ_Stich! I actually understood what you were saying. I tried what you said and it worked! I've printed out your replies to take on vacation with me. I leave tomorrow afternoon for a week on the Disney Magic. Now I feel like I might get some decent pictures. Thanks again!

 

[kimluvswdw]

I know how you feel. I have the S5 for a month and the manual is confusing to me. We are leaving for Disney in less than 3 weeks and I am worried that I won't get good shots of the fireworks or the parade.