Zoom lenses

[MrsJackSparrow]

Thanks. I figured I'd lose something cropping and resizing. Looks like I'll be sticking with the giant camera for a while longer, although that new Kodak is appealing . . .

 

[oldhag]

I don't know a whole lot about cameras but am thinking of purchasing the Nikon D60 because it is supposed to take pictures faster but does it have any optical zoom capability? I really like to zoom in on my pictures (I am using a Kodak easy share 650 - very slow between taking pictures). I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[YEKCIM]

The ability to zoom will depend on which lens(es) you buy. A dSLR is a camera *system*, which can use a wide variety of interchangeable lenses. If you have deep enough pockets, the potential is nearly unlimited. That said, Nikon makes some very good "consumer grade" lenses, including the 55-200VR and 70-300VR. Coupled with the D60's 18-55VR, either one would give you a pretty decent range although none of them are great in very low light situations.

~Y

 

[kldmom2000]

I'm spoiled with my Nikon D50 that I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.... I love the sharpness of my photos and the clarity.

For the times I can't have my Nikon with me (ie. beach, etc..) I was using my Kodak 4megapixel digital that was 5 yrs old. It took great photos, but I wanted to upgrade. I did a lot of research online and asked around and the Canon SX100 10X zoom
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/SX100IS/SX100ISA.HTM
seemed to get pretty good reviews. It had what I was looking for in a camera-the zoom, capability of taking photos indoors and not have them come out practically black, portability, video capabilities, etc...

I've had it for a few weeks now and the pics are "ok".... honestly, my 4 megapixel/5 yr old Kodak photos are crisper than those taken with the Canon. It's my first ever Canon and I'm trying to be optimistic, but I'm just not loving the outcome....

Any tips for me to get better photos? I'm mostly using Auto and then specific settings based on where we are (ie. beach, etc...) If there's even the slightest movement, I'm getting big blur

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!

 

[DizzyV6P]

The more you zoom the more motion blur you will get if your not holding it still. Its just the nature of zoom cameras. Us DSLR folks have the same issues, hence the advent of IS, VR, Camera-sensor stablization, etc...

You can try going onto the Canon USA site and checking there. They usually have great tutorials for all their cameras

Try posting some of your "OK" pictures so was can look at it to see what's wrong.

 

[wenrob]

Is the 10x zoom all optical zoom or does it go to digital zoom after a certain point? On my hubby's Cannon (and my old one) we had to make sure to turn off the digital zoom or we got really fuzzy pictures.

 

[DizzyV6P]

According to her link, its an all optical zoom.

 

[wenrob]

According to her link, its an all optical zoom.

According to the specs it is also equipped w/digital zoom which if turned on will pick up where the optical left off at least that has been my experience. Just throwing ideas out there that may or may not try to solve the problem.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/SX100IS/SX100ISDAT.HTM

 

[kldmom2000]

Here are a few photos... I've found the blur seems to happen more when I'm taking pictures of people... not stationary objects. For instance... here is one I took to commemorate the gas prices for my girls' scrapbook and it's sharp...

My DD wanted me to take a picture of what her feet always look like after she takes her crocs off I took 8 and believe it or not, this is the clearest????

A "decent" one with Grandpa and my older DD picking up seaweed @ the beach but still not as sharp as I'd like...

Most of them though even without really zooming in, come out blurry even after holding the shutter button down to focus and then snapping...

I will recheck the manual re: optical and digital zoom and mess with the settings.....

Thanks in advance for all your help! I gave my DH my kodak to use for work but if I can't figure this camera out, I'm taking it back and giving him this one!

 

[jfulcer]

I can tell you about the one with the feet.

It's 800 ISO which will make it quite grainy. That's near the top of the camera's highest ISO - and will most likely always be 'grainy'. Also the shutter speed is 1/25. Anything handheld for that long of a shutter will have motion blur. I don't see flash information, didn't you use it?

For the one from the beach I'm not sure. I think the camera metered on the sky and grandpa ends up coming out a bit dark. Someone else may have other thoughts on that one.

It's also possible that you have the 'Recording Pixels' set to a low value. It appears that your options are 3,264 x 2,448 (Large), 2,592 x 1,944 (Medium 1), 2,048 x 1,536 (Medium 2), 1,600 x 1,200 (Medium 3), 640 x 480 (Small), 3,264 x 1,832 (Widescreen). You want to make sure that you are taking at the maximum resolution - large. If you have it set to a lower value the quality of the image will suffer.

 

[MinnieMom73]

Hmm.. this is an interesting thread. I have the same camera with the same problems. I am admittedly a total camera novice so I should probably do more reading about ISO settings, etc. I'm going to subscribe here to see if anyone else has good tips..

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

I have a Nikon D50 with an 18-55 wide angle lens and a 55-200 zoom lens (Both Nikkor). Let me start by saying I am a complete amatuer. I went with a DSLR to get the best reaction time - I was tired of the P&S cameras snapping the picture after my son was done whatever he was doing and missing the shot. I have not ventured off of auto mode much (but hope to eventually). Anyway, almost all shots with the 18-55 wide lens are crystal clear with exceptional quality. But when I try to use the zoom, everything comes out blurry. Am I doing something wrong? Does the zoom require a tripod? Does the distance require a better flash?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

[DueyDooDah]

In a word - movement. When you are optically closer, movement shows up much more easily (Mark can probably give you numbers for different focal lengths). The longer the lens, the faster the shutter needs to be or you will need a tripod. For my 70-300mm, I have resigned myself to always use a tripod.

 

[dr_zero]

Are you refocusing when you zoom out?
If you get a shot you like then decide you want to zoom in some you need to refocus.

He is right about the movement or shake making the shot blurry also try changing the ISO setting on the camera from Auto to say 400 and see if it helps some.
Most of the time the camera tries to go as slow as it can for the shot but sometimes a little faster is better to help with shake.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-avoid-camera-shake/

http://digital-photography-school.c...rence-between-camera-shake-or-poor-focussing/

http://markhancock.blogspot.com/2004/01/eliminate-camera-shake.html

 

[mabas9395]

Since even the most basic of solutions can get past the best of us, I have to ask, is the switch on your lens turned to auto focus or manual focus?

Next, I would suggest posting an example. We can probably tell by looking at it and the EXIF info imbedded in the image.

 

[Anewman]

Is it blur as in everything moved or blur as in out of focus(not sharp)?


I would guess motion blur/camera shake.

The more you zoom, the more light is required.

Really it is about shutter speed, but since you are shooting in auto mode more light allows you to get the shutter speed fast enough for shots taken with heavy zoom.

Example...
A hand held shot taken at 18mm, requires about 1/25th of a second shutter speed to cancel out any camera shake.
A hand held shot taken at 200mm, requires about 1/300th of a second shutter speed to cancel out any camera shake.

So even though there might be enough light to get a good exposure at 1/25th, there might not be enough to get a decent exposure at 1/300th.
Auto mode might not take camera shake into consideration when zooming in and just tries to get a proper exposure, and if available light yields a shutter speed that is too slow...

 

[GrillMouster]

The blurring effect of camera shake and subject motion is enhanced as you zoom in. Even the steadiest of hands cannot hold a camera perfectly still. You can combat camera shake by either using a tripod (or some other stable surface) or using a faster shutter speed. Some lenses have Vibration Reduction or Image Stablization (different manufactures have different names for this feature) that helps reduce the effect of camera shake, but it's no substitute for a good tripod. You combat subject motion by using an even faster shutter speed. (VR or IS won't help with subject motion) When increasing shutter speed, you'll need to compensate for the loss of light entering the camera by using a wider aperture and/or increasing the ISO setting.

The problem could be any number of things: camera shake, subject motion, focus problems, dirty lens, poor optics. We might be of further assistance if you'd post sample images with the settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length) and lighting conditions.

 

[YesDear]

Everthing they said!

Under what conditions are you taking pictures, inside,outside? What kind of light do you have, sunlight, indoor, lowlight?

Those will tell us more about what you are doing wrong. The D50 is a great camera and those are good lens so not to be offensive it is probably operator issues. Not anything you cannot learn easily, just a learning curve.

I have a 18-200 and a 70-200 and rarely use a tripod.

 

[jann1033]

all the above being said plus if you make sure you keep your arms in to your side, push your forehead into the camera, hold it with your hand securely under the lens, stand with your feet a part ( kind of so you make an a shape to steady yourself) it might help. i notice if i try to be more careful about my technique i have better longer zoom shots, everything else being equal. if i rush a shot i usually end up blurred.
if you are talking about the on camera flash i don't think it would help freeze the action for that length is that is what you are trying to do

 

[GrillMouster]

all the above being said plus if you make sure you keep your arms in to your side, push your forehead into the camera, hold it with your hand securely under the lens, stand with your feet a part ( kind of so you make an a shape to steady yourself) it might help. i notice if i try to be more careful about my technique i have better longer zoom shots, everything else being equal. if i rush a shot i usually end up blurred.
if you are talking about the on camera flash i don't think it would help freeze the action for that length is that is what you are trying to do

Jann makes a great point about proper stance. We've all seen people with point & shoots holding the cameras in outstreached arms two feet in front of them. Even when I use a P&S, I use the viewfinder, and I've finally got my wife doing the same.

Spread your legs shouldter width apart, one foot slightly in front of the other, tuck your elbows in close to your body, cradle the camera/lens with your left hand, look through the viewfinder, resting the eyepiece against your brow (further steadying the camera), press the shutter halfway to focus, take a breath in, hold it, and gently press the shutter release button (don't jab at it).