Zoom lenses

[Pugrpooh]

DH has an Olympus 1020 which has a 7x zoom and fits in his pocket. It also has image stabilization, lots of scene modes and a large LCD.

Panasonic has a camera with a 12x zoom but about the same size as the Oly. I looked at both and thought the Oly would be better for DH because of the menu setup. He doesn't know squat about photography and the Oly seemed easier to figure out which mode to use in which situation than the Panasonic.

Both could easily fit into a pocket.

 

[zackiedawg]

On a typical 17" monitor, your resolution is set to 1024x768, or maybe 1280x1024. A 5MP photo dimensions are approximately 2560x1920 - more than twice the size of your 17" screen's resolution - so the megapixels are definitely nothing to worry about - you've got far more than the full size of your monitor needs to display a lovely sharp photo, and plenty for a beautiful photo-quality print up to 8x10".

As Mickey88 mentioned, it is far more likely that your photographic skill and/or the camera settings are the culprits, or the conditions under which you are trying to take the photo...or some combination of all three.

Camera shake is the most common reason for blur, even when people don't think they are shaking the camera. Even small vibrations, fore and aft movements, etc during a shutter release can cause the photo to come out blurry. By teaching several family members who are not 'into' photography how to hold a camera steady, and how to steady themselves and prepare when taking a photo, I've seen big improvements from all of them in the number of keepers, and much better results in sharpness and detail. Breathing out, bracing elbows, half-pressing shutters first, then gently pressing the rest of the way to take a shot, and holding still for at least 1/2 second to 1 second AFTER pressing the shutter button, will all help address blurry photo issues.

Also, a camera's settings can make a big difference. If you are using 'auto' mode, your camera is likely using 'multi-focus' points - or looking for something to focus on anywhere in the shot. When shooting landscapes, buildings, portraits, etc with busy backgrounds in daylight, the camera can very often focus on the wrong thing, throwing your intended subject out of focus, and therefore blurry or fuzzy. I would recommend setting your camera's focus mode to 'center weighted' that way the camera will focus exactly where you point the center focusing box. And always half-press and wait for focus confirm before pressing the shutter the rest of the way and taking the shot.

If you are shooting in lower light, cloudy days, nighttime, dusk, indoors, etc...anything less than bright sunlight...it's also possible your camera just isn't getting enough light to pull off the shot without having to use very slow shutter speeds. Slow shutter speeds means your photo requires the shutter to stay open for much longer to absorb enough light to take the shot - all during this time, the shooter must remain perfectly still, or the shot can end up blurry.

Your camera likely isn't the issue - if it's 5MP, it should be fine, as long as it's from a good camera brand (Canon, Casio, Fuji, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sony, etc).

Do post some pics if you can, and we can help determine what the problem area is, and how to fix it!

 

[tiggr33]

I agree with what zaciedawg and Mickey88 have said. You should be be able to take excellant photos with a 5mp branded camera. What settings are your camera set on? Both on the dial, and on the menu for image saving. Does your camera have a self timer mode? If so, my suggestion is to "focus: the camera and then set the timer and place the camera on a flat surface, and engage the timer to take a photo. Then take a picture of the same image holding the camera. Compare them, is there a difference? As others have suggested if you post images as examples we can better offer suggestions. To me it sounds like camera shake, or a focus issues. Do you use this camera other then at Disney with good results?

 

[SheilaHeartsDisney]

Yeah you guys are probably right about not being on the right settings and being shakey. I tend not to play around with the other settings. It takes very good pictures up close maybe i just have to play with the settings when trying to get the background or something. As soon as i figure out how to post pics i will show you what i have.

 

[ilovehuhu]

I recommend Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77..It is thin.
A decent deal for it is only $230.

 

[seashoreCM]

Don't forget, it is possible to set the camera for a smaller megapixel picture than the camera is rated for. This makes smaller, easier to manage, uploaded files, and more shots per memory card, but gives you less sharp enlargements made from those picture files.

I always set the camera for maximum megapixel usage and finest detail.

In most cases, zoom above 3x works well only outdoors in the sun, or with the camera on a tripod or other firm support using the self timer. Most cameras have a much slower lens at high zoom, slowing down the shutter speed more than you might have expected.

Most viewing programs on your computer let you "zoom in" on parts of the picture. To verify the sharpness of your picture you should zoom to exactly 100% (you'll have to pan or scroll the screen a lot to see everything). Some programs don't tell you if you go over, and going over 100% makes the picture look more blurry than it really is.

I never use digital zoom. It's worth ignoring. It does nothing you cannot do after uploading the picture onto your computer and zooming or cropping it there.

Digital camera hints: http://www.cockam.com/digicam.htm

 

[blackjackdelta]

Take a look at the panasonic ZS3.

Jack

 

[NateNLogansDad]

How are ya making out?

 

[Graeme]

What about the new Canon Powershot SX200 IS. It has 12.1MP, 12x Optical zoom (but not sure if this is accurate), and lots of other features for $350. It got a #1 rating in my photography magazine...

I'm going for one of these, haven't seen a bad review yet. I've just offloaded a canon SX1 IS because I didn't think it was as good as my old S3IS. One of the problems was that the massive zoom was just about unusable handheld. 12x is enough for me.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I'm going for one of these, haven't seen a bad review yet. I've just offloaded a canon SX1 IS because I didn't think it was as good as my old S3IS. One of the problems was that the massive zoom was just about unusable handheld. 12x is enough for me.

Interesting observation> There is a big difference in price, no flipout screen, etc. Really not the same class of camera. I do have a couple of friends who really love theirs, still would look at the ZS3.

Good luck

Jack

 

[Graeme]

Really not the same class of camera.

I agree, but I found that the SX1 wasn't very 'point and shoot' friendly. It was also a lot bigger than the S3/S5. I'll miss the flip out screen but I was missing too many shots with the SX1.

 

[blackjackdelta]

You are right, it is not. Bridge cams really do not cater to the P and S crowd unless they are looking to step up.

the 200is and ES3 are mort for that. The ES3 will be out in a couple of weeks and we will see how it does at low light.

Jack

 

[left210]

I am looking for a new camera. I have a Panasonic FZ5 & TZ4. Both are long zoom but neither meet all of my needs. The zoom is fine on both for outdoor photos but neither take very good indoor photos without changing settings which I do not want to do. I think my FZ5 is on the brink because even outdoor photos sometimes the exposure of faces are too white with or without flash. The TZ4 does good outdoors but indoors at events at school I cannot get a good picture because flash is not good enough but at home using flash it makes the background too dark. Both of these cameras are a few years old so I thought maybe there was some new technology out there and I might find a camera that would suit my needs better. I am considering all brands. I have been looking at the Sony Cybershots because the Intelligent Auto looks nice. Anyone pleased with them? It does not have to be a pocketable camera but not huge like a DSLR either.

So I am looking at the following: Sony DSC H50, Sony DSC H20, Canon SX110IS, Canon SX200LS or possibly the Panasonic ZS3. I am not sure about going with another Panasonic though because I am not too pleased with the color of faces in the pictures. Anyone have any recommendations or used any of the above cameras? or have any recommendations for any not listed.

 

[MICKEY88]

I am looking for a new camera. I have a Panasonic FZ5 & TZ4. Both are long zoom but neither meet all of my needs. The zoom is fine on both for outdoor photos but neither take very good indoor photos without changing settings which I do not want to do. I think my FZ5 is on the brink because even outdoor photos sometimes the exposure of faces are too white with or without flash. The TZ4 does good outdoors but indoors at events at school I cannot get a good picture because flash is not good enough but at home using flash it makes the background too dark. Both of these cameras are a few years old so I thought maybe there was some new technology out there and I might find a camera that would suit my needs better. I am considering all brands. I have been looking at the Sony Cybershots because the Intelligent Auto looks nice. Anyone pleased with them? It does not have to be a pocketable camera but not huge like a DSLR either.

So I am looking at the following: Sony DSC H50, Sony DSC H20, Canon SX110IS, Canon SX200LS or possibly the Panasonic ZS3. I am not sure about going with another Panasonic though because I am not too pleased with the color of faces in the pictures. Anyone have any recommendations or used any of the above cameras? or have any recommendations for any not listed.

unfortunately, although there is new technology all the time, the situations you are talking about require understanding exposure and changing settings on the camera...

 

[Frantasmic]

That is the trifecta that most people want and the camera company that could deliver the following would make gazillions of dollars:

A small, point and shoot, with great zoom, and shoots well in low-light conditions.

The Holy Grail of cameras with those conditions doesn't really exist with out of the box qualities like that.

Learning white balance and some manual controls would help you with indoor shots, but I did't really get what I wanted until I went to DSLR and learned to touch up the RAW files.

I think that the cameras with RAW support don't have great zoom either and the good zoom cameras don't have RAW, unless you use the Canon code fix.

Can you post some pictures with your EXIF data so we could perhaps give you a few pointers?

 

[Graeme]

Quick update, I've got my SX200 and first impressions are that it's very good. Easy to use and a good P&S'er.

 

[WDWFWfan]

A couple of basic things to keep in mind as you do your search. First, more megapixels on a small sensor is not always a good combination. In fact, too many megapixel will introduce added noise into the image thereby reducing image quality. So don't buy into the lie that a 12 megapixel camera is inherently better than an 8 or 10 megapixel camera.

Secondly, while there are always exceptions to the rule, there is typically a tradeoff in image quality as cameras get smaller and smaller. A smaller camera may be more portable, but will likely produce inferior photographs as compared to a larger camera. The reason is simple...smaller cameras mean that smaller lenses are employed which will let less light onto a smaller sensor. Obviously that does not mean that a larger camera will always produce better pictures than it's smaller siblings...it's just a recognition of the physics of camera construction.

 

[left210]

I realize there isnt a camera that will produce perfect results out of the box so what is the best available long zoom that produces good quality pictures without much editing and manual controls?

 

[bob100]

I realize there isnt a camera that will produce perfect results out of the box so what is the best available long zoom that produces good quality pictures without much editing and manual controls?

neither take very good indoor photos without changing settings which I do not want to do.

The problem is your pics may not improve much beyond what you are using unless you are willing to "change the settings". The cameras you mentioned (Canon SX110IS, Sony DSC H50, etc) can take good indoor pics but to get the best you have to know about using the manual settings, just leaving the camera on auto mode is not enough for all situations.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am looking for a new camera. I have a Panasonic FZ5 & TZ4. Both are long zoom but neither meet all of my needs. The zoom is fine on both for outdoor photos but neither take very good indoor photos without changing settings which I do not want to do. I think my FZ5 is on the brink because even outdoor photos sometimes the exposure of faces are too white with or without flash. The TZ4 does good outdoors but indoors at events at school I cannot get a good picture because flash is not good enough but at home using flash it makes the background too dark. Both of these cameras are a few years old so I thought maybe there was some new technology out there and I might find a camera that would suit my needs better. I am considering all brands. I have been looking at the Sony Cybershots because the Intelligent Auto looks nice. Anyone pleased with them? It does not have to be a pocketable camera but not huge like a DSLR either.

As others have said, it's less about the camera than about the knowledge and skill of the photographer here. In other words, the cameras are probably fine. (There are some photographers here who could almost certainly get them to do what you want, but it's because of their skill level.) A little more knowledge and skill on your part would go a long way. Otherwise, you're going to be on an endless search for a perfect camera when in fact, there is no such thing.

For instance,

even outdoor photos sometimes the exposure of faces are too white with or without flash

This has to do with the time of day you're shooting and where the sun is. I could show you some photos an inexperienced friend took with her high end dSLR this weekend that look the same.

neither take very good indoor photos without changing settings which I do not want to do.

Again, it would be very difficult to do this with a point and shoot or bridge camera on auto. However, there are things you could try that would help, but it would involve extra equipment like a small tripod and/or coming off of auto. Really, it's not that difficult. There a semi-auto modes like night portrait and candlelight that do pretty well (IME) but you need to keep the camera perfectly still and experiment a bit.