help with settings on my new digicam

[b4rs]

hi, i got an olympus 4mill pixel camera for crimbo and was wondering what settings i need for a good fotoshoot at the trackside. some of the features i can mess with are : ESP, ISO and AF. I dont know what the hell these are, but would like some help. this is mostly aimed at jimmy, but any other members that 'know there stuff' are free to contribute.

thanks alot.

Alex

[jimmy]

What camera is it specifically? Indoors is hard to be honest to get anything decent if you are after an action shot - you'll be like the rest of us and get your best photos outdoors.
Bring the cam to the races with you and maybe it would be easier to have a look in person?

[b4rs]

ye will do. you gonna be at the first meeting at batley in march?

[BenG]

For indoors it is very hard to get decent pics.

Typically it involves a high ISO, a low F number if you can, and flash/ flash gun.

If the camera is in auto, you will probably get horrible blurs so set-it to manual mode, and set your shutter speed and flash.

[b4rs]

i think my cam has iso of 64,100,200,300,400. then i have either isp or a icon tht looks like a box with a circle in it. then i have a choice of AF. so i dno wich means the shutter speed.

[JCJC]

ISO numbers reflect the film speeds we used before digital, they almost double at each step.

Shutter speed is linked to aperture and maybe set automatically, you have to have the correct amount of light hit the CCD or film to make the picture, not enough=too dark, too much=too bright, small aperture=slow shutter and large aperture =faster shutter. (shutter speeds double each step, aperture the same, figures just look as if they don’t).

So we are able to juggle between aperture – car in focus/background out, and speed, car sharp or blurred, moved while the shutter was open.

A higher iso number should allow for a faster shutter speed, there must be a drawback to this?, and you may be able to chose between aperture and shutter priority and keep the shutter fast at the expense of aperture (large aperture = less area in focus, small aperture=focus from the tip of your nose to the horizon)

You may be able to switch to full manual mode and set the shutter as you like.

Telling us what model the camera is, this may produce better replies.

Understanding some of this may make taking pictures more interesting, great thing with digital, you can play and see whats happening and the only cost is your time.

[b4rs]

thnx mate, was a big help. iso is quality of moving objects. i practised out of my window with cars. but still dunno wot usp or af is. heres my camera, tis quite decent, lol just found out price searching for it .
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...3Doff%26sa%3DN

[BenG]

not sure of USP, which maybe is a universal serial port.

AF is autofocus though

[b4rs]

sorry, its isp as stated before, put it wrong in last post, anyway thnx for af.

[JCJC]

Looks a nice, small, handy camera, great to keep in your pocket for snaps, have to say 4m and 2x optical is pretty basic these days - but our Casio is only 4m and 3x optical, we both don't stand a chance of taking the sort of shot that Jimmy gets with that heafty great SLR.

I recon all the settings will be automatic, autofocus - camera will put center of frame in focus - takes a nanosecond, but car is out of shot !

And camera will chose aperture and shutter speed balance depending on light and iso setting (and the cameras mood at the time!!). Make notes and take the same shot with different settings - compare.

isp - usp - usb? who can guess, could be the "programmed" picture mode, on start up you can switch between landscape or portrate, and other "types" of picture, this obviously affects the focus. Get them pictures on the computer and play with em, lots of creative fun.