Guys, I have a few questions which seems to be bothering me.
I just came back from backpacking in Taiwan with a S3is, which I bought about 2 months ago. Along the way, S3is has served its purpose of snapping pictures and memories. However, I faced quite a number of problems when i was snaping around.
1)I tried the manual focus to get my attention on either foreground or background. However, the subject dont seems to contrast out as sharp as i hoped, regardless of fore/back ground. Is there a way to make the blurring effect more obvious?
What you want is to have shallow DOF....S3 has small sensor, so quite difficult. U need to do these:
Max Zoom,
open to f3.5 and
stand close to the foreground obj.
If these 3 are achieved, these is the thinest DOF liao...
2)In Manual mode, is it always the case to adjust MF so that you can snap the subject? It seems abit tedious, consider u have to hold the MF while adjusting the depth.
U can still use Auto Focus in M mode
3)I didnt get a polarizer during the trip. And I realised most of the time, the sky is always white! If i were to give my attention on the blue sky, the subject on the ground turns so burned and dull. So a polarizer is a must to capture blue sky without sacrificing the grounds?
Yah polariser (CPL) helps. Or you can take High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI). Or you can use Neutral Graduate filter.
4)When i tried to take night scene pictures, I tried to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, while minimising the ISO level to 400 or below(with a tripod). However, the noise level still seems quite noticeable. Is this normal? Previously i was browing some night scenes by fellow CS members. They portrayed really decent and beautiful night scenes. I was WOWed! But, looking at mine, i can only shake my head.
May be long shutter speed will be better
5)I was shooting from a high-ground, overviewing the night life of the city. When I tried to reduce Shutter speed to 2 to 3 seconds, I realised the black sky seems to fade and turned greyish at the line between the sky and the city lights. It was really ugly though, as the lights and night sky dont contrast out with the presence of 'grey sky' inbetween them.
PS. Is it impossible to shoot at a sky with a sea of stars? Using the S3IS, it only shows me a black screen.
Never try shoot stars yet....did you set to 15sec exposure time? f2.8?
6)Lastly, anyone knows wats 'Spot, Center weighted Avg and Evaluative'?
Center weighted will meter the entire frame but use the center portion with higher weighting. Spot will only meter the center of the spot. Evauative is more advance which will meter many areas in the frame separately and adj the exposure according. Note: dun use evaluative metering in M mode, the fuzzy logic will make the exposure hay-wired.
Having used the S3IS for my 1 month backpacking trip in Taiwan, I realised S3IS serve as a really good snap and shoot camera. Especially with its adjustable screen. I realised i can shoot at any angle while viewing the live mode on the LCD. It saved me the trouble to squat or find a high land to take an overview on a busy street. I'm really glad that the reversable screen comes in handy.As Taiwan is blessed with several scenic spots, quite a handful of Taiwanese tourists are equipped with at least a dslr. This makes me envy their equipment and at the same time, question my own. S3IS seems to serve as a good camera for snap and shoot, but then it cant seems to give me the gratification of demanding better pictures.
The most troubling is the MF button, which makes me spend a considerable amount of time having to adjust to the right depth- and a limited depth!
S3IS is my 1st Digital camera, but i cant seem to get enough.Should I stay with S3IS until i learn more about digital photography? Or should i just get green card for an entry level of dSLR. If i were to stay with S3IS, i'm thinking should i invest in some polarizer, adapter or even lenses, knowing that these equipments wont be with me for long.There is 1 thing which is bothering me that current dSLR dont have a reversable screen. I'm just too used to S3IS's reversable screen as it really save me a lot of trouble.
If you are so use to having the LCD and live view, then DSLR may not be an option (except the Olympus model)Ü
Anyone care to give me some suggestions?
suggestion?
If night shoot is all you need, then I think you should get Fuji....in all other aspects, I would go for S3....
