Camera Wrestling... Still

[DKS]

Lee, you're wrestling with things that come along as part of the package with almost every camera. For starters, the ability of point-and-shoot cameras to properly white-balance varies considerably across models and brands, as you've already seen. You can compensate to a fair degree by using a higher-end paint program that has the ability to correct white balance after the fact. The outcome of this process varies depending on the range of colors and brightness of the source image. On some occasions it works surprisingly well with a single click; in other cases it more or less serves as a starting point, and some manual tweaking would follow.

As for sharpness, paradoxically many DSLRs appear to perform more poorly than pocket cams owing to the fact that pocket cams have very small lenses. This increases the DOF and reduces diffraction simply by virtue of its size. For a DSLR, you'll need to look at two settings to control sharpness: ideal f-stop, and in-camera image processing. I discovered that Canon ships many of their DSLRs with a default image sharpness setting of "portrait", which is just slightly soft. You'll probably need to drill down into the camera's settings to see what it is and change it if necessary. The other thing to do is use the lens' "sweet spot" f-stop to minimize diffraction; this is usually in the range of around f/8. If you can't get what you're after, you may need to use a different lens (assuming it was your camera), which is one big advantage of a DSLR.

Unfortunately, to get the best out of a DSLR, you have to apply a rule of complexity: that which you are able to control, you must control. Meaning that you need to deal with many of the variables manually to suit the subject. Yeah, it's all a PITA, but that's because DSLRs are not meant to be point-and-shoot for the most part (although they can do a pretty darned good job at times, such as outdoor photography).

Most DSLRs do automatic white balancing by default, just like pocket cams. For the very best rendering, though, you'll need to manually set the white balance. This is not best accomplished by choosing the lighting type from a menu, as this is just an approximation; better to perform a true manual white balancing procedure, which usually involves aiming it at a sheet of white paper in the subject field and letting the camera make a measurement. Ideally this would need to be done for each different shot, since lighting changes in subtle ways owing to the environment.

Seems your old point-and-shoot was a real trooper—which was probably an accident to some degree; it just happened to have the ideal performance and behavior for the kinds of shots you were after. Hard to say if your new one will ever be as "good" since white balance is individual to the camera and this one seems to be pretty wonky, unfortunately.

[tom mann]

Lee,

No camera at any price point does auto-white balance with any credibility, and as David notes, the more expensive cameras do worse.

Since you are shooting in the same room with the same lights, just figure out the white balance either using the method David suggests or play with the temperature to get the color you like and leave the camera at that setting.  Calibrate if the sun is out/cloudy/dark.  Maybe for your room, with incandescent lights, 3500-4500 would work.

[2-8-8-0]

If nothing else, it seems to be a great camera for wildlife and outdoors! Great photos of the eagles n geese (and I like your layout too!)

[MK]

Try shooting RAW then apply USM during post processing to bring the "pop" back.  Also, by shooting in RAW, you can adjust your WB to your heart's desire after the fact.  I don't know if your P&S can shoot RAW but your D100 certainly can (Nikon calls is NEF).  Finally see if your P&S has Custom WB.  If it does, set your WB by using a sheet of white paper in that room light to set your standard as to what's "white".

[sirenwerks]

Did you do a white balance like I recommended?

[BCR 570]

Lee:

Nice photo of the Canada geese !  If you want more geese we have lots to spare.

Tim

 

[wm3798]

We have a pretty healthy population of them that refuse to go home... They always complain about the taxes!

Meh...  I went on line to try to find a manual for the damn thing, and came up with a few things that meant nothing to me.  I have the attention span of a tse tse fly... this should be a good indication why I didn't choose Digitrax for my DCC... Probably the best system in the universe, but the user interface isn't for the average scenery builder...

The Canon S-2 was a high end point and shoot, but it also had a fair amount of manual control that was both easy to find, and easy to use.  I'm sure that all the recommendations you all are making are a recipe for success, but it will be of more use to me show a diagram of the camera, point to the damn button I need to push, what setting needs to be changed to what, and go on from there.  

Yes, I'm that primitive!

For instance, today when I was shooting the pictures posted earlier, I had the camera on the tripod, I manually set the zoom to frame it the way I wanted, and did the halfway button push to get it to focus.  Looked good.  I set the 10 sec. timer to avoid finger wiggle, and somehow, I managed to get a 3 second exposure.  But, after taking the first shot, I went to push the button again, but it wouldn't shoot unless I moved the camera, made it focus on something else, then the timer would set.  I had 10 seconds to turn the camera back to the subject, halfway snap to re-focus on the subject, then get clear of the camera in time for the shutter to fire.  Why it wouldn't take consecutive pictures plum evades me.

So, feel free to provide further instructions, but please avoid using photographer's techno-speak... that's not in my repertoire (yet!  I'm keen to learn!)

Lee

[Chris333]

If you liked the S2 you can get one used on ebay for cheaper than whatever new camera you bought.

http://photography.shop.ebay.com/Digital-Cameras-/31388/i.html?_nkw=Canon+S2&_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

If mine ever craps out that's what I'll be doing.

[wm3798]

Hmmm.  Tempting.  But for around $200, I can get the newer version, which hopefully has addressed the dreaded "Fatal Lens Error"...

But then, not dropping it on the ground might a good way around that, too...

Lee

[DocGeoff]

Lee,
I played with your picture for a couple of minutes in Print Shop Ultimate and made a color balance and hue adjustment.



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[wm3798]

That's pretty good, Geoff.  Let me see if I can find the original full size image and I'll send it to you to tinker with.  That might give you some better information to start with.

Thanks.
Lee

[wm3798]

Walmart's got a Canon S-3 on clearance for $250.  That's 6 mp.  They also have the SX120, which is 10 mp. for $199.

I've got a design job closing out this week, so maybe a few coins in the jar for an investment.  What say you?

(This can move to crew lounge if you think the drift has gotten out of the N scale range...)

Lee

[sizemore]

Walmart's got a Canon S-3 on clearance for $250.  That's 6 mp.  They also have the SX120, which is 10 mp. for $199.

I've got a design job closing out this week, so maybe a few coins in the jar for an investment.  What say you?

(This can move to crew lounge if you think the drift has gotten out of the N scale range...)

Lee

I'd say play with them in-store if you can. Would hate to see you pick up another camera and end up back up Poops Creek in regards to the camera situation. Manufacturers do weird things like change software and remove features....


The S.

[wm3798]

The S3 looks and feels very much like the S2, only with an extra MP...  I'm gravitating toward that.  I'm hoping the clearance price wasn't for the floor model.  It looked like it had been put through a thresher.

L

[SquirrelHollow]

I had 10 seconds to turn the camera back to the subject, halfway snap to re-focus on the subject, then get clear of the camera in time for the shutter to fire.  Why it wouldn't take consecutive pictures plum evades me.

Lee

I have the same problem with my Canon.  It won't take consecutive, delayed shutter pictures of the same subject without new input of some kind.  It seriously irritated me, about a month ago, while I was doing a school paper on "How to Work With Metal Framing Studs".  I was about to pick up the tripod, and beat the thing into oblivion....

(It's a Canon SD1200 point-and-shoot, for the record.  And... has been at Best Buy's local repair shop for the last 3 weeks.  We've had nothing, but problems with it - since the day we bought it {thank God, for the 30 day option to buy in to the warranty service - Canon wouldn't cover our problems}.  They're rated well, but we wish we could trade it for something else.   ...The wife doesn't understand the utility {and quality} of a digital SLR, so she won't let me spend the $$$ on one.... Yet, constantly compliments the pictures I've taken with my old Canon AE-1 35mm SLR.)