my first: com/dig/cam fuji f31fd advice please

[jimmy mack]

hello to all, i have just decided it was time to give up the disposable cameras and so purchased the fujif31fd,now as i am going on holiday in the summer, i had better make sure i return home with better pics than my partners attempts (which are not bad) using her trusty disposables, if not i will never hear the end of it! i am therefore looking for a few tips(beginers) can anyone please put me along the right lines? i know i could use the auto mode but then i may as well have used a disposable although, the pics may not be as good? i am just looking for a few basic tips to get me started and what and what nots to do etc, many thanks James

[kikn79]

Jimmy,
While I am no expert photographer, I can offer up some advice....

Firstly, play around with the settings and find out what works and what doesn't. When I bought my first camera that I could control the shutter/aperature settings on, I was getting ready to go see a concert and made my wife stand in a relatively dark room while I shined a couple of flashlights on her (to simulate the spotlight) and changed all sorts of settings to find out how best to setup the camera. (She was not amused by all this at all.... :) )

Second, you should be able to take many more pictures than your partner and see right away if they turn out or not. Meanwhile, she has to hope the pic turns out and won't find out until she pays to get it developed. That alone in the long run should save you some money. ( Make sure you point this out.. )

Third, don't be put off by Auto mode. Your camera should take better pictures than any disposable camera anyway. I use the auto mode for general sight-seeing pictures, but change to manual if I want to take a picture of a waterfall or if it is getting dark, etc. You can really make a picture "pop" when you leave the shutter open a little longer when it is getting dusk. (make sure you have a tripod or something to set your camera on, though. I am rarely able to pass off blurry pictures as my artistic expression...)

I hope this helps you out. Have a great holiday!!

Chuck

[jimmy mack]

thanks Chuck, couple of good points there and thank you for taking the time to reply, Jimmy.

[P_Schneider]

Ya I would stay away from auto mode but your scene modes should provide you with some nice shots. There is a thread somewhere around here that lists which mode should be used for certain conditions. If it's anything like my wifes F30 you will not be disappointed. Have fun!

[tim11]

F31 can take excellent images... depending on your skill or your wills to improve your photography skill. If you are keen, just surf some free online photography lessons or buy a basic book.
As mentioned already, you have to be familiar with the controls and modes of the camera. The sweetest thing about digital camera is that you can practice and check the result - delete; repeat again and again. The only thing that costs you is time.
It will save you more money than disposables in the long run.

[jimmy mack]

thanks guys, for your help and patience. Jimmy.

[aurin]

hi, i can really recommend using the continous mode, 3 first for sudden situations, 3 last for controlled situations (eg taking a portrait) or continous for moving objects, children or making a panorama (!)

also, the natural&flash would be good for portraits of people who tolerate flash, remember to zoom to get a natural face shape (as with all cameras)

the highspeed setting uses iso 1600 or 3200, which inevitably gives noise, i recommend neatimage for taking care of those pictures, they will actually be quite decent

as a rule of thumb iso 800 and less will work for enlargements on this camera (which is amazing, my good old hp was useless at iso 400)

on the other hand, if you really want quality pictures with iso 1600/3200 then take a series of pictures (i usually use handheld 3 last), and use photoacute to put them together to remove noise without making the watercolour effect of noise-removing programs, even works with very still humans or animals:)

a tiny pocket tripod makes wonders, and using 10 or 15 second on the night setting shows the stars and moon clearly, plus pictures of a setting sun can make really neat effects

(!) the panorama i mentioned is possible by standing and taking pictures continously while making a 360degress turning around on your heels (i know, using a tripod is much better, but nowhere as funny:) - you need a program like panoramamaker for stitching them together, thats simply drag and drop and gives wonderful results!

aurin
finland :cool:

[jimmy mack]

thanks Aurin, all these bits of information are priceless and i thank you for taking the time to reply, Jimmy.

[sysadmin64]

This is a post in another forum for the F30, but it may be helpful getting you started:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=21141864

I own an F30 and one problem I've had recently was taking flash pictures of people in a dark area. My subject's facial features were getting "blown-out" when I realized I had the camera set on average metering. After changing the photometry setting to "spot", metering off my subject's face by pressing the shutter half-way and recomposing the shot, the photo was much better exposed than what I had previously. An exciting revelation which I should have known all along after reading through several different forums!

Colleen

[jimmy mack]

thanks Colleen, i will give this a try as soon as the weather improves, raining cats and dogs shall we say! many thanks for your time and advice. Jimmy.