Help me with my S3 IS

[Bigmoss]

I have had my S3 for about 7 months now and take a fare amount of pics, mostly in the fall while on outdoor related trips. I posted when I got the cam for advice and have tried to follow it, I just feel I am not getting quality pics when I see others from cheaper cameras.

Most of the advice I got when I posted last time was to leave the camera in P mode as it would take the best pics and let the camera do most of the deciding what was best. I dont feel confident enough to use manual mode as most of my shots are last minute and in a hurry catching wildlife that pop out.

Are there any menu settings I might look at or something I am missing ? More or less I have the camera set on P and I take pictures. I am not great ar reading the manuals LOL, so I thought some of you more experienced people could give me a quick hand.

Thanks

[David Metsky]

Cameras don't take great pictures, photographers do. If you really want exceptional shots you'll need to break out the manual and learn how to use the features to the best effect.

P mode basically allows you to make decisions, but if you don't it's no better then auto mode. The easiest things to set are ISO and White Balance, but you'll want to get into Av and Tv (aperture and shutter speed) modes. All of these settings affect each other, so picking one and playing with it until you get a feel for it is probably easiest.

Can you post some pictures you took and feel are lacking?

-dave-

[mes444]

A few things you might try and see if you like. P mode is good.

Set ISO to stay at 100 with the ISO button near the LCD screen.

Go into the My Colors setting. Use the function button and scroll down three spaces. Do one click left and go to custom setting. Try Sharpness +1 or +2. Try saturation +1 or +2. And there are other settings there you may want to play with later.

Try setting the display to show the grid and the histogram. And when the histogram is showing while you are taking pictures, try to get it to look like a mountain range, not too high on the left or right. Keep the grid straight and try to put your picture subject into one of the sections of the grid where the lines cross.

Be sure your resolution is set to large/superfine. The setting is in the function screen a few things down from the my colors mentioned above.

And check that your shortcut button isn't changing your resolution if you accidently hit it. The shortcut button is set to change the resolution by default. Go into your menu and assign another function to the shortcut button so it doesn't reduce the resolution by accident.

Hope that helps a little.

PS: Check the first entry on this forum about S2 tips, most apply to the S3 also and are very helpful.

[AtlPikMan]

A few things you might try and see if you like. P mode is good.

Set ISO to stay at 100 with the ISO button near the LCD screen.

Go into the My Colors setting. Use the function button and scroll down three spaces. Do one click left and go to custom setting. Try Sharpness +1 or +2. Try saturation +1 or +2. And there are other settings there you may want to play with later.

Try setting the display to show the grid and the histogram. And when the histogram is showing while you are taking pictures, try to get it to look like a mountain range, not too high on the left or right. Keep the grid straight and try to put your picture subject into one of the sections of the grid where the lines cross.

Be sure your resolution is set to large/superfine. The setting is in the function screen a few things down from the my colors mentioned above.

And check that your shortcut button isn't changing your resolution if you accidently hit it. The shortcut button is set to change the resolution by default. Go into your menu and assign another function to the shortcut button so it doesn't reduce the resolution by accident.

Hope that helps a little.

Just got my S3 a week or two ago, Good Tips............Thanks!

[XaiLo]

The best thing I can think of to suggest is "Understanding Exposure" Revised Edition by Bryan Peterson it's a lite read and full of practicle examples that will get one started down the road of photography in good fashion, and for uder $20 it's a steel. and another thing what is it about the pictures that is unsatisfactory, posting a few examples would go a long way towards understang what's really going on...at this point the best advice is only going to be an educated guess. hth