What's Going on with My SD300?

[Brinestorm]

I just received my SD300 for Christmas, and it's been nothing but a baffling disappointment.

I haven't even taken real-life pictures with the thing yet because I've been too just test-shooting it to see what's wrong with it. I've tried every mode, fidgeted with every setting, and even tried taking shots with the camera sitting perfectly still on a table surface--yet almost every picture comes out as blurry as a webcam and, quite frankly, pathetic for a $350 camera. The worst shots are produced when the zoom is employed.

Let me give some examples with shooting information:

Image 1 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-1.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/20; Av: 2.8; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 5.8mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Image 2 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-2.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/8; Av: 4.9; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 17.4mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Image 3 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-3.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/8; Av: 4.9; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 17.4mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Image 4 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-4.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/8; Av: 4.9; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 17.4mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Image 5 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-5.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/8; Av: 4.9; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 17.4mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Image 6 (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-6.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/40; Av: 2.8; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 5.8mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

All I know is that I've seen plentry of (great) SD300 shots, and these aren't them. What am I doing wrong? Or was my camera dropped from a skyscraper?

Thanks

[PhilR.]

So which of these shots were taken with the camera sitting on a tabletop?

PhilR.

[Brinestorm]

So which of these shots were taken with the camera sitting on a tabletop?

PhilR.
Sorry, I forgot to upload one.

Tabletop Shot (http://quakerstudios.com/trans/sd300-7.jpg)
Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/8; Av: 4.9; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 17.4mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

[Jim Robertson]

I think you're using too slow a shutter speed (necessitated by the rest of your settings). Most of your shots are listed as 1/8 - far too long an exposure, I'd guess, for anything but a very good tripod.

Or am I way off base?

[Brinestorm]

Jim,

Perhaps that is the problem, but can the SD300's shutter speed even be adjusted manually? I'm been perusing the manual but haven't found anything on the subject.

However, I did discover something interesting. At all times--even when placed firmly on a tabletop--the camera shake warning icon is displayed on my LCD with a half-press of the shutter. Also, the top LED blinks orange, which is defined as a camera shake waring as well.

Is something wrong with my camera internally?

Thanks

[David Metsky]

However, I did discover something interesting. At all times--even when placed firmly on a tabletop--the camera shake warning icon is displayed on my LCD with a half-press of the shutter. Also, the top LED blinks orange, which is defined as a camera shake waring as well.

Is something wrong with my camera internally?

Thanks
Sounds like it to me. I've had no problems with photos in similar situations, and the camera chooses a much faster shutter speed. My guess is that somehow the camera is choosing a very slow shutter speed (no idea why) and that makes the camera shake warning come on. The problem appears to be in the shutter speed choice.

Is the flash turned on? If not, the camera would compensate by choosing a very slow shutter speed and you end up with blurry images. Do you have digital macro mode or macro mode turned on? That would play havoc with focus at normal distances and I believe DM turns off flash.

My new SD300 takes clear, sharp pictures. If yours is having problems then there may very well need to be replaced. The camera is capable of taking better pictures than you are getting.

[Brinestorm]

Thanks for the input, David.

I did not have flash turned on in those photos, but then again, it wasn't necessary. Is flash supposed to be on all the time in order to take decent photos?

I notice that when I half-press the shutter when flash is on, no shake warnings appear. However, I can't tell if those photos are better than the others since the image is so saturated with blinding light. :(

I'm at a loss for solutions here, besides replacement.

[Jim Robertson]

If the camera needed to select a shutter speed as slow as 1/8 second, there wasn't enough light for a more rapid exposure. No one can obtain crisp images at a hand-held 1/8 second exposure.

I'd suggest you try some pictures taken outside in daylight, and some pictures taken indoors with flash enabled. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

I'm considering the SD300 myself, and one of my concerns is that there's no way to manually select the shutter speed. I think the "kids and pets" mode tries to select a faster shutter speed, but your exposures were sometimes at f4.0, so the option of opening the lens to compensate for a slow shutter speed wasn't available.

Jim Robertson

[Velvet G]

You can test something out for me. Set your camera on a 2 second delay timer, set up the shot on the table, press the button to get the focus and then click it, removing your hand from the camera.

Let the timer take the picture to see if you still have the blurry pictures. It may just be the movement from pressing the button down that is causing it, though it does sound way too sensitive.

I'll try my S1 without the IS on and see if my results are similar to yours.

[Brinestorm]

I will try that, Velvet, but if pressing the shutter button is what's blurring my images, I'm afraid I'm still in a bad and quite abnormal situation with my camera.

Also, I will take some outdoor shots and see what comes of it. But before I do that (and while my battery charges), I have one question: is it odd that I can hear something bouncing around in my SD300 when I shake it? And it's not the lens cover, it's something else--something deeper in the camera. Perhaps a loose piece of hardware that's messing with my photos?

Thanks So Much

[gez1]

i have the same problem with my sd300- indoor shots are terrible (i haven't even tried it outside because i'm so dissapointed). Did you get yours replaced- was it defective? I'm just thinking of upgrading if a replacement doesn't fix it.

[TenD]

1/8 to 1/40 shutter speed is far too slow to get a sharp picture. There is a lot less light indoors than you think. Your eyes are incredible lenses and have the ability to see in a lot lower light than a camera can.



I did not have flash turned on in those photos, but then again, it wasn't necessary. Is flash supposed to be on all the time in order to take decent photos?

If you are getting shutter speeds that slow you definitely need to use the flash. Plan on using the flash if your shutter speed gets any lower than about 1/40. Use a rule of thumb for shutter speed of 1 over the focal length. I think an SD300 has about a 35-105mm than means you shouldn't try to hand hold it below 1/40. The light you saw flashing was probably the shake warning and the flash warning. The camera was telling your shutter speed was too low and you needed to turn the flash on. I don't know if the SD300 has the ability to adjust the flash or not, but the smaller cameras usually have an overpowering flash inside of about 10 feet. You can place your finger part way over the flash or back up to compensate.
I know I couldn't expect to get much of a shot with my DSLR in those conditions. I usually try to adhere to the 1/focal length rule. If I can't get that I will get my flash.
The noise you hear in your camera is the orientation sensor, it tells the camera if it is horizontal or vertical, and rotates the pictures accordingly. I think you will see some quality images outdoors in the sun. Indoors for the most part you will need to use your flash. Even my f/1.8 lens is too slow indoors sometimes.

[David Metsky]

i have the same problem with my sd300- indoor shots are terrible (i haven't even tried it outside because i'm so dissapointed). Did you get yours replaced- was it defective? I'm just thinking of upgrading if a replacement doesn't fix it.
How are your indoors shots terrible? Is the flash overpowering the shot at short distances or failing to illuminate the scene at far distances? If you are shooting without a flash you are unlikely to get results that you are happy with. Can you post some of your images that weren't acceptable?

[BWood]

Your table top shot looks OK to me. Since there isn't much light, any hand held shot will be blurry. The door jamb is in focus. You need to hold down the button half way to see where the camera is going to focus. The laundry basket is blurry because it is out of the focus range of the door jamb. It is yellow because of an incandescent light. It looks like there are two different types of light in the picture. The camera's white balance chose the light from the door jamb.

[damax452]

How do you know what the shutter speed for each shot is? Is this info displayed somewhere on the camera? I haven't seen it.

I am also having trouble taking good indoor shots with the sd300. When I use the flash, it is way too overpowering and gives bad glare effects on almost anything I shoot. With the flash off, I get very blurry, and noisy pictures. The blurring is my fault, I guess my hands aren't very steady. Pictures taken with the camera sitting on the table are noticeably better. But I don't understand why the pictures have so much noise. I usually am trying to take closeups of small objects under flourescent lighting. I have tried manual, auto, indoor modes with little success.

Can anyone think of what I'm doing wrong? I see that others have had problems with the SD300. To anyone out there taking great indoor pics, whats your secret?

[Guayaiperojo]

From the information of your pictures:

Shooting Mode: Auto; Photo Effect: None; Tv: 1/40; Av: 2.8; ISO Speed: Auto; Focal Length: 5.8mm; Image Quality: Superfine; AF Mode: Single AF

Shooting mode Auto: you camera auto mode set you the following modes...
TV 1/40... this setting is to slow and “hand shake” will be a problem
Av: 2.8... this setting will make the focus only on some part of your picture. In this case you will see that some parts of the manual is on focus and other not and it was meant to do so at this aperture.
ISO Speed: Auto. This means the camera probably use a high ISO 400 or more, intended to compensate the lack of light and giving a lot of noise for your pictures. Set it manually at 50 and keep it like that to avoid noise.

In order to get better pictures set you camera to auto (with auto flash), or read more about Photography manual setting of AV. TV and ISO. Any other point and shoot camera at this range will give you similar results indoors. Take the camera outside with plenty of light and you will make the most out of your pictures.