FZ-20...Indoor pics...not very impressed...help

[jepjep]

Hey everyone.

I will send a couple of pictures in another post but the difference in the quality of a picture that you can make with a few simple changes on this camera is amazing. Sometimes that's a good thing and other times it is not.

Questions:
1. The Flash - very disapointed in the speed of a picture while using the flash. Picture taken indoors, with low light conditions, and using the flash it takes almost a second or two for the picture to actually take. You have the red eye flash, then the low light flash, and finally the actual flash. By that time the subjects are usually looking away. The picture is very clear, but it seems like the flash creates a "spot light" effect. I know you can decrease/increase the flash intensity but too many options for a beginner is confusing.
I tried to take the same picture with out the flash and just increase the EV. Way to much noise. Flash must be used indoors with low light.

2. Picture size - The book says that you need to use the large picture size if your planning on making prints of your pictures. If I decrease the size does that decrease the megapixels? And if I'm not going to print pictures bigger then 5X7 do I really need that size? It is huge on the computer screen.

Any help with indoor pics would be appreciated.

Thanks
JEP

[genece]

Hey everyone.

I will send a couple of pictures in another post but the difference in the quality of a picture that you can make with a few simple changes on this camera is amazing. Sometimes that's a good thing and other times it is not.

Questions:
1. The Flash - very disapointed in the speed of a picture while using the flash. Picture taken indoors, with low light conditions, and using the flash it takes almost a second or two for the picture to actually take. You have the red eye flash, then the low light flash, and finally the actual flash. By that time the subjects are usually looking away. The picture is very clear, but it seems like the flash creates a "spot light" effect. I know you can decrease/increase the flash intensity but too many options for a beginner is confusing.

It is my guess that you have Slow Sync turned on, I would turn it off. It does not take 2 seconds to take a flash picture.

I tried to take the same picture with out the flash and just increase the EV. Way to much noise. Flash must be used indoors with low light.

It is up to you but a flash does not need to be used although a NR program probably be needed but make sure the expose is adequate as underexposed picture have more noise. Until you get more familiar I would let the camera set the ISO (Sensitivity)



2. Picture size - The book says that you need to use the large picture size if your planning on making prints of your pictures. If I decrease the size does that decrease the megapixels? And if I'm not going to print pictures bigger then 5X7 do I really need that size? It is huge on the computer screen.

Any help with indoor pics would be appreciated.

Thanks
JEP

I would shoot at the largest reolution and the best quality JPEG. (not tiff)

You must have something set wrong in the program you are using to view the photos the photo should be automaticly sized to fit the window.
Maybe if we knew the program and or operating system someone could help.

Here are a couple links with low light photos
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=12437584

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=10118774

[gary_hendricks]

I would shoot at the largest reolution and the best quality JPEG. (not tiff)

You must have something set wrong in the program you are using to view the photos the photo should be automaticly sized to fit the window.
Maybe if we knew the program and or operating system someone could help.

Here are a couple links with low light photos
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=12437584

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=10118774


Wow those are VERY nice pictures. Any idea what are the EXIF settings?

[jepjep]

Genece,

"It is my guess that you have Slow Sync turned on, I would turn it off. It does not take 2 seconds to take a flash picture."

The two second picture taking speed was an exageration but it is long enough from "1 -2 -3 - Cheese" that kids, especially, think the picture has already been taken and they can then look away.
I wish I could say that I had the Slow Sync turned on, but I don't.

It is up to you but a flash does not need to be used although a NR program probably be needed but make sure the expose is adequate as underexposed picture have more noise. Until you get more familiar I would let the camera set the ISO (Sensitivity)

What is a NR program? And I have the ISO on auto all the time. When I took another picture with the EV increased so that the histogram was centered the noise was pretty awful.

You must have something set wrong in the program you are using to view the photos the photo should be automaticly sized to fit the window.
Maybe if we knew the program and or operating system someone could help.

The program I'm using to view the photos puts the picture in "best fit" mode, I'm just saying that when you hit the "actual size" button, the picture is enormous. When seeing the picture as a smaller "best fit" mode size they usually look pretty clear, but then when you hit the "actual size" button and see the details of the picture at that large size, that is when the imperfections are visable. I'm using Windows XP home edition and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

Thanks again. I'm trying to attach a couple of pics using the "manage attachments" button and every time I hit the button nothing happens. Sorry

[genece]

Wow those are VERY nice pictures. Any idea what are the EXIF settings?

No but here are some very similar ...click on more details
http://stretch.smugmug.com/gallery/268350/2/10606430


Forgot about the NR programs
Neat Image is a good one and free for home use
http://www.neatimage.com/download.html
another one
http://denoiser.shorturl.com/

The program I'm using to view the photos puts the picture in "best fit" mode, I'm just saying that when you hit the "actual size" button, the picture is enormous. When seeing the picture as a smaller "best fit" mode size they usually look pretty clear, but then when you hit the "actual size" button and see the details of the picture at that large size, that is when the imperfections are visable. I'm using Windows XP home edition and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

You may need someone with more knowledge than me , but what is happening with the large size is when you are looking at the photo on the monitor you are looking at 72 ppi which makes the photo 26 X 35 inches but if you were to print it ,the standard for printing is 300ppi which is a 6.5 X 8.5 picture, From the same 2560 X 1920 pixel picture.
What it is boiling down to if you are seeing the noise at the original (2560 X 1920) size on a monitor.. that has nothing to do with the picture quality as no one ever sees it that way.
I am sorry I can not explain it better. But there is no point in looking at the picture at more than full screen.

And with the flash I use a external flash but the photo takes instantly. I do not use anti red eye as it is not needed with an external flash.
I never really noticed a delay with the built-in flash but when I did it that way I was use to an older Kodak which had a lot of shutterlag all the time.
Maybe keep trying it may be another setting somewhere.

[andyn]

It could be that the delay is due to the autofocus hunting in low light. Make sure you're not blocking the autofocus assist lamp wuith your finger - easily done. Otherwise, make sure you half depresss the shutter and get focus lock before you finally shoot. Manual focus would seem to offer a solution but the viewfinder is so awful in low light that manual focus is unusable. Hope this helps. Andy