Don't think i am using my Canon PowerShot SD700 IS properly

I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

To the right of each picture you can click on: "Taken with a Canon
PowerShot SD700 IS.
More properties" to view the EXIF info.

Any feed back would really be appreciated!

Cheers

-Gaiko

wrote in message
oups.com...

I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

I looked at the first of your photos, and it is greatly reduced in size from
the original. In other words, it's not the same as the photo that came from
the camera.

For that reason, it is impossible to determine from what you posted whether
there is any problem with the camera. In order to make it possible, you
need to put the unmodified, original photos somewhere that people can see
them.

On 18 Mar 2007 08:21:14 -0700, wrote:

I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

You have it right when you say that IS makes blur less of an
issue. But it's still an issue since IS doesn't eliminate blur, it
can only reduce it, and the amount of blur you get will vary from
shot to shot depending on how well you can hold the camera. The
smaller the camera, the harder it is to hold motionless, but for
panoramas you shouldn't even try. They should be taken with the
camera mounted on a stable tripod, and the IS function should
probably be turned off. Check the EXIF data of your pictures if you
don't know what shutter speed was used. You might have used a video
mode that provides a small aperture to get a large depth of field,
but that would produce a slower shutter speed that increases the
effect of camera movement. Try taking some shots, if not with a
tripod, at least with the camera resting on a solid surface. Many
photographers carry a small beanbag for this purpose, or you could
fill a sock with some dry rice, or something similar. It's easily
carried and allows the camera to be quickly positioned. Then see if
the pictures you take are sharp enough. If not, your camera may be
defective. I the pictures come out nice and sharp, you just have to
use the cameras best settings and either improve your technique
(learning how to hold the camera more stably) or use a tripod.
Using a faster shutter speed should help, and using a higher ISO is
one way to manage this, if the added "noise" it produces isn't
objectionable. Panorama shots can use a shutter speed as long as
needed, but don't wait too long between shots, as anything moving
within the frame can cause problems, be they people, pets, vehicles
or clouds. Unless you have a massive tripod, it would probably be
best to use the camera's self timer, as pushing the shutter can
cause the camera to vibrate enough on most lightweight tripods to
cause noticeable blur.

On 18 Mar 2007 08:21:14 -0700, wrote:
I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

To the right of each picture you can click on: "Taken with a Canon
PowerShot SD700 IS.
More properties" to view the EXIF info.

Hmmm. Of those three shots, one has a fairly fast shutter speed so it
should be sharp even without IS. The other two are down in the 1/60s
range, which is right in the middle of the range where IS really helps.

It's hard, though, to tell how blurry the shots really are, because all
we can see are the fairly small versions that you've put up on flickr.

One way to check whether the camera is bad is to mount it on a tripod,
turn off the IS, turn on the 2-second self timer, and take some pictures
that way. If you are still seeing fuzziness under those conditions, you
might have a hardware problem.

-dms

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:38:09 -0400, Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN
SIG!) wrote:

If you had looked the exif data posted shows the shots were taken at f/2.8
1/60, f/5 1/80 and f.5.6 1/250 .

I didn't look because I suspected that the problem was one of
technique, the OP could easily verify it or determine by following
my suggestions if a defective camera might be responsible, and
downloading multiple images isn't practical with my dialup
connection. Asking the OP to check his own EXIF data would be more
beneficial to the OP than if I did it for him, and I did provide a
few clues pertaining to what should be examined. At least he was
aware that EXIF data exists, but he needs to learn to understand
what it can tell him.


To the OP, IS is not magic and it still takes a steady hand to get
sharp results at slow shutter speeds. Not knowing your background
in photography we don't have any idea on your technique . . .

Our replies are two peas in a pod. Heckle and Jeckle. Not Laurel
and Hardy. I notice a bit of Three Stooges slapstick taking place
in a nearby low light thread. I also notice several there that
often complain about argumentativeness being their usual
argumentative selves, dishing out eye-pokes and tossing plenty of
gooey pies. Nyuk, nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk. g

Doh! I am very sorry, i forgot that the full sized pictures can only
be seen by flickr members. Here are separate links to the full
pictures:

Taken w/ a Tripod (3 ft away)
http://www.geocities.com/gaikokujin_...s/IMG_1054.jpg

Taken w/o Tripod
http://www.geocities.com/gaikokujin_...s/IMG_1021.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/gaikokujin_...s/IMG_0969.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/gaikokujin_...s/IMG_0947.jpg


On Mar 18, 12:08 pm, "Andrew Koenig" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

I looked at the first of your photos, and it is greatly reduced in size from
the original. In other words, it's not the same as the photo that came from
the camera.

For that reason, it is impossible to determine from what you posted whether
there is any problem with the camera. In order to make it possible, you
need to put the unmodified, original photos somewhere that people can see
them.

On Mar 18, 12:13 pm, ASAAR wrote:
On 18 Mar 2007 08:21:14 -0700, wrote:

I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

You have it right when you say that IS makes blur less of an
issue. But it's still an issue since IS doesn't eliminate blur, it
can only reduce it, and the amount of blur you get will vary from
shot to shot depending on how well you can hold the camera.

touche, however it still seems to me that i get a bit of blur even
when using a tripod (though admittedly not as much). I was not under
the impression that IS would be a panacea for the blury picture but i
have made it a point to hold it pretty darn still.

The
smaller the camera, the harder it is to hold motionless, but for
panoramas you shouldn't even try. They should be taken with the
camera mounted on a stable tripod, and the IS function should
probably be turned off. Check the EXIF data of your pictures if you
don't know what shutter speed was used. You might have used a video
mode that provides a small aperture to get a large depth of field,
but that would produce a slower shutter speed that increases the
effect of camera movement. Try taking some shots, if not with a
tripod, at least with the camera resting on a solid surface. Many
photographers carry a small beanbag for this purpose, or you could
fill a sock with some dry rice, or something similar. It's easily
carried and allows the camera to be quickly positioned. Then see if
the pictures you take are sharp enough. If not, your camera may be
defective. I the pictures come out nice and sharp, you just have to
use the cameras best settings and either improve your technique
(learning how to hold the camera more stably) or use a tripod.
Using a faster shutter speed should help, and using a higher ISO is
one way to manage this, if the added "noise" it produces isn't
objectionable. Panorama shots can use a shutter speed as long as
needed, but don't wait too long between shots, as anything moving
within the frame can cause problems, be they people, pets, vehicles
or clouds. Unless you have a massive tripod, it would probably be
best to use the camera's self timer, as pushing the shutter can
cause the camera to vibrate enough on most lightweight tripods to
cause noticeable blur.

noted, I'll try some of your tips. thanks.

On Mar 18, 12:38 pm, "Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!)"
wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:13:38 -0400, in rec.photo.digital ASAAR



wrote:
You have it right when you say that IS makes blur less of an
issue. But it's still an issue since IS doesn't eliminate blur, it
can only reduce it, and the amount of blur you get will vary from
shot to shot depending on how well you can hold the camera. The
smaller the camera, the harder it is to hold motionless, but for
panoramas you shouldn't even try. They should be taken with the
camera mounted on a stable tripod, and the IS function should
probably be turned off. Check the EXIF data of your pictures if you
don't know what shutter speed was used. You might have used a video
mode that provides a small aperture to get a large depth of field,
but that would produce a slower shutter speed that increases the
effect of camera movement. Try taking some shots, if not with a
tripod, at least with the camera resting on a solid surface. Many
photographers carry a small beanbag for this purpose, or you could
fill a sock with some dry rice, or something similar. It's easily
carried and allows the camera to be quickly positioned. Then see if
the pictures you take are sharp enough. If not, your camera may be
defective. I the pictures come out nice and sharp, you just have to
use the cameras best settings and either improve your technique
(learning how to hold the camera more stably) or use a tripod.
Using a faster shutter speed should help, and using a higher ISO is
one way to manage this, if the added "noise" it produces isn't
objectionable. Panorama shots can use a shutter speed as long as
needed, but don't wait too long between shots, as anything moving
within the frame can cause problems, be they people, pets, vehicles
or clouds. Unless you have a massive tripod, it would probably be
best to use the camera's self timer, as pushing the shutter can
cause the camera to vibrate enough on most lightweight tripods to
cause noticeable blur.

If you had looked the exif data posted shows the shots were taken at f/2.8
1/60, f/5 1/80 and f.5.6 1/250 .

To the OP, IS is not magic and it still takes a steady hand to get sharp
results at slow shutter speeds. Not knowing your background in photography
we don't have any idea on your technique. Just holding your breath means
nothing if you yourself are not still. You need to talk about technique,
such as the most simple question, are you using the viewfinder or composing
the shot using the lcd and therefore holding the camera at arm's length,
which obviously is not recommended?
--
Ed Ruf )http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photog...ral/index.html

I have tried using both, admittedly using the LCD more often than not
but i have gotten similar results using the view finder. Also, i know
the IS is not magic (would be nice though) but i expected it to
compensate somewhat for what little shake there is when i take a shot.
I make it a point to be very still, some times using the view finder
or resting my elbow on the table etc. I feel like i am getting the
same picture that i got with an old Minolta Dimage5 that didn't have
IS.

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 08:21:14 -0700, gaikokujinkyofusho wrote:

I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

IMHO - best route to panoramas is to use a tripod and turn the IS off.



I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

To the right of each picture you can click on: "Taken with a Canon
PowerShot SD700 IS.
More properties" to view the EXIF info.

Any feed back would really be appreciated!

Cheers

-Gaiko

On Mar 18, 11:21 am, wrote:
I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS after scouring all the
review sites comparing prices etc and functionality wise I am happy
with it but. The pictures are killing me (which is "kinda" important).
I have read though the manual and tried a myriad of settings (and
combinations of settings) but my pictures still seem a bit blurry. I
picked a camera with Image Stabilization specifically so blurry/fuzzy
images would be less of an issue so this is particularly frustrating.
It is most problematic when I try to take panoramic photos as the
stitching becomes really obvious when putting together two photos that
are of a different fuzziness. I have even tried holding my breath as I
take these pictures and still get blurry images sometimes.

I have posted some pictures I have taken as examples, they are fairly
clear but then again they don't seem as clear as they should be and I
wanted to see if I could get some opinions about if my standards are
too high (I'm not even an amateur photographer and I have taste to
match so i don't think it is pickiness) or the camera, or the settings
I am using.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtinn/tags/test/

To the right of each picture you can click on: "Taken with a Canon
PowerShot SD700 IS.
More properties" to view the EXIF info.

Any feed back would really be appreciated!

Cheers

-Gaiko


You thought it was an anal probe?