Newbie questions about camera settings

Just starting with my first digital camera. Please help with a few
newbie questions:

1. What should be the pixel setting if I mainly wish to view the
pictures on 15" screen and print at most 5x7 prints? The choices on my
Contax i4R a

2272 x 1704 ("A4" size)
1600 x 1200 ("A5" size)
1280 x 960 ("Postcard)

2. I have the choice of Spot Focus (will focus on the center) and Multi
Zone Autofocus (I guess camera picks where to focus, although it will
show a rectangle around teh part it has focused on). Is one better for
generic travel, safari, portrait situations?

3. Similarly, I can have "Spot" metering, "Center" metering, and
something called "Evaluation" in which scene is divided into 256 zones
and the camera evaluates how to meter...Any recommendations?

Thanks.

In article , Newbie
wrote:

1. What should be the pixel setting if I mainly wish to view the
pictures on 15" screen and print at most 5x7 prints?

You should shoot at the HIGHEST and FINEST resolution available. That allows
for the greatest latitude when cropping. With a 1gb card, this shouldn't be a
problem. You will, of course, consume hard-disk storage somewhat more quickly
with the larger files but, IMHO, it is worth it.

2. I have the choice of Spot Focus (will focus on the center) and Multi
Zone Autofocus (I guess camera picks where to focus, although it will
show a rectangle around the part it has focused on). Is one better for
generic travel, safari, portrait situations?

I suspect Multi Zone would be preferable for general use. Again, you should
RTFM (Read The Fu****g Manual) for recommendations specific to your camera.

3. Similarly, I can have "Spot" metering, "Center" metering, and
something called "Evaluation" in which scene is divided into 256 zones
and the camera evaluates how to meter...Any recommendations?

Many use evaluative metering for much of their needs. It works well for me.
--

JR

In article , Newbie
wrote:

Just starting with my first digital camera. Please help with a few
newbie questions:

1. What should be the pixel setting if I mainly wish to view the
pictures on 15" screen and print at most 5x7 prints? The choices on my
Contax i4R a

2272 x 1704 ("A4" size)
1600 x 1200 ("A5" size)
1280 x 960 ("Postcard)

Postcard is closest to your 5x7, but it's easier to discard data than
add it. If you're not going to be shooting for print (newspaper or
magazine) then I recommend the 1600x1200 setting unless storage is a
real problem.

2. I have the choice of Spot Focus (will focus on the center) and Multi
Zone Autofocus (I guess camera picks where to focus, although it will
show a rectangle around teh part it has focused on). Is one better for
generic travel, safari, portrait situations?

I would try shooting a bunch of test pictures, with single elements as
the focus and multiples (ie: a statue versus a bunch of kids playing
soccer, a bird in a tree versus a flock of geese) and see what gives
you the best results. When it comes to focus I distrust the camera
making decisions for me, even though it may actually be better at it.
s

3. Similarly, I can have "Spot" metering, "Center" metering, and
something called "Evaluation" in which scene is divided into 256 zones
and the camera evaluates how to meter...Any recommendations?

Again, I'd do a bunch of test shots to get a better understanding of
how the camera actually behaves.

Newbie wrote:
Just starting with my first digital camera. Please help with a few
newbie questions:

1. What should be the pixel setting if I mainly wish to view the
pictures on 15" screen and print at most 5x7 prints? The choices on my
Contax i4R a

2272 x 1704 ("A4" size)
1600 x 1200 ("A5" size)
1280 x 960 ("Postcard)

2. I have the choice of Spot Focus (will focus on the center) and Multi
Zone Autofocus (I guess camera picks where to focus, although it will
show a rectangle around teh part it has focused on). Is one better for
generic travel, safari, portrait situations?

3. Similarly, I can have "Spot" metering, "Center" metering, and
something called "Evaluation" in which scene is divided into 256 zones
and the camera evaluates how to meter...Any recommendations?

Thanks.
Always shoot at the highest resolution (2262 x
1704), you can always decrease the resolution
later with software, but you can't increase it. If
you want a lower resolution (don't know why you
would) then buy a really cheap camera. If you
view the pictures on a computer with Microsoft
media player (just double click on the the file)
it will automatically be sized to fit the monitor.

Spot focus works for most people because you put
the important part in the center of the picture.
Complex pictures may benefit by Zone focus.
Metering is much the same.

BUT, it's a digital camera, it doesn't cost
anything (except batteries) to take a bunch of
pictures. Just use it and take pictures with
different settings and see what you like!

Newbie wrote:

Just starting with my first digital camera. Please help with a few
newbie questions:

1. What should be the pixel setting if I mainly wish to view the
pictures on 15" screen and print at most 5x7 prints? The choices on my
Contax i4R a

2272 x 1704 ("A4" size)
1600 x 1200 ("A5" size)
1280 x 960 ("Postcard)

2. I have the choice of Spot Focus (will focus on the center) and Multi
Zone Autofocus (I guess camera picks where to focus, although it will
show a rectangle around teh part it has focused on). Is one better for
generic travel, safari, portrait situations?

3. Similarly, I can have "Spot" metering, "Center" metering, and
something called "Evaluation" in which scene is divided into 256 zones
and the camera evaluates how to meter...Any recommendations?


take the photos

2272 x 1704 ("A4" size)

and fix them onn the computer

300 dpi wil give great prints


72 dpi for web use

Hugh W



new computer = new blog
http://mac-on-intel.blogspot.com/

daily blogs with new photos
http://snaps2006.blogspot.com/
http://slim2005.blogspot.com/

family history
http://hughw36.blogspot.com

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...
Always shoot at the highest resolution (2262 x 1704), you can always
decrease the resolution later with software, but you can't increase it.

When I tried my first digital camera, a Canon A520, I tried several test
shots of the same subject at 2272x1074, 1600x1200, 1024x768 and 640x480.
I printed them all on 4x6 prints. To my surprise, the sharpest print was the
shot at taken at 1600x1200. I was expecting the sharpest shot to be at
2272x1074, but it wasn't.
The difference between the 2 was very minimal and you really had to look
close to see any difference.
To this day I only use 1600x1200.

Just my experience...

"Mr. T" wrote in message
news:eohLg.12984$rd7.4315@edtnps89...

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...
Always shoot at the highest resolution (2262 x 1704), you can always
decrease the resolution later with software, but you can't increase it.

When I tried my first digital camera, a Canon A520, I tried several test
shots of the same subject at 2272x1074, 1600x1200, 1024x768 and 640x480.
I printed them all on 4x6 prints. To my surprise, the sharpest print was
the shot at taken at 1600x1200. I was expecting the sharpest shot to be at
2272x1074, but it wasn't.
The difference between the 2 was very minimal and you really had to look
close to see any difference.
To this day I only use 1600x1200.

Just my experience...




Did you say 2272 by "1074"????

That can't be correct. your next-lower resolution is 1600 x "1200"

Are you certain that it isn't 2272 x 1674?

In article eohLg.12984$rd7.4315@edtnps89, "Mr. T"
wrote:

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message
...
Always shoot at the highest resolution (2262 x 1704), you can always
decrease the resolution later with software, but you can't increase it.

When I tried my first digital camera, a Canon A520, I tried several
test shots of the same subject at 2272x1074, 1600x1200, 1024x768 and
640x480. I printed them all on 4x6 prints. To my surprise, the
sharpest print was the shot at taken at 1600x1200. I was expecting
the sharpest shot to be at 2272x1074, but it wasn't. The difference
between the 2 was very minimal and you really had to look close to
see any difference. To this day I only use 1600x1200.

Just my experience...

Your experience says more about the print image scaling process than the
camera. Shooting at higher resolution is beneficial when enlarging a
cropped image.

--
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint = 5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3
7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

Your experience says more about the print image scaling process than the
camera. Shooting at higher resolution is beneficial when enlarging a
cropped image.

Sorry, when I said "prints", I mean getting the photos developed from a
camera store, not printed on a home printer.

Agreed that a high resolution is best for cropping, but for those of us who
only want 4x6 photos, 1600x1200 seems to be ok.

Did you say 2272 by "1074"????

That can't be correct. your next-lower resolution is 1600 x "1200"

Are you certain that it isn't 2272 x 1674?

Sorry, it was 2272x1704
I'm a newbie too...