Can't seem to get a good pic-cybershot 10.1

I would think a set of drums would be an easy subject. The camera is a Sony cybershot 10.1MP

I don't know if I am doing something wrong or if something happened to the camera. I've had this camera for around 8 months and never noticed this problem before, though I've never used it on this subject before.

Here is a pic taken at 10 MP:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...u/DSC00374.jpg

if you zoom in the colors appear blotchy, especially around areas with a lot of chrome.

Another pic taken I think at 3 MP (I think flash was off on this one) shows the problem at extreme. I know it is only 3MP, but I have a Kodak 3.1MP camera that I could get better pics out of than this:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...u/DSC00363.jpg

I tried resetting the camera, tried it on several different modes, but their was little or no difference.

I appreciate any help!

Joe

I pulled the EXIF from each picture...

The first:
Camera Make: SONY
Camera Model: DSC-W170
Image Date: 2009:07:31 22:15:54
Flash Used: Yes (Manual, return light detected)
Focal Length: 5.8mm
Exposure Time: 0.025 s (1/40)
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO equiv: 400
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: program (Auto)

The second:
Camera Make: SONY
Camera Model: DSC-W170
Image Date: 2008:08:06 03:22:23
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 5.0mm
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/3.3
ISO equiv: 1600
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Incandescent
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: program (Auto)

I've highlighted a couple of the settings that are different. First your shooing in auto mode. Auto can do a fine job, but at the same time, it makes a "best guess"... Notice how the ISO settings are different.

A higher ISO is going to give a more grainy feel to the picture, especially when you zoom in on certain areas. In simple terms, the ISO setting determines how sensitive the sensor is to light. Higher setting, more sensitive, and more grain. Lower setting, less sensitive, less grain.

The shutter speeds for each are similar, but different enough that if hand held, there could be some motion blur. Generally 1/60sec is considered acceptable for short focal lengths. When you are getting into the longer lens (150mm or more, typically you need a faster shutter speed (unless your using a tripod))

Since you mentioned that you changed the final MP setting, from 10, down to 3, that can have an unexpected effect. In essence, by using the lower MP setting, the relative size of the sensor pixel has increased. Instead of picking 10 million different pixels out of a fixed sized sensor, your only picking 3 million. So, in the raw sensor pixel size, at 3mp, you are using approx 3 sensor pixels for each "picture" pixel. So the result, with the processing within the camera, the picture could have the illusion of looking better quality, but remember quality is relative to the size that the picture is being viewed. Three MP at 4x6 may look great, so so at 8x10, but 24x36 will look ugly. At 10mp, 24x36 will look acceptable... That last statement is a generalization, as the viewing distance from the final picture makes an incredible difference.

If your really wanting to compare, make sure you are using the same settings (ISO, Aperture, shutter speed). When using auto, the settings can be different, which makes for an unfair comparison (unless you are comparing the accuracy of the auto-mode) There are just so many factors that could have an impact.

The chrome you mentioned, on the picture with the flash, you have some "hotspots" which can created some artifacting. Since your on a more of a P&S camera, I'm gathering there isn't a raw mode option. Make sure that your JPG picture quality is set to fine. This setting can make a big difference especially in areas where there is a lot of contrast (ie your chrome areas.)

May want to take a look at this site, as it gives a it of a virtual demo of ISO, Shutter-speed and aperture. http://dryreading.com/camera/index.html

Hope it helps some, or provides some ideas

Thanks for the analysis!

I think a large part of the problem is the lighting. This is in my basement so I guess it's just gonna be hard to get a high res pick with not so good lighting.

I took a few more pics at iso 80, playing with different settings to try and lighten it up. One problem with the camera I see now is I can't find a manual way to adjust the F stop. Also can't adjust shutter speed directly. No uncompressed image mode. I played with the focal length, it has semi-manual options of 1m, 3m, etc. I tried them but no matter what I set them to the focal length says 5.8mm.
So here is my latest pic. I added a light source (single light bulb lamp all that was handy) at the front.
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...u/DSC00412.jpg

The details:

ExposureTime : 1/40Sec
FNumber : F3.5
ExposureProgram : Program Normal
ISOSpeedRatings : 80
ExifVersion : 0221
DateTimeOriginal : 2009:08:02 20:32:35
DateTimeDigitized : 2009:08:02 20:32:35
ComponentConfiguration : YCbCr
CompressedBitsPerPixel : 3/1 (bit/pixel)
ExposureBiasValue : EV0.0
MaxApertureValue : F3.3
MeteringMode : CenterWeightedAverage
LightSource : Flash
Flash : Fired(Compulsory/return light not detected)
FocalLength : 5.80(mm)
MakerNote : SONY Format : 8848Bytes (Offset:724)
FlashPixVersion : 0100
ColorSpace : sRGB
ExifImageWidth : 3648
ExifImageHeight : 2736
ExifInteroperabilityOffset : 9560
FileSource : DSC
SceneType : A directly photographed image
CustomRendered : Normal process
ExposureMode : Auto
WhiteBalance : Manual
SceneCaptureType : Standard
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : Normal


Do you think this is about as good as it can get given the lighting and camera?

I looked up the user manual for your camera, and it seems that there isn't a full manual mode. There are different scene selections, but they are pretty much just determined auto-magically.

The P (program mode) give you some limited options, but the main ones that we are looking for shutter speed and aperture don't appear to be fully adjustable.

One option that I do notice that does appear to be available is the EV (exposure value) setting. This is pretty much like turning up the power on the sensor. In one way it can make the dark lighter, but does so by raising the value of everything.. In other words, with a higher positive EV, you are pushing everything towards the bright end of the spectrum (with a negative EV, towards the dark end of the spectrum). That may help some since there is very little towards the bright end (except for the reflections of light on the chrome)

Without the manual settings, it's tricky to get things to turn out just right... Playing around with lighting (perhaps a more more indirect, say bounced of the ceiling or the wall may help). There is also some post-production things that could improve a bit (aka Photoshop or the likes).

Some others might be able to chime in and provide some suggestions. I think you might be encountering some of the limits of the camera settings for the lighting conditions presented.

Thank you, you have been very helpful. I now know why people opt for the professional cameras. At least I know enough now to get the best pic I can with what I have.
I should have mentioned that last pic was shot on a tripod with the shutter timer on to eliminate my shaking.
Thanks again!

Joe

Glad I was able to be some help. Hope to see you 'round the forums some more. It's a fantastic resource.

Take care,