Hi everyone, i am a new member here

[ladypics]

Hi everyone, thank you for accepting my membership. I recently purchased a new DSC-F828 digital camera. I was wondering if anyone else has used this type of camera. I have taken photos indoors and was not pleased with the quality.The problem as i see it is that i am not using the correct settings. Any advice would be welcomed.
Thanks, Ladypics

[Ronnoco]

Post a photo along with your settings for the shot. Then we will have a better idea what you might be doing wrong.

Ronnoco

[ladypics]

Thanks for your reply. Attached below is one of several pictures i took in a school gym. camera was set to auto, all pictures came out very dark.
Thank you for any advice
Ladypics

[Jerryjohn]

I've had many problems like that too.
You might want to slow down the shutter speed, so that it will capture and pull in more of the light to make everything brighter.
Usually if the speed is faster, It will darken the image.

[poker]

When you set that camera to auto, according to what I've read, it appears it won't use an ISO above 200 although the camera is capable of it. I would recommend going to P-mode and setting your ISO(400, 800+) higher until your test shots show the flash as more effective in your current conditions.

It also looks like you were quite far from your subject. Don't expect too much from a built in flash. Consider getting an external flash for the hot shoe on your camera.

You may not be able to "slow down the shutter speed" since many cameras set the shutter to the proper flash sync speed automatically regardless of what setting your in.

My 2 cents....

[ladypics]

Thanks you for you 2 cents worth but i need all the advice i can get. If I put the camera in p-mode and set the iso to 400 or 800 do i take the pictures in the p mode then. I think I went in over my head buying this camera. I am not used to shutter speeds and all those other things that are on it. I am thinking about buying a external flash but didn't want to go buy anything else until i see how i am going to make out with it first.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
ladypics

[Photo-John]

It's a metering issue. It shouldn't matter what auto the camera is in. The meter wants to make the photo look like this. Unless you go to the manual mode, if you change the shutter speed, the camera will just compensate and you'll get the same general exposure.

You need to use your camera's exposure compensation at +1 for this to look normal. It's good to understand how your camera's meter thinks. Generally, it wants to make everything a medium gray. In this case, the walls of the room are pretty light and that drum was probably reflecting a bunch of light. The camera is going to try to average that all down to gray, thinking that will make a good exposure. And most of the time that will be a good exposure. However, in this case it wasn't. If you see a scene that has a lot of light areas, or you get a photo that's too dark, go to your camera's exposure compensation control and lighten the image by going +1 or whatever you think is appropriate.

One of the nice things about digital cameras is you can test your photos before you shoot the important ones. So in this case, the thing to do would be go into the gymnasium and shoot a test before your event starts. Tune up your exposure with the exposure compensation and then when you want to take your real photos, you'll be ready.

Don't worry about your camera being too complicated. The program mode on the 828 is the same as the program mode on a simpler camera. The difference is you have a much better lens a ton of room to grow. You just need to learn a few basic principles, some tricks, and get some experience. In no time you'll be comfortable and have no regrets about buying that camera.

[ladypics]

Hi folks,
Thank you for your replys and advice. I am so glad i joined this community! I now have a better understaning of my f 828 and its fuctions. I have been practising using the different settings but would like a little advice on the reason why i am getting shadows on the pictures i take in doors, do you think its because i am not using an external flash? My outdoor pictures seems to be very good.
Again thank you for your help and advice
Ladypics

[another view]

I don't see a shadow problem in your sample shot, but I agree about the distance being too far for a built-in flash. 10-15' is probably more realistic, or slightly farther.

A lot of wedding photographers use flash brackets (Stroboframe is a popular brand) which raise the flash above the camera by a couple or few inches. Since the light source is higher than the camera lens, it will drop the shadow down behind the person you're photographing. For example, if you're taking a picture of someone close to a wall the shadow created by the flash will still be there, but it will be low enough (because of the height of the flash over the lens) that it won't show up in your picture. They'll work best if the flash is centered above the camera lens (not beside it) and a few inches higher than it would be if attached directly to the camera. You'll need an external flash (you probably figured that out!) and a cord to connect the two, to go with the flash bracket. External flashes can be much more powerful, too.

[ladypics]

Thank you for your reply on the reason why I am getting shadows behind the subject on my pictures, I am after seeing photographers using a flash bracket and now I understand why.
I still need more advice on the settings for F 828 camera. When I am doing pictures in a dark area and set the ISO to 400 or 800 and the exposure compensation to +1 what do I have my camera on to take pictures, I checked the P, S, A, modes etc. the ISO was set in all of them. When I am taking pictures I usually has the camera on Auto, does it matter which mode I takes the pictures in.
Again thank you for any advice you can give me.
Ladypics