[samsungNEWB]

As my handle implies, I'm new to the DSLR world and I don't know a great deal about photography in the first place. However, I have pretty reasonable goals, all I want to do is shoot some nice pictures of my adorable 4 year old before he grows up and be able to take a decent photo when the opportunity arises. But I'm really frustrated because I only have a few "good ones" in the 18 months I've had my DSLR. And I'm not looking for professional level complex shots, I'd just like my shots to be in focus and have the right color.

Here's a rundown of my gear:

Samsung GX-10
Schneider 18-55mm D-XENON lens
Phoenix 28-210mm f4.2-6.5 lens

I feel like I've done my homework, but I still am not getting a lot of usable shots. I've probably taken around 1500 shots with the camera. I've read the Digital Photography book by Scott Kelby. I've read the 300 page manual twice.

I've had better luck shooting outdoors when the sun is out, which is rare where I live. But I feel like its impossible to get a sharp, well-lit image indoors. When I do use the flash indoors it seems to make everything too bright. The other problem is that even in situations where there seems to be enough light, a little movement makes for a blurry picture. See the first one below as an example. That was shot with an ISO of 1600. It's kinda hard to tell on a smaller file, but Grandma is in focus and my son isn't. They are the same distance away, so its not a focal length issue.

The next photo was of a beautiful king salmon my friend caught. I shot that with an ISO of 1600 and made sure to focus on the salmon's eye. It wasn't dark out, at least not too dark. But the picture is not sharp. I was shooting in JPEG mode with 6MP, set on the finest setting, with the anti-shake on and I held the camera very still. So why did it come out slightly blurry? Again, it's kinda hard to tell from the smaller picture shown here, but it's not sharp. I even took several shots and none of them are very sharp. His iPhone took a sharper of picture. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I feel like this camera is a lot better, but I'm getting really tired of "missing" really great moments in my life (even when I have the damn thing with and am in position to take the shot). If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

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[ihasa]

Well, both shots are at ISO1600 which is not great on the GX10/K10, and will introduce softness and noise. You are also shooting at a lower resolution than you need to.

In the first shot you are also shooting at quite a low shutter speed, which explains why the boy's face is soft - he's moving. Shooting at f4 probably isn't optimal for the kit lens either. You could improve this shot by using flash to allow a smaller aperture and eliminate subject movement. Direct flash is a non-no, but bounced off the ceiling may look OK. (You need a separate flash for this).

Alternatively one of the newer cameras will enable you to bump the ISO even more, without reducing IQ too much, and allowing a faster shutter speed. If you shoot indoors a lot, this might be the way forward.

In the second shot it's still a high ISO, but the shutter speed and aperture are better. In fact you could probably reduce the shutter speed a little bit to allow a lower ISO.

I suspect the camera has focussed on the water rather than the fisherman. Using centre spot focus and recompose might help here.

Another thing to note - how you resize these pictures for the web has a massive impact on IQ. Automatic resizing software used by most websites will make your images look softer and introduce compression.

[ASa]

Edit: Ihasa posted while I was still writing, but I'll post this anyway...

As a fellow K10D owner I can relate to your frustration. It's a great camera, but since the sensitivity range tops at 1600, it's not ideal for indoors or anything fast paced. However there are a few things that can help you get the best possible results from your GX10. But first I'll see what the two pictures you've posted can tell me.

On the first one you're shooting at the maximum aperture of the kit lens, which is by no means a bad performer, but neither does it shine when used wide open. The more important thing is the shutter speed, which seems to be 1/15s. This is quite slow for anything that can move the tiniest bit. This can be seen from grandma's hand, which actually creates a cool effect to the photo. However your son moved his head just a little bit which causes it to blur. Indoors is a difficult shooting environment, and even when your eye says there's enough light, there's usually not too much. This can be overcome by two different ways.
Get yourself an external flash. Anything that has the capability to at least tilt and maybe swivel. This way you can bounce the flash from the seiling and your images will appear normal, not like the ones where you use the on-board flash directly. Also by starters you can reduce the comparable output of the flash from the flash menu in your GX10. This way more ambient light will affect the image and create a more natural look.
Another thing to do is get some faster lenses. A good one for indoors would be The DA35 2.4, which will give you more light and thus you can bump your shutter speed a bit resulting in sharper images. Another good/cheap alternative is the DA50 1.8, but it's a bit too long for indoor use. Or if you put out a little more cash you'll get a Tamron 17-50 2.8 which is a great performer given its price + you get the handiness of a zoom lens.

On the second picture it seems like the focus is behind your friend and the fish. Most likely the eye is a bit too small target for the autofocus system, ans it focused on the scene behind them. If you had chosen for example the face of your friend, given the 18mm focal length and 5.6 aperture, the fish would've been easily in focus too. The focus points are really quite large and you need to manually check that you've got focus on where you want it to be. That's what viewfinders are for Had you had proper focus your GX10 would've beaten the iPhone by miles, however it has such a small sensor that practically everything is in focus on these distances and he doesn't have to worry these things...

The GX10 is a great camera as I stated, but you need to know how to get past it's slight flaws. Getting good lenses is the way to go IMO, and once you get enough cash you can upgrade to K5 which will bring you improved high ISO performance + a lot of other things. If my explanation remained unclear to you, please don't hesitate to ask more.

[GibbyTheMole]

Hi.

In the first photo, your shutter speed was 1/15th of a second. I'm guessing your son moved during the shot, which caused him to be blurry. 1/15th is too slow for a handheld exposure, or a moving subject. Using a lower ISO (like 100 or 200) and flash would've gotten you better results.

In the second shot, the ISO is set to 1600, which is higher than you needed. I would've tried ISO 400 or 800, tops.

Also - both of the photos are overexposed, because your exposure compensation is set to +1. It should be set at zero unless you specifically need it. If the exposure compensation had been set at zero, the blur in the first shot might not be there, because you could have shot at a higher shutter speed.

I have the same 18-55 as you're using, and I used to have the same Phoenix 28-210. While they're not the spendiest top of the line lenses, they don't suck, either. I've gotten plenty of good, sharp photos with both. Here area couple taken with the same 18-55 and a Pentax K100D, which is a lesser model than the one you have now:





The good news is that your gear is just fine. Buying a more expensive camera and lenses would be throwing money away. You just need to work on how to use what you have properly. Hit the library and get some photography books and practice. Once you learn the ropes, you'll amaze yourself with the gear you currently own.

Good luck and enjoy yourself!
Bob :-)

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Last edited by GibbyTheMole; 01-23-2013 at 06:03 AM.

[Saxplayer1004]

I would certainly not give up on that camera. I set the auto-iso on mine to max out at 800 instead of 1600 as I wasn't happy with the noise. As mentioned, the two lenses you have are quite slow to be using in low light. Flash is necessary in situations like that. The built in flash on the K10d is quite good. Not ideal, but it certainly helps.













Some of these were in the beginning of my photography adventure with the K10d and the 18-55. The first few are with the sigma 150-500 but all on the k10d. and last is with a tokina 80-200/2.8.

Moral of story is don't give up on it. Flash is your friend, and investing in a faster lens would work wonders for you. The two lenses you have are relatively slow, and a fast prime would definitely be your friend for indoor work, all of the above images with the exception of the dog were taken on the Sigma lens, which is a 4.5-6.3 and the kit 18-55 lens, so speed is not required for everything. The K10d is a truly wonderful camera the CCD sensor delivers some amazing color and while I do prefer the K5 for most shooting, when I do nature stuff the K10d comes out because IMHO the colors are better.

[LaurenOE]

Once you've digested all the great technical advice here - and it's been spot-on - my contribution to the discussion is about getting a "Photographer Brain". What does that mean? As a photographer, you have to develop a sixth sense about light, subject and location. You have to become more aware of your surroundings so that you position yourself and anticipate better. In both of the images, what the camera "saw" and what you "saw" are very different.

In the first image, you have an open window to the left of your subject, a white refrigerator to the right, a white blender, and a bright counter-top. Way too much light for spot metering to be effective.

The second image is similar in that you've got snow and a very bright sky with the majority of light coming from behind and above your subject.

So with a "photographer brain" you think about the light, location and subject - FIRST - and then choose technical factors - SECOND.

So many people, when they enter into photography get that flow wrong. They feel that the camera has enough technical sophistication to overcome issues as above. Ultimately, there is no "recipe" for a good image regardless of how much you understand the technical bits if you don't "see" what the camera can "see".

[klkitchens]

GX-10 was one of my first DSLRs and it was awesome...

[Na Horuk]

But on the other hand, technology does improve over time, so a K-30 or K-01 with better lenses probably will help you get better shots. I mean, sure, you need to know stuff like when to increase shutter, when to increase ISO.. but eventually you will hit a top IQ that the kit lens can provide. I would suggest you try buying a prime lens like the DA 50mm, DA 35mm, or the DA 40mm XS (edit, or the DA 21mm, since both of the sample photos you posted are wide angle), this should at least motivate you to continue taking photos You can upgrade the camera later, lenses are usually a better investment than camera bodies.

[Gareth.Ig]

Once you've digested all the great technical advice here - and it's been spot-on - my contribution to the discussion is about getting a "Photographer Brain". What does that mean? As a photographer, you have to develop a sixth sense about light, subject and location. You have to become more aware of your surroundings so that you position yourself and anticipate better. In both of the images, what the camera "saw" and what you "saw" are very different.

In the first image, you have an open window to the left of your subject, a white refrigerator to the right, a white blender, and a bright counter-top. Way too much light for spot metering to be effective.

The second image is similar in that you've got snow and a very bright sky with the majority of light coming from behind and above your subject.

So with a "photographer brain" you think about the light, location and subject - FIRST - and then choose technical factors - SECOND.

So many people, when they enter into photography get that flow wrong. They feel that the camera has enough technical sophistication to overcome issues as above. Ultimately, there is no "recipe" for a good image regardless of how much you understand the technical bits if you don't "see" what the camera can "see".

A DSLR is a far more capable camera than a point and shoot, but it is much more demanding on the photographer and will reveal the flaws in your skills as a photographer much more readily than a point a shoot will. If you want to take good photographs - and this doesn't have to mean high-end photographs of landscapes and street shooting, even if its good photographs of friends and family, then the best bang for your buck will be one or two intro level photography courses.

Staying on this forum won't hurt either. Always lots of good advice around here, but its useful to receive this type of information in a coherent and structured manner that a course would provide.

[samsungNEWB]

Thank you all for the advice. As my birthday is coming up, it sounds like a 50mm f1.8 lens will be on the wish list. Maybe a different flash attachment too. I feel stupid for not realizing what the ISO was doing to my pictures, that is an easy mistake to see now. I had thought about selling the camera because I was so frustrated, but it has taken a few really great photos (almost as good as the ones you guys showed). So I was hesitant, but wasn't sure whether I needed a different lens or just needed to use different settings. Even though it sounds easy, snapping a few great pictures of your kid is very difficult. It's winter in Alaska, so that means most shots are indoors, and either dark or with unnatural light, and kids aren't great at sitting still, then when they do it's not the type of spontaneous smile/moment that you're trying to catch anyway.

Thanks again for all the advice. Very much appreciated by this NEWB. I will keep at it. Maybe I'll have it down by the time I get to 10,000.

[ihasa]

Yeah, the DA50 is a great idea! Good luck!

[LaurenOE]

Thank you all for the advice. As my birthday is coming up, it sounds like a 50mm f1.8 lens will be on the wish list. Maybe a different flash attachment too. I feel stupid for not realizing what the ISO was doing to my pictures, that is an easy mistake to see now. I had thought about selling the camera because I was so frustrated, but it has taken a few really great photos (almost as good as the ones you guys showed). So I was hesitant, but wasn't sure whether I needed a different lens or just needed to use different settings. Even though it sounds easy, snapping a few great pictures of your kid is very difficult. It's winter in Alaska, so that means most shots are indoors, and either dark or with unnatural light, and kids aren't great at sitting still, then when they do it's not the type of spontaneous smile/moment that you're trying to catch anyway.

Thanks again for all the advice. Very much appreciated by this NEWB. I will keep at it. Maybe I'll have it down by the time I get to 10,000.

Yes! Yes!! Sell your gear....(ahem)...it's so bad that we here will take if off your hands! Lets us do you a favor!!! Everyone knows that Pentax (and the Samsung K10D clone) are not real cameras, only Canikony cameras take good pictures!!!

LOL.



(you do know I am joking right?)

[samsungNEWB]

I was this close to selling it, but seeing the shots that you all post to these forums... I knew it couldn't be the camera. Especially since I have had a few that did turn out nicely...

[samsungNEWB]

The more I look at that picture with the nets/floats, the more I like it. Three different types of fishing boats (big/medium/small), with a young family walking the dock (the dad has his son on his shoulders). The sun shining on the fishing gear. It's like a Rie Munoz painting come to life. Commercial fishing is so important to Alaskans, especially that town (Cordova).

[Ben Hunt]

Just a "my two cents" insert here.. I still think my K10D exposes better and produces more vivid colours of the sky than any other of my DSLR's, K5 and K20 included. Don't sell your GX-10, be stubborn and keep fighting, it's a great camera and i love the sound and feel of it. Some good lenses and a flash will see improvements in indoors photos and freezing action but the best thing you can do to improve your photos is to keep shooting and keep shooting and keep shooting, soon you'll see how setting interact with your photos and soon after that you'll be able to know what the set the camera to, where's the best light etc.

Happy Shooting!