Camera Problem

borisagrees · 06-30-2009, 10:22 PM

Het there,

I have recently bought a new Pentax Optio M50. I have the settings on auto, as i am not to sure about how to completely manualise the picture, i have just finished my cource on Film Photography, and bough the M50 for Digital.

Whener i take a picture in low light it is blurred, and under exposed, The camera seems to be confusing the light, I have just started doing portraits and it has became clearly evident, Also i have done some pictures outdoors like these, and suffer the same problem

These were taken at midday and it was no were near as dark, i know i can edit it in photoshop, but it would be good if the picture was taken better

Please How can i fix

THX!

Last edited by borisagrees; 06-30-2009 at 10:26 PM. Reason: Images Not working

Damn Brit · 06-30-2009, 10:41 PM

I'm moving this to the Compact Camera forum, you will get a faster response there (hopefully).

pop4 · 06-30-2009, 11:25 PM

A look at the exif shows that you have the camera on matrix metering mode.

So the camera is metering from the whole frame and it looks like it has chosen the exposure to protect the highlights as much as possible due to the bright sky and clouds (though there's some blown highlights in the first shot). You might want to change the metering mode to either center weighted average, or spot metering, and have a play around using that instead.

calsan · 07-01-2009, 01:47 AM

Hi borisagrees
Metering
To meter with a compact camera - need to check your manual on "AE Metering" - there's a few options.

Basically, you need to decide what your subject is: is it the sky or the ground?

(There is too much contrast between each to have the exposure correct for both.)

For example, if it's the ground, then aim the camera at the ground, press the shutter button half way, then recompose with the sky in the shot.
The exposure will be correct for the ground, and the sky will be over-exposed.

Softness
The only way to do landscape photography well is with a tripod, so that you can set your ISO speed as low as possible (eg ISO 100) and also use a small aperture (eg F16). I have an Optio P70, I think it's possible to choose a 'landscape' setting that does both these things automatically? Again, check the manual!

Even the smallest camera movement will ruin a photo like this - a little movement won't be noticed if the subject is close, but it translates to a lot of blur or softness with distant subjects. If you don't have a tripod, get a little bean bag (or a sock filled with sand) so you can set the camera on a rock and use the 10 second timer.

Hope this helps
Cal

borisagrees · 07-01-2009, 06:02 PM

Thanks for your help, I know about the tripod, but metering, i thought it was allways better to have it on the matrix, metering mode and not the others, What would be the best all round metering to use?

Thanks again

pop4 · 07-01-2009, 09:42 PM

Originally posted by borisagrees

What would be the best all round metering to use?

It depends.

It really helps if you understand what each metering mode is and the general idea of how they work. That way, you'll know the limits of each mode and when to use them. Matrix metering mode takes into account the whole frame when metering, which is all fine and dandy, except when you've got scenes of strong contrast, like you have here.

Here's a thought exercise using the first photo. Imagine you had chosen spot metering:
a) you then put the centre of the frame on the sky, and metered from the sky. What would the image be like?
b) you put the centre of the frame on the ground and metered from the ground. What would the image be like?

...

Think about it

...

...

a) The image would be similar to this. The image is exposed for the sky, so the ground looks underexposed:

b) The image would be similar to this one. The image is exposed for the ground, and hence the skies are overexposed and blown out.

What the camera did when you chose matrix metering was chose a sort of average, or a best compromise of these two to give you the photo that you got.

borisagrees · 07-02-2009, 09:48 PM

Originally posted by pop4

It depends.

It really helps if you understand what each metering mode is and the general idea of how they work. That way, you'll know the limits of each mode and when to use them. Matrix metering mode takes into account the whole frame when metering, which is all fine and dandy, except when you've got scenes of strong contrast, like you have here.

Here's a thought exercise using the first photo. Imagine you had chosen spot metering:
a) you then put the centre of the frame on the sky, and metered from the sky. What would the image be like?
b) you put the centre of the frame on the ground and metered from the ground. What would the image be like?

...

Think about it

...

...

a) The image would be similar to this. The image is exposed for the sky, so the ground looks underexposed:

b) The image would be similar to this one. The image is exposed for the ground, and hence the skies are overexposed and blown out.

What the camera did when you chose matrix metering was chose a sort of average, or a best compromise of these two to give you the photo that you got.

Thanks a lot

06-30-2009, 10:22 PM	#1
borisagrees Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 4	Camera Problem Het there, I have recently bought a new Pentax Optio M50. I have the settings on auto, as i am not to sure about how to completely manualise the picture, i have just finished my cource on Film Photography, and bough the M50 for Digital. Whener i take a picture in low light it is blurred, and under exposed, The camera seems to be confusing the light, I have just started doing portraits and it has became clearly evident, Also i have done some pictures outdoors like these, and suffer the same problem These were taken at midday and it was no were near as dark, i know i can edit it in photoshop, but it would be good if the picture was taken better Please How can i fix THX! Last edited by borisagrees; 06-30-2009 at 10:26 PM. Reason: Images Not working

07-01-2009, 01:47 AM	#4
calsan Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,548	Half press shutter button Hi borisagrees Metering To meter with a compact camera - need to check your manual on "AE Metering" - there's a few options. Basically, you need to decide what your subject is: is it the sky or the ground? (There is too much contrast between each to have the exposure correct for both.) For example, if it's the ground, then aim the camera at the ground, press the shutter button half way, then recompose with the sky in the shot. The exposure will be correct for the ground, and the sky will be over-exposed. Softness The only way to do landscape photography well is with a tripod, so that you can set your ISO speed as low as possible (eg ISO 100) and also use a small aperture (eg F16). I have an Optio P70, I think it's possible to choose a 'landscape' setting that does both these things automatically? Again, check the manual! Even the smallest camera movement will ruin a photo like this - a little movement won't be noticed if the subject is close, but it translates to a lot of blur or softness with distant subjects. If you don't have a tripod, get a little bean bag (or a sock filled with sand) so you can set the camera on a rock and use the 10 second timer. Hope this helps Cal

07-01-2009, 06:02 PM	#5
borisagrees Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 4 Original Poster	Thanks Thanks for your help, I know about the tripod, but metering, i thought it was allways better to have it on the matrix, metering mode and not the others, What would be the best all round metering to use? Thanks again

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06-30-2009, 10:41 PM	#2
Damn Brit Guest	I'm moving this to the Compact Camera forum, you will get a faster response there (hopefully).

06-30-2009, 11:25 PM	#3
pop4 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: YMML Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,879	A look at the exif shows that you have the camera on matrix metering mode. So the camera is metering from the whole frame and it looks like it has chosen the exposure to protect the highlights as much as possible due to the bright sky and clouds (though there's some blown highlights in the first shot). You might want to change the metering mode to either center weighted average, or spot metering, and have a play around using that instead.

07-01-2009, 09:42 PM	#6
pop4 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: YMML Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,879	Originally posted by borisagrees What would be the best all round metering to use? It depends. It really helps if you understand what each metering mode is and the general idea of how they work. That way, you'll know the limits of each mode and when to use them. Matrix metering mode takes into account the whole frame when metering, which is all fine and dandy, except when you've got scenes of strong contrast, like you have here. Here's a thought exercise using the first photo. Imagine you had chosen spot metering: a) you then put the centre of the frame on the sky, and metered from the sky. What would the image be like? b) you put the centre of the frame on the ground and metered from the ground. What would the image be like? ... Think about it ... ... a) The image would be similar to this. The image is exposed for the sky, so the ground looks underexposed: b) The image would be similar to this one. The image is exposed for the ground, and hence the skies are overexposed and blown out. What the camera did when you chose matrix metering was chose a sort of average, or a best compromise of these two to give you the photo that you got.

07-02-2009, 09:48 PM	#7
borisagrees Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 4 Original Poster	Originally posted by pop4 It depends. It really helps if you understand what each metering mode is and the general idea of how they work. That way, you'll know the limits of each mode and when to use them. Matrix metering mode takes into account the whole frame when metering, which is all fine and dandy, except when you've got scenes of strong contrast, like you have here. Here's a thought exercise using the first photo. Imagine you had chosen spot metering: a) you then put the centre of the frame on the sky, and metered from the sky. What would the image be like? b) you put the centre of the frame on the ground and metered from the ground. What would the image be like? ... Think about it ... ... a) The image would be similar to this. The image is exposed for the sky, so the ground looks underexposed: b) The image would be similar to this one. The image is exposed for the ground, and hence the skies are overexposed and blown out. What the camera did when you chose matrix metering was chose a sort of average, or a best compromise of these two to give you the photo that you got. Thanks a lot