I'm going on a cruise in the Caribbean in May and want to get the most out of my camera for this trip. I am a complete idiot when it comes to these things, all I know is I push a button once the picture I want is in the screen and magical things happen and the photo winds up on a memory card. I've got a cheap point and shoot, a Sony 6 megapixel Cybershot DSC-S500 and don't plan on buying anything more expensive (a DSLR crossed my mind, but they're too expensive, and I rarely use my camera enough to justify it).
First of all, batteries. My camera takes regular AA batteries, nothing fancy. I have some rechargeable NiMH ones that charge in 15 minutes which is convenient. But this camera sucks up a battery like nothing else I've seen, and not to mention, NiMH batteries seem to have a huge auto discharge rate as well. I can have my fully charged batteries just sitting there and after a week, they'll be dead. Is there another type of battery (preferably rechargeable) that I can buy that will get me better life? When you're out at some places, recharging isn't possible and the longer I can go without charging, the better.
Second, and this is probably a loaded question, but how do I get the best quality pictures? I've found that in auto mode, if the lighting is pretty good, they come out great. But in the dark, you can't see a damn thing in the photo (yes, I'm using the flash, I know that much
) So I switch it to ISO 400, and you can see more, but it's a bit grainy. Then if I leave it on ISO 400 and take pictures with enough lighting, the graininess is even worse. So I guess the key here is auto mode when there's enough ambient lighting? What's the best way for night photos then? My camera has a night mode, but those come out blurry since I can't hold the camera completely still (I guess it's designed for tripod use?) Also, what's white balance and what should that be set on? Auto, I guess? Just explain to an idiot how to get the best pictures possible from his cheapo camera and I'll be happy Any other tips you have would certainly be helpful. Thanks in advance
First of all, batteries. My camera takes regular AA batteries, nothing fancy. I have some rechargeable NiMH ones that charge in 15 minutes which is convenient. But this camera sucks up a battery like nothing else I've seen, and not to mention, NiMH batteries seem to have a huge auto discharge rate as well. I can have my fully charged batteries just sitting there and after a week, they'll be dead. Is there another type of battery (preferably rechargeable) that I can buy that will get me better life? When you're out at some places, recharging isn't possible and the longer I can go without charging, the better.
Second, and this is probably a loaded question, but how do I get the best quality pictures? I've found that in auto mode, if the lighting is pretty good, they come out great. But in the dark, you can't see a damn thing in the photo (yes, I'm using the flash, I know that much
) So I switch it to ISO 400, and you can see more, but it's a bit grainy. Then if I leave it on ISO 400 and take pictures with enough lighting, the graininess is even worse. So I guess the key here is auto mode when there's enough ambient lighting? What's the best way for night photos then? My camera has a night mode, but those come out blurry since I can't hold the camera completely still (I guess it's designed for tripod use?) Also, what's white balance and what should that be set on? Auto, I guess? Just explain to an idiot how to get the best pictures possible from his cheapo camera and I'll be happy Any other tips you have would certainly be helpful. Thanks in advance
