Help with Canon PowerShot A520.

[psycoswimmer]

Hi. I've had my PowerShot A520 for about a year. It has 4 mega pixels and 4x optical zoom. I've just been pretty fed up lately with the picture quality I'm getting. Half of the shots I take come out blurry. Taking outside pictures is fine, but indoors with the flash on is horrible. I'm stuck with this camera for a while, and there is no way I'll be getting another one anytime soon. What I really want is just some tips that will help me take some better pictures. Please post anything, even if it's barely helpful.

Thanks.

 

[dllavaneras]

Keep in mind that most p&s cameras have a hard time focusing in low light. Is this a new issue with the cam or has it always been like this?

 

[robbieduncan]

The issue is that with the small aperture on the lens on your P&S you need a long exposure to get enough light on tiny areas in a P&S sensor. In the exposure time either you, your subject or both are moving.

Possible solutions:

1) Increase the ISO sensitivity setting on your camera. This will reduce the required exposure time at the expensive of increased noise.

2) Use a tripod or any other method of keeping the camera still

3) Get your subjects to stay still...

 

[psycoswimmer]

Keep in mind that most p&s cameras have a hard time focusing in low light. Is this a new issue with the cam or has it always been like this?

It's always been like this, but I just felt like brining it up today so I could get some replies before Christmas. Thanks for the reply.

The issue is that with the small aperture on the lens on your P&S you need a long exposure to get enough light on tiny areas in a P&S sensor. In the exposure time either you, your subject or both are moving.

Possible solutions:

1) Increase the ISO sensitivity setting on your camera. This will reduce the required exposure time at the expensive of increased noise.

2) Use a tripod or any other method of keeping the camera still

3) Get your subjects to stay still...

One of the problems I have is more noise so I guess the first solution won't work?

I'll keep in mind to be extremely still when taking pictures. However, I like to take shots of my family doing things like cooking, playing with the dogs, etc. while they aren't looking for better shots. So I don't tell them and well, they're usually moving. I'll try the increased ISO sensitivity though. Thanks alot for the replies! I appreciate it.

 

[dllavaneras]

If you're using the flash, probably the blurry pics are due to misfocus rather than camera shake, because the flash is normally fired at 1/60th of a second, whic is enough to stop most slow moving subjects. They could come out blurry if they're running around, but there you'd probably pan to get the image. These cams have slow lenses, few AF points and a not-so-good AF algorithm, so they need plenty of light to focus well.

When you take the shot, make sure the little rectangle turns green, and try using the screen instead of the EVF to focus. This may improve your shots a bit. As for noise, I usually take shots at ISO 50-100 and don't have too much of a problem. You can always use noise reduction in postprocessing (with programs like NeatImage or Noise Ninja) for those noisy pics.

Dan