Camera advice?

Discuss cameras, settings, composition, or anything related to photography - cactus or other subjects.
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

Harriet, too right! I never try to do macro shots by hand, only with a tripod. Even so, the 1400 is much worse than the 790.

Your advice about RTFM is great, except that that's not possible with the 1400. The 790 came with an actual printed manual, so you could read it and adjust settings on the fly. The 1400's manual is a PDF file on a disc. I'm just not willing to run two stories up and look at my computer screen every time I want to change a setting.

And it would be nice if they included a memory card so their cameras weren't completely useless out of the box.

Canon is another company that wants to maximize their profits by treating their customers like idiots.....I certainly won't buy another camera from them again.

-R
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Harriet
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Post by Harriet »

I'm sorry you are not happy with it. If you got it from Amazon they have a pretty liberal return policy. Maybe there is a better choice out there.
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Andy_CT
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Post by Andy_CT »

Now I remember why I use manual focus 24/7 :wink:

I think a fair amount of the time the camera gets blamed for blurry macro shots when its the user who moves slightly before the photo is taken. I do it a lot myself, unfortunately when I hang over a plant I can't keep myself 100% still.
peter
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Post by peter »

lancer99 wrote:The big problem with this cam, at least in macro mode, is that once you've pressed halfway down on the "take a picture" button and it has focused, it doesn't hold that focus. So if you move the cam even slightly, it attempts to autofocus again, and almost always, loses its mind and goes completely blurry. Then you have to reboot the camera and start over.

I had to take at least 30-40 pics to get one good one of the ones I posted, and I think that's unacceptable.

-R
There must be a function called "AF Lock"

"If the [AF Lock] is used to fix the focus, the focus position will remain fixed even if you release your finger from the -Shutter Button-. To set the [AF Lock], hold down the -Shutter Button- halfway, and then press the -left button- on the -Directional buttons-. The focus locks and (AFL) is displayed on the screen. To cancel the [AF Lock], press the -left button- on the -Directional buttons-."
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

Thx all, I appreciate the advice.

I've RTFM more times than I wanted to, and have played around with every combination I could find of autofocus menu options, in a wide variety of lighting situations. After a lot of confusion on my part, I think I have handle on it...and it still doesn't work right.

These are the two problems:

1) Autofocus in macro mode (whether you switch it manually or allow the camera to auto-switch) uses the entire frame, or most of it. So if you're taking a macro pic of something that fills most of the frame, it's fine. However, if you want it to autofocus on something small that's closer to the lens, where there are other items in the frame, it autofocuses on the other items.

2) There's an "AF Frame Size" menu option, which when set to "Small," displays a small rectangle in the viewfinder, which presumably would be the area that the cam will autofocus on. But it almost never works -- it almost always ends up autofocusing on the entire frame. Again, I've tried this many, many times, under many lighting conditions, including full sun. What's especially frustrating is that as you push down on the button, it very briefly focuses correctly on what's in the rectangle, but then reverts to focusing on the entire frame. At this point I can only imagine that it's a bug in the 1400's software.

The 790 never had this problem. It would always (usually, at least!) focus on whatever was in the center of the frame, no matter how small it was. With the 790, closeups of small items (like Euphorbia cyathia) might have taken five or six shots to get one good one, and that mostly just meant moving the camera around. With the 1400, it's more like 30 or 40 shots to get one good one.

It's going back to Amazon!

-R
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Harriet
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Post by Harriet »

I went with a DSLR after wearing out several less expensive single lens digital cameras. So, for me in the long run, it would have been cheaper to buy the more expensive DSLR in the first place. But, when I bought it I was more interested in long shots, and capturing shots of birds, than in macro photography. If I were doing it again I'd look into what Darryl uses, or go with a Canon DSLR. The native settings for the Canon seem to be better for capturing flowers than my Nikon. (I'm willing to bet that Ralf uses a Canon, if you compare his shots to mine you will see better light handling and crisper focus in his shots than in mine.)
It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.
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CoronaCactus
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Post by CoronaCactus »

That's the thing with DSLR cameras...the macro. Without a second mortgage and your first born, it's way too expensive for macro. I've tried!

The macro with the SD1200 is far superior to even a $600 DSLR lens I tried. The greatest advantage to the pocket cams is you can get into some very tight spaces that a DSLR couldn't dream of.

BTW, the SD1200 even has a foiliage setting. Not really sure what it's advantage is, I'll have to RTFM to find out ;)

I haven't had a Nikon in some time (not since the coolpix 900, which at the time and for some time afterwards had the best macro in the biz) but Canon DSLR's really do kickass.
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Harriet
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Post by Harriet »

Nikon's DSLR is pretty good too. And the easiest and least expensive way to do macros on any DSLR is to use the extension tubes.

The foliage setting probably "filters" the green so the image looks better.

ANYWAY, let us all know what you decide Robert, we are interested in the results.
It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

I'm with Darryl, a DSLR is probably both out of my price range and more complicated than I need.

I wish Canon still sold the 790...I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I don't understand why they took a feature that worked pretty much perfectly, then screwed it up so horribly in an "upgrade" model.

-R
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Peterthecactusguy
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Post by Peterthecactusguy »

Only piece of advice I have is they have manuals that tell you about your camera that weren't made by the company but rather done by photographers who tell you what all the different settings are etc that really could be helpful. I know what you mean about the manual being a PDF file. The "free replacement" for my manual for my Nikon was one of those stupid PDF files. As for macros, one thing I have noticed is that the amount of light is important and also the amount you move your hand is also important. I take several pictures when doing marcos in case I messed up with one of them, which is usually the case. While I am not a good photographer I like my camera...It does what I want it too most of the time.
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

Peter, thx.

As I said above, I always use a tripod for macro shots. As I also said above, I've tried many lighting conditions, including full sunlight. As I also said above, since I use a tripod, hand movement isn't really an issue. And as I also said above, I've taken more than "several" pictures on all relevant combinations of camera settings.

But thx for your advice.

-R
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

Sorry for my sarcasm above :)

After I was away for a week, the cam is suddenly behaving much better. Where it used to take me 10-20 (or more) shots to get one good pic in macro mode, now it only takes two or three.

Either (1) the camera knew that I was about to send it back, and decided to be more cooperative, or (2) I've subconsciously absorbed its quirks, and have learned better how to take pics with it.

Logical me doesn't like either of those explanations, but I think I'll go with #2 :)

Here's the proof, a Euphorbia hedyotoides cyathium about 1/16", captured on the first shot. Not as sharp as I'd like it to be, but still much much better than before.

Image

Cheers,
-R
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Peterthecactusguy
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Post by Peterthecactusguy »

At least ya got it cooperating a little bit :)
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
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Harriet
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Post by Harriet »

I think I mentioned the possibility of a flaky sensor in the camera in one of your other posts. If that is the case it won't fix itself but it will work intermittently.

Something to think about anyway. Glad it is doing better now.
It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.
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lancer99
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Post by lancer99 »

Harriet, yes, and thanks for that.

I still have about a week before I have to return it, if needed, to Amazon. If it plays nice for the next week, it's a keeper, otherwise I will send it back.

-R
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