a610; pics not looking real good...

[nc_crow]

Alright, well I'll admit I'm not the best photographer, but I know basics (iso, exposure, focus, etc), just got a a610, and not real impressed with pics. macro's look ok, but give it a room (doesn't really matter if it's lit well or not), or an outdoor scene, and I get grainy blurry sometimes out of focus and color pictures. My old Sony DSC-p50 camera takes better outdoor pics, and I had a S400 that took much better ones. I just want to know if there is some wierd setting or hidden function that I am missing. Every review I found was positive, and other than image quality, interface and whatnot the camera is great. Maybe its just a bad unit...

Example...
http://xs102.xs.to/xs102/06253/IMG_0002.jpg

Shot on a tripod, most pics consistently look like this.

[dyle]

Alright, well I'll admit I'm not the best photographer, but I know basics (iso, exposure, focus, etc), just got a a610, and not real impressed with pics. macro's look ok, but give it a room (doesn't really matter if it's lit well or not), or an outdoor scene, and I get grainy blurry sometimes out of focus and color pictures. My old Sony DSC-p50 camera takes better outdoor pics, and I had a S400 that took much better ones. I just want to know if there is some wierd setting or hidden function that I am missing. Every review I found was positive, and other than image quality, interface and whatnot the camera is great. Maybe its just a bad unit...

Example...
http://xs102.xs.to/xs102/06253/IMG_0002.jpg

Shot on a tripod, most pics consistently look like this.

Did you use the self timer with the tripod? Sometimes even though you have the camera on a tripod but if you manually press the shutter button to take the picture, you still introduce some camera shake. Using the self timer (2 secs or so) gives the camera time to stabilize after you press the button.

Also try shooting in Av mode and raising the aperture no. abit to get more depth of field.

[nc_crow]

I did on most pics... tried higher aperatures, different iso settings, still no luck???

[Stefan A]

The problems with this shot, IMHO, is just that it's very busy and the main subject (presumably the logs) are too small in relation to the entire frame. I played with it a little in paint shop pro 10 and did a crop and some other adjustments, and I think that the logs look perfectly fine as far as technical camera issues. There are some harsh shadows on the entire scene which detract from the clarity.

If you are really concerned about the cameras ability to take a clear shot, post another picture where the subject is taking most of the frame and the lighting is even. Make sure you have the resolution at its highest and the compression at its lowest. And the ISO at its lowest. I just think it is hard to judge the camera's ability with that shot.

BTW, please don't think I was ripping you apart - because I wasn't. It was not my intent to critique your photo - but to point out that certain aspects of composition and lighting can trick you into thinking there may be something wrong with the camera.

Stefan

[dyle]

Another thing you can try is to just go full AUTO and let the camera do the work for you just to test it. Like Stefan says, the logs seem to be focused right on that picture. The leaves around the frame do look kind of weird but I think it's a depth of field effect due to your large aperture.

Stefan brought up a good point and that to make sure your quality settings are on the highest possible.

[Stefan A]

I am guessing that he was on full auto. The exif info said that he was on auto exposure (which could be full auto, TV, AV, P) But it also said f/2.8 and 1/60 sec. That is very typical for full auto. But that's just a guess.

Stefan

[thesupe87]

Dude, try getting a replacement from the store, if it's new. You can exhange it anywhere that sells it, I'm sure Staples would do the even swap - even without a receipt, even if you never bought it there. Let them send it back to Canon and get a credit for it, no harm done.

1 out of every 2 things I buy, are lemons...UGH! at least so far it seems like I got a good a610. One thing I noticed was that the zoom swivel switch feels a little gritty when pushed, compared to my friend's a610.

[nc_crow]

I wasn't really paying attention to composition. All pics are on superfine, 5mp. (compressed to upload) I took many pics on auto and manual settings with different lighting conditions with the same results. :( I should note, I did get the camera used, so therefore a possible reason they sold it. I am just using my old canon and sony's as a comparison and like i mentioned my old s400 took crystal clear pics at full resolution, and I always shot on auto without a tripod back then...