Newbie + Question about the A400

[Katinthahat]

Hey guys, I just joined this community. My Canon is my prized possession, and I am definitely glad to have found this forum to be able to get and share tips and advice with you guys!

My main question right now is, what exactly is the difference between the Normal, Fine and Superfine settings on the camera? Do I lose very much quality in the pictures?

I am going camping up at Algonquin Park this weekend,and all I have is the standard 16 meg SD card that came with my camera, so I want to get as many pics as I can, but if the quality will be that horrible, I might as well settle for a small number of pictures.

Thanks for any tips you may have!

:D

edit: I know generally what they are used for, Im really looking for personal opinions on which users prefer to use. There will obviously be a few scenery shots,but more so group/friend pictures, as it is a bunch of us going. Sorry just wanted to clarify!

[sando]

I would always use the highest resoloution and lowest compression. that way i can do what i want with the photo afterwards, i.e. crop, resize and edit without too much hassle because of a small low-resoloution imgae in the first place. BUT, if you just want to take a lot of pictures and they will be snap-shots, and they arent to be used for, say, your portfolio, then I would have no hesitation in using a low-res setting to get as many as I can on my card. You should get a lerger card asap though, that's be the first thing I'd buy. :)

[b00ty]

Yes, For that very reason I got a 2 gb card, that way I would never have to worry about how many pictures I have left( I can take around 650 on the highest settings, 7.1 MP) :) AND I always have my laptop with me too if i need to clear that :)

[overcated]

Not too much print difference between superfine (compression around 50%) and fine (about 30%) - I would avoid the normal setting as the compression drops below 15%. These are estimates because different cameras handle the process differently. Since you are stuck with the 16MB card for now and want lots of shots, consider "M1" mode at "F" setting. That should give you two dozen fairly good 4x6 prints. If you plan on larger prints or cropping, crank it up to "L" mode at the "S" compression - less than ten shots though. In time you will want to push the limits of your A400 and will need a bigger card. (My S3 came with that same 16 MB card - only 4 shots . . . ugh!). Charge up those batteries and have a good trip. GW

[Katinthahat]

I would always use the highest resoloution and lowest compression. that way i can do what i want with the photo afterwards, i.e. crop, resize and edit without too much hassle because of a small low-resoloution imgae in the first place. BUT, if you just want to take a lot of pictures and they will be snap-shots, and they arent to be used for, say, your portfolio, then I would have no hesitation in using a low-res setting to get as many as I can on my card. You should get a lerger card asap though, that's be the first thing I'd buy. :)

i went to get a 156 meg card this weekend,and the store waited until i got up to the counter to pay for my card that their debit machien was broken. 20 minutes in line,and no card.lol

[Katinthahat]

Not too much print difference between superfine (compression around 50%) and fine (about 30%) - I would avoid the normal setting as the compression drops below 15%. These are estimates because different cameras handle the process differently. Since you are stuck with the 16MB card for now and want lots of shots, consider "M1" mode at "F" setting. That should give you two dozen fairly good 4x6 prints. If you plan on larger prints or cropping, crank it up to "L" mode at the "S" compression - less than ten shots though. In time you will want to push the limits of your A400 and will need a bigger card. (My S3 came with that same 16 MB card - only 4 shots . . . ugh!). Charge up those batteries and have a good trip. GW


thanks! i will definitely try that!