Two very basic questions

[grass]

I still don't understand why I would turn up the ISO setting? From what I've read it removes quality from the image & adds noise?
Why would I use a setting higher then 50 ISO?

I'm not sure what it's called but looks like this on the LCD: [ ]
Sorry.. I'm at work so don't have the user guide to find technical names for everything.

I was playing with the settings the other day, moving around the arrow controls and the [ ] would manually move.
What exactly does this do? Does it just focus more on the object in the [ ] field?



Again sorry about the not so technical terminology!


Nicholas

[darrylr]

Higher ISO will allow you to shoot in less light. In a darker scene you may not be able to get proper exposure at ISO 50 even when wide open at f2.0. If you up the ISO to 100, 200, or 400 you can get better exposure in those situations. It is rarely worth it with the G3/G5 at least due to the high amount of noise. You can use a program like Neat Image to remove a lot of the noise but you do sacrifice some sharpness and detail.

If you are already using a big aperture then you have a few options. If your subject is still then you could use a longer exposure to get enough light. If your subject is moving then you may have to use flash.

The box you are describing can be moved so that your focus point or the point where exposure is based changes. If you move the box around you can focus on a different subject than what is in the center of the viewfinder without having to shift your aim and then reframe. You can also have the exposure based on that point depending on the settings you have.

-Darryl

[grass]

Thanks Darryl!

I really don't like how the images turn out when using flash, so I find myself not using it 99% of the time now.. is this normal?

The funny thing is I forgot how I manually adjusted that box. I was trying to find it again using all of the settings but had no luck getting it to work again.. how do I use this setting again :?:



Thanks!

[darrylr]

I use my 420ex flash along with my omnibounce diffuser and bounce off the ceiling for the majority of my indoor shots of my highly mobile 3 year old twin girls. I agree that it does ruin some shots but that is the great thing about digitial - hit the delete button. I use the Flash Exposure Compensation a lot since when in bounce mode the flash doesn't adjust the strength well based on distance to the subject (fixed at 50mm equivalent I believe). I usually manually increase flash power for further away and vice versa.

The control for moving focus point is on the middle right hand side of the back right under the button where you set the WB and Exposure Compensation. The box changes color while you can move it.

The top picture on this page shows it. It is the one labelled SET

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong5/page6.asp

-Darryl

[grass]

Thanks again!

[283CID]

I was taking daily pictures of 'progress' in a Robin's nest... The flash would have scared them away. Using ISO 400 I could take 'good' pictures...though grainy from 'noise'.... without bothering the chicks...

Balance between Quality and Flash Need......

[grass]

Thanks :)

Is the standard ISO setting 100? That's what I see most of the time.
Mine has been set on 50, maybe I'll try some other settings when the light gets bad.

[darrylr]

Mine is on ISO 50 at all times unless I need to change. I would think that 50 should be the standard. When you use Auto ISO there isn't any way to tell what ISO it is really using but I don't believe it will ever use higher than 100 on Auto.

-Darryl

[283CID]

My guess is there is no 'standard'... But it is absolutely true that the lower the ISO you use, the less 'grain from noise'... you will see in your image.

Try it for yourself. Set your camera on a tripod...or hold it steady. Take four pictures of something dark.... like a mahogany door.... on each ISO. You will easily see the results, and you can make your choice from there. I can't hardly see the difference between USO 50 and 100... 200 and 400... wow.

[dfrost]

grass,

Regarding your dissatisfaction with the built-in flash: Have you tried decreasing the flash power?

In all modes except Auto, you can change the effective flashpower under the Func settings. I usually keep it at -2/3 for better portraits. It will hold this setting after you turn off the camera if you press Func again to lock-in the setting. For closeups it can be reduced more, or cranked up a bit for more distant subjects.

When using flash, the flash power variation takes precedence over exposure compensation.