New Member with S3 IS -Questions

[Papa Roe]

I just found this forum. I had my S3 for over a year now and love the quality of the outdoor picures it takes. However, most of my indoor pics are grainy and just poor quality. :~( Any suggestions?

[NOsquid]

Low light sucks with all compacts. You can use the flash, buy a slave flash to bounce, or just nip the problem in the bud and get a DSLR.

[danpass]

Tripod (even if just a little desktop one) and force the ISO down to 200 and less.

should do it (besides using a dedicated flash)



.

[NOsquid]

Tripod works as long as nothing is moving.

[gjl711]

A slave flash is your best bet. The only way to manage the noise is lower the ISO which means your going to need more light. A slave flash bounced off a wall or ceiling is going to give you a very nice even light.

[Canon Guy]

Avoid Auto if possible, use at least P mode so that you can control the ISO.

[peterpogi2006]

and download a free noise reduction software!

[Papa Roe]

Thanks for the advice. The minute manual that came with the camera is useless. Please tell me more about the slave flash, any recommendations? I do have a tripod. When I take indoor pictures they lack dimension. Will the slave flash resolve this problem?

[Insidious1]

I find indoor shots to be good. I dont know what modes you use it in but you could try using "P" mode.. or use "AV" and try it around 1/100 and keep the iso below 200.. i usually keep it at 100. Could you post some samples with the efix data?? That would make it easier to advise you...

;-)

Michael.

edit: Also.. You should have got 2 manuals with the camera.. an advanced and quick start manual.. The advanced one must be available online as a pdf somewhere...

[gjl711]

Thanks for the advice. The minute manual that came with the camera is useless. Please tell me more about the slave flash, any recommendations? I do have a tripod. When I take indoor pictures they lack dimension. Will the slave flash resolve this problem?Here is Canon's flash, the HF-DC1:
http://www.adorama.com/ICAHFDC1.html
A slave flash will go far in solving your problem. It provides a lot of light and used properly can really give a nice soft light illuminating the whole room. There was a post here a while back that did a pretty good job showing the differences between shooting with no flash and different flash setting with a slave flash. Check out:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2609292&postcount=4

[NOsquid]

When I take indoor pictures they lack dimension.

I don't understand?

[Jon]

I just found this forum. I had my S3 for over a year now and love the quality of the outdoor picures it takes. However, most of my indoor pics are grainy and just poor quality. :~( Any suggestions?
Post an example or two. The suggestions made above can help certainly, but only if they apply to the problem as you perceive it.

[Papa Roe]

OK here's a couple of my not so good indoor shots.

[IMG]http://picasaweb.google.com/Papa.Roe/ChristmasMorning2007/photo#5150682349878424002

[IMG]http://picasaweb.google.com/Papa.Roe/ChristmasMorning2007/photo#5150683183102079858
I hope that I uploaded these picture correctly.

[Jon]

Picasa doesn't let you link in that way. The second one is showing a shallow DoF, which is making things look soft, if that's what you mean.

[Papa Roe]

Nope I must of did something wrong. I click o the insert image icon, but it only gave me a URL address link, and you can see what happen.

[Jon]

I think it's more what Picasa allows than what you did. The links you posted are to the page where the photo lives. I tried using the photo's URL and it didn't show either.

[Papa Roe]

Jon, how can I post them off my computer?

[JustShootin']

http://www.geocities.com/folkcat/xmas.jpg


http://www.geocities.com/folkcat/xmas2.jpg

Here's your photos. Not sure what your settiings were, as there's no EXIF data available, but it appears that the first one is blurred from slow shutter speed and camera shake. In the second one, it looks like the stuffed toy is sharp, while the child is blurry, probably because he was moving. Even with no tripod or slave flash, these kind of snapshots should be acceptable with no more than the on board flash, your camera in P mode, ISO at 100, a steady hand, and of course, everyone being still.

Gary

[Papa Roe]

Obviously I have a lot to learn. I will be looking for a slave flash A.S.A.P. I’m not sure what setting I used. Is the “P” better for indoor? Thanks for the advice1

[gjl711]

Obviously I have a lot to learn. I will be looking for a slave flash A.S.A.P. I’m not sure what setting I used. Is the “P” better for indoor? Thanks for the advice1
When using a flash it's sometimes better to use M and experiment. So much is dependent on the available lighting, the reflectivity of the surfaces, and the distance from the flash and camera. So set the ISO to 80, set the shutter to maybe 200, I'm not sure what the max sync speed is of the S3, and take a test pic. Adjust the aperture as needed.

[Papa Roe]

gjl711, I used the settings you reccomended. Wow!! What a differance. Thanks

[peterpogi2006]

s3is max sync speed is 1/500 (found it after reading the manual 100 times!!) and available in tv & m modes (didn't try av mode). but.. the built-in flash doesn't throw out a lot of light!! i got a vivitar df 120 slave flash & it helps out a bit if used off camera & close to the subject. i'm looking for some suitable material to use as a flash diffuser though to cut down the glare from the on-camera flash.. the s3is can take some great indoor pix if you let it!!

example: