Canon ixus 950 IS or SD 850 - Is it really possible?

[tharunraj]

Hi,
I'm new to photography and I'm new to this forum. Recently bought a ixus 950. I've been doing a lot of experiment with my camera and i can't get the results I want. First of all, I wanna take some good photograph of my family members in good quality. I checked the canon website and the sample images over there are awesome.

http://www.canon.co.jp/imaging/p850is-i950is/sample/IMG_0166.JPG

The properties of the above image according to Picasa are as follows:
Shooting Mode: Manual
Focal length: 11.8mm
Exposure time: 0.004s (1/250)
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 80
Exp. Compensation: +1/3

No matter what I do, I can't get the aperture or exposure to the above values in manual mode. I came to know that they are automatic in 950 IS. If that is the case, how did the person who took this photo was able to achieve this number? How can I take a picture like this? Is there any possibility?

(This is my first post. Kindly regret any mistake!)

[Jon]

Unfortunately, the person who took those pictures didn't actually set either the aperture or shutter speed. They're merely the settings they were given when they set the camera's ISO to 80 and E.C. to +1/3 stop under the lighting conditions at the time. None of the IXUS/SD cameras allow you to directly control shutter speed or aperture.

[tharunraj]

Wow! Thanks Jon for the fast reply! So you mean to say that if proper lightning is used, even I will be able to get a similar shot like that. I'll try it and post the results ASAP.

But however, what are my options if I'm trying to shoot fast moving objects. This article discusses what I mean:
http://cp.c-ij.com/english/photoshooting/techniques/camerafunction/camerafunction07.html

At ISO 80, even the smallest movements of the subject results in a very blurry image. Is there any way I can overcome this problem without changing the ISO?

Thanks for the help b.t.w........

[Jon]

Yeah. You may need to add light depending on the situation. That one had either a couple of diffused lights or a very bright day, judging by the diffuse shadow on her right side.

Again, you need more light; maybe try panning, but that'll be a whole lot easier if you use the viewfinder not the LCD to track your subject. But you've got a camera designed for the weekend snapshooter and you're trying to exceed what it's designed for. Maybe time to move up to an A590 or better, or an S5, SX100 or G9.

[tharunraj]

Oh, thanks for the heads up Jon. I thought my 950 is going to help in all situations. I guess I was wrong. Should upgrade to a better one. My confusion now is whether to buy S5 IS or FinePix S9600. Anyway, should research a lot before deciding.......