powershot S5S1 question

[Mike Soja]

I have a question for all of the pros with a digital camera.
Having been a film guy all my life I just recently got a Canon S5S1 for a gift and have been playing around with it I have been shooting mostly on auto or program so far and have noticed alot of my shots have been either under exposed or highly pixelated ( grainy looking ) what am I doing wrong or could it be the camera it self ? it was new in the box when I got it

any help would be great.
btw not of my shots turn out grainy

[Jon]

Can you post some examples? Please include the settings (EXIF data is recorded in every JPEG and can be read by most photo viewers or editors) used.

One thing to remember is that the small sensor of an S5 IS is going to give you a "grainier" (in digital photography, we call it noise) image than a larger format sensor will. It's like comparing 110 or Disc prints with those from a 120 or 620 roll film camera. And that noise will be worse if an image is underexposed, so a maxim of digital photography is "Expose to the right" (referring to the histogram you can bring up for each shot).

[Mike Soja]

will try jon do I need to run my prints thru photo bucket or can I post straight to here?

[Jon]

You can attach up to 2 directly here, or you can host them at PhotoBucket or other sites and embed them here - see the Image Posting FAQ in my sig. If you attach them, you may need to "save for web", which strips out the EXIF data and you'd have to list that separately.

[Mike Soja]

here you go
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/msrace/zacklarrygibson.jpg
I shot it last night with the flash looking over the camera I just wonder if I have not been inadvertantly been putting my left hand over the sensor eye
at times that might explain why some are okay and others are grainy or noisy.
This camera is alot smaller than the 35 mms I am used to using

[mullhawk]

no image there, but anything shot on this camera over an iso 200 is going to have noise, I pretty much always shoot on M mode with my S5 and leave my ISO between 80 and 200 and change other settings as needed for light

[watt100]

I can't see the images either but I usually shoot in Av mode with the ISO at 80 or 100. If you shoot night pics or indoors without a flash at higher ISO levels you're going to get noise but that can be cleaned up with software.



www.s5users.com/forum (http://www.s5users.com/forum)

[Jon]

Nope - not showing. PhotoBucket says it's been moved or deleted. Did you copy the right link info from the page? It's saying http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/msrace/zacklarrygibson.jpg

[RCrosby]

Jon and Mike,
Thank's guys! After reading your comments regarding the role of the sensor and the possibility of inadvertantly obstructing it, I analyzed my holding technique and am certain that this has been a major factor in some of my inconsistant images.
I have a Lensmate extention on my S5 and usually shoot from my kayak. My elbows rest on the sides of the boat and my left hand grabs the barrel of the extention, pretty much covering the sensor.
So much to learn. So much fun!
Rob:):):)

[Jon]

Actually, the only sensor that matters is the one behind the lens. If you can see an unobstructed view through the EVF or on the back LCD, you're not blocking the sensor. You might (but it's pretty hard to manage) be blocking the flash, depending on how you hold the camera. And if you're using an adapter lens, that can easily block some of the flash beam, leaving a shadow at the bottom part of the image.