s230-exposure and long shutter

[totono]

Hi-
Under what circumstances should I use more/less exposure (-3 to +3 in the S230) or use the long shutter option (1 second and higher). I don't know when to use these features and I dont understand when people talk about 1/250 seconds b/c I cant find anything like that on my S230. Help plz!!!

[JohnMN]

You would use the exposure compensation in the following example:
If someone is backlit, if they are standing against a window and daylight is coming in and they are in shadow (when you look at them on the lcd), you would then increase the exposure. So the person at the window comes out 'correctly' exposed. You would decrease the exposure when there is not enough light coming in. Yes, I know that seems odd, but the camera will use the auto exposure to boost the light levels regardless of what you choose. You see, on cameras at this end of the market, even though they have such things as exposure compensation and lots of other controls, the camera will always pick the exposure itself. The slow shutter speeds are used to blur movement and for taking nighttime shots. They allow the aperture to stay open longer and allow more light to fall on the recording CCD in the camera. At the other end of the scale are the fast shutter speeds for freezing action, this will give you a sharp picture. Used mainly in sports, they were invented by the Japanese to analyse their golf swings (don't know if this is true or not!). At dusk, try standing near a busy street/road/highway and with the camera preferably mounted on a tripod take pictures of the passing cars. Set the shutter to .5 sec or 1 sec and see the results when you get home.

JohnMN

[totono]

Ok, thanks, but I still have a question. When I set the Long Shutter to ON in the Menu, I know how to set the speed but it only gives me the option of 1 sec and higher. How can I set faster (under a sec) speeds? Im using the S230. Also, should I encrease the ISO settings when using faster shutter speeds? Thanks!