10 MP Camera having severe blurring in warm light

Hey guys, I have a 10 MP Norcent Digital Camera. This camera takes fantastic shots in bright light like daylight or with the flash on. However, if I try to take a photo in my house with the lights on at night WITHOUT the flash on I get severe blurring effect. Auto Focus is on.

Here's an example of my problem, if anyone has experience with this please let me know:

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camera/hand shake

Exposure Time = 0.8"

thebishopp wrote in post #8980055
camera/hand shake

Exposure Time = 0.8"

Well, the camera/hand isn't shaking at all, so that's not the problem.

I'm not sure what exposure time means exactly. Is 0.8'' what you recommend I change it to or what it shouldn't be set at?

Trying to handhold at that shutter speed will cause blurring of your images. Even though you don't think that your camera is shaking, even the slightest movement at anything less than 1/focal length will cause camera shake.

When you turn your flash off, your camera's automatic exposure will try to get the right shutter speed and aperture for a proper exposure, and since your shooting in low light, it has to slow the shutter speed down in order get a correct exposure.

Turn your flash back on. It is the only way you will get a sharp image in low light.

lol... Is the camera on a tripod? No? Then it's camera shake.

0.8" means that the exposure time is 0.8 seconds. This happens when there isn't much light (ie inside without flash). It is extremely hard to hold the camera still enough for 0.8 seconds to get a shot that isn't blurry.

I'm just gonna say it. Do you understand the balance between shutter speed (exposure time), f/stop, and ISO?

If not, that is a big, if not the biggest, part of photography. With photography, you're working with light, if you don't have much, it's a lot more difficult. You either need to make your own light (flash) or have a tripod.

Exposure time is the amount of time the shutter must be up in order to achieve a proper exposure e.g. an image that you can see, and not just blackness.

I don't have any good links on handy about where to point you, but I know other people will...

I guess I just find it strange that my 10 MP Norcent has such problems without a flash on in dim light yet my 2 MP iPhone camera can take pictures just fine in the same amount of light? Does anyone know why this is?

blernblan wrote in post #8980148
Well, the camera/hand isn't shaking at all, so that's not the problem.

I'm not sure what exposure time means exactly. Is 0.8'' what you recommend I change it to or what it shouldn't be set at?

YES your hand or camera are shaking. He doesn't mean violently shaking. Even breathing will cause shake in the camera. Either get a tripod and use it, or use a flash of some sort when shooting indoors.

blernblan wrote in post #8980295
I guess I just find it strange that my 10 MP Norcent has such problems without a flash on in dim light yet my 2 MP iPhone camera can take pictures just fine in the same amount of light? Does anyone know why this is?

yes the crappy camera phone has auto ISO (most at least) and your DSLR does not, you have to set it most times. Try blowing up your camera phones picture to a 20x30 and let me know how it turns out, Because I am 100% sure the DSLR will be much better quality.

You have LOTS of reading to do. The fact that your camera is 10mp means nothing when it comes to lighting conditions and camera shake.

your iso was only 100, you could increase that to get a higher shutter speed...

apparently the camera has "anti-shake" capability also, did you check if that was enabled?

blernblan wrote in post #8980295
I guess I just find it strange that my 10 MP Norcent has such problems without a flash on in dim light yet my 2 MP iPhone camera can take pictures just fine in the same amount of light? Does anyone know why this is?

MP don't really mean anything...

i'm not sure what you can really do with your norcent...never heard of the brand before...but if you can bump up the ISO you might be able to get handholdable shots...but i'm sure the noise in the shot will be horrible


if you could return it and pick up a P&S with I.S. it'd probably have better results...

want a fix quick and dirty?

set your camera on a 5sec or whatever timer.
place it on a table.
let it take a shot.
enjoy.

but = read your manuals or read up on ISO, Shutter speed and the rest of the works. have fun l

blernblan wrote in post #8980295
I guess I just find it strange that my 10 MP Norcent has such problems without a flash on in dim light yet my 2 MP iPhone camera can take pictures just fine in the same amount of light? Does anyone know why this is?

Everything is a tradeoff. If all other things were equal (and they are not between your two cameras), you would see that the file from your iPhone will have more noise in the picture. This is generally unacceptable for the type of photography people invest in more expensive camera systems for.

The shutter speed of 0.8" means that the shutter on the camer was open for 8/10 of a second. If it is not on a PERFECTLY still object like a tripod, then even taking photos of still objects will have blur. It doesn't matter if this is on your Norcent or a $30,000 Hasselblad.

Something you can do in low light/no flash settings set your camera from 'program' or 'auto' mode, to 'TV' or 'Shutter Priority'. Select a shutter speed of 1/60 or faster. Thi will help with blur, and the meter in the camera will autocalculate the other settings and try to get the best exposure possible.

If you are really interested in improving your photography, or knowing how to compensate in this kind of situation, then you need to learn to understand the 'exposure triangle'. That would be ISO Speed, Shutter Speed, and F/Stop. I highly recommend (as do others on the forum) the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Those three variables have a mathematical relationship, and knowing how to set and adjust them will help you take good pictures (or know where you can't) with about any camera.

As for the megapixels, they have nothing to do with getting a good exposure. Some will even argue that more megapixels past a certain amount is not even a benefit.

Good luck!

blernblan wrote in post #8980295
I guess I just find it strange that my 10 MP Norcent has such problems without a flash on in dim light yet my 2 MP iPhone camera can take pictures just fine in the same amount of light? Does anyone know why this is?

More megapixels does not equal less blurry pictures. More megapixles means higher resolution. You can throw as many megapixels at something, and they're not going to help you much...

Whether it's with a cell phone, a crappy point and shoot camera, or a dslr such as yours, even the top of the line hasselblads, will all get blurry pictures if there is not enough light. It's a fact of life my friend. Unless you have a low enough aperture lens and a high ISO say f/1.2 and ISO 3200, you may get images in darker areas that are not blurry.

Using a flash in the dark is really the only option sometimes, but not using one requires some knowledge of how a cameras properties work together (ISO/ASA, shutter speed, and aperture).

You might get some benefit out of reading Ben's Newbie Guide