Need some camera/photography advice?
Hi everyone… Well recently I've ventured into the world of photography, I went out & bought a Canon Powershot A3100 digital camera, it's the most basic digital camera pretty much, however I want to start small and get used to a general camera/taking pictures of amateur models before I spend $700-$1, 200 on a professional Canon or Nikon. So I've decided on glamour/costume type photography, I found 10 willing models (paid them of course) and they let me take their photos with my basic amateur digital camera, and some of the pictures turn out absolutely awesome, they look like a pro camera took them. However, in low/medium light, specifically with dark colors such as brown, black, and purple/red, I get fuzziness in the photos. I'm not sure what this is called. I have tried to adjust the sharpness on my Canon editor but it doesn't seem to work. Anyway, I'm attaching a picture so you can see what I mean. This only seems to happen when I'm taking photos in "Auto" mode. When it is in general "picture" mode, the photos will turn out great.
Is there anyway I can edit this to make them clear OR avoid in this in the "auto" feature in future shoots?
Here's the photo:
There's only so much you can do to help a "bad" photo. [Especially]When shooting jpg's on auto, darker colors will tend to "bleed".In the future, I would recommend more light and the lowest ISO as possible.
As a bit of an amateur/professional photographer myself, i have encountered this problem countless times! What you are experiencing is know as digital noise. It is caused by the low-light and the level of iso required to process the image. Try adjusting the iso level on the camera (obviously you won't be able to adjust it in the "auto" setting)… I believe the higher the iso level, the more digital noise in the image. If you are indoors, try increasing the lights in your studio or using an external flash (this has seemed to help me and also helps soften unwanted harsh shadows). This is a problem i'm still trying to conquer myself! Good luck & happy shooting!
ps: i couldn't open your picture link to actually see your sample! Don't know if it was just me or not!
Another problem is your sensor. This tiny camera has a very tiny sensor. These small sensors normally need lots of light. To improve results you'll need a better sensor - an slr.
By the way your budget, as stated "700 - 1, 200", won't get you a "professional camera". They start
at $3, 500 and go up. It will get you a very nice slr but it won't be a professional camera.
I think you should go with Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera
* 18.0-megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor;
* DIGIC 4 image processor for high image quality and speed
* ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12800) for shooting from bright to dim light;
* enhanced 63-zone, Dual-layer metering system
* Improved EOS Movie mode with manual exposure control and expanded recording 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
* Wide 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor;
* Dedicated Live View/Movie shooting button
* New compatibility with SDXC memory cards,
* Plus new menu status indicator for Eye-Fi support
http://www.amazon.com/...0035FZJHQ/