I have kinda a crappy camera (kodak z650)



I just wanted to know if i can get some decent pictures out of this thing.

I noticed you guys take some AMAZING pics, but im not sure if this camera is capable. It does have a mode were i can change the settings of the camera, its called the PASM mode...here is a excerpt from the manual about that mode

Program


Controlling exposure compensation (how much light enters the camera). The camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture (f-stop) based on the scene lighting. Program mode offers the ease of auto shooting with full access to all menu options. Press to select settings. Press the Menu button to change other settings. (See .)

Aperture Priority


Controlling aperture, exposure compensation, and ISO speed. Aperture priority mode is primarily used to control depth of field (the range of sharpness).NOTE: The aperture setting may be affected when using optical zoom. Press to select settings. Press the Menu button to change other settings. (See .)

Shutter Priority


Controlling the shutter speed, exposure compensation, and ISO speed. The camera automatically sets the aperture for proper exposure. Shutter priority mode is primarily used to prevent blur when your subject is moving. To prevent camera shake, use a tripod for slow shutter speeds. Press to select settings. Press the Menu button to change other settings. (See .)

Manual


The highest level of creative control. You set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed. Exposure compensation acts as an exposure meter, recommending the proper combination of aperture and shutter speed to produce an acceptable exposure. To prevent camera shake, use a tripod for slow shutter speeds. Press to select settings. Press the Menu button to change other settings. (See .)

So if i use the manual mode, what settings can i change to get some better picture quality (if any) ?

thanks!

hmmm, just read an article on iso aperture shutter speed, etc...cleared up some things.

still wondering if there is anything i can do to get some better shots, or is this camera just not capable?

This post was edited by oOFearOo on Dec 30 2008 01:36pm

Tbh, I really think it's more the photographer than the camera that makes a good photograph. Basically you just need to read up on what iso, aperture shutter speed is and mess around with the settings so you understand when and how to use them. Here's a breakdown of it:

ISO : Lower iso = ideal for good lighting shots. Higher iso = ideal for night shots / dark indoor shots.
Shutterspeed: Lower shutter speed = ideal for dark shots / when you want to take pictures of i.e cars on a freeway and you want the "light streak" effect. Higher shutter speed = Ideal for action shots, ie when you want to catch a bird in flight or a splash of water. Generally 1/60 is needed for everyday shots to avoid small blurs when you blow up the picture (Creds to Veilside for the info on 1/60).
Aperture = Basically how wide the lens opens. Low aperture = The lens opens wider and hence more light is taken in - ideal for dark shots. High aperture = ideal for very bright shots and takes in less light. One might experiance "lens viginetting" while shooting on low apertures. What this is, is a dark frame around your shot which is infact the side of the lens It can look quite nice on alot of shots and very easily removable in photoshop so don't fret about using too low of an aperture for a shot.

Good luck! Hope you learned something.

This post was edited by Nevereon on Dec 30 2008 01:51pm

Thank you!

I've been messing around with settings...a few times after the picture is taken then camera turns off and the buttons blink orange/red (this is probably bad) but i have really got some decent shots...

now i just need to get this damned thing be recognized by my new computer!

hm O.o that's weird. I'm not sure how familiar you are with cameras but you might want to take a couple hundred automatic shots first to get the gist of it

naw i'm fairly decent with them just with different shutter speed or aperture it must just...well overload the camera or something.

but now i kinda know how far i can push the camera, because im pretty sure i was using some extreme settings but i did that on purpose to see what i can do.

Before i used this camera more for sports shooting and such, which i will still do but i might take this in as a hobby seeing as i already do graphic design and alot of art im sure i could get pretty good at this

thanks

No problem If you got ducks, pidgins or other common birds nearby you they're great to train on Try taking shots of them at all the diffrent times of the day and see which settings seem to work best. You for instance compensate for the darkness of a 1/200 shutter speed with a lower aperture than you'd usually shoot Good luck again and I'm looking forward to seeing some of your own shots

i think ur camera is operating fine, you cant push the camera beyond what it was designed for. All the settings you have access to are usable on the camera.

the lights proberbly blink because you have shot a burst of images and it's transfering the images from the buffer to the card, but i dunno.


Hope that helped!

Hmmm, it is winter but maybe i can find a bird or two.

I'm in a online chat waiting for an "agent" to solve my computer connection problem, but this just gives me time to play with more settings



yeah the only time it did that was when i was a really really low shutter speed, which makes sense.

but even after the shot should have been done it just kinda went idol then turned off, but that might be what its supposed to do.

This post was edited by oOFearOo on Dec 30 2008 02:23pm

i feel so dumb.

pretty sure its just low battery, lol.

and if i want a shot that is more just on focus and behind it is blurry, then i would lower the aperture...correct?

Yeah. The pictures are pretty heavy after a few secs xD