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General discussion

Budget camera suitable for sports shots

Jun 21, 2005 6:02AM PDT

I have a Fujifilm S3000, which I bought especially for taking ice hockey photos, but it is poo! Even if you set it for sport, it cannot take a photo of anything that is even slightly moving. The slightest bit of movement, gives a severely blured photo, which is something of a pain.

I am no photogrphic expert, but I presume that this is simply because the S3000 must have a very slow shutter speed, even on the sports setting

I am therefore looking to replace it with something a little more suitable, but am rather limited in price. Therefore, I know that I will not get anything with a great zoom (The 6 x Optical zoom was a big cause of me getting the S3000) as well as a clear picture, but I was wondering what people might recomend from experience for around the

Discussion is locked

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Camera suggestion
Jun 21, 2005 6:23AM PDT

Perhaps the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. 5mp, optical image stabilization, 2 inch LCD and 6x zoom. Uses AA batteries. Only negative thing is the lack of an optical viewfinder. But the price makes up for that-$275.00 in USA. Cheers!

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Ta
Jun 21, 2005 9:21AM PDT

Thanks Rodax. I'll give that some consideration and read up on it a little.

Buzz

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Budget Sports Camera
Jun 21, 2005 7:41AM PDT

Having a faster shutter speed will not solve your problem.

The problem is available light.

If the hockey game was outside in the bright sunshine, you would get great action photos with the S3000.

Under low light and artificial light, very few cameras will produce good action photos.

The camera/lens that can do this well, starts at about $2,000

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For lower cost cameras:

If you have a camera that has manual controls, you usually can get acceptable low light action shots, if you use the manual controls.

You can set the ISO setting to about 400 (which will cause some noise in the dark areas of the photo).
Set the lens to the brightest f-stop (usually f2.Cool.
Then hope that there is enough light to permit a fast enough shutter speed.

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Thanks
Jun 21, 2005 9:30AM PDT

Thanks for that Snapshot. I'll try those settings and see how they come out.

As I said in the first post, I am pretty non-technical when it comes to photography, but it is something I would like to get better at and learn more about.

I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.
What exactly is the ISO setting all about?
With regard to the f-stop. Is it a case of the higher the setting, the more light is allowed in (i.e. use in darker conditions) or the other way round

BTW, the lighting in our local rink is very bright, designed for TV. It is pretty expensive stuff - Basically a form of studio lighting. Should this normally help?

The other thing I have just noticed is that I have the camera set to take pictures at 1 mega pixels, when it can go as high as 3. Do you think this would have much affect in solving the blurring problem?

So many questions... Sorry! Happy

Your help is certainly not un-appreciated

Many thanks

Buzz

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Questions
Jun 21, 2005 11:22AM PDT

ISO=film speed. Of course there is no film in a digital camera. But this sensitivity can be raised to 800 or 1200(camera model permitting) to allow proper exposure in darker environments. The higher the ISO, the faster the film will expose. It can also be lowered in very bright situations. Aperture or ''F-stop'' such as F2.4 or F6.0 refers the size of the opening letting light into the camera. The higher this number, the smaller the opening. So shooting ''wide open'' would be the lowest number. Once you understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO, your picture quality will improve dramatically.

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My word - I think I've got it! :-)
Jun 22, 2005 6:29AM PDT

Thanks Rodax

That, along with the link posted by Snapshot, has really given me a far better understanding of how it all works. I am really looking forward to taking a few shots and seeing how they come out now.

Gutted that the hockey season in the UK came to a close this weekend just gone Sad

I'm sure that by the time the new season comes around, I'll have it mastered. Happy

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Megapixels - Exposure
Jun 21, 2005 12:35PM PDT

Megapixels has nothing to do with the blurring problem.
But you should set the megapixels to 3 to get more detailed photos.

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One thought.....If you are currently using the LCD on the camera when shooting action, you should start using the Viewfinder. This will let you hold the camera steadier. Make sure the camera is firmly held to your eye (face).

Your head is steadier than two arms extended in front of you.

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It always take a certain amount of light to correctly expose any photo. The camera changes the shutter speed and aperture setting to achieve that same amount of light on every shot.


Here is a short writeup about camera exposure settings:

http://www.pbase.com/otfchallenge/the_basics


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WOW!
Jun 22, 2005 6:25AM PDT

Thank a bundle!

That link is superb and really makes a lot of sense out of something I din't understand.

Thanks for your help

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Not looking good
Jun 22, 2005 7:09AM PDT

Unfortunately, I've been reading through the manual and it seems that the ISO cannot be manually set on the S3000. It is set automatically, to the equivelant of 100 without the flash and 100-200 with. As flash photography is not permitted at hockey, I am lumbered with 100.

I checked the settings I had in the camera and the appature is already set to F2.8, so it's looking like it might not get any better than I already have.

A new camera might well be the best option Sad

Ho hum

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Now You have and Excuse for getting a New Camera.
Jun 22, 2005 9:04AM PDT
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I hate the Cannon Powershot S2 IS
Jun 22, 2005 9:47AM PDT

Actually, I think it looks like a really superb camera. Unfortunately, it's a little out of my price range Sad, so..... er..... I hate it! Grin

Thanks for all your help. I'll keep looking around for some good deals. Unlike when I bought the S3000 (My first digital camera) I now have a better idea of what I am looking for.

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What camera to buy
Jun 23, 2005 11:29PM PDT

check out dpreview.com - you will find all of your answers at this remarkable site.
good shopping