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01/28/2005 12:43:02 AM · #26 |
A little help please. I purchased the FZ-20 last month and am not having much luck trying to take action shots that are either not blurry or get real dark when I try to set the shutter speed real fast. Now the settings on the camera are all botched up. Being inexperienced AND with my son's first soccer tournament this weekend, I would like to take some action shots and would appreciate some suggestions on:
1. What settings I might use (supposed to be cloudy)
2. Any suggestions for a newbie on resource(s) the educate myself on issues like these
Thanks |
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01/28/2005 02:30:55 AM · #27 |
i dont know what kind of settings the fz20 has, but if you use a fast shutter speed, you need to use a more wide open aperture. if there is a sports mode on the camera it will automatically use the fast shuttest speed possible with the available light to get a correct exposure. if you simply put it on a fast shutter speed and leave it at an aperture of f/11 f/16 or so, you will get underexposed images.
as for it being cloudy, just put it on cloudy white balance to get the right colors.
Any basic photography book will let u know how to get a proper exposure and how different settings result in different looking images.
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01/28/2005 08:53:13 AM · #28 |
Shooting in shutter priority may be of help as well. You set the shutter speed you want and the camera attempts to set the aperture.
If, with the lens wide open, the camera cannot get proper exposure the shutter speed will also be adjusted to be slower than set. At least this is how it works on the cameras I have. |
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01/28/2005 10:23:01 AM · #29 |
For sports action shots you want a shutter speed of at least 1/200 up to about 1/500 if there is enough light. I would suggest that you start out with the camera in P mode, White Balance set to Auto, ISO at 80 and do a few shots to see how they look. If you can't get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion you can increase the ISO. By using P mode you will let the camera decide shutter speed and aperture. If the camera tells you there is enough light so that you don't have to shoot at max aperture (2.8) then you can try changing to Shutter Priority mode and select a faster shutter speed. Mostly just experiment with different settings to see what gets the best results in the given light. And let the camera tell you what it thinks are the right settings. It won't take long before you start to feel comfortable enough to make your own settings, but use the camera's metering system as a guide to begin with.
Faster shutter speeds freeze the action and eliminate motion blur. The lower the ISO setting the less noise in your images. And higher aperture numbers give greater depth of field. The key is to balance all three according to the light conditions to tailor the output to what you desire. The beauty of digital is that you can take lots and lots of shots to experiment and practice until you get it down pat.
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01/28/2005 10:44:24 AM · #30 |
Sounds like you don't have much time to practice...
If its completely overcast I would go with shutter priority set the shutter to 1/500 and test a few shots at ISO 100 and a few at 200. You can safely use ISO 200 on the FZ20, but if you have to go to ISO 400 you will need a noise removal program.
Check the 100 and 200 shots and see how they look, but if its partly sunny go with the p mode ISO 100...
Originally posted by soccer_coach:
A little help please. I purchased the FZ-20 last month and am not having much luck trying to take action shots that are either not blurry or get real dark when I try to set the shutter speed real fast. Now the settings on the camera are all botched up. Being inexperienced AND with my son's first soccer tournament this weekend, I would like to take some action shots and would appreciate some suggestions on:
1. What settings I might use (supposed to be cloudy)
2. Any suggestions for a newbie on resource(s) the educate myself on issues like these
Thanks |
Message edited by author 2005-01-28 17:10:40.
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01/28/2005 01:50:14 PM · #31 |
| It sounds like you've had a lot of good advice already on taking action shots with your FZ20. I usually use Shutter priority for this and set it to at least 1/500. It it's a very bright day you can even go higher than that. ISO 80 will give you the least noise but as others have said you can safely use ISO 200 if the light is low. |
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02/03/2005 08:05:20 PM · #32 |
I'm also thinking seriously about geting the FZ-20 I'm curious about the manual focus ring. Is is mechanical or electronic, and how responsive/accurate is it? I just don't want it to lag when I try to focus manually
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02/03/2005 09:18:05 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by Quickshutter:
I'm also thinking seriously about geting the FZ-20 I'm curious about the manual focus ring. Is is mechanical or electronic, and how responsive/accurate is it? I just don't want it to lag when I try to focus manually |
The FZ20's Manual Focus ring has the feel of a mechanical but never comes to an end of it's movement range like an electronic "focus by wire" sytem. DPReview says "Another feature popular with serious photographers is the proper manual focus system. Flick this switch to MF and you can use the knurled metal focus ring at the front of the lens barrel to manually focus. The focus ring is fluid-damped and a joy to use. A magnified area in the center of the preview screen helps critical focus."
Panasonic has also included a feature called One Shot AF. This is actuated by moving the AF-MF switch downward to a third position from which it springs back to MF when released. One Shot AF focuses using AF and then, quickly and automatically, reverts to MF so that you can fine tune the focus using the manual ring. I haven't used this feature very much but it has worked flawlessly when I have used it. I think it would be most useful for macro shooting.
Message edited by author 2005-02-03 21:19:11.
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02/18/2005 09:09:59 PM · #34 |
Got my DMC-FZ20 on 3rd February
and I've been going photo shooting crazy
with 512 MB Memory card and two Li batteries
There are endless possibility of photos you could take.
For me,I've never regreted buying the FZ20 |
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02/18/2005 09:15:59 PM · #35 |
Originally posted by cikgu:
Got my DMC-FZ20 on 3rd February
and I've been going photo shooting crazy
with 512 MB Memory card and two Li batteries
There are endless possibility of photos you could take.
For me,I've never regreted buying the FZ20 |
Here is one from tonight at 1/4 sec. SS with no tripod or anything to lean on, just handheld. I know I has some motion blur at the base but as you can see the 'IS' works pretty good because I don't have the steadiest of hands. Sorry could not get thumbnail to work
Message edited by author 2005-02-18 21:18:33. |
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02/18/2005 10:04:09 PM · #36 |
Oooo Here's some shots of mine
SUNSETS -I just love em'
 
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