Fujifilm Finepix novice question about blurring in low-lig..

Loupo <louc.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:
: Hi there,

: I'm a novice photographer and I'm hoping for some help with something
: that has been driving me mad. If I take pictures outside they are
: beautifully sharp. If I take photos in the house I have to use a flash
: or my pictures blur really easily. If there is the slightest movement
: the picture blurs. The flash bleaches the picture though and I don't
: like to use it. Could someone please guide me as to what I am doing
: wrong?

: My current settings are - 1M 2026 frames, ISO 800, MF on the side of
: the camera. I've tried all the options for taking the pictures SP,
: Auto etc.

: Any clues would be very gratefully received. I have a wealth of
: blurred or bleached pictures of my children and it's very frustrating!

: Best wishes
: Lou

Forgive me if I go into too much beginning info as my explaination of your
problems will be incomprehensable if you are as new to photography as your
question suggests. I appologize in advance if I am wrong. No put down is
intended.

First you need a little understanding of how photography works. The light
coming from the subject (bounced off or generated by) enters the lens,
is concentrated and focused on a light sensitive onject (film or digital
chip). The brighter/more intense the light and the longer the light is
allowed to stike that sensitive object the more "exposed" the image will
be. The brightness of the light is adjusted by the "aperture" in the lens
which is a series of blades inside the lens assembly that works like (and
strongly resembles) the pupil of your eye. This opening is measured in
F-stops (example f22 or f1.4). As a newby to photography it isn't
necissary to understand what the numbers mean (the math is long and
booring) but recognize that the smaller the number, the more open the
aperture and the more light allowed to pass. For a given camera and lens
there is a minimum and maximum that this opening can achieve.

The second item of interrest is the time that the light is allowed to
stike the sensitive material. This is controlled by a "shutter" that opens
and closes at a specific speed (shutter speed). The longer the shutter
speed (normally shown in fractions of a second) the more light allowed in
to strike the sensitive material. The effect is cumulative over the entire
time the shutter is open. So in lower light situations, the shutter is
normally open longer to compensate for the lower light levels (like
indoors).

One last factor that has not been mentioned is the "film speed" or "ISO".
This is an indicator of how fast the sensitive object reacts to light. The
larger the number the faster it reacts (and the more sensitive it is to
slight variations in the camera system which can cause "Grain" in film or
inaccuracys in digital rendition or "noise" in digital cameras). This is
that ISO800. That is a fairly fast film speed (normal outdoors a 100 or
200 ISO would be good.

So now the answer to your question. In lower lighting conditions (like
indoors) the camera regularly has to adjust the shutter speed slower and
slower to make up for the low light. If the camera or the subject moves at
any time durring the time the shutter is open, the image will be blurred.
It does not take much, even something as simple as the blood pumping
through your veins can, in some people, cause enough movement to blur the
photo at very slow shutter speeds. One solution is to make sure there is
more light available, turn on more lights. Or you can put the camera on a
tripod and make sure your subject is not making any movements. Or you can
turn up the ISO (maybe 1600 or 3200) tho this will increase the noise in
the image. Or use a flash.

Your problem with the flash is likely that you are too close. Most flashes
(not the more expensive models, but the ones most often used on point and
shoot cameras) are set to properly light an object about 10 to 12 ft away.
if your subject is 4 ft away it will be over brightly lit. And also if
your subject is more than 12 ft it will probably be too dark (which is why
many of us laugh at the people in stadiums using a flash from the back of
the 3rd balcony, All they are lighting up is the backs of the heads in the
next 4 or 5 rows.

So your best bet is to increase the ISO, use something to steady the
camera (a tripod), Make sure your subject is not moving, turn on more
lights, and back up a lot if you do try to use your flash.

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL
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