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neutron · Aug 11, 2003, 7:39 AM

I am about to pruchase a 3Mp camera and have shortlisted the Canon A70, Coolpix 3100 and Olympus mju300.
Test shots taken with A70 on auto have produced considerably less depth of field than the Nikon. An outdoor shot in a shaded area of a garden on a bright sunny day displayed f2.8 @ 1/400 sec on the LCD, this does not seem to be a particularly good selection.
Any comments would be apppreciated.

neutron · Aug 11, 2003, 7:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neutron

I am about to purchase a 3Mp camera and have shortlisted the Canon A70, Coolpix 3100 and Olympus mju300.
Test shots taken with A70 on auto have produced considerably less depth of field than the Nikon. An outdoor shot in a shaded area of a garden on a bright sunny day displayed f2.8 @ 1/400 sec on the LCD, this does not seem to be a particularly good selection.
Any comments would be apppreciated.

mkoso · Aug 14, 2003, 10:19 PM

The thing is, with the A70, you can control the depth of field, shutter, etc. I don't believe the Nikon or Olympus has that.

Mark

Fly · Aug 15, 2003, 2:44 AM

I've got a A70, and I never use "auto" (anymore).
It seems like the A70 on auto (or P) priority fast shutter speed over DOF.
If you want a large DOF, just put it on Av mode and select the f-number yourself :-)

Melboz99 · Aug 16, 2003, 8:49 AM

Actually, I find the LARGE dof to be the problem with the A70.

I liked the shallow dof on my dad's old Minolta SRT 101 because I could eliminate all the background garbage that was behind my subject.

Take a look at this photo off my A70 with full tele and maximum arpeture.
http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoSha...0_10866750.JPG

The large dof on digital cameras is due to the small CCDs. The CCD size for the A70 is one 2.7th of an inch. This means it is only 27% the size of 35mm film! I'm not sure how the phisics work out, but the smaller the sensor/film, the greater the dof. Ever see the specs on one of those photos taken from a medium format camera?

If I really had to have the shallow dof I loved in film, I would have needed to buy a DSLR. For example, the 1ds uses a 36x24mm cmos.

If you really like the large dof, then do as someone just suggested, go to Av and set the f/stop as high as you can without getting motion blur.

shaunh · Aug 20, 2003, 3:30 PM

The only time I have had any luck with "AUTO" is when I use the ad on uv/polar filters lenses.....
If not the pics are just lame in the sun or bright areas.
The whites are really disturbing and can really take from the pictures beauty.

Aug 11, 2003, 7:39 AM	#1
neutron Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 5	A70 auto exposure settings? I am about to pruchase a 3Mp camera and have shortlisted the Canon A70, Coolpix 3100 and Olympus mju300. Test shots taken with A70 on auto have produced considerably less depth of field than the Nikon. An outdoor shot in a shaded area of a garden on a bright sunny day displayed f2.8 @ 1/400 sec on the LCD, this does not seem to be a particularly good selection. Any comments would be apppreciated.

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Aug 14, 2003, 10:19 PM	#3
mkoso Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 176	The thing is, with the A70, you can control the depth of field, shutter, etc. I don't believe the Nikon or Olympus has that. Mark

Aug 15, 2003, 2:44 AM	#4
Fly Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 44	I've got a A70, and I never use "auto" (anymore). It seems like the A70 on auto (or P) priority fast shutter speed over DOF. If you want a large DOF, just put it on Av mode and select the f-number yourself :-)

Aug 16, 2003, 8:49 AM	#5
Melboz99 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 121	Actually, I find the LARGE dof to be the problem with the A70. I liked the shallow dof on my dad's old Minolta SRT 101 because I could eliminate all the background garbage that was behind my subject. Take a look at this photo off my A70 with full tele and maximum arpeture. http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoSha...0_10866750.JPG The large dof on digital cameras is due to the small CCDs. The CCD size for the A70 is one 2.7th of an inch. This means it is only 27% the size of 35mm film! I'm not sure how the phisics work out, but the smaller the sensor/film, the greater the dof. Ever see the specs on one of those photos taken from a medium format camera? If I really had to have the shallow dof I loved in film, I would have needed to buy a DSLR. For example, the 1ds uses a 36x24mm cmos. If you really like the large dof, then do as someone just suggested, go to Av and set the f/stop as high as you can without getting motion blur.

Aug 20, 2003, 3:30 PM	#6
shaunh Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 32	The only time I have had any luck with "AUTO" is when I use the ad on uv/polar filters lenses..... If not the pics are just lame in the sun or bright areas. The whites are really disturbing and can really take from the pictures beauty.