S230/V3 pic sharpness - Bad or Good?

[wysiwyg]

Reading thru this and other forums, it seems there are 2 clear groups of S230/Ixus V3 users:

- those who get good, sharp, clear pics
- those who get fuzzy, blurry, soft pics

Which is it? Differences of opinion, sure, but why so much division between S230 owners in particular?

[Theo]

I find that if I take my time and set up the shot, regardless of zoom or light conditions I can take great pics w/ my 230. I feel a key to taking good, if not great pics is using the view finder rather than the LCD or in other words just hold the camera steady.

The only pics I've shot that are not sharp or are out of focus are those I've rushed to take.

My experience is I get out of this camera what I put into it.

[wysiwyg]

Would you say then that the S230 needs particular attention in order to get a good shot ie. compared to other more "forgiving" cameras?

[dzane]

As you point out, the issue of sharpness with the S230 seems to be something of a matter of opinion, unless there really is a wide range of camera quality for the S230, which I doubt.

In any event, I have taken many hundreds of pictures with my S230, and I would say the pictures are as sharp and clear as any I have taken. I have used the earlier S100 for two years, the Kodak DC210, 260, and 290, and an Olympus 720, and I think the S230 photo's are as sharp or sharper than any of those.

I don't take any unusual care in taking pictures with it, other than that it is a small camera so I do try to make sure I have a steady grip. There is a thread here somewhere with a nice technique for holding the S230, and I usually try to follow that recommendation.

I can't explain why a number of people seem to have problems with S230 blurriness or distortion, I make large 8X10's all the time and see no blurriness at all.

[wysiwyg]

It's reassuring to read these comments. I have seen immediate "avoid it like the plague" and "don't touch it with a 10-foot pole" comments at the mere mention of the S230. But I've suspected that it is a very capable camera, just that its (wonderful) form factor requires that teenie extra bit of care.

Speaking of small, has anyone seen the Casio QV-R3 and the soon-to-release Casio Exilim Z3 and Pentax OptioS? 3megapixel, 3X optical zoom, and some other very interesting features as well. The QV-R3 is just about 1mm bigger all round than the S230. Both the Exilim Z3 and Pentax OptioS are considerably smaller than the S230. YUM!

[Beckie]

Hi all -

I've read quite a few posts in various forums about the S230 producing fuzzy pics. I got my S230 about a week ago and I've been practicing, practicing, practicing. It's true that the main issue is shaking the camera because it's so small. I find that using the timer set for 2 seconds helps quite a bit. Once you press the shutter button, you have 2 seconds to steady the camera before the shot is taken. It's very helpful. The other thing (for me, anyway) that has caused a lot of not so great shots is poor lighting. Once you get those two things down, most of your shots will be gorgeous.

Here are some of my test pics, including macros:

http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=...21b331dd8645d2


What do you think? I'm no expert and photography is very new to me, so please be kind.

Beckie

[wysiwyg]

Nice pics.

Did you check out the technique mooted in one of the earlier threads? I remember seeing it and seemed like a good idea.

[Beckie]

Thanks!

Which technique? You mean the way you hold the camera with both hands?

[dzane]

This is a link to a thread in the Canon forum here about a technique for holding the Elph digital cameras more steadily. I have found it helpful in getting cleaner shots.

http://www.stevesforums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4917

[Beckie]

Yep, I use that technique too.