Please!! Level with me...I am gettin so mad :-(

[JimC]

Do you change the exposure and force the flash? or just one or another?

You can do both. Experiment. The flash could be fooled a bit by the snow, too (depending on how much of the frame your subject occupies). You may not need to. but, it happens. Try it both ways so that that way you'll know what to expect with your camera.

Do the same thing with image editors (and many are free). Experiment with the sliders and controls to see what they do.

Different people have different tastes in images. For example, I can tell from Sarah's posts that she likes a contrasty image. Most people do. I personally prefer a more conservative approach. Neither is right or wrong.

Ditto with how a camera processes an image. You can change the image processing to some degree in the camera via settings, too. So, try the settings for things like contrast and sharpnening and see what impact they have on your images.

There is no right or wrong way. That's the great thing about being able to adjust your images (both in the way the camera takes them, and the way you can use an editor for adjusting them later). You can tune it to work so that it gives you images that you prefer.

Once I fix the exposure, can I then zoom in?

Do you mean zoom in on screen after you take the photo, or zoom in using the zoom controls on the camera so that your subject is filling more of the frame?

I didn't see anything obviously out of focus in the images, and the shutter speeds looked OK unless there was rapid movement that's not obvious to me. They did look a tad soft. But, I think most of that was just exposure (you'll get more detail with a properly exposed image). A bit of sharpening with an editor would improve that part, too. Try the sharpening features in the editors mentioned. I think the newest version of Irfanview even has a filter for USM (Unsharp Mask) now. It's great for sharpening.

Right this minute, I'm using Linux versus Windows. So, I'm using different tools than you'd have access to if you're not a Linux user. Most editors are going to have similar features for basic adjustments, and many are free.

Was the young lady sliding on the snow at the time they were taken? The slowest shutter speed I saw was 1/320 second in memory serves. If you wanted to get a faster speed, you could increase your ISO speed (as I mentioned in my first post that you might need to do for a brighter exposure to keep shutter speeds from falling off too much). But, that was probably OK for these.

Or will it still be blurry?Are there cameras that work better in Auto mode than others? Did I just get a crappy one that takes more work? It's ok, you can be honest

I'm not seeing anything that's too blurry. If the subject was moving much, a tad faster shutter speed may have helped for one of them. I think most of it is a quirk with it's image processing and the way it deals with shadow areas, though (something I've noticed on some Sony models).

Any camera's metering takes some getting used to. None of them are exactly alike, and none of them are going to cope with a lot of snow very well. They're not smart enough (yet) to realize that a large portion of the image is *supposed* to be that white. ;-) It's trying to darken it to a more neutral level (a "quirk" with current metering technology used in cameras).

Most cameras are going to need somewhere between a +0.7 EV setting and +1.3 EV Setting with Exposure Compensation with a lot of snow in a scene (and this will be camera dependent). A greater percentage of snow may require a higher setting. A lower percentage of snow in the scene may require a lower setting. Experiment with it to see how your camera accomodates different settings until you have a better understanding of it's behavior in those conditions. Just keep in mind that you can lose detail in highlights if you use too much.

Once you get it "nailed" just right. Then, the next time you shoot in snow, you'll know the best way to approach it. Take some photos several ways to see what works best. It's digital. It doesn't cost you anything to experiment. ;-)

[Wirraway]

Hi Kayleezemom

Just looked at the exif info for the shot in question, you shot it at 2.8, 320th, 125ISOand the flash did fire, the camera was also set to Multi metering the default for this camera.

Although I have never shot in snow, I also purchased the W-100 on Thursday and the camera is just fine.

The 1st thing to do is.

1. turn on the camera and change the mode dial to P.

2. press the menu button

3. now keep pressing the left side4way controller untill you come to metering mode, the default here is Multi, change this to Center.

4. press left onceagain and you will come to focus, the default here is Multi AF, change this to Center AF.

You will also havenoticed that during your left pressing that youalso seen the ISO settings, you can use thesebetween 100 and 400 with out too much worry, all these settings can not be accessed using the green auto, and you will have no problem operating in P after all it is still automatic.

After you have made the above settings, for the photo thats caused you grief you would probably be right on the money using 200 ISO.

The advicefrom JimC is excellent also, and you can always improve a shot with a photo editor forimprovingyour photography as Kalypso has so well demonstrated in this thread.

In summery the Sony W-100 is an excellent camera, just read the review on this site.

Hope this helps you.

Regards Wirraway

[kayleezmom]

thank you to everyone that replied. I printed it all, will read it, take new pics today, and hopefully have some great results by tonights. I will update!!! Thanks again



Jen

[kayleezmom]

UPDATE!!

well here are some pics from today. I changed all the things I was told and think they came out better. I am still confused a bit though on the settings. I came indoors and had no clue how to adjust for indoor lighting. I also don't know where to leave the camera on the metering and the AF. I was told to put it on center metering, and center AF, but know know if these are outdoor settings, or the settings I should just leave it on all the time. Here are some pics, a good and bad. Jen

[kayleezmom]

!

[kayleezmom]

bad one!

[mtclimber]

KLMom-

Well those examples surely do qualify as excellent snapshots. You have certainly improved the quality of your photos. Have you attempted to process them using Picasa2 which you downloaded from http://www.google.com?

MT/Sarah

[meanstreak]

kayleezmom wrote:

bad one!

That shot is OK except for maybe the shadow across her face. Using the flash for a shot like that might have helped.

[mtclimber]

meanstreak, ease up a bit please-

You are very correct indeed. Both you and I would see that shadowright on the LCD when we review our photos. Others, such as Jen, who is just learning,might not see it, or know how to prevent it. The key is just as you have posted. Flash has to be used and Exposure Compensation cranked down a bit more to balance the exposure. But that is all part of experimenting, and learning. I truly believe that Jen is really doing a great job, and has learned a whole lot in this with Kay Lee's photos.

MT/Sarah

[meanstreak]

mtclimber wrote:

meanstreak, ease up a bit please-

You are very correct indeed. Both you and I would see that shadowright on the LCD when we review our photos. Others, such as Jen, who is just learning,might not see it, or know how to prevent it. The key is just as you have posted. Flash has to be used and Exposure Compensation cranked down a bit more to balance the exposure. But that is all part of experimenting, and learning. I truly believe that Jen is really doing a great job, and has learned a whole lot in this with Kay Lee's photos.

MT/Sarah

Ease up a bit???? She was the one complaining about the shot being a bad one. I said the shot was OK except for maybe the shadow. I was just trying to help by telling her how to avoid the shadow. I don't think there was anything wrong with my post.