No matter what, I have blurry pictures I am solely trying to get mdeium action sport photos to turn out but the subject is always blurry to almost non recognition and sometimes the surroundings or back drop of the pic is more in focus then my son. Anyone with experience in this problem and possibly with this camera assist me in providing a few settings to try? Greatly appreciate it. I found it odd there was no action or sport mode in the pre defined settings, I thought this was a standard normal slection on all camers. Found out it is not on this one I guess.... No matter what, I have blurry pictures I am solely trying to get mdeium action sport photos to turn out but the subject is always blurry to almost non recognition and sometimes the surroundings or... » Read More No matter what, I have blurry pictures I am solely trying to get mdeium action sport photos to turn out but the subject is always blurry to almost non recognition and sometimes the surroundings or back drop of the pic is more in focus then my son. Anyone with experience in this problem and possibly with this camera assist me in providing a few settings to try? Greatly appreciate it. I found it odd there was no action or sport mode in the pre defined settings, I thought this was a standard normal slection on all camers. Found out it is not on this one I guess.... « Show Less
374822
As S. Murphy already suggested, try the "Kids & Pets" mode - this is the equivalent for the "Sports" mode on other cameras.And if the subject (your son) is still blurry, check the shutter speed used by the "Kids & Pets" mode - press the "Disp." button several times while looking at the photo until you see its technical data.Then you can try the "Tv" (time variable) mode, which allows you to manually select a shorter shutter speed, and the program will care for the rest (aperture, ISO ...) automatically.
374823
If the background is in sharp and your subject, which is in motion, is blurry, then you probably are not panning as you shoot. Are you keeping the camera still? Instead, try following the subject as you shoot. If you do that properly, your subject will be sharp and the background will be blurry, which is a nice effect.Also, a faster shutter speed will help.
374824
Hi Wendy,I shake a lot ( to much coffee i guess..lol) and my hands are not always as steady as I would like. one thing I've found that helps is the use of a tripod with a quick release mount so that you can go from tripod to hand held in seconds. Also try playing with your shutter speed. for action photos I'd start at 400, and take a few test shots of a moving car or a bird in flight. before taking the actual shots. That way you know right where to set the speed before I take my shot.
1409501
I have had great results on auto and sport as I am mainly photographing birds. A hint you will loose focus if you zoom in to close, also when you make your first click wait for the green border to make sure your in focus with the right object. I am totally satisfied with the great results and clarity I get...I am putting together my photos into a book.Hope this helps
1532924
I thought I had that problem...but, I really didn't. Sometimes when I aim at camera at a scene I want to photograph, that scene is blurry. However, it does not last. I lightly click the button that takes the picture, without pushing it down hard enough to take that picture. Every time, so far, the image rights itself and is no longer blurry, but sharp. I believe every time I have had the blurry image appear, it has been in daylight and on auto setting.
646120
Hello,On EXR and Auto mode I've found my images in low light to be sub par without using the flash - which then can unfortunately cause it's own set of problems. However, as I learn the camera I find adjusting the settings and really depending on the manual as a reference guide, along with youtube tutorial videos that my low and dim light photos are improving. I'm an Amateur at this stage of course but more advanced photographers would have an effortless time taking great shots in low light conditions. If you're shopping around check out the Panasonic FZ200 and the Sony DDSC-HX300 both have won tremendous accolades for low light performance. Hope this helps! Hello,On EXR and Auto mode I've found my images in low light to be sub par without using the flash - which then can unfortunately cause it's own set of problems. However, as I learn the camera I find adjusting the settings and really depending on the manual as a reference guide, along with youtube tutorial videos that my low and dim light photos are improving. I'm an Amateur at this stage of course but more advanced photographers would have an effortless time taking great shots in low light conditions. If you're shopping around check out the Panasonic FZ200 and the Sony... » Read More Hello,On EXR and Auto mode I've found my images in low light to be sub par without using the flash - which then can unfortunately cause it's own set of problems. However, as I learn the camera I find adjusting the settings and really depending on the manual as a reference guide, along with youtube tutorial videos that my low and dim light photos are improving. I'm an Amateur at this stage of course but more advanced photographers would have an effortless time taking great shots in low light conditions. If you're shopping around check out the Panasonic FZ200 and the Sony DDSC-HX300 both have won tremendous accolades for low light performance. Hope this helps! « Show Less
1334101
hello!!! it has the sport setting from the scene mode. faster shutter speed is selected to freeze the action. recommended when taking pictures in bright daylight. and it also has auto focus tracking for moving subjects. this is a nice camera , I highly recommend it. and if You buy it from amazon.com they have a very good return policy, so maybe You can give it a try.
2239181
Hi Lisa, I took pictures at an indoor water park. The pictures came out okay. I just scrapbook the pictures, I don't typically blow them up to 5x7 or 8x10. So, for my use the pictures are fine. The fast movements were a little blurry. I have not taken any underwater pictures yet. I took the camera outside for our school snow days. Those pictures in the sunlight were bright and colorful. The fast movements came out okay. I have a few inside pictures during the day and they look pretty good. I have one picture taken at night in my bedroom. My navy blue shirt looks great, but my face is a little orange/yellow and the bedroom in the background is not crisp at all. I think the lighting is responsible for that. I have a few movies on the camera, but can't play them. They are MOV. I tried Quicktime, movie maker, media player. I'll have to play around with it. I hope I don't have to convert these. So, at the moment I can't give you any information on the movies. I wanted the camera to take out to the pool and so far it seems like it will work great for our use. Please let me know if I can help with any else. I'm not sure what you mean by artifacts. I don't think graininess is an issue, but I'm just a mom taking pictures of kids and my photography knowledge is limited.
793191
Thanks - I tried that and it helped a lot. I kept the ISO at 100, but moved to better light to try some photos and the shutter priority mode helped. Actually, the "use tripod" sign still flashed, but the photos were sharp (sharp enough for my purposes.) I also figured out a few more things that helped with trial and error.
1568644
Try full automatic mode. The auto focus of this camera is not very good. You might also try to increase the shutter speed and or verify the ASA setting is OK. I hope this helps!
142359
seems to be an epidemic. same problem no autofocus. if I use the zoom to get in focus then pics come out ok but not good.
1012646
Hi, Suzanne, with regard to the washed out photos when took with flash, check the ISO level (sensor sensivity to light), perhaps ISO is set too high (400-800-1600)? Set ISO to 160 or 200. I suggest you to exercise a lot changing the camera controls and you'll learn the differences and how to manage it. With flash off, check to set Vibration reduction in OFF when using tripod, and reversely, set it in ON when using handheld. Also try to take lot of pictures in Auto, Scene Mode, Night Landscape, Night Portrait, etc. and see what suits better. Print the PDF manual (220 pages) and read it carefully and check controls and take pictures as you read it. Remember that you get a red box in the screen when the camera cannot focus. So move the camera back or front, and focus again. I bought this camera on July 2011 and it has a personality specially when focusing but I've got beautiful pictures. And I love the zoom, panorama mode and the capacity of taking pictures in low light . Hope this helps you!!
1359667
I have this problem But I don't understand your solution, Bruce. Could you or someone explain it again please?You appear to be saying that if the camera is at something like a standard focal length you can choose both Macro and MF. But you can't - not on mine anyway!In my experience, the camera will not focus below 1ft. The image stays blurred and often the yellow central focus frame will display a question mark.Auto-focus does not work in Macro either - so to all practical purposes the camera has no Macro mode. If someone has a fix for this I'd be very interested.
300738
I have this camera and LOVE it!! Still learning about it.This will sound crazy but, I have taken pictures in low lighting in the SCN mode set on portrait WITH the flash OFF...as most places/concert halls don't like you flashing your cam on everyone as it can be highly distracting.My pics are pretty clear so I say just play around with the different settings and you can figure out what works for you. Works for me! I LOVE THIS CAMERA!!!
218405
I have this kind of issue, but with my SX130 in macro mode. At first I thought it was the lighting, but I took an identical picture, identical position, settings, etc. with my Elph 300 HS, and no such problem. The 300 has actually been fantastic for me, images are much sharper and colors more vivid than the 130 even though I set them to identical settings. Thinking of trading the 130 in for either the Elph 500 or the SX230 - I want a P&S (want something more portable than my DSLR) with shutter and aperture controls with same (or better) image quality as the Elph 300 (and less than $300). Now just have to test both of them out first.
1532925
I had a problem with blurry images, too, so finally checked the owners manual (duh!) It mentions that if you press the shutter too hard, you actually cause the blurriness. I have lightened up my touch, and things have improved. I still love this camera.
954748
Hands down, indoor low light is the most difficult for this camera. I find that using the 'action' scene mode helps alot. The picture comes out better and the flash seems to go quicker after you press the button. Since you posted your comment last October, hopefully you've found some ways to improve the pictures that you can share with us.
919694
I think I have a solution. The way to fix this is to play around with the camera settings. First, set the camera to the 'P' mode on the little wheel that turns. then press menu. Scroll to the right until you come to the 'focus' setting. sroll up to 7.0m, and you shouldn't have that problem anymore. After that's done, scroll over to the REC Mode and make sure its set to 'normal. That should fix it, It was bothering me too ;)
883762
I think that is just your auto focus. I get the same sounds from my Nikon D3100 in the video mode. But, only when it is focusing. These are primarily still picture cameras. Video is just a nice option and as yet not quite perfected yet, I guess. The more you use the video function, the better you will get at focusing and you can kinda work through it. I personally don't use it that much, but it's nice to have if you do need it.