Digital cameras 101

[Tamarack]

Hello! I've read as much as I can about the S2 on this great forum. In some other locations I've read that the S2 has a "sweet spot" for aperture that is around F4. I would be interested in anyones' view on this.

Here's another S2 question, probably aimed at Gail: if you were to name the top five camera-related factors that lead to sharp, clear luminous photos with the S2, what would they be? In other words, what are the top five things you check in your settings before you even think about pressing the shutter all the way?

Many thanks!

Tamarack

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi there, Tamarack,

Welcome to the Q&A Board.

I think the "sweet spot" reallly depends on the type of photo you're taking and what depth of field you're trying to achieve. In general, many opine that to get the sharpest results with the S2 use an aperture setting in the F4.5 to F5.6 range.

if you were to name the top five camera-related factors that lead to sharp, clear luminous photos with the S2, what would they be?

Photography, as it's essence, is about light. If you don't have sufficient light, it doesn't matter what your settings are imho. It's difficult to limit the top factors to five, but here are the S2 settings I find give me consistently sharp photos:

AutoFocus mode: Single

Image Stabilization: Shoot Only

ISO: 50

AE/AF Lock: knowing when and where to lock focus and exposure by using the two step shutter release button correctly (Check the S2 manual to learn how to lock either Exposure or Focus manually).

Focal length: the best length varies with the distance the lens is from the subject but I get the sharpest images when NOT shooting at full tele or full wide angle. For example, if I fully zoom in on a subject then move the lens back slightly wider, the images often are sharper.

You may find this section of my S2 blog helpful, particularly the area about focusing:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/canon-s2-blog/canon-s2-focusing.htm


Give them a try and let us know your results.


Related reading: Depth of Field

http://www.digicamhelp.com/taking-pictures/depth-of-field.htm

[Tamarack]

Thank you Gail! This is so helpful! I asked the admittedly limiting question about the five top factors because with a camera with this many settings to learn, it becomes bewildering to sort through all the tips and suggestions for optimizing day-to-day photography. If you have any other S2 Top Tips that didn't make the first cut, I'd love to hear 'em. Thanks also for the related readings.