I’m hoping someone can give me a bit of free advice. I’ve read and search around in this section of the forum, appears to be some very gifted and knowledgeable digital camera users hanging about in here, so I’m hoping someone can just at least give me some good advice.
I’m really struggling to get to grips with a recent camera purchase. I’ve just got a nice deal on a Fuji Finepix S5600 Zoom. It came with a 512MB xD card, and 2500 re-chargeable batteries. The camera wasn’t cheap, maybe a cheap camera for some of the SLR crew, but for me I felt it to be a lot of money. £174 for a camera means I want to learn all I can, problem is, I can’t even get to grips with the basics, never mind about anything more “artistic”. The camera was purchased from a shop I won’t name, but they are not the most honest. I read many reviews, and was impressed with what I read about this model, and when I called the shop I purchased it from, I was assured it was a UK model. It is not. I’ve not got a English manual, a problem I’ve managed to overcome by downloading the PDF file from Fuji US, and not Fuji UK as they will not support the camera, as it was not a UK model.
Anyhow, my main purpose for this camera is to take pictures of small objects upclose. Think, little scale models, but I also wanted to take some nice landscape pictures, and family pictures. Bascially a camera that works well for up close, and for everything else.
I know this is hard to archive with a single fixed lens camera, but the results I’ve been getting with this unit, have, quite frankly been a massive disappointment. I took some pictures of docklands the other day, when at the UK motor show, and when compared to the camera my GF was using, they don’t compare at all. Mine are all washed, lack colour, or not sharp. I used mostly Autofocus, and zoomed in on a tall building, using many different modes to try it out.
The other camera was a CAMEDIA C460, just point and shoot, and the pictures, are IMO much better then what I got with this “meant” to be better camera.
Now upclose pictures are a whole new ball game. I can’t get the macro to focus. You press the shutter button down to focus, and using the zoom on my tripod to zoom in from a distance never gets me a focus. I try using A mode, upping the F number, try fast shutter, auto shutter, auto modes. It won’t focus any closer then what looks to be a foot away when compared to the C460.
So, anyone got a 5600 and care to share how I get the camera to focus up close, using macro mode? Some one mentioned that I should perhaps get a macro lens, then I was told to read about DOF, and get the aperture right. Outside is where I’m trying this out, I use auto white balance, and my pictures are not good. They look over exposed sometimes. Yet if I try and change the exposure, they just go too dark. I use 100 ISO, sometimes 200 when outsite, inside I’d use 400. Try and use a home made flash box to get light, but I prefer to work outside when taking pictures as sunlight is free, and a good source of light.
I’m sure I’m doing something wrong. 8 days now, of trying to use this camera, and I’m not impressed. I’d be really grateful for some help…. I know you can’t teach me to take my own pictures, but any advice on how to set this camera up would be welcome. I thank you for your time in reading this…
I’m really struggling to get to grips with a recent camera purchase. I’ve just got a nice deal on a Fuji Finepix S5600 Zoom. It came with a 512MB xD card, and 2500 re-chargeable batteries. The camera wasn’t cheap, maybe a cheap camera for some of the SLR crew, but for me I felt it to be a lot of money. £174 for a camera means I want to learn all I can, problem is, I can’t even get to grips with the basics, never mind about anything more “artistic”. The camera was purchased from a shop I won’t name, but they are not the most honest. I read many reviews, and was impressed with what I read about this model, and when I called the shop I purchased it from, I was assured it was a UK model. It is not. I’ve not got a English manual, a problem I’ve managed to overcome by downloading the PDF file from Fuji US, and not Fuji UK as they will not support the camera, as it was not a UK model.
Anyhow, my main purpose for this camera is to take pictures of small objects upclose. Think, little scale models, but I also wanted to take some nice landscape pictures, and family pictures. Bascially a camera that works well for up close, and for everything else.
I know this is hard to archive with a single fixed lens camera, but the results I’ve been getting with this unit, have, quite frankly been a massive disappointment. I took some pictures of docklands the other day, when at the UK motor show, and when compared to the camera my GF was using, they don’t compare at all. Mine are all washed, lack colour, or not sharp. I used mostly Autofocus, and zoomed in on a tall building, using many different modes to try it out.
The other camera was a CAMEDIA C460, just point and shoot, and the pictures, are IMO much better then what I got with this “meant” to be better camera.
Now upclose pictures are a whole new ball game. I can’t get the macro to focus. You press the shutter button down to focus, and using the zoom on my tripod to zoom in from a distance never gets me a focus. I try using A mode, upping the F number, try fast shutter, auto shutter, auto modes. It won’t focus any closer then what looks to be a foot away when compared to the C460.
So, anyone got a 5600 and care to share how I get the camera to focus up close, using macro mode? Some one mentioned that I should perhaps get a macro lens, then I was told to read about DOF, and get the aperture right. Outside is where I’m trying this out, I use auto white balance, and my pictures are not good. They look over exposed sometimes. Yet if I try and change the exposure, they just go too dark. I use 100 ISO, sometimes 200 when outsite, inside I’d use 400. Try and use a home made flash box to get light, but I prefer to work outside when taking pictures as sunlight is free, and a good source of light.
I’m sure I’m doing something wrong. 8 days now, of trying to use this camera, and I’m not impressed. I’d be really grateful for some help…. I know you can’t teach me to take my own pictures, but any advice on how to set this camera up would be welcome. I thank you for your time in reading this…
