Canon A95 images (was "Yay! My A95 is Here!"

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Ok, after putzing around for a few days with the camera (I was delayed
waiting for my NiMHs to arrive) I've got a few shots for those of you
who wanted to see some samples from the A95. I included a few postcard
sized images with the date stamp on them because someone asked for
those.

http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/a95

Now, most of my "arty" shots were ruined by my lack of experience with
the camera, but what sharp, properly exposed photos I got out of the
camera (that aren't too ugly, like a picture of my shoe, or half of
someone's head) I've posted. I'm just now getting to the point where I
feel comfortable trusting the autofocus and manual flash exposure.

It's a fun little camera. I'll probably use it with the
underwater/waterproof case when I go canoeing this summer.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 02:46:33 GMT, Brian C. Baird <nospam@please.no>
wrote:

>Ok, after putzing around for a few days with the camera (I was delayed
>waiting for my NiMHs to arrive) I've got a few shots for those of you
>who wanted to see some samples from the A95. I included a few postcard
>sized images with the date stamp on them because someone asked for
>those.
>
>http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/a95
>
>Now, most of my "arty" shots were ruined by my lack of experience with
>the camera, but what sharp, properly exposed photos I got out of the
>camera (that aren't too ugly, like a picture of my shoe, or half of
>someone's head) I've posted. I'm just now getting to the point where I
>feel comfortable trusting the autofocus and manual flash exposure.
>
>It's a fun little camera. I'll probably use it with the
>underwater/waterproof case when I go canoeing this summer.

Brian C. Baird,
thanks for sharing some of your pictures taken
with your new A95 & I was the 1 who requested the postcard mode with
the date stamp on because I did not see any in the reviews & wondered
about the text color, size & placement.

I also now have an A95 but have had very little opportunity to
use it due to being too busy with higher priorities. So far I have
only taken about 20 pictures but I am thus far pleased with it, it's a
nice step-up from my A70 & most of the controls/menus are basically
the same other than a few more features.

Looking forward to using the "C" Custom mode to set a manual
focus, WB, zoom & etc. which I will use for pre-focused candid
pictures. Your correct, the AiAF feature is more problematic than
helpful so I have it turned off on my other Axx cameras & have also
set the focus point to center.

Interesting to see that the default ISO is now ISO 50, when
it's not in full auto which they probably did to keep noise down
because they are using the same physical sensor size (1-1/8") that's
used in my 4MP G2 but it now has 5MP in the same space.

Here is a very nice informational write-up about the A80 but
much of it will also apply to the A95, especially item #7:

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/onlinesharing/A80/review/

Thanks again for remembering my request & for leaving the EXIF
data in your posted pictures. This helps me to see what worked for
others & why, which in turn hopefully helps make me a bit better.

Again thanks & best wishes to you with your A95, it won't
compare with your 10D but considering the price & sensor size
difference, it still a great "little" camera when you want to travel
light. 1 last observation, they seem to have lowered the color
saturation levels in "Vivid" mode from that of previous Axx models.
On most of my other Axx cameras, if I left it in "Vivid" mode people's
faces seemed to come out way too pink or even red. Maybe they just
lowered the red channel down a bit but with flash it actually looks
better in "Vivid" mode. As I use it more, if this turns out to be so
& I don't want to bother with post editing, I may just leave it in
"Vivid" mode for most pictures.


Respectfully, DHB


"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <fbcq211t65nde5ff7jfbkekbac48ds3a8d@4ax.com>,
yoda2k@verizon.net says...
> thanks for sharing some of your pictures taken
> with your new A95 & I was the 1 who requested the postcard mode with
> the date stamp on because I did not see any in the reviews & wondered
> about the text color, size & placement.

One thing that happens but you can't see in the photos I took is that
the date stamp is automatically rotated with the camera orientation. So
on portrait shots, the date stamp will still be in the lower right
corner.

> I also now have an A95 but have had very little opportunity to
> use it due to being too busy with higher priorities. So far I have
> only taken about 20 pictures but I am thus far pleased with it, it's a
> nice step-up from my A70 & most of the controls/menus are basically
> the same other than a few more features.

I understand. I've been busy lately, but have had some time in between
projects to "decompress" by chasing the dog around the house with the
new camera.

> Looking forward to using the "C" Custom mode to set a manual
> focus, WB, zoom & etc. which I will use for pre-focused candid
> pictures. Your correct, the AiAF feature is more problematic than
> helpful so I have it turned off on my other Axx cameras & have also
> set the focus point to center.

I don't know what specifically about AiAF causes it to focus on the
background so much. It SOUNDS like a good idea, but in practice I end
up cursing every time the stuff BEHIND the subject is in focus.

> Interesting to see that the default ISO is now ISO 50, when
> it's not in full auto which they probably did to keep noise down
> because they are using the same physical sensor size (1-1/8") that's
> used in my 4MP G2 but it now has 5MP in the same space.

Yeah, the sensor has quite a bit of noise compared to a DSLR, even at
ISO 200. At ISO 400, it's pushing the definition of usability.

> Thanks again for remembering my request & for leaving the EXIF
> data in your posted pictures. This helps me to see what worked for
> others & why, which in turn hopefully helps make me a bit better.

No problem. I'm glad to be of help... for once!

> Again thanks & best wishes to you with your A95, it won't
> compare with your 10D but considering the price & sensor size
> difference, it still a great "little" camera when you want to travel
> light. 1 last observation, they seem to have lowered the color
> saturation levels in "Vivid" mode from that of previous Axx models.
> On most of my other Axx cameras, if I left it in "Vivid" mode people's
> faces seemed to come out way too pink or even red. Maybe they just
> lowered the red channel down a bit but with flash it actually looks
> better in "Vivid" mode. As I use it more, if this turns out to be so
> & I don't want to bother with post editing, I may just leave it in
> "Vivid" mode for most pictures.

I forwent the "vivid" mode for the "low-sharpening" special effect,
which I used for the push-pin shots. While the other photos are
sharpened about as much as they can be in-camera, the low-sharpening
effect lets me balance the amount of sharpening I want without boosting
artifacts or noise too much.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

 

[Larry]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <MPG.1c97605d2b49e22298a79c@news.verizon.net>, nospam@please.no
says...
>
> Yeah, the sensor has quite a bit of noise compared to a DSLR, even at
> ISO 200. At ISO 400, it's pushing the definition of usability.
>
> > Thanks again for remembering my request & for leaving the EXIF
> > data in your posted pictures. This helps me to see what worked for
> > others & why, which in turn hopefully helps make me a bit better.
>
> No problem. I'm glad to be of help... for once!
>
> > Again thanks & best wishes to you with your A95, it won't
> > compare with your 10D but considering the price & sensor size
> > difference, it still a great "little" camera when you want to travel
> > light. 1 last observation, they seem to have lowered the color
> > saturation levels in "Vivid" mode from that of previous Axx models.
> > On most of my other Axx cameras, if I left it in "Vivid" mode people's
> > faces seemed to come out way too pink or even red. Maybe they just
> > lowered the red channel down a bit but with flash it actually looks
> > better in "Vivid" mode. As I use it more, if this turns out to be so
> > & I don't want to bother with post editing, I may just leave it in
> > "Vivid" mode for most pictures.
>
> I forwent the "vivid" mode for the "low-sharpening" special effect,
> which I used for the push-pin shots. While the other photos are
> sharpened about as much as they can be in-camera, the low-sharpening
> effect lets me balance the amount of sharpening I want without boosting
> artifacts or noise too much.
> --
> http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
>
>

From the kind of photos you posted its obvious you "shoot around the house"
like I do when other things dont crop up and gather my attention.

I have found the higher ISOs to be nearly "beyond the realm of usability" (is
that a word?) myself for every point & shoot & "ZLR" type camera I have used.
(currently Fuji S5000, Fuji S7000, Sony F-717, Sony F828, Kodak 6490). I had
a Sony V-1 which I sold (and I wish I hadn't) because of its terribly short
battery life. It was very much a handy camera for these kind of photos. The
V-3 looks attractive BUT its not a "pocket" camera, as they shaped it just
enough like the F-828 (without the rotating body) that it doesnt REALLY fit
any "pocket" I might have available.

I know you only posted those pictures as examples, but having looked at them,
I can tell the A95 is a camera I would gladly add to my arsenal if the
oportunity arises.

I feel your photos prove what I have long held as a philosophy towards
photography:

Dont dwell on what the camera CANNOT do, use it for what it does WELL and get
the most you can from it.


This philosophy has served me well, and kept me satisfied and happy with what
Im using, instead of lusting after more advanced gear.

Thats why I have so many shooters around the house. Each of them does
something well.

The Kodak does a nice job of shooting stuff for family photos to be printed
at 4x6 around the holidays ect. (to much compression in the jpgs for anything
larger) It was bought for the lens, but it isnt suitable for the nature shots
I intended it for because of the jpg artifacting.

Both of the Fuji cameras do a nice job on landscapes in the Autumn and
produce files that can look really nice at 5x7 and 8x10. The "Chrome" setting
on both Fujis does nice stuff with Autumn colors. The "10x" lens ont the
S5000 makes it suitable for wildlife shots whenever I NEED IT.

The Sony 717 is probably the finest all around 5mp camera I have EVER used.
Its downfall is its lack of a "raw" capability.

The 828 was purchased because I loved the 717 so much (not a brand loyalty,
more a "style" loyalty) The 828 does really nice portraiture if everything
is lit properly, and I just avoid setting it up for failure. It also performs
well in the horse show ring when there isnt enough light to use the Fuji
S7000. The shutter lag is short and it focuses quickly. In low light I use
it in manual with a Sunpack 383 flash at f4 shutter at 160 shooting from 20
to 30 feet distance. The laser doesnt seem to affect the horses at all, and
I think they may not see it, unlike cats and dogs, horses dont react to it at
all.

I dont like, and dont use the very expensive (199 (US)) Sony auto flash in
the show ring. For some reason it tends to result in over-exposed shots
regardless of which "auto" mode its using. Its suitable for some thing, but
it doesnt work well where the subject is dark (like about half the horses
tend to be) Im sure it the metering in the camera, but if I go manual I like
the Sunpak better.

I have spent afternoons shooting 'round the yard, and gotten 200 photos, and
I have spent whole afternoons trying to get just ONE good shot of a flower
bud in natural light.

Right now the most likely camera for me to use around the house is a Sony
F828, which usually sits connected to a charger, so its ready to go at any
time I see something I want to get a shot of.

The Sony 717 usually is also ready to go, but since I've gotten used to the
real manual zoom/focus on the 828 its hard to "go back" to the 717 unless I
practice (or use the "auto" modes which negates the practice).

I am currently building a web page where I will be able to post some of my
shots.. I will be sure to put a link to some of my stuff when its ready.

If anyone is offended by my long winded rambling, I apologize, but this
morning I had the time. Im off work, its raining, and neither the cats, nor
the dog are doing anything other than sleeping.

--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.

 

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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 12:11:00 GMT, Brian C. Baird <nospam@please.no>
wrote:


>One thing that happens but you can't see in the photos I took is that
>the date stamp is automatically rotated with the camera orientation. So
>on portrait shots, the date stamp will still be in the lower right
>corner.

Wow that's a simple but impressive little feature that I was
unaware of as I still have not tried that yet due either to time or
weather constraints, it's raining now but it's expected to change to
snow as the temperature drops here in Western MA, USA

>I don't know what specifically about AiAF causes it to focus on the
>background so much. It SOUNDS like a good idea, but in practice I end
>up cursing every time the stuff BEHIND the subject is in focus.

The strange thing is that is exactly what the AiAF is designed
to prevent when somebody takes a picture of a couple & forgets or does
not know to pre-focus on 1 person & then re-frame the shot, people get
a lot of clearly focused background at the expense of their intended
subjects. Canon & others probably need to work on this at bit more.
The main reason I turned off this feature on all of my digital cameras
is because it just seems to add to the needed focus time & will
actually focus on the wrong thing mainly because I pre-focus as
described above as a "good" habit.

>Yeah, the sensor has quite a bit of noise compared to a DSLR, even at
>ISO 200. At ISO 400, it's pushing the definition of usability.

All of my P&S class digital cameras are set to their lowest
ISO, 50 in most cases & I almost never see any need to move it up. On
rare occasions where I do, I use Neat Image which does an impressive
job reducing the image noise. If I know in advance that I will be
shooting in low light then I usually take my DSLR (Digital Rebel/300D)
& yes I do long for some of the missing features, but have learned to
work around most of them & it was within my budget at the time. The
biggest thing I miss & can't do much about, is the lack of a good
screen for manual focus. Seems they addressed that in the new version
but I intend to sit out this 1 & possibly the next generation before
upgrading to a better DSLR.

>I forwent the "vivid" mode for the "low-sharpening" special effect,
>which I used for the push-pin shots. While the other photos are
>sharpened about as much as they can be in-camera, the low-sharpening
>effect lets me balance the amount of sharpening I want without boosting
>artifacts or noise too much.

A good point but I tend to take a lot of candid people
pictures & night shots with existing light only. A tripod & the
camera's built-in "dark frame subtraction" works wonders for that &
the huge DOF that a P&S with a small senor/lens provides is a
blessing. Granted, I am talking of exposures longer than 1 second,
usually from 5-15 seconds long.

As "Larry Lynch of Mystic, Ct. wrote:


>"Dont dwell on what the camera CANNOT do, use it for what it does WELL and get
>the most you can from it.

>This philosophy has served me well, and kept me satisfied and happy with what
>Im using, instead of lusting after more advanced gear.

>Thats why I have so many shooters around the house. Each of them does
>something well."

Thanks Larry,
I feel the same way but things are advancing &
usually improving so fast that's I sometimes give in & buy another
like I did with the A95. However, like you I still use the older
cameras that I still have & like you, they each have their own use to
which they continue to fill nicely. Also, I sometimes give an older
camera to a family member or friend to help get them started in
digital photography. That also helps me "justify" <LOL> a new
toy/camera!

And you thought you were long winded? <LOL>

1 last point, I have spent some of my time building or
converting various electronic motion/proximity detectors for use with
some of my older digital cameras because I am lazy/want to save time &
want them to replace me behind the camera for capturing things like
birds or other critters. This way I can do what I have already done
with video, let the sensors watch for a subject to get in front of the
camera & have it trigger & end a recording.

A picture taken of a bird at the bird feeder with a 2 or 3MP
P&S only 2 or 3 feet away can be as good as 1 taken with my DSLR with
a long telephoto lens from much further away & best of all I don't
need to be there to get the picture. Works great with nocturnal
critters on video with a Near Infrared sensitive camcorder or video
camera & I can get it all while fast asleep! Lazy or efficient?
Probably both! <LOL>

Thank you both for your input.

Respectfully, DHB


"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

 

[Larry]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <k5ir21lu10hosenl7lbvf4gasemt3aumkj@4ax.com>, yoda2k@verizon.net
says...
>
> 1 last point, I have spent some of my time building or
> converting various electronic motion/proximity detectors for use with
> some of my older digital cameras because I am lazy/want to save time &
> want them to replace me behind the camera for capturing things like
> birds or other critters. This way I can do what I have already done
> with video, let the sensors watch for a subject to get in front of the
> camera & have it trigger & end a recording.
>
> A picture taken of a bird at the bird feeder with a 2 or 3MP
> P&S only 2 or 3 feet away can be as good as 1 taken with my DSLR with
> a long telephoto lens from much further away & best of all I don't
> need to be there to get the picture. Works great with nocturnal
> critters on video with a Near Infrared sensitive camcorder or video
> camera & I can get it all while fast asleep! Lazy or efficient?
> Probably both! <LOL>
>
> Thank you both for your input.
>
> Respectfully, DHB
>
>

I solved my "bird" problems 25 years ago by moving where I live!

The birds here are either very trusting or very hungry.

Most of the normally skittish breeds (Titmice & Nuthatches) cna be hand fed
here with very little effort, and the normally not so skittish (sparrows,
chickadees) can be an outright PAIN! (They wont get out of your face if there
is food around.

I havent done much birding with a camera around the house since I went
digital because about the same time I went digital my wife aquired a VERY
large yellow Tomcat, who kills for the fun of it!

I havent filled the bird feeder since the first "MASSACREE!"!

Now he rules the roost, more or less, since he has killed a few adult
squirrels and an adult Screech Owl! (damn cat)

He is getting older now, and only goes out once in a while. When he gets
housebound, Im going back to the birds.


--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <MPG.1c977ca2f178f3a298973e@news.individual.NET>,
larrylynch3rd@comcast.net says...
> If anyone is offended by my long winded rambling, I apologize, but this
> morning I had the time. Im off work, its raining, and neither the cats, nor
> the dog are doing anything other than sleeping.

Sounds like you need to chase them with your camera!
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <MPG.1c97b5d9a8b6c741989745@news.individual.NET>,
larrylynch3rd@comcast.net says...
> Now he rules the roost, more or less, since he has killed a few adult
> squirrels and an adult Screech Owl! (damn cat)

Yoinks! That's one hell of a badass cat - must have an attitude like
the one that beats up on my dog.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/

 

[Larry]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <MPG.1c97f2d4420affc298a7a6@news.verizon.net>, nospam@please.no
says...
>
> Yoinks! That's one hell of a badass cat - must have an attitude like
> the one that beats up on my dog.
> --
> http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
>
>

If you remember Morris the 9 Lives cat, you got the picture of what he looks
like, then add about 25 or 30 % for SIZE (he is a BIG SOB) then add a
"Garfield" attitude when inside the house (he will sit and watch a mouse go
by, then yawn).

Outdoors (where he used to go every day) he tends toward the old Warner Bros.
Tasmanian Devil personna.

I leave him alone and respect him, because he didn't leave my wifes side for
two months except to use the cat box (I even had to bring him his food)
during a long illnes.

Suffice to say, he has his good points.

About beating up dogs... He can knock my 35 pound Beagle smack over with one
swipe of his paw (which he does at LEAST once a day). The beagle doesn't
mind, he thinks the cat owns the house.




--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.