Digital Photos from Moving Cruise Ship

[lindalo5032]

I have a Canon A95 digital camera. In the past I have just used the Automatic setting. Can anyone tell me how to get the best shots from a moving cruise ship or train, so the pictures won't be blurry? I know there is a setting on the camera for when the object being photographed is moving, but what if I am moving and the subject is still? In addition to that setting, would you change it according to whether the weather is cloudy or sunny? Thanks for your input :)

[Frequentfloater]

I have a Canon A70, and know your camera's layout / abilities well. This series can take some amazing pictures, and be as automatic or manual of a camera as you would like.

 

The automatic setting will do just fine for what you are asking about, as long as you are truly still. Most people move the camera itself, just pushing the button to take a picture. Then they blame the camera for taking blurry photos. You do have to make sure that you press the shutter button halfway down first (of course), to let the camera focus, measure light, and make adjustments. This will greatly affect the picture, as well as the focus factor.

 

I have taken hundreds of pictures from a moving ship, helicopter, trains, cars, etc.. and the automatic setting works great. However, you can choose an easier route, by using the sports setting. This is the "runner in motion" setting on your dial, and speeds up the shutter for faster action photos. This will give you an edge for faster moving objects, or if you happen to be moving as well. Any mode you use beyond automatic, will also allow you to choose the lighting conditions, and other settings.

 

There is another, more advanced mode, "TV" which allows you to slow down the shutter to 15 seconds for dark settings, or speed it up to 1/2000 of a second for really fast moving objects or needs. The catch is: Slower speeds let in alot more light, and allow you to take pictures in low to no light, but a tripod will be needed to keep it still. The super fast shutter speeds require alot of light, since the shutter is open for such a brief period of time... so, this better be a well lit subject for extremely fast shutter speeds.

 

The fast action setting works really well for most situations needing a faster shutter speed though, until you want to really start experimenting with all the options.

 

There are some examples below...

 

These 3 were taken using automatic mode from a helicopter in St. Thomas:

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/Web%20Pics%20-%20Honeymoon/Helishot%202.jpg

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/Web%20Pics%20-%20Honeymoon/Helishot%208.jpg

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/Web%20Pics%20-%20Honeymoon/Helishot%2016.jpg

 

The next 2 fireworks pictures were taken at Disney, using the fast action, sports setting on the camera:

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/misc%20disney%202004/Untitled-107.jpg

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/misc%20disney%202004/Untitled-109.jpg

 

The last 2 pics at Disney, were taken by slowing the shutter speed down with the "TV" setting. These were in very low light conditions, but you can't tell by the picture:

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/misc%20disney%202004/ep2/Untitled-45.jpg

 

http://www.kennydrew.com/epcot%202004/Untitled-34.jpg

 

Many more pics at: http://www.kenandschley.com/

 

I hope this helped, atleast a little! :)

 

Kenny

[mhshapiro]

As Frequentfloater has noted the automatic setting should work well provided there is enough light. I've taken lots of pictures from moving cruise ships and tour buses without a problem using the auto setting on my Canon S45. The camera generally will select a fast enough shutter setting to avoid blurring. If the light level is low, try setting the ASA level to 200 if you can. That will guarantee a fast shutter speed.

[lindalo5032]

Thanks so much to both of you! I really appreciate your input! :)

[zackiedawg]

As mentioned already, the shutter speed generally should be faster when either you or the subject is in motion.

 

The shutter speed can be set manually on your camera using either the Tv (shutter priority) or M (manual) modes. With any camera, the shutter speed will usually be represented in seconds or fractions of seconds. So if the shutter speed setting is 1/100, that is a hundredth of a second. To make the shutter slower, move to 1/60, 1/30, 1, 3, 5, 10, etc. To make the shutter faster, move to 1/200, 1/400, 1/600, 1/1000, etc. As a general rule, the slower the shutter, the more you can take a picture in low light, but also the more steady you and the camera have to be. Faster shutters allow you to catch things in motion well, but require good light as the shutter snaps open just for a brief moment.

 

The other functions of a camera to know are the Aperature and ASA/ISO. The aperature is what it sounds like...it is the size of the opening that lets light through from the lens to the sensor. The aperature number is represented in "F" stops. The bigger the aperature, or F, number, the smaller the opening and therefore the less light that gets through. And the lower the F number, the more light that gets through.

 

So, when shooting at a higher shutter speed in lower light, make sure your camera has chosen the smallest aperature possible to get the most light. You can set the aperature in manual mode, or you can just half-press the shutter in Tv mode and make sure you see a low number (your camera likely has a maximum aperature of something like F2.0 - 2.4). Typical digital camera aperatures run from a large of (F2.0) to a small of (F8).

 

Finally, the ASA or ISO. In film cameras, this was the sensitivity of the actual film. Films with a higher ISO/ASA number were typically more sensitive to light, and therefore allowed faster shutters or could shoot in lower light. Films with lower ISO numbers allowed slower shutters to absorb detail and color, but required much better lighting and would blur when shooting moving subjects. Since there is no film in a digital camera, the ISO mimmicks the performance of film with the same value - ISO 64-100 for more detail and righness, and ISO400-800 for lower light or faster shutter work. Typical ISO/ASA range on compact digital cameras would be from ISO64 to ISO800. The tradeoff for higher ISOs is that you will get more noise, or graininess, in your pictures. This may not be noticeable at ISO200, but at ISO400 or 800 you will definately see this graininess in your pictures.

 

Your best bet would be to move the camera's ISO to 200, which should still have reasonably noise-free results, then enter Tv (shutter priority) mode and choose the fastest shutter that the camera will handle for that lighting (the nice thing about digital cameras is that you will see on your LCD screen if the shutter you choose will make the shot too dark). The camera will likely choose the largest possible aperature to compensate. If the scene looks too dark even at the largest aperature, then move the shutter speed slower in increments until the shot brightness looks best.

[JLPinAboat]

just to add a little to what was already said...

 

the easiest way to get the fastest shutter speed that will work is to set the camera in Aperature priority mode. This way the camera takes the ISO you choose and uses that in conjunction with the Aperature you set (set it as low as possible) and sets the shutter to the fastest possible shutter speed that will give the proper exposure. Using shutter priority will allow you to get a fast shutter speed that you pre-select, but using Aperature will guarantee the fastest one you can use given the shooting conditions.

 

Also, you might try to go higher up on the ISO. Depending on performance, the camera will no doubt shoot well at 400, and possibly at 800 depending on the light. You might be surprised at the outcome, even as high as 1600 (or higher!). Just shoot some around the house in various conditions and experiment. Also, if you have the time and storage, shoot at different settings. You can always go back and delete the extras later.

 

One more note, if you do change the ISO, make sure you go back later and drop it back down. You will no doubt kick yourself when you take pics on a bright sunny day and find that you had a drop in quality due to your ISO being up at 1600. (keep it as low as possible as conditions permit)

 

hope this helps.