On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:33:46 -0800 (PST), RiverMan wrote:
> Thanks to everyone for your response! I never thought that question
> would generate that much interest. I finally settled on the SX10 and
> am now the proud owner! Bought it at Best Buy for $359.00 plus another
> $15 for a 4Gb card.
>
> So far I am quite happy... this camera seems very complex after using
> a Kodak EasyShare but the pictures and phenomenal! I am trying to
> study my manual a few pages at a time and making some progress. This
> camera is not that user friendly and you really have to have the
> manual nearby.
Congratulations, it's a very nice camera. The first comparable
camera I bought (Fuji's S5100 in 2004) was similarly complex.
Unlike the Canon Powershot S1 & S2 I bought several years earlier,
it took a while before I could get it to do what I knew it was
capable of doing unless I had a manual nearby. Practice and
re-reading make perfect, and those that don't, soon hear "RTFM!"
> One thing I either have not figured out or is a flaw in the camera
> (probably me) is when trying to shoot video in lower light I found the
> focus goes in and out over and over. I will have to do some more
> research I suppose
A quick look in the PDF manual turned up something on page 90,
explaining how to get AF lock before or while shooting movies by
pressing the MF button. You can also use the [+/-] button to get AE
lock. Most P&S cameras hunt in dim light or when they can't find
anything with sufficient contrast or sharply defined vertical or
horizontal edges. If you want to take a picture that has a lot of
fur, hair or smoke, try focusing on something else that's close and
about the same distance from the camera. DSLRs focus much more
quickly and accurately in dim light because they don't use the
contrast detection method used by P&S cameras, but even they'll hunt
a bit depending on the light, the subject and the lens used.
There's also a comment on page 92 that indicates that while
shooting movies you can simultaneously (sort of) take still pictures
by half-pressing the shutter button to focus and then you press
fully to take the picture. Perhaps the half-press might help deal
with the focus hunting? And if you don't actually take the still
shot you probably won't see a short interruption in the movie that
usually comes with taking stills. Can't guarantee that this will
work, but it's worth a try.
I just discovered something interesting on page 190. Sound only
recording is possible for up to two hours at a time, with space for
up to just over 50 hours on an 8GB card. That's much better than
the max. 4 hours of audio that would fit on the same card using
320x240 movie mode. For long recordings you'd probably want to get
Canon's Power Adapter or a similar one from Radio Shack.
> Anyways... Thanks for the help!
>
> -=] RiverMan [=-
>
> You can see some examples of my sx10 picture's at:
>
> http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...albumId=455347
> and
> http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...lbumId=2144775
>
> The SX10 shots are the last pics on those two pages. are marked as
> such and were taken in Auto mode.
You're welcome. Nice pictures, both pre and post SX10. I'll bet
they induce more smiles than the pix most other people put online.
A happy new year to you, Sneaky and your other pals!