Any good photo people, can you give input on getting the best photos?

As the title says, I think it it might help if we had a small compendium for getting the most out of the Z30 cam in different areas/lightning, and camera settings. As I know very little about photography (haven't taken a photography class since high school over a decade ago and we used actual film), anyone who has some good insight please post up. Things that would probably help would be like a break down like:

Outdoor/Good lighting: Recommendation on settings/how to shoot.
Indoor/ Good lighting: Recommendation on settings/how to shoot.

etc etc. for things like bad lightning, movement shots, distance shots, macro shots, etc. You can post pics of each setup if you would like, to show what the recommended settings/type of shooting can result.

I know a lot of people know how to make great use of the cam (via the post your z30 pics thread) and I just think it might help to have a good resource area for people who are novices to photography (like myself) to make the best out of this amazing phone. :yes:

-Matt :)

HDR mode, outside with natural light and a still comes out great... anything else and eehhh.


Z30 Verizon

I play around with the settings and different camera modes and take a bunch of pictures. I'll delete the ones I don't like and try some other combination. If it's a situation where I don't have the luxury of making adjustments on the fly, I'll take some practice shots before I need to take the real ones. After playing around with the modes and settings, you can get a good idea of what works in various settings. I like to use Time Shift when things are moving in order to capture things at the perfect moment with good focus, but you have no zoom capability in that mode. Don't forget the editing features available to doctor up pics. Again, something I had no idea about until I started messing around with the Camera app and trying things out. I've 'fixed' several pics I was not happy with by using the editing features and have done some pretty cool things to otherwise not-very-good pics. Story Maker is really cool too.

Originally Posted by leehardballer12

Don't forget the editing features available to doctor up pics. Again, something I had no idea about until I started messing around with the Camera app and trying things out. I've 'fixed' several pics I was not happy with by using the editing features and have done some pretty cool things to otherwise not-very-good pics. Story Maker is really cool too.

Yeah, the editing feature works well but you shouldn't have to do that if the camera worked as it should.

Apart from the auto focus issue, I think I got better general shots on my 9900.

I was really hoping my Z30 could replace my Canon point and shoot, but sadly not.

"Z30 STA100-2 UK" Get's a Ten from Fen.

I find, for the most part, the Z30 camera works pretty well. It's no actual camera, but when I did own an actual camera, I never carried it around anyway. It seems outdoor shots with plenty of sunlight come out the best, but I've taken nice indoor shots in low light by playing with the settings and making sure I get a good focus before snapping. It seems the videos come out real nice. However, I did think the Z10 took nicer shots. It's the same camera, so maybe it's me.

I'm not a good photographer, but I've taken a few pictures with my Z10 and Z30.

One important thing to do when taking pictures in low light conditions is to drag the focus window to a dark area of the screen so that you will get more detail in the darker parts of the picture. In the following two pictures, the first one is focused on the white box while the second is focused on the dark area behind the box:


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Something else I've done is to provide a shade over my phone when taking pictures outside - this helps avoid some instances of pictures appearing too dark in some areas and washed out in others.

Posted via CB10

Get a DSLR. And avoid HDR. Mire photos have been ruin using HDR than have been improved. They look like a cartoon.

BB Proud

Normal mode with natural indirect sunlight on close up subjects is my favourite combination. Check my BBMC in the signature :)

Join my photography channel

Originally Posted by sonicpix

Get a DSLR. And avoid HDR. Mire photos have been ruin using HDR than have been improved. They look like a cartoon.

BB Proud

HDR could go either way. Some shots come out great, but others do look a bit cartoonish. I suggest setting the camera to keep the original photo when using HDR mode so that the shot isn't completely wasted if HDR doesnt work out.

Posted via CB10 using my Z30.

I use the white board because it is photo-sensitive (light sensitive)... No flash.
Stabilisation creates a delay, I prefer normal mode and try to hold my camera hand very still.
If the object is in movement, I use the "action" mode or the image/object is blurry.

A secret: Don't tap on the screen to make the shot... This leads to a movement and blurr. I rather use the volume key!!! My preference is the volume down key, because when turn the phone in 4:3 or 16:9 to make portraits, my fingers stay away from the camera. When using the volume up key, sometimes parts of my hand cover the lens and I miss a good opportunity.

Ultimate advice: A photo is nothing without light. Not flash, light! The best is daylight when the sun is not in the sky, say 7-8am or hidden behind the clouds. When the sun shines, try to make the photos so that there is a shadow to the side. Against the sun, the shadow falls in front, so the object is less illuminated. In this case use the flash (manual so it lightens up, not automatic flash that will not start coz of the sun) to compensate that shadow... but if the photo is bad, change the angle.

The best photos are colourful... green and blue are very beautiful in nature...

Take many photos 4-5 at least, there must be one good of them. Dont stay too long adjusting, counting, in front of agroup... say hey, I take some shots... then start to take the photos... I take sometimes 6-7 and the 5th/6th is usable.

1:1 fills the screen up, no distorsions. Very good for near shots, and for later contact-photos/icons
4:3 my preference in portrait
16:9 when I "scan" a part of a. Document, or when the object is very large, seldom in portrait (only horizontal photos).

These are my tips/tricks.


BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

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Photos taken at 8h am
See, I took many, changed the angle. 2 are good, the last one best.

BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

Sufficient lighting is key. Oh and keep the camera still. No shaky hands.

Posted with X10 via CB10

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Photos from same distance, of the same object, about 10h, cloudy morning.
I only changed screen format 1:1, 4:3, 16:9
Notice, best are 1:1 and portrait in 4:3
The portrait in 16:9 shows too much grass in front and 16:9 wide shows a near object I don't want on the photo!
Best photos of this object is 1st and 4th!

As said, make many photos and chose the ones you like!

BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

One of the best tricks I have noticed that works for me (novice camera user) is moving the auto focus box to a place where the camera focus' best before taking the picture.

Posted via CB10 on Z30

Long time photographer here.
Keep in mind the auto exposure system is trying to make whatever it is pointing at appear middle grey in brightness.
So, if your in a dark room and pointing the green target area at a bright light, cam will decrease exposure to get that light a dull middle brightness level, which makes surrounding non lit areas pitch black. If you point at the dark areas, exposure will be boosted to make them middle brightness, making the light source way over exposed. You need to decide what you want the keep the details in...dark or bright areas. our phones do not allow manual exposure adjustments so you must be sneaky. If you want to have some dark details and not blow out the bright areas, try placing the target zone half over the dark and bright areas...makes the system average it out and make more appropriate exposure.



Flicked out via Zed10

Also, try to never use built in flash. It is way too small, low power to make decent photos. Faces will look flat, uninteresting, have red eyes etc.
The editing options in bbos10 are pretty decent. Boosting contrast and saturation to you preference is easy to do.

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Flicked out via Zed10

Originally Posted by Tornado99

Long time photographer here.
Keep in mind the auto exposure system is trying to make whatever it is pointing at appear middle grey in brightness.
So, if your in a dark room and pointing the green target area at a bright light, cam will decrease exposure to get that light a dull middle brightness level, which makes surrounding non lit areas pitch black. If you point at the dark areas, exposure will be boosted to make them middle brightness, making the light source way over exposed. You need to decide what you want the keep the details in...dark or bright areas. our phones do not allow manual exposure adjustments so you must be sneaky. If you want to have some dark details and not blow out the bright areas, try placing the target zone half over the dark and bright areas...makes the system average it out and make more appropriate exposure.



Flicked out via Zed10

Good stuff! All this info from people who know what they are talking about will really cut down on my trial and error! Thanks!

Originally Posted by Tornado99

Also, try to never use built in flash. It is way too small, low power to make decent photos. Faces will look flat, uninteresting, have red eyes etc.
The editing options in bbos10 are pretty decent. Boosting contrast and saturation to you preference is easy to do.

Attachment 290956

Flicked out via Zed10

Yeah, I've learned to never use the flash, even in dark settings. I've never been happy with any pic using the flash....unless the intent is visibility over quality...

Keep your lens clean.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by thurask

Keep your lens clean.

Posted via CB10

LOL!

This wouldn't be so funny if I hadn't fallen victim to it a time or two.

Posted via CB10

Lock the focus box by tapping it when it has focused so that the camera stops trying to refocus when you move or when lighting changes.

You need a lot more than the few instruction you ask for - geez man:talking about the 9900 in the same thread? It's an embarrassingly simple lens with NO focusing ability except the one one fixed point. It's a numpty's camera like the Browny toy cameras they made for kids.