Camera settings ? (Fuji S550)

["YellowBelly"]

Can someone please explain to me about about settings on my camera, I have been taking alot of pictures with no joy. I went to the Malcolm Wilson rally yesterday and took about 100 pictures and all are crap.. .
I dont think its the camera its me.... This picture below is one of the better ones ;D, very maddening when you have walked for miles and been in the forest for 5 hours.



(click on image to make it bigger)

[Chris Gurney]

I dont own a Fuji but by looking at the pic your shutter speed is too slow as to how you make it faster i'd try reading the manual .

["YellowBelly"]

Your wright Chris maybe I should spend some time with the manual...

[Rich]

I have a Fuji S3500. I don't know how it compares to your 550, but do you have a setting on it where by you can select "sport mode", or similar? This optimises the camera for any fast moving subjects by selecting a higher shutter speed as Chris has mentioned, it is also useful for eliminating camera shake,which the above shot could be as the trees are a bit blurred too, not just the moving car.

The angle your shot is taken from will mean you were not able to "pan" the car, ie followed it with the viewfinder and pressed the shutter as it passed while keeping pace with the car , it will have been moving through the frame as you fired in the above shot.also remember to give the camera time to focus etc usually it takes it's readings by half depressing the shutter, when , on mine the green light flashes until it has focused then the light stops flashing when ready. I've had some bad shots by just pressing the button immediately.

This picture was taken with the Fuji in sport mode a couple of years ago at the same event.if you can follow the car it remains sharp but the background blurs, but it gives the impression of speed.

["YellowBelly"]

Cheers Rich very helpful I cant tell you what set up the camera was on at the time, but it has the sport mode. Maybe I need to play with it abit more and try different settings out...

["YellowBelly"]

Another shot from saturday and a little better, just a pity its not a car....

[Rich]

that one is well focused. You can play with the settings these days without the expense of wasting film at least.and you can see your results immediately.

I think these "automatic" cameras can take a bit of getting used to. A couple of tips I was given when using them was concerning exposure and focus.

The camera takes an exposure reading from an average of the whole scene, therefore your subject may appear under or over exposed. For example if taking a picture of a tallship, focus on the waterline, if you focus on the masts, or have too much sky in, the over all setting will be for the brightness of the sky, making the hull of the ship appear under exposed and black.

With focusing, as in a rally where you haven't time to wait the couple of seconds to half press the shutter and allow it to take it's readings on the car, you can, as you hear it approach focus on the track at the point where you want to snap the car, then get the car in view while still holding the shutter release in the half pressed "focus" position. Follow it in the view finder then shoot as it reaches the point you set the camera up on.

You can use the above methods for taking aircraft pictures too, preferably in sport mode.

["YellowBelly"]

cheers Rich, very helpful !!