I Need your Help with My Canon

[AMG]

Dears,

I've Canon IXUS 960 IS camera, it's a very good point and shoot cam. the problem is that i can't focus on some one and make the background blur. i've been tring everything. please help. i'm starting to doubt that i can do such things with point and shoot cam.

[Colin Southern]

Hi AMG,

What you're wanting comes from what's called a "shallow depth of field". To get that you'll need to over-ride the camera's automatic controls so that you get an aperture that's as wide as possible (ie the lowest F number - probably around 3.5 at a guess for your camera).

Also - if you can get your subject a bit further away from your background it helps.

There was a similar thread a few weeks ago that you might like to have a read of ...

Help with Portrait photography

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Colin - pbase.com/cjsouthern

[Colin Southern]

PS: It's a "Canon", not a "Cannon" ... a Cannon is one of those things that fires balls of steel across a battlefield!

[AMG]

PS: It's a "Canon", not a "Cannon" ... a Cannon is one of those things that fires balls of steel across a battlefield!

thanx for the tip , I knew I have to zoom in and increase the aperture, but the only problem is i can't override the camera controls, i think becuase the IXUS series doesn't offer a manual control over the aperture size , so is there any work around

[Colin Southern]

Hi again,

"Zooming in" doesn't really work because the more your zoom in, the more you have to step back to get the same field of view - and the two cancel each other out.

I'm sorry that I can't help you with the actual camera - I've never used an Ixus - however, most have both automatic and program modes, and in program mode you can usually override things like aperture. Might pay to have a good read of the manual.

If all else fails, consider upgrading to an SLR type camera where you can have full control over everything ...

Hope this helps.

[AMG]

Hi again,

"Zooming in" doesn't really work because the more your zoom in, the more you have to step back to get the same field of view - and the two cancel each other out.

I'm sorry that I can't help you with the actual camera - I've never used an Ixus - however, most have both automatic and program modes, and in program mode you can usually override things like aperture. Might pay to have a good read of the manual.

If all else fails, consider upgrading to an SLR type camera where you can have full control over everything ... I took this portrait of my daughter with my SLR the other day ...

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Colin - photo.net/photos/colinsouthern

thank you very much for your help. if you could recommend a certain camera model in the SLRs i'll be very grateful.

nice shot by the way

[Colin Southern]

Hi AMG,

I'd love to recommend a camera - but it depends on many things like the types of shooting you'll be doing - the types of lenses (and other equipment) that you'll need - and the amount of money that you're able to spend.

It could be anything from a few hundred dollars to $50,000 dollars or more. If you're serious then tell us more about the types of shooting you'd like to do, and an approx budget, and we'll try to help.

[AMG]

Dear Colin,
the type of shooting i would like to do, that i don't know. what i know is that i want to move to the next level.. first i was more than satisified with my canon ixus but now as you can see i want more.. (i can't do the blur thing with my cam for example). and as you said there is lots of shooting types. i don't know what they are but i can tell you what i love to do and you can say which type they fit in.
i love shooting people, animals, sports, .. i don't know the list will go forever..i love to see the world through the lens
regarding the budget i will have about 1000$ to 1200$.

you can check my gallery on NGEO, i could use some advice

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/gallery/113620

[Colin Southern]

Hi again AMG,

It can sure be confusing when you first contemplate the jump into SLR territory. Some thoughts that spring to mind that might help ...

1. There are two main manufacturers - Canon and Nikon. Although there are other manufacturers, these two have the widest range of lenses available - and there will be more people using cameras from these two manufacturers that you can get specific advice from than all the others put together.

2. Don't blow your entire budget on the camera - you're also going to need one or two lenses - and other basics like tripods or perhaps a flash can make life a LOT easier as well.

3. Don't get sucked in to thinking you have to buy the latest and greatest (unless you have money to burn) - older cameras don't suddenly start taking poorer pictures just because a newer model has been released - in many cases the very latest models really don't offer anything compelling.

4. Personally, I'm a big fan of older cameras like the Canon 20D. Unlike entry-level cameras like the Canon 350D, 400D, or 450D, the 20D is from the advanced amateur / pro-sumer lineup (far more solid construction - better ergonomics) - built like a tank - and for the most part they just seem to "keep on keeping on". You'd be able to pickup a 2nd hand one of these (or even a Canon 30D) well within your budget - and still have enough left over for a couple of lenses (probably start with the kit lens and add a zoom like the 75-300 mm). (there's a still quite a few shots in my gallery that were taken with the 20D - and it's even been used (and continues to be used) professionally by many a wedding photographer.

That's about all that comes to mind for now - probably best if you can just ask specific questions as they come to mind, and I'll do my best to help.

[shreds]

I notice a number of underwater shots in your gallery. Are these shots of fish etc in a tank or do you go scuba diving? This could well affect your choice (and budget).

A lot of people upgrade equipment on a regular basis, so if you can find a good source of secondhand equipment, you will get a better deal, even more so if you can pick it up from a local camera club or pro who is upgrading. Of course these will not come with the same guarantees as new equipment and may not have a guarantee at all, but what you save more than covers this.

Any secondhand kit should be seen and tested first, I am suspicious of a lot of stuff on places like ebay. Make sure that there are no scratches on the lens, (back and front glass), no dust on the sensor and that the focussing is smooth and grit free.

My recommendation in the Nikon camp would be a D200, a perfectly capable solid semi pro DSLR, (I still utilise a body as a backup in my kit). There are also a wide range of Nikons in the D40-90 ranges but these will be less robust, but smaller bodies. On the Canon front, the just eclipsed 5D (by the 5DII) will have a lot of owners upgrading, so their value will have fallen recently and there will be a good choice of secondhand models.

Of the lenses, I would agree with Colin that you need to keep something back for a spare one or two to cover a fairly wide range, but lenses that come as part of a kit can often try to be 'all things to all people' which isn't always good and inevitably are a compromise. Maybe a wide-standard lens and a standard-telephoto combo would be good.

Let us know what you have been looking at then call back for a bit more advice?