A question only a newbie would dare ask...

[Christian]

So I just bought the Canon PS Pro 1 and I love it. I realize it's probably way to much camera for me right away, but I don't care I love photography and am having fun learning.

Anyway, I've been taking all my shots at 8MP and while they look great on the LCD screen on the camera when I look at them with my PC software they don't look too great unless I view them at 100% which makes sense to me also. My question is this...I am going to eventually be printing pictures from wallet to 8 1/2'' x 11'' and maybe even more. I realize that for larger pictures, the MP are necessary, but when I print at lower sizes say 4x6, should I just be taking those pics at 4MP? Are they going to come out looking jagged as when I view the 8MP pics at like 15%? Sorry, I hope someone out there understands what it is I'm trying to ask...Basically I want to know if I can take all my shots at 8MP and not worry about jagged edges, etc no matter what size I print the picture out.

One other thing...

I'm trying to learn to manipulate all the features (aperture, shutter speed, etc) and I was playing with the camera and got stumped...I had it in auto mode and took a picture and noted the aperture and shutter speed and then switched it to manual and matched it up, but the pics came out different. The manual mode pic was underexposed in comparison. I checked every other setting I could find, but the result was the same. Any ideas?

Thanks tons in advance...

:cheers:

 

[Poon]

So I just bought the Canon PS Pro 1 and I love it. I realize it's probably way to much camera for me right away, but I don't care I love photography and am having fun learning.

Anyway, I've been taking all my shots at 8MP and while they look great on the LCD screen on the camera when I look at them with my PC software they don't look too great unless I view them at 100% which makes sense to me also. My question is this...I am going to eventually be printing pictures from wallet to 8 1/2'' x 11'' and maybe even more. I realize that for larger pictures, the MP are necessary, but when I print at lower sizes say 4x6, should I just be taking those pics at 4MP? Are they going to come out looking jagged as when I view the 8MP pics at like 15%? Sorry, I hope someone out there understands what it is I'm trying to ask...Basically I want to know if I can take all my shots at 8MP and not worry about jagged edges, etc no matter what size I print the picture out.

The jagged edge you see is caused by the software/hardware on your computer you are using. Have no worry and snap away at 8MP.

One other thing...

I'm trying to learn to manipulate all the features (aperture, shutter speed, etc) and I was playing with the camera and got stumped...I had it in auto mode and took a picture and noted the aperture and shutter speed and then switched it to manual and matched it up, but the pics came out different. The manual mode pic was underexposed in comparison. I checked every other setting I could find, but the result was the same. Any ideas?

Thanks tons in advance...

:cheers:

Though I could think of a few possibilities, I would risk a guess and say that the ISO might be different in auto and manual mode. Trying setting the same ISO for both and see if the problem presist.

 

[khairi]

Viewing if Photoshop? Even if you are viewing in any other software...you will notice that at certain percentages the image will be jagged. when you print it out, it will be ok.

8MP or 4MP? the only difference is detail. Your cam will record more detail at 8MP as compared when at 4MP. If your cam resolution setting is correct, and you know the capability of your sensor...even at 2MP you can print a good A4 size print. For my A80, at the largest resolution at 4MP, I can print (without any editing) at a size of A1 paper (84.1cmx54.9cm) at the default 180dpi.

Manual mode. if underexposed...check the EV...is it minus or plus...for this, actually it'll depend on what you want to take. Do you want to take subjects with motion blur or without? Do you want to freeze the motion or not? Low-light or not? and bla bla bla.

 

[khairi]

oh ya...as Poon had mentioned...check the ISO...forgot abt that. sorry

 

[Ah Pao]

... I realize that for larger pictures, the MP are necessary, but when I print at lower sizes say 4x6, should I just be taking those pics at 4MP? Are they going to come out looking jagged as when I view the 8MP pics at like 15%? ...

...The manual mode pic was underexposed in comparison....

When you view the 8MP pic at 15%, what the software does is linear/"nearest neighbour" scaling, meaning that it simply does a quick discard of pixels to produce a smaller-sized image on-screen (it's a mathematical calculation; your original image is not changed). When it's printed on your printer or at the lab, the computer will do a bicubic scaling instead to calculate a smooth image (again, it's a mathematical thing). So don't worry about taking your pics at 8MP when all you need is a 4R print. The picture will come out with smooth edges.

If you want to resize your pictures for web output, always choose to use bicubic scaling if possible; if not at least choose bilinear.

Scaling method - Pic quality - processing time
* Linear - Low - Fast
* Bilinear - Med - Med
* Bicubic - High - Slow

One advantage of shooting smaller, though, is that it writes faster to your memory card due to the smaller file size, and also able to squeeze more pics into the same card. However, (personlly) I do not recommend shooting your pics at lower res unless you know you are using it only for web publishing. For print, it's good to give more data for the printer to manipulate.

For your manual mode pic, if I'm not wrong, I think the metering mode in M mode (center-weighted) is different from P, Av and Tv modes (evaluative metering). This means that it is often not possible to import the settings directly from the P/Av/Tv modes into M directly and get a perfectly exposed image because the exposure settings for the different modes will be different.

 

[ziploc]

I'm trying to learn to manipulate all the features (aperture, shutter speed, etc) and I was playing with the camera and got stumped...I had it in auto mode and took a picture and noted the aperture and shutter speed and then switched it to manual and matched it up, but the pics came out different. The manual mode pic was underexposed in comparison. I checked every other setting I could find, but the result was the same. Any ideas?
:cheers:

Hi Christian,

You can look at the EXIF data of the pics of the same scene taken in A/S/M modes (so that the lighting condition is about the same), and look out for the metering mode and ISO, aperture and shutter values. If you are not sure on what they meant, try posting up the pics or EXIF data here and we'll be able to help you.

 

[Christian]

WOW you guys are great, thanks for all the awesome input.
And as for my manual/auto problem, it was the ISO. In auto it was set to auto, and in manual it was at 50. When I set the ISO to 200, it took pretty much the exact same shot!

 

[Phildate]

Hi Christian,

Hmmm...why change from Auto mode to Manual mode?? If you are using the same settings then you might as well stay in Auto mode.

I have been taking photos for about three years now and rarely use Manual mode unless I am taking very long exposures or panoramas. I use either the Aperture priority mode (most often) or Shutter priority mode (less often).

Experiment with the Aperture mode - see what happens when you change the aperture and read the Beginner's Guide on the front page for a lesson on Depth of Field. In doing so, I am sure you will make fast progress (like me!)

 

[Christian]

Heh, I was just using that mode to learn more about each changeable feasture. I don't want to get lazy and just switch it to auto mode, you know? I learn more when I do it that way than if I read the manual, although I use that also. I also purchased this book: http://www.shortcourses.com/bookstore/canon/book_canonpro1.htm which is very helpful.

Just my own little way of learning I guess!

 

[Ah Pao]

The best way to learn is still through hands-on experimentation.
Read and apply! Bring your camera for a full-day shoot, and you'll learn much more than reading the book for a full week.

Have fun with your Pro1!