[taylorg292]

I have a Canon IXUS 220 HS but I find the self timer on it awful, it seems to make the photos really poor quality. I have a fashion blog and take outfit pictures for it thus need something with a good self timer, also fairly easy to use as I'm no photographer. I have a budget of about £200, can anyone recommend anything?

[DanBrwn]

Want to show us the kind of pictures you take?

Also, the timer does not make the photos really poor quality. The poor quality must be coming from other contributing factors

[Luxray]

(Original post by DanBrwn)
Want to show us the kind of pictures you take?

Also, the timer does not make the photos really poor quality. The poor quality must be coming from other contributing factors

Most likely the background is blurred and she is in focus like this:

[DanBrwn]

(Original post by Luxray)
Most likely the background is blurred and she is in focus like this:

Well, that narrows it down to every camera ever

[Luxray]

(Original post by DanBrwn)
Well, that narrows it down to every camera ever

Last time I checked my little (now broken) sony cybershot couldnt do it. (think this is it http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Cyber-s...2390470&sr=8-8)

[Daniel_R]

Try Panasonic ones there good

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9300

[DanBrwn]

(Original post by Luxray)
Last time I checked my little (now broken) sony cybershot couldnt do it. (think this is it http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Cyber-s...2390470&sr=8-8)

It has a 50mm lens with an aperture of 2.8, it can do it

[Luxray]

(Original post by DanBrwn)
It has a 50mm lens with an aperture of 2.8, it can do it

There isn't any need to do the eye rolling, its a little condescending.

[DanBrwn]

(Original post by Luxray)
There isn't any need to do the eye rolling, its a little condescending.

Didn't mean for it to be mate. Doesn't look like eye rolling though I thought you wouldn't mind, sorry bud

[Luxray]

(Original post by DanBrwn)
Didn't mean for it to be mate. Doesn't look like eye rolling though I thought you wouldn't mind, sorry bud

Ah no worries, no need for an apology - was a misunderstanding. Anyways what camera would you recommend to the OP. I think a lot of fashion bloggers use the canon 550D but obviously she can't afford that one.

[DanBrwn]

Canon S95, famed for its superb performance. About £240 new but I would go for a refurbished one.

Although I would recommend trying to learn a bit about photography - the basics like camera control and composition. It will improve your photographs no end.

[KCLeblanc]

(Original post by Luxray)
I think a lot of fashion bloggers use the canon 550D but obviously she can't afford that one.

But you probably could get an older Canon DSLR 2nd hand. If you want to get shallow depth of field then a DSLR will be better then a compact.

However I think we first need the OP to come back and clarify the timer thing, it might well be with a few pointers they can get better results without replacing their camera.

[LinzyLoo]

(Original post by taylorg292)
I have a Canon IXUS 220 HS but I find the self timer on it awful, it seems to make the photos really poor quality. I have a fashion blog and take outfit pictures for it thus need something with a good self timer, also fairly easy to use as I'm no photographer. I have a budget of about £200, can anyone recommend anything?

As others have said, it will not be the self-timer which is causing your problem. The quality of the shots should be the exact same. The only thing I could think of that could be going wrong is not focussing on your subject before you press the shutter button, so the camera choses the "wrong" subject to focus on, so your actual subject is slightly out of focus?

(Original post by KCLeblanc)
But you probably could get an older Canon DSLR 2nd hand. If you want to get shallow depth of field then a DSLR will be better then a compact.

However I think we first need the OP to come back and clarify the timer thing, it might well be with a few pointers they can get better results without replacing their camera.

I agree. If you want the foreground (the model's legs) in focus, and the background blurry, you will need to be able to manually control the aperture. Some compact cameras allow this, just had a quick Google and from what I can gather, your camera doesn't have this feature. Also I just did some snooping on photography forums for you and it seems that even with this feature you will still struggle because the sensor on your current camera is too small. You might need a DSLR. So you have a few options.

1) Buy a new camera. If you are serious about your blogging or photography then this might be a good investment anyway. You should look at a cheap, possibly second hand, older model DSLR. I'm thinking Canon EOS 350D maybe but that's just a first thought - you should do your research. A DSLR will allow you complete creative control.
2) Try using your current camera differently. If you want a blurry background, try the close-up/macro mode, or portrait mode. Try and have the subject as close to the camera as possible, and have the background as far away as possible. Try manually chosing your focussing point, if you can.

[jumpingjesusholycow]

I would go for a budget Canon EOS digital SLR.

You can pick up a second hand Canon EOS 350D for around £205 used from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-350D-D...2557131&sr=8-6

Or for a little more (but with better quality), a Canon EOS 1100D for just over £300 from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...&s=electronics



Obviously both these cameras are far more expensive than your average digital compact camera, but it's an investment and the results are far more rewarding and it's much cheaper than a full-blown semi-professional dSLR.

[taylorg292]

Hi guys, sorry I was only just quoted by someone on here so I didn't realise I was getting any response to this thread. This is an example of an outfit post on my blog: http://www.sequinsandbeads.net/2012/...aris-cold.html

These are the best outfit photos I've managed to take with my camera, it appears unless I'm in blinding natural light I just can't get good quality photos. I'm wondering if it's struggling a bit because I'm far away from the camera to get a full outfit shot?

(Original post by LinzyLoo)
As others have said, it will not be the self-timer which is causing your problem. The quality of the shots should be the exact same. The only thing I could think of that could be going wrong is not focussing on your subject before you press the shutter button, so the camera choses the "wrong" subject to focus on, so your actual subject is slightly out of focus?

2) Try using your current camera differently. If you want a blurry background, try the close-up/macro mode, or portrait mode. Try and have the subject as close to the camera as possible, and have the background as far away as possible. Try manually chosing your focussing point, if you can.

The camera doesn't have a remote for self timer so I guess it focuses and then I run into shot which probably doesn't help getting clear quality. I do try all the settings including macro and infinity to try and make shots focus better and it doesn't seem to help. I don't want a blurry background necessarily I just want better quality photos.

(Original post by jumpingjesusholycow)
I would go for a budget Canon EOS digital SLR.

You can pick up a second hand Canon EOS 350D for around £205 used from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-350D-D...2557131&sr=8-6.

This looks like it could be good, would this be a lot more bulky than the IXUS?

[LinzyLoo]

(Original post by taylorg292)
Hi guys, sorry I was only just quoted by someone on here so I didn't realise I was getting any response to this thread. This is an example of an outfit post on my blog: http://www.sequinsandbeads.net/2012/...aris-cold.html

These are the best outfit photos I've managed to take with my camera, it appears unless I'm in blinding natural light I just can't get good quality photos. I'm wondering if it's struggling a bit because I'm far away from the camera to get a full outfit shot?



The camera doesn't have a remote for self timer so I guess it focuses and then I run into shot which probably doesn't help getting clear quality. I do try all the settings including macro and infinity to try and make shots focus better and it doesn't seem to help. I don't want a blurry background necessarily I just want better quality photos.



This looks like it could be good, would this be a lot more bulky than the IXUS?

Yeah I thought that, that's why I quoted you I see what you mean, the first pic does look a bit blurry. I can't see the full-sized photo but if you look at that, is the background more crisp than you are? The Miffy looks quite sharp. It might be that when you press the shutter, the camera focusses on what's there - which would be your wardrobe, then you run into the shot and it doesn't re-focus on you. You could buy a remote if you like, I just bought one on Amazon a few days ago for £11 so they are pretty cheap. If you were taking a picture like the first one on your blog though, you'd see the remote so I dunno if that would bother you. Unlesssssss... you could use it to focus on you when you're already standing there, but also have it set to timer so you could focus on you, then have 5 seconds to throw the remote out of shot? I don't know if you can do that, mine hasn't arrived yet.

Yeah the 350D is quite a bit more bulky than your IXUS. DSLRs are bulky in general and are all pretty similar in size and shape. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though, it comes with a neck strap (so you can sport the tourist look) or you can just put it in your bag. I had the 300D and now have a 450D and never really found it a problem. I tend to keep her (yes she's a her ) in my bag because round you neck it bounces off you as you walk which is SO annoying. Try going to Currys or Jessops and having a play around with it, to see what you think of the size and weight. Obviously buy it online though coz it'll be way cheaper

Alternatively you could have a look at bridge cameras, which is halfway between a compact and a DSLR - you can't change the lenses but you do have more creative control with all the settings. They are kinda halfway in terms of size as well. There are some really good ones out there.

[taylorg292]

(Original post by LinzyLoo)
Yeah I thought that, that's why I quoted you I see what you mean, the first pic does look a bit blurry. I can't see the full-sized photo but if you look at that, is the background more crisp than you are? The Miffy looks quite sharp. It might be that when you press the shutter, the camera focusses on what's there - which would be your wardrobe, then you run into the shot and it doesn't re-focus on you. You could buy a remote if you like, I just bought one on Amazon a few days ago for £11 so they are pretty cheap. If you were taking a picture like the first one on your blog though, you'd see the remote so I dunno if that would bother you. Unlesssssss... you could use it to focus on you when you're already standing there, but also have it set to timer so you could focus on you, then have 5 seconds to throw the remote out of shot? I don't know if you can do that, mine hasn't arrived yet.

Yeah the 350D is quite a bit more bulky than your IXUS. DSLRs are bulky in general and are all pretty similar in size and shape. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though, it comes with a neck strap (so you can sport the tourist look) or you can just put it in your bag. I had the 300D and now have a 450D and never really found it a problem. I tend to keep her (yes she's a her ) in my bag because round you neck it bounces off you as you walk which is SO annoying. Try going to Currys or Jessops and having a play around with it, to see what you think of the size and weight. Obviously buy it online though coz it'll be way cheaper

Alternatively you could have a look at bridge cameras, which is halfway between a compact and a DSLR - you can't change the lenses but you do have more creative control with all the settings. They are kinda halfway in terms of size as well. There are some really good ones out there.

I don't think my IXUS is compatible with remotes sadly I'll probably go and actually see if I like the camera irl like you said...or maybe wait til my blog has more followers before I invest in a nice camera I don't have enough money to justify buying a 'blog camera' and still keeping my IXUS for day to day use, can't imagine taking an SLR on a night out!! Thanks for your help

[LinzyLoo]

(Original post by taylorg292)
I don't think my IXUS is compatible with remotes sadly I'll probably go and actually see if I like the camera irl like you said...or maybe wait til my blog has more followers before I invest in a nice camera I don't have enough money to justify buying a 'blog camera' and still keeping my IXUS for day to day use, can't imagine taking an SLR on a night out!! Thanks for your help

Aww right I thought you'd said that it was an option. I know what you mean, my 300D got stolen when I was in Ecuador and when I got back I could have replaced it but I really couldn't justify the money for how often I used it. I got my 450D coz I was going to the Grand Canyon so I thought it'd be worth it. I got it on Amazon US, coz I was living in America at the time, and it was considerably cheaper than the Amazon UK site for some reason. I got my 300D on eBay though, nothing wrong with doing that either as long as you buy from a reputable seller and make sure it's a SHOP. I had to take mine for repair and it was free because it was an eBay shop and not an auction by a random individual, so bear that in mind. It is a lot of money. Also have a look at the "bridge" cameras because that might be exactly what you're after.

Oh and yeah you really can't take DSLRs on nights out! I just use my phone, luckily the camera on it is amazing anyway so I don't really need another compact.

[jumpingjesusholycow]

(Original post by taylorg292)
This looks like it could be good, would this be a lot more bulky than the IXUS?

Indeed. As other posters have responded, a dSLR will always be far, far bulkier than you're currently used to. You've just got to ask yourself whether it's worth it. It'd be a good investment that'd result in that nice glossy, professional finish that you're after. I would however, weigh up whether you need that and whether it's worth the extensive investment. You can get really nice results from an ordinary compact camera if you know what you're doing, frame your shots right, play with the white balance etc.

[HughTFall]

@taylorg292, for newbie like you, I recommend Canon EOS 600D! Try this one and compare the results with your old camera. You'll definitely see the difference.