Any FinePix Tips??

M

MissPink

Messages
18
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi guys, I just joined the other day.
I have a fuji finepix jz100, very basic point & shoot but has a lot of integral features that do the work for me. It also has a manual If i'm feeling more creative & want more control..
However..
I've had the camera since April last year, & i'm struggling to get anything mor efrom it. Ive googled to see if there are any finepix clubs...tips.. any ways to get more OOMPH. By that I mean.. I can set to iso 100, but it barely catches running water, & I can never get the "frozen" look. Another hitch, I can either set to night mode (tripod) to preset automatically to the very lowest shutter speed & manually set to ISO 100.. But can never get light trails.
I've read & re read & bought so many books, but can't do it !! :crying: It just.. blurs. without the trails.. and runnign water.. still looks like just water, even on tripod at the lowest, slowest aperture??

Where am I going wrong??

Im beginning to think its a camera upgrade, I don't want to sound like a bad tradesman blaming his tools :bang:but It does fab portraits, ..fab macro.. just can't get anything that requires more punch.
Other creative aspects im quite stuck, & end up using editing software.

Something as simple as bokeh... its there.. just .. not as great as Bokeh should be, when I try this too.

Any ideas guys?? my camera cost me £100 at the time is now £75. again lol Im not trying to blame cheap equipment :eek: rather than my talent/ lack of/ inability after nearly a year to get any light trails/ no water shots "frozen"/ have to edit to get bokeh...

* take deep breath* But if a camera upgrade is needbe, let me know. I;ve seen a nixe fuji x100 I would like to save up for.. but if its me, & you have cheapy finepix & can get the above effects- let me know how :LOL:

cheers guys & gals x
 
Last edited:
Nobody?? :shrug:Noticed other posts after mine got 20 odd replies, tough topic, or maybe I really am too amateur for here? .. am I in the wrong forum?? I came here as I was told talk photography was more friendly & open, & not so snobby & elite like other forums can be.
 
Last edited:
Hi for both the things you are talking about light trails and "milky" water you need to be able to slow the shutter speed right down 1 sec plus for milky water and 10 -20+ for light trails, i'm not sure the camera you have has that function. As for bokeh i think you'll struggle with a compact as small sensor = large dof i.e a lot in focus evem at small f numbers, and be patient people will answer just give em time
 
An awful lot of the "frozen" (I assume you mean milky as Andrew mentioned, not droplets suspended in midair!) water pics are taken using neutral density filters, which are darkened glass filters that screw onto lenses. These have the effect of allowing you to use slower shutter speeds than normal, while still maintaining correct exposure. Unfortunately it's not easy to attach an ND filter to a point and shoot camera, as they lack the appropriate screw thread (usually, some like my Canon A590IS have an adaptor tube available that allows filters to be screwed on).

Light trails and bokeh are more than likely to do with small sensor again as Andrew mentioned, but I'm pretty sure when I had my Fuji bridge camera's I could get reasonably okay light trails using slow shutter speeds, so don't hold me to it. For bokeh, your best bet is to isolate your subject by using maximum zoom and minimum aperture number, but this isn't always practical.

Also, you'll probably get more replies in time, this forum is massive, so it takes a while for them to appear ;)
 
It would be worth joining a couple of flickr groups dedicated to a similar camera
http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=finepix
Firstly you can see what other manage to do with theirs, and secondly the discussion section is often surprisingly useful.
For the Neutral Density filters mentioned above, you could buy a cheap set of square 'Cokin P style' on ebay for less than £20.
On an SLR these would be attached to the front of the lens with a special holder, but you can get by with a compact simply holding in front of the lens - or secure with elastic band.
You don't need spend much to play about and maintain your interest.
 
Last edited:
thanks for all replies.. appreciated. I'd read a few scary posts on here from members who were pish poshing people with point & shoot cameras, I do appreciate that its cheap & could be better, but every one has to start somewhere,& not everybody is blessed with money. I just wanted the hang of a camera,to get started on the rung somewhere.. I moan about this a lot but the I was recommended the camera by an assistant in Jessops, & afterwards did feel undermined quite a bit than what I asked for & was prepared to pay.
I might be a little fish, but I got big ambitions, & got my eye set on a nice £800 Fuji x100,
I believe that the skill is also in what the person has in their hands, than a person with £1000 equipment looking down at someones work just because equipment cost 1/10th of what they paid- part the art is what the person holding the camera sees, the way they manipulate the light, what they do with the image & world around them..

Milky .. I think thats what I was getting at, I'd read several terms ;)

I will keep battling & showing that I can pack out the best pictures by using manual on what some of you may call a point & shoot crappy camera, & in mean time save up for that DSLR that will let me attatch lens & allow even more manual control, at the moment I can't alter the AF or F-stop & lowest iso just isn't enough,

Thanks for resolving the problem guys :)
 
Last edited:
More often than not people just look at your output without caring about the gear... I know how it looks tho, but that's the internet for you ;)

Also, there's no such thing as a crappy camera... Unless it's attached to a phone :D
 
MissPink said:
I will keep battling & showing that I can pack out the best pictures by using manual on what some of you may call a point & shoot crappy camera, & in mean time save up for that DSLR that will let me attatch lens & allow even more manual control, at the moment I can't alter the AF or F-stop & lowest iso just isn't enough,
Click to expand...

Good for you and welcome aboard Miss P (y)

If it helps, it was my little FinePix that first got me into photography and brought me to this site (and I still use it. It's a perfect handbag sized camera to keep with me day to day)

Yes these cameras do have limitations as you're finding - and it was those same limitations in terms of creative shots that pushed me to upgrade to a DSLR. On a positive note though, as a learning tool I found that having to push myself to work around the camera's limitations actually gave me a far greater understanding of what all the settings did than if I'd started learning with a more advanced camera ;)

Stick with it while you're saving for your DSLR and post some of your photos up here for feedback. There are plenty of people who'll help you to improve and advise on what you could do differently within the limits of your equipment.
 
Miss P it is the the drive and determination of people like yourself, with minimal equipment, that humbles me when I feel less inspired with my own photography efforts. Fair play to you and I hope you stick with it and stun us all with yor photographs when you finally get that long awaited DSLR. Good luck to you and enjoy......
 
Nothing wrong with a half decent compact, I love my Canon powershot and also had a finepix A203 as a first digital.
 
Hi Misspink - sometimes you need to work a bit to get over the limitations of a small compact.
Don't know the JZ100, but I have two Fujis (S100FS bridge and F550 p&s)
There is a site specifically for Fuji (myfinepix) that may be of help.
The Forums are packed with info and there is also a model search.

I would not go out to get light trails or silky water with the compact, but if the situation did come up, manual* would be the best control option.
For water, go on a dull overcast day, or late/early to get the longer shutter speeds.
For light trails, you may need to stick on a ND (if no screw threads use blue tack, tape etc)
I believe the max shutter speed is 8 Sec? and this SHOULD give you good water shots.
IMHO its a bit short for light trails, but not impossible.

Its all really a case of knowing the camera you have and pushing it to the max.

*did you mean it has a manual setting or you have a paper manual?

hope this helps
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top