Quality control RE: Canon
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I didn't mean that they got refurbished or remanufactured products. I was implying that, of one "run" in manufacturing (which I happen to know a lot about), there are some items that may not be up to spec, or for some reason do not pass quality control. Those products are sold at a lesser price to distributors like Wal-Mart and Overstock.com. I even stated that I MAY BE WRONG about NewEgg, I have NEVER purchased from them.
There MUST be a reason for unreasonably low prices.
There MUST be a reason for unreasonably low prices.
Registered User
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I know with computer parts newegg has low prices (in part) because they sell stuff OEM, without any box, instructions and all of the "needless" stuff, if you know what you are doing you won't need that stuff.
They also sell, "no name" brands that sell OK stuff. Like LCD TVs by BOIDF (fake name but you get the picture)
I find that Newegg's prices on name brand stuff is comparable and not "too good to be true". I've found better deals (sometimes) going to Fry's electronics, not sure if you have those where you live though.
They also sell, "no name" brands that sell OK stuff. Like LCD TVs by BOIDF (fake name but you get the picture)
I find that Newegg's prices on name brand stuff is comparable and not "too good to be true". I've found better deals (sometimes) going to Fry's electronics, not sure if you have those where you live though.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Long Island, New York, US
Originally Posted by kadeshpa,Sep 5 2006, 09:15 PM
Are you an experienced photographer? No flame, just wondering since your pictures look fine. Seems like you used the pre-focus function on the camera (where those little green boxes pop up prior to taking the shot). When you do that, the area that has the green boxes will be in focus while others will be out of focus. I think they refer to it as DOF.
Regarding the blurriness, the "bokeh" is along the top in ALL three pics - all three are different kinds of pics. Also, I took that closet pic the exact same way (same settings and all) with the previous S3 and the blurriness was on the bottom right corner, not the top. I took multiple shots just to be sure and every single time, the previous S3 produced blurriness down and right and the second S3 produced it up top every time. The camera is the variable here, I'm pretty sure.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Long Island, New York, US
Originally Posted by WarrenW,Sep 6 2006, 12:47 AM
I agree. What you are seeing is the effects of 'auto everything'. Personally, I HATE auto focus, auto iris (aka exposure), auto white balance, etc. I NEVER use auto anything, only manual controls. I'll decide what I want in focus, how much exposure there should be, etc.
This subject is far too complicated to get into on here, but if you do a search on "depth of field" on a search engine, you'll find an explaination for why some parts of the image is in focus and other parts are not.
When you use the auto focus (or any 'auto' feature), that sensor uses the center of the viewfinder to create that setting. for instance, if you are shooting a subject that is outdoors (let's say a person) and that person is 20ft away but you have a tree branch with leaves hanging down in the upper right corner that's 10ft away, the camera will make sure what is in the center of the frame (the person) is in focus. It won't bother with what's in another part of the frame, thus the branch and leaves will be out of focus. This is what is known as "selective focus". Your exposure (iris setting, expressed in 'F stops') will also effect depth of field.
Like I said, this a complicated subject. Perhaps a book on photography or an introductory class at photography store would help.
BTW, here is an example of selective focus that is created with a camera with manual focus, and manual iris (probably at F1.7 or so for a shallow DOP):
You can't create this much DOP with an 'auto everything' camera, but you see how the photographer can select what he wants in and out of focus with manual controls.
Hope that helps.
Warren
This subject is far too complicated to get into on here, but if you do a search on "depth of field" on a search engine, you'll find an explaination for why some parts of the image is in focus and other parts are not.
When you use the auto focus (or any 'auto' feature), that sensor uses the center of the viewfinder to create that setting. for instance, if you are shooting a subject that is outdoors (let's say a person) and that person is 20ft away but you have a tree branch with leaves hanging down in the upper right corner that's 10ft away, the camera will make sure what is in the center of the frame (the person) is in focus. It won't bother with what's in another part of the frame, thus the branch and leaves will be out of focus. This is what is known as "selective focus". Your exposure (iris setting, expressed in 'F stops') will also effect depth of field.
Like I said, this a complicated subject. Perhaps a book on photography or an introductory class at photography store would help.
BTW, here is an example of selective focus that is created with a camera with manual focus, and manual iris (probably at F1.7 or so for a shallow DOP):
You can't create this much DOP with an 'auto everything' camera, but you see how the photographer can select what he wants in and out of focus with manual controls.
Hope that helps.
Warren
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Queens, NY
Try taking a pic of that newspaper with more light, get the light level up to at least an F5.6 (f8 would be better) and get a 10 feet away. Put the camera on a tripod and tape the newspaper to the wall then take a picture and see what happens.
Also, you have 3 Physics books on that middle shelf. Dust them off and crack them open, I'll bet at least one of them will explain DOP.
Warren
Also, you have 3 Physics books on that middle shelf. Dust them off and crack them open, I'll bet at least one of them will explain DOP.
Warren
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Queens, NY
Originally Posted by SiDriver,Sep 6 2006, 01:49 AM
Also, I took that closet pic the exact same way (same settings and all) with the previous S3 and the blurriness was on the bottom right corner, not the top.
I'm willing to bet that your iris was all the way open, maybe F1.7 or so. If you had enough light where you could set it at F8, you'd have a deeper depth of field, or you might say a wider focus lattitude. However, a wider focus lattitude leads to a flatter image, one that's dull and lifeless.
As you get more experienced with photography, you'll be able to use a shallow depth of field to your advantage, to create something more artistic. In this photo, the photographer used exposure, camera-to-subject distance (being far away and zooming all the way in) and depth of field to draw the viewer's attention to a specific part of the image.
Okay, lesson over. Now go experiment for yourself.
Warren
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,892
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From: Southern Cali
Just like what others have said, I think your camera is fine. Just because you do not have a DSLR doesn't mean you can't take pictures with DOF. At my job I use a Canon S2 and I often use a large aperature to make the pictures a little more interesting. Good luck and learn how to use your camera.
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Cherry Hill, NJ
Originally Posted by Incubus,Sep 5 2006, 10:42 PM
I didn't mean that they got refurbished or remanufactured products. I was implying that, of one "run" in manufacturing (which I happen to know a lot about), there are some items that may not be up to spec, or for some reason do not pass quality control. Those products are sold at a lesser price to distributors like Wal-Mart and Overstock.com. I even stated that I MAY BE WRONG about NewEgg, I have NEVER purchased from them.
There MUST be a reason for unreasonably low prices.
There MUST be a reason for unreasonably low prices.
I've bought tons of stuff from Newegg, and all of it is exactly the same as if I bought it from Best Buy or Circuit City, except cheaper.
Newegg are not the cheapest vendor. There are many others that sell at a lower price, but I don't trust them to deliver what I ordered when I want it.
Any 'seconds' kind of products will be clearly marked as such.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Long Island, New York, US
Originally Posted by HyperDimensions,Sep 6 2006, 02:06 AM
Just like what others have said, I think your camera is fine. Just because you do not have a DSLR doesn't mean you can't take pictures with DOF. At my job I use a Canon S2 and I often use a large aperature to make the pictures a little more interesting. Good luck and learn how to use your camera.