I have the S3 already, but I’ve been having problems with it – grainy pictures, and I don’t feel like I have enough control over the settings, among other things I just can’t put my finger on! Should I try to switch to the Olympus Stylus 550UZ? It seems like a good camera. Any opinions?
Tags: 550uz, Better, Canon, Choice, Olympus, PowerShot, Stylus, Which, Would
Categories: Photography Tips
Stick with the S3 and start using a more realistic ISO setting. I shoot mine at 400 most of the time.
The reason you’re getting the grainy look and blur is that at ISO 80 you’re just not giving the sensor enough to work with.
1. Shoot in Program mode, NOT Auto.
2. Choose a higher ISO. 80 is fine if you’re working in daylight. But it’s WAY under what’s needed under almost any other situation.
Don’t worry. The S3 performs very well at the higher ISOs, at least 400.
Sure, the Olympus is great. But save your money. You’ve already got a great camera!
I *adore* the Olympus 550. while they are both good quality cameras you not only get more optical zoom with the Olympus 500 than you do with the S3 IS but you also have a host of other features that the Canon does not.
D
The Olympus has a *very* good macro and super macro setting (the super macro is not a standard feature for most cameras)
If you plan on shooting anything that moves (is sports or children) the Olympus has a feature that allows you to capture two images prior to and after you press the shutter button. This makes sure that you are able to get the shot that you want.
If you shoot a lont of things in low light, it is often hard to see exactly what you are focusing on. The Olympus 550 has a setting that will lighten the scene so you can compose a better image, and unlike the Canon S3 it also allows you to shoot with a superfast ISO (ISO is like film speed for film you put in a camera … 400, 800, 1600 etc) the Olympus goes up for 3600ISO which is fantastic for very low light situations. the high ISo allows you to use a much faster shutter speed, and in return reduces the chance of camera shake while taking the image.
I was working at a camera store when the Olympus 550 hit the shelves, and it was my favorite camera to sell people. I had so many satisfied customers, and even had a few people come back a few days after they bought it to thank me for selling it to them
*Trust* me, you will not be disappointed at all.
If you have any questions at all (or a more detailed reponse) please feel free to e-mail me and I’ll be happy to help you on your search.
Few years back I was evaluating digital camera for a company that wanted to make a education film about digital camera. What I found was that most cameras do very well when in day light situation (55K and plenty of light).
But it seems that only Canon was really good even at all light conditions (indoors, fluorescent light, candle light), etc. I am not talking about grain and such. I am talking about the color quality. It seems that all pictures from Canon always came out as you would expect from a film camera. But most other cameras had some color problems in one light or another.
This is saying a lot from me because I am normally a Nikon DSLR user. It seems that at the high end (DSLR) Nikons (and probably others also) does fine color rendition. But it seems that only canon do a real good job in ALL light condition.
Good Luck.
P.S. If you have grain problems it is probably because you are using too high of ISO setting. That not going to change if change to Oly.
Canon