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Z850
- Thread starter randytro
- Start date
thx for the links, those pics prove that this review is wrong:
http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Casio-Exilim-EX-Z850-Review/Testing--Performance.htm
ezeepeezee
Forum Enthusiast
I am primarily a sunny day picture taker,so to me the Fuji is a non starter as its outside performance is easily beaten by the Casio.I take the odd flash picture,Ebay mainly and always leave on ISO 50 so high ISO quality never concerns me.I now have my trusty Gorillapod--great item.I can even stick it to the trunk of a tree without legs wrapping around tree as its grip is that good on things.
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there are no angels on earth,all the angels are in heaven.
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there are no angels on earth,all the angels are in heaven.
GCTHawk7
Active member
I actually find the night-shots to be very good. Some reviews bash them to an extent that they really don't deserve. I think the Digital-Camera-Resource review had a bad camera or something, because I couldn't even dream of getting such horrible shots. I find that at ISO 50, and around a 20 second shutter speed, it captures very nice and satisfying nightshots.
I've got no complaints, except for the times it decides to use 1600 ISO; luckily, you can manually pick your ISO.
I've got no complaints, except for the times it decides to use 1600 ISO; luckily, you can manually pick your ISO.
Yes, I used best shot night scene and saw ISO 1600, very noisy.
I chose ISO 50 and set the camera on a solid surface, I set the timer for 2 seconds and pushed the button for focus then engaged the timer.
The night shots are exceptional as long as you keep the camera stationary in this kind of manner.
I chose ISO 50 and set the camera on a solid surface, I set the timer for 2 seconds and pushed the button for focus then engaged the timer.
The night shots are exceptional as long as you keep the camera stationary in this kind of manner.
The big difference is the iso setting I think. The z850 will do iso 800 and iso 1600, but the noise reduction algorithm in the camera is a joke--they are really nasty pix when enlarged at all. If you compare the z850 iso 50 shots to, for example, F30 iso 50 shots, the z stacks up well--probably better. However, as noted in posts here, to use iso 50 or other low isos in low light or at night without flash, you've got to go to long shutter speeds. With a tripod or brace, that may be fine. However, since the F30 has pretty acceptable grain even in iso 800 and iso 1600, it is capable of taking similar low light shots at shutter speeds that can be (carefully) hand held. That's the difference. You can't do the low light hand-held shots with the z unless you put up with truly awful noise/grain. On the other hand, I don't believe you can manually set the shutter on the F30, so you probably can't get as good low light tripod pictures at lower isos no matter what.
There is a post here somewhere about using custom bestshots to get iso 800, 1600, and even 3200 from the z without the built in noise processing. I've tried this, and it really is amazing--you can get acceptable grain even at iso 1600. Using this method, I think the z850 is almost equal to the F30 in getting low light hand held pictures...but it's a bit of a hassle to set this up. The poster had BS jpe files you could use, but as I recall, he used a white balance setting on the iso 1600 and 3200 that made the pix orangeish. I modified them to get rid of that setting, and they work well that way. It's not too much trouble to use BS to shoot in low light, but it's a shame Casio didn't have better (or perhaps just less) noise processing to begin with.
Interestingly, the s770 has an iso 800 capability that is very good. I've had a lot of fun with low light hand-held shots (no flash) with it, and that quelled my interest in trying the F30. I'm sure the F30 is better that way, but the s770 is good enough, and has other advantages (slimness, sd card, ease of use etc).
There is a post here somewhere about using custom bestshots to get iso 800, 1600, and even 3200 from the z without the built in noise processing. I've tried this, and it really is amazing--you can get acceptable grain even at iso 1600. Using this method, I think the z850 is almost equal to the F30 in getting low light hand held pictures...but it's a bit of a hassle to set this up. The poster had BS jpe files you could use, but as I recall, he used a white balance setting on the iso 1600 and 3200 that made the pix orangeish. I modified them to get rid of that setting, and they work well that way. It's not too much trouble to use BS to shoot in low light, but it's a shame Casio didn't have better (or perhaps just less) noise processing to begin with.
Interestingly, the s770 has an iso 800 capability that is very good. I've had a lot of fun with low light hand-held shots (no flash) with it, and that quelled my interest in trying the F30. I'm sure the F30 is better that way, but the s770 is good enough, and has other advantages (slimness, sd card, ease of use etc).
briang2ad
Well-known member
Hey - big max - HOW do you do this low light high iso procedure???
Thanks.
Thanks.
Look at the posts before and after this one:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1015&message=18877899&q=3200&qf=m
As noted before, lightstormsf's downloadable BS files have the white balance set abnormally in some of them. He mentions this in one of the posts. You can download the free bestshot editor Rudi's Bestshot editor. Links to that should be posted here somewhere here, or try this link:
http://get.to/bestshots
This can be used to change the white balance to auto, and then the color will be good, instead of the orangeish tinge.
If you don't know how to use custom Bestshots, you can search this forum for more info. Basically, you need to put the .jpe files in the camera's built-in memory, so it has to be done with the cradle (although you can create user bestshots as per the manual, directly in the camera. But you can't modify them without the cradle).
Of course this is all on an at-your-own-risk basis. I haven't seen a problem with these bestshots, except with the custom ones in memory, a strange striped colored box shows for a few seconds when first going into bestshot mode. But otherwise it works fine. I'm hoping one of the custom bestshot editors will soon support the s770 too.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1015&message=18877899&q=3200&qf=m
As noted before, lightstormsf's downloadable BS files have the white balance set abnormally in some of them. He mentions this in one of the posts. You can download the free bestshot editor Rudi's Bestshot editor. Links to that should be posted here somewhere here, or try this link:
http://get.to/bestshots
This can be used to change the white balance to auto, and then the color will be good, instead of the orangeish tinge.
If you don't know how to use custom Bestshots, you can search this forum for more info. Basically, you need to put the .jpe files in the camera's built-in memory, so it has to be done with the cradle (although you can create user bestshots as per the manual, directly in the camera. But you can't modify them without the cradle).
Of course this is all on an at-your-own-risk basis. I haven't seen a problem with these bestshots, except with the custom ones in memory, a strange striped colored box shows for a few seconds when first going into bestshot mode. But otherwise it works fine. I'm hoping one of the custom bestshot editors will soon support the s770 too.
briang2ad
Well-known member
Thanks.
Why doesn't Casio just put out a low light BS?
Why doesn't Casio just put out a low light BS?
They do have a low light BS. It's called High Sensitivity. From my recollection, it will set the z850 into iso 1600, or maybe iso 800 depending? But the noise reduction algorithm it uses smears the noise pixels and makes these modes totally unusable. For some reason, the BS described in other posts here avoids this smearing. The capability of iso3200 in the z850 is apparently otherwise undocumented, but I have verified it is in fact higher sensitivity than iso 1600, not just 1600 under another name...the highest advertised iso for the z is 1600.
The s770 also has a High Sensitivity BS. This puts it in iso 800, which is how I found out about it. But, unlike the z, the s770 iso 800 has the nice clean grain/noise that is quite usable. I will post some shots when I get my broadband connection back. And since then, I found that turning flash off, and turning anti-shake on in the s770 makes it usually use iso 800, so this is an easier way to get it than through the BS. The highest direct iso on the s770 is 400, so this trick is needed for really low light. The 400 iso on the s770 is also very nice. I'm hoping that when the custom bestshot folks get to work on the s770, it might be possible to set it higher, like 1600, as was done with the z to get it to 3200.
starshipsea
New member
here is one pic I took
starshipsea
New member
another one:
GCTHawk7
Active member
I took this lowlight photo outside my window one foggy night. I really like it. It would not be so noisy had I not used the 60 second shutter. I just wanted to make sure I got that car.
howardfuhrman
Veteran Member
I used Best Shot Editor to create ISO 3200, 3200 EV-1 (equivalent to 6400) and 3200 EV-2 (equivalent to 12800) and can get some very noisy images in very dim light hand held. I also just got a F30. Handheld high ISO (800 and above) images with the Z850 are significantly more noisy than images at equal ISO's with F30. However, as demonstrated by other posters in this thread using the Z850 on a tripod or setting the Z850 on a fixed object, using the 2 sec delay timer and a low ISO (50 and 100) produces very sharp, noise free photo's with Z850 in very dim light.
It depends upon what, when and where you take your photo. If you take photos in a museum and a tripod is not an option, the F30 is a better choice. If you are taking night shots and you have access to a tripod or a place to set your camera and use the 2 sec delay timer, you can get excellent results with the Z850.
Good luck with your decision.
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Howard
It depends upon what, when and where you take your photo. If you take photos in a museum and a tripod is not an option, the F30 is a better choice. If you are taking night shots and you have access to a tripod or a place to set your camera and use the 2 sec delay timer, you can get excellent results with the Z850.
Good luck with your decision.
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Howard
ScarletEd2
Well-known member
Starshipsea...those are magnificent shots!! If I could do that I would be in photographers heaven. Please give technical details: tripod ?; timer used ?; ISO ?, etc.
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