Reading mode: Light Dark

New to Fuji F20 - Settings

Go to last post
D

dcliev

Active member
Messages
94
Reaction score
0
Location
Los Angeles, US
Finally bit the bullet and picked up the Fuji F20 today at Costco.

Originally had the Canon s45, moved to the Canon s2, but found the s2 was a little to awkward using with just 1 hand and just about all pictures ended up needing post processing.

Use to love taking pictures, but after a stroke, the thrill of photography left, I lost the full use of my left hand, and have very little patience to have to fix hundreds of pictures. Now, just trying to find a camera that gives great colorful focused pictures with little , or more desirablely, no post processing needed.

Im sure this has already been covered, but couldn't find it.

What are the best settings to tweak on the F20, to get better pictures ?

If post processessing is still required, what is the easiest, best program ?
PC and Mac

Thanks
David
 
David -

Although I am NOT imposing my settings on anyone else - look upon this as a 'tried and working' suggestion . It obviously depends to some extent on what type of pics you mostly shoot. I do none in such as bar/restaurant/evening type - although a lot can be in less-than-good light even though not in the above category.

But - this is what's set on MY F20 and at least for me, it just works. RARELY find it way out , and whilst it has always been my practice to finish with a short burst through PS7, most need very little more than a downsize, sometimes a little crop to get it looking better compo, and a minor sharpen tweak , for which I use nikSharpen Pro - most at about 20--25%.

f button - FINE mode
f button - ISO Auto(1600) - varies but caps at 1600
f button - Color Standard
Menu - Shoot in Camera-M
Menu - EV -0.3
Menu - Photometry MultiMenu - AF Mode Center
via Setup - AF Illuminator OFF
LCD Brightness -2

via Right Quadrant button - Flash set OFF (suppressed) - I do find that because of the smallness and ease of putting your thumb there when holding, I often find I've inadvertantly pressed the Flash Quadrant button and gone out of Suppresed OFF flash - but by lovely coincidence the press takes you next to 'Synchro Flash and at that it does still work remarkably well and with little or no ill-effect on a pic. Once I realise what's happened I then revert to Flash Off quickly.

And the above has stood me in very good stead .. very easy use, no time wasted in pre-setting when seconds can make or break ..and with NO other adjustment it's given me from this -



to this ...



Try it at that and see how it suits YOU ...

Regards -

--
ericN-UK
 
ericN2 said:
f button - FINE mode
f button - ISO Auto(1600) - varies but caps at 1600
f button - Color Standard
Menu - Shoot in Camera-M
Menu - EV -0.3
Menu - Photometry MultiMenu - AF Mode Center
via Setup - AF Illuminator OFF
LCD Brightness -2

via Right Quadrant button - Flash set OFF (suppressed) - I do find
that because of the smallness and ease of putting your thumb there
when holding, I often find I've inadvertantly pressed the Flash
Quadrant button and gone out of Suppresed OFF flash - but by lovely
coincidence the press takes you next to 'Synchro Flash and at that
it does still work remarkably well and with little or no ill-effect
on a pic. Once I realise what's happened I then revert to Flash Off
quickly.
And the above has stood me in very good stead .. very easy use, no
time wasted in pre-setting when seconds can make or break ..and
Click to expand...
Eric,
I picked up an F20 yesterday and have 2 questions on your settings.
What is gained by turning the AF Illuminator off?
Do you use the high speed focus?
 
TEBnewyork said:
Eric,
I picked up an F20 yesterday and have 2 questions on your settings.
What is gained by turning the AF Illuminator off?
Do you use the high speed focus?
Click to expand...
Can't comment on the AF Illuminator, though my setting is off. Overall, I use Eric's settings, but I do play with Chrome color quite a bit.

HS focus will limit focus to beyond one meter or so and, I've read, consume more power. So I have not used it. Might some day if shooting sports or other action.

--
Phil .. Canon SD700IS, S3 IS, EOS 300D & 20D; Fuji F20
http://www.pbase.com/phil_wheeler
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_ox/
 
dcliev said:
If post processessing is still required, what is the easiest, best
program ?
PC and Mac
Click to expand...
I use Photoshop Elements on both platforms. In Windows I use Irfanview for simple things. On this Mac I use Imagebrowser (a Canon package that came with my S3 IS); plus it will do basic editing and shell to PS Elements for more detailed editing.

The F20 had included software, but I've not tried it.

But I try to get it right when shooting and don't edit much .. other than cropping and resizing for email.

--
Phil .. Canon SD700IS, S3 IS, EOS 300D & 20D; Fuji F20
http://www.pbase.com/phil_wheeler
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_ox/
 
I was going to write back to you that it was an old post. I didn't mean to bump this thread back up with my question but I went to a link from ericN referenced in another thread (about power adapters) and forgot to go back before replying....ooops.

Terry
 
TEBnewyork said:
Eric,
I picked up an F20 yesterday and have 2 questions on your settings.
What is gained by turning the AF Illuminator off?
Do you use the high speed focus?
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you settled on the F20 and feel sure it should give you a lot of pleasure. I appreciate your restrictions and natural wish NOT to get involved in PP if at all possible but I must ask you to understand that literally any camera will on some occasions benefit and/or need at least a bit of processing, otherwise a potentially good pic may be wasted., I've always had the habit of using PS7 to finish , and myself feel it does pay off handsomely. This is NOT laborious or extensive, as I've mostly found the F20 is very capable , certainly with the settings I use. It just adds to the pleasure and I hope you do not totally disregard that

As to the Assist light - I think I did say originally that I'm not shooting in bars, night-clubs, restaurants etc so although I DO have just normal indoor light to work with on occasions, I find I cope perfectly well without that light , as with my 'Flash off' setting. But in such a case that for instance you may shoot a portrait type, my own thought is that ANY light popping off just immediately before the actual shot , CAN so very easily be distracting and CAN spoil a good 'portrait look' if you follow what I mean. If you can set focus WITHOUT it (and I've found it so) then why add that distraction , is my view. Just TRY it - I think you'll find that in nearly all cases you will get focus anyway - at least I do , and it's not ME , it's the camera. So I just leave those extraneous things off, and have never found it any disadvantage at all.

High speeed focus - after reading a post about this just a few days ago I tried it and realLy found it did little for me. In addition, with that 'On' it totally stops you setting any LCD mode , so I felt I'd just prefer to set LCD in 60fps and get that benefit , than use HSS which I haven't before, and not really felt any loss of.

--
ericN-UK

 
ericN2 said:
TEBnewyork said:
Eric,
I picked up an F20 yesterday and have 2 questions on your settings.
What is gained by turning the AF Illuminator off?
Do you use the high speed focus?
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you settled on the F20 and feel sure it should give
you a lot of pleasure. I appreciate your restrictions and natural
wish NOT to get involved in PP if at all possible but I must ask
you to understand that literally any camera will on some occasions
benefit and/or need at least a bit of processing, otherwise a
potentially good pic may be wasted., I've always had the habit of
using PS7 to finish , and myself feel it does pay off handsomely.
This is NOT laborious or extensive, as I've mostly found the F20 is
very capable , certainly with the settings I use. It just adds to
the pleasure and I hope you do not totally disregard that
Click to expand...
Thanks for your explanations on AF - illum and HSS. As to PP, I think you have me confused as I am totally comiited to PP so no worries there.

Terry
 
TEBnewyork said:
Thanks for your explanations on AF - illum and HSS. As to PP, I
think you have me confused as I am totally comiited to PP so no
worries there.

Terry
Click to expand...
Terry -

Sorry - no sooner posted than I realised it was NOT you that said PP-ing was not preferred. No edits on posts as you know ... :(

--
ericN-UK
 
I'm going to keep this handy - might get an F20 yet! (have an F10 btw)
ericN2 said:
David -
Although I am NOT imposing my settings on anyone else - look upon
this as a 'tried and working' suggestion . It obviously depends to
some extent on what type of pics you mostly shoot. I do none in
such as bar/restaurant/evening type - although a lot can be in
less-than-good light even though not in the above category.
But - this is what's set on MY F20 and at least for me, it just
works. RARELY find it way out , and whilst it has always been my
practice to finish with a short burst through PS7, most need very
little more than a downsize, sometimes a little crop to get it
looking better compo, and a minor sharpen tweak , for which I use
nikSharpen Pro - most at about 20--25%.

f button - FINE mode
f button - ISO Auto(1600) - varies but caps at 1600
f button - Color Standard
Menu - Shoot in Camera-M
Menu - EV -0.3
Menu - Photometry MultiMenu - AF Mode Center
via Setup - AF Illuminator OFF
LCD Brightness -2

via Right Quadrant button - Flash set OFF (suppressed) - I do find
that because of the smallness and ease of putting your thumb there
when holding, I often find I've inadvertantly pressed the Flash
Quadrant button and gone out of Suppresed OFF flash - but by lovely
coincidence the press takes you next to 'Synchro Flash and at that
it does still work remarkably well and with little or no ill-effect
on a pic. Once I realise what's happened I then revert to Flash Off
quickly.
And the above has stood me in very good stead .. very easy use, no
time wasted in pre-setting when seconds can make or break ..and
with NO other adjustment it's given me from this -



to this ...



Try it at that and see how it suits YOU ...

Regards -

--
ericN-UK
Click to expand...
 
ericN2 said:
f button - FINE mode
f button - ISO Auto(1600) - varies but caps at 1600
f button - Color Standard
Menu - Shoot in Camera-M
Menu - EV -0.3
Menu - Photometry MultiMenu - AF Mode Center
via Setup - AF Illuminator OFF
LCD Brightness -2
Click to expand...
Why the -2 on the LCD brightness?

I mean - I understand that it might save battery power or something - is that it?

Or is there something about how you are able to evaluate the photos when the screen is darker? Just curious. I've had my F20 for about 3 weeks now and I love it as a companion camera to my Pentax ist-DS DSLR.

Nice to have a "pocketable" camera in addition to the big one.

-Charles
 
dcliev said:
Oops! Found Receipt $ 174.99 from Irvine, CA Costco
Click to expand...
Yup, I pickup the F20 in a giant GREEN BOX, and I do mean big
I'll post some initial photo soon

--
FANBOY(i)sm is a NEUROSIS, Get Help!
 
Ya, its good to see that FUJI is getting better @marketing. The giant box act as a cushion for the tiny F20 box; what more, its has alot of Big Giant photo on the outside.
--
FANBOY(i)sm is a NEUROSIS, Get Help!
 
cr0100 said:
ericN2 said:
f button - FINE mode
f button - ISO Auto(1600) - varies but caps at 1600
f button - Color Standard
Menu - Shoot in Camera-M
Menu - EV -0.3
Menu - Photometry MultiMenu - AF Mode Center
via Setup - AF Illuminator OFF
LCD Brightness -2
Click to expand...
Why the -2 on the LCD brightness?

I mean - I understand that it might save battery power or something
  • is that it?
Or is there something about how you are able to evaluate the photos
when the screen is darker? Just curious. I've had my F20 for
about 3 weeks now and I love it as a companion camera to my Pentax
ist-DS DSLR.

Nice to have a "pocketable" camera in addition to the big one.

-Charles
Click to expand...
Charles -

That's really not so much MY setting , as I saw this mentioned several times on Forum and at the time thought it a bit odd - but I tried it and now quite well agree, so it's just become one of mine too.

There's a lot said by some here about the F30 having amongst other things a better , high res, screen over the F20 but quite honestly I've never found this ANY compelling reason to call it any disadvantage on the F20. I find the F20 screen , mine certainly, gives me more than adequate view for setting up a shot or for a quick post-shot view - which latter I use consistently , just to check that I've got what seems a good pic. I've not found the F20 screen noticeably lacking in the ability to do what it's aim is. NO screen on these compacts will ever give you a 100% certainty of correctness, by their very nature, so I don't myself see the F30 screen as doing any better job than I get already. Think of it this way - if you use a dSLR you have to rely on what is a far less good v/f anyway. If you can do THAT, then even the res on the F20 is a huge improvement !! And even with this -2 setting, it still gives me a perfectly good 'preview' of a shot pic - or a perfectly good set-up view. Certainly the results I get from it don't lead me to think I'm at any disadvantage. Take this one , shot just a few days ago - from the EXIF you can imagine the actual light on the subjects - I had no trouble at all in either focussing exactly where I wanted or in seeing the shot as I wanted ..
ISO 1600, 1/120th, f3.4 -0.3EV



By the way - nice to hear you've got the Pentax dSLR. My very first dSLR was the original Pentax *ist with a special 24-90mm lens my dealer was doing with it as a kit. Beauiful camera to use AND for results I found it great. Just got swayed to the Canon 20D because of what was a bigger range of lenses -- the 'carrot' to me in those days. NOW I've got a bunch of lenses I hardly ever use , and this smashing little F20 has made all the bloomin' lot redundant !!!

--
ericN-UK
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Howard V
Old Tech EXR vs. New iPhone
Replies
3
Views
2K
DougSilver
D
Light Pilgrim
Upgrading from R5 to R5 Mark II – Looking for Autofocus & Portrait Setup Tips
Replies
5
Views
7K
homebodyMacro
H
F
Some GX85 quirks I found after 2 years
Replies
5
Views
11K
baxters
B
JimKasson
A pixel is not a little square, revisited
2 3 4
Replies
67
Views
26K
Jack Hogan
J
ProfHankD
I would go 500mm and I would go 500 more
Replies
1
Views
25K
Tom Caldwell
T

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top