New F31fd user - questions and observations

Hi all,

Thru the hype and reviews, I decided to pick this up last week hopefully to cater to low-light and kids in action scenes. I've been using the Canon PowerShot SD300 (Digital IXUS 40) and Canon G2 in the past. After 2GB of photos, I'm pleasantly impressed by the picture quality overall, the colors, 3d effect and sharpness are obvious.

But here are some cons imo :-
1) flash has a short throw range - not good for high contrast shots
2) continuous shooting is slow and limited - missed many moments
3) when half-press button, there are no proper previews on lcd

Some questions :-

1) there are so many auto ISO settings. Is the AUTO really efficient in achieving the best shutter speed or should I manually set?

2) I prefer activating "high speed shooting". Aside from battery life, are there any side effects? I just love how it affects the lcd previews.

3) there are so many new scene modes eg. Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Museum, Party. What settings are used? Different shutter/aperture? Or should I just stick to Manual or A/S priority?

Thanks in advance.

• I think you must do some homework, and discover on your own that they are different tools for different jobs. That is why F30 does not have any big ambitions neither to fast continuous shooting nor to work at minus twenty Fahrenheit.
• The most successful use of a build-in flash in ALL that class cameras is self-defense. You should realize, what level of ignorance allows expecting any good pictures out of that.
• If you'd like fully understand scene modes on F-30 write them down, arrange the list in alphabetical order, and memorize. As a next step, open specs of similar digicams elsewhere, and appreciate, how easy is F-30. If you are an advanced shooter, you may experiment with cross-overs: e.g. using underwater setting at a museum.

Enjoy your F31: It has excellent, long-lasting batteries incompatible with newer and improved models.
(--)

Forced fill-flash is not much to ask for. My previous canon has longer throw despite f31's specs of 60 cm-6.5 m (2.0 ft.-21.3 ft.)

Diopter said:

• The most successful use of a build-in flash in ALL that class

cameras is self-defense. You should realize, what level of ignorance
allows expecting any good pictures out of that.

Click to expand...

I found that the scene modes often hinder the flash for some reason. I get the best flash results in "manual" (which should be called 'Program mode') mode using auto 400 ISO and full flash (not slow-sync), unless it is a big room and then I go with ISO 800. One thing to watch for is inadvertently putting your finger over the flash tube! My flash pictures with the F31fd are better than the ones from my Sony cameras, IMO.
--
G. Lassman

I had the poor flash experience when I was outdoors in the bright sun. I couldn't remember if I had it on auto ISO or manual 200, but the photo taken was at ISO200, 1/850 sec, 7.1, 8.0mm (manual mode). Forced flash couldn't reach subject

KM Glassman said:

I found that the scene modes often hinder the flash for some reason.
I get the best flash results in "manual" (which should be called
'Program mode') mode using auto 400 ISO and full flash (not
slow-sync), unless it is a big room and then I go with ISO 800. One
thing to watch for is inadvertently putting your finger over the
flash tube! My flash pictures with the F31fd are better than the ones
from my Sony cameras, IMO.
--
G. Lassman

Click to expand...

Most small cameras do not have a very strong flash. A flash works at an inverse squared ratio- to get the flash to to twice as far, it has to be four times brighter. A small camera just does not have the power.
--



I would like to invite you to visit my photo gallery here:
http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz/galleries

KM Glassman said:

I found that the scene modes often hinder the flash for some reason.
I get the best flash results in "manual" (which should be called
'Program mode') mode using auto 400 ISO and full flash (not
slow-sync), unless it is a big room and then I go with ISO 800. One
thing to watch for is inadvertently putting your finger over the
flash tube! My flash pictures with the F31fd are better than the ones
from my Sony cameras, IMO.
--
G. Lassman

Click to expand...

I must admit, I'm still slightly confused about which is the best low-light mode to use as there seems to be quite a lot of choice. Can anyone give me a definitive guide to how the following modes differ (preferably in terms of shutter v aperture v iso, and also what happens to the flash) -

Auto, Party, Natural, Slow sync, Night, Firework

I'm used to using a DSLR, so am I better off just shooting in Aperture priority and selecting the lowest ISO I can hand-hold to, or do these scene modes really offer anything special in terms of balancing flash and natural light?

Darren H

Mate, you should know better than to bag the f31 in anyway shape or form on this forum, people here will eat you for lunch!

Although, I say good on you....Fuji F31 owners think that all you need in a good camera is clean images at ISO 800+, which is a ridiculous concept when most probably wouldn't use it normally under most circumstances. At least 80% of buyers would never have known of ISO 800+ film when they were shooting their film cameras....and what's wrong with a bit of flash and slow sync?

There are plenty more cameras that are better overall and offer better image quality at ISO 80-200, which for many, is much more useful.....even the F50, which is a significant improvement on the F31 up to ISO 200 and features/design. Noise is only an issue if it disrupts the quality of enlargement prints....no what percentage of F31 owners make enlargements? Possibly not many I would assume.....too busy pixel peeping.

Fuji F31 owners should just go out and take pictures instead of talking about how hopeless Fuji have become and how good their F31 cameras are. Improving their photography, not their camera should be their number 1 focus.

It's so easy to get caught up i it all, but I see many Panasonic owners achieving excellent images (better than the F31 posters), even with high noise levels.....and good on them.....F31 was a great camera, now enjoy what you have or move on, I say........flame away!

......there is a lot of talk about how a Fuji F31 can replace an SLR......seriously, it can't, no compact can......it's a great camera for what it is and it does a great job in low light, but it's not the holy grail, nothing is and nothing will be.....that's the beauty of marketing my friends.

Had the time to quick try out the different scene modes from indoors (same living room subject 10 ft away) ...

Fireworks - lets you choose the shutter speed, ISO100, f/8, no flash
Sunset - ISO1600, f/2.8, no flash
Snow - ISO400, f/2.8, auto flash
Beach - ISO200, f/2.8, auto flash
Underwater - ISO800, f/2.8, auto flash
Museum - ISO3200, f/2.8, no flash
Party - ISO800, f/2.8, red eye flash

At manual mode, same subject was taken with ISO400, forced flash, 1/60, f/2.8

Looks like they are just switching between ISO and flash.

MrSerious said:

Fuji F31 owners should just go

Click to expand...

Bunny, have you heard that some companies work hard for years to deserve customer loyalty?

Do you think, that the Fujifilm can survive by begging at TV shopping channels, as they do it now?
(--)

pano88 said:

1) flash has a short throw range - not good for high contrast shots

Click to expand...

Up the ISO to 200 - it extends the flash

pano88 said:

2) continuous shooting is slow and limited - missed many moments

Click to expand...

This is not a Sports cam or ever intended to be, the FPS was listed in the specs

pano88 said:

3) when half-press button, there are no proper previews on lcd

Click to expand...

Dunno what you mean there - if you mean no Live histogram then that's Fuji for ya

pano88 said:

1) there are so many auto ISO settings. Is the AUTO really efficient

Click to expand...

Auto400 is the best in those varying light scenarios as the cam works really well up to 400 (800 is pushing it a bit) - I used Auto 400 on the F30 with Aperture Priority, it worked well - obviously if the light is constant, fix the ISO

--
Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

2) The fps rate is similar to my previous Canon but yet slower.

3) What i mean is if I half press, what I see on the LCD screen will be different from the actual photo taken (full press) eg. final pic is brighter or darker, etc.. That means, I can only guess my outcome or perform trial errors.

Adam-T said:

Adam-T said:

2) continuous shooting is slow and limited - missed many moments

Click to expand...

This is not a Sports cam or ever intended to be, the FPS was listed
in the specs

Adam-T said:

3) when half-press button, there are no proper previews on lcd

Click to expand...

Dunno what you mean there - if you mean no Live histogram then that's
Fuji for ya

Adam-T said:

1) there are so many auto ISO settings. Is the AUTO really efficient

Click to expand...

Auto400 is the best in those varying light scenarios as the cam works
really well up to 400 (800 is pushing it a bit) - I used Auto 400 on
the F30 with Aperture Priority, it worked well - obviously if the
light is constant, fix the ISO

--
Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

Click to expand...

pano88 said:

3) What i mean is if I half press, what I see on the LCD screen will
be different from the actual photo taken (full press)

Click to expand...

I've not seen this - if you just point the cam, it shows an image which is usually lighter than the one after you've half pressed but the half-press always matches the taken image here ..

--
Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

Another observation for auto ISO users ... on any auto ISO setting, the camera can go to the lowest of ISO200 only. So if in a bright scenario, can change to ISO100 if required

It's no biggie. It happens on my Canon IXUS too but not on my other Canon G2.

In low-light situations, the preview is definitely darker than the actual shot taken.

Adam-T said:

Adam-T said:

3) What i mean is if I half press, what I see on the LCD screen will
be different from the actual photo taken (full press)

Click to expand...

I've not seen this - if you just point the cam, it shows an image
which is usually lighter than the one after you've half pressed but
the half-press always matches the taken image here ..

--
Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

Click to expand...

Scene modes are crutches of doubtful use. Camera marketers assume that it would be easier for a beginner to memorize a list of presets, than learn basic trades in operating the camera.

Long time ago established believe into "push the button - we do the rest" slogan makes additional brain damage.

Of course it only works as a styrofoam popcorn in specifications. Names of the presets are mostly self-explaining, and manuals have pretty clear description.
(--)

Noticed that the spot meter is not really 'spot' on dead center.

Problem arises from distant subjects. Even though the spot is on the subject, the exposure is not increased.