555: easy portrait-snapshot

Hi.

Here are two portrait-snapshot, only using the sun, flash and a piece of white paper. The camera were in P-mode, and using all the 5x zoom.

I have shot more of these quick portrait photos of the family an so on, and they all were very good. I can't really se the difference from P- to Portrait-mode, when I use 5x zoom.

When I don't zoom so much, I still get a good looking blurred background, using Portrait-mode.

The photos are:
No. 1 Flash fired
No. 2 No flash
No. 3 It's the original of no. 2 (se the details ind the picture)

No changes, just a little bit of whitening her teeths.

No. 1: Flash fired



No. 2: No flash



No. 3 It's the original of no. 2 (se the details ind the picture)

That's great, I have not used portrait mode at all yet. Did you just reflect sunlight onto the subject with the white card.

P.S. The third image a rather large even for people with cable.

Brian

Hi BRian.

Yes I know, it's about 3 MB. But try to wait for it, and look at the details. It's very very detailed. I must say, it is really a super-lens on the O555, as every test around, also says.

Yep! - in these examples here, I have the sun from my left. I have a person to hold af white paper (size about 50x50 cm) on my right, so the hard shadows at my right is soften on the model.

Sometimes - as here - the flash can be used with good result. The problem with a flash is, that it ofte makes the outdoor portraits to "hard", if you don't have the whits paper. But it's often better using the flash, than having the hard shadows - if you really have to shoot pictures in high sunny weather ...

Try the white paper, it works really good. Not a new thing, but something we amateurs don't think about.

micra

brianj said:

That's great, I have not used portrait mode at all yet. Did you
just reflect sunlight onto the subject with the white card.

P.S. The third image a rather large even for people with cable.

Brian

Click to expand...

I am also interested in your technique of using zoom. I usually try to get back a bit from a persons face then zoom up, which allows some of the harsh light of the flash to dissipate.

You are right about the quality lens of the O555, I frequently assess images taken by various new cameras on this and other sites, and rarely see such edge to edge sharpness and lack of distortions such as CA even on more expensive cameras.

As is also often said, and is become a common term, 'If you are going to have only one camera, then it has to be a O555'.

Brian

Hi Brian.

Yes, you're right about going back from a persons face to use the zoom and flash. When you use the zoom af lot, you also get a blurry background, which of course also can be done by using the right aperture, an so on.

Always use a zoom/tele for normal portrait-photos. I you use the wideangle to portrait photo, the persons nose will be big an so on.

If you think the flash is too "hard", try put a piece of cloth on the flash. It soften the light. Well, I haven't done it with my O555 - I will try it some day - but I did it often, when I in "the old days" used mig SLR an external falsh.

Micra

brianj said:

I am also interested in your technique of using zoom. I usually
try to get back a bit from a persons face then zoom up, which
allows some of the harsh light of the flash to dissipate.

You are right about the quality lens of the O555, I frequently
assess images taken by various new cameras on this and other sites,
and rarely see such edge to edge sharpness and lack of distortions
such as CA even on more expensive cameras.

As is also often said, and is become a common term, 'If you are
going to have only one camera, then it has to be a O555'.

Brian

Click to expand...

Mica- When you take your portrait pictures, do you :

1. Change the focus mode on the menu to Spot instead of wide ?
2. Do you use the P (automatic) or do you switch the dial to Portrait ?

I have been having problems with blurry pictures taken indoors (but in bright rooms) and think that I might have had the settings wrong.
Please let me know. Thanks

micra said:

Yes, you're right about going back from a persons face to use the
zoom and flash. When you use the zoom af lot, you also get a blurry
background, which of course also can be done by using the right
aperture, an so on.

Always use a zoom/tele for normal portrait-photos. I you use the
wideangle to portrait photo, the persons nose will be big an so on.

If you think the flash is too "hard", try put a piece of cloth on
the flash. It soften the light. Well, I haven't done it with my
O555 - I will try it some day - but I did it often, when I in "the
old days" used mig SLR an external falsh.

Micra

brianj said:

I am also interested in your technique of using zoom. I usually
try to get back a bit from a persons face then zoom up, which
allows some of the harsh light of the flash to dissipate.

You are right about the quality lens of the O555, I frequently
assess images taken by various new cameras on this and other sites,
and rarely see such edge to edge sharpness and lack of distortions
such as CA even on more expensive cameras.

As is also often said, and is become a common term, 'If you are
going to have only one camera, then it has to be a O555'.

Brian

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Hi crow1

For these pictures her, I have just used:
Program = P Focus = Wide
AE Metering = Wide 5x zoom

In other situations, sometimes Program = Portrait, if I don't zoom so much and don't want to manually experiment with the aperture to get a short DOF. Portrait makes the short DOF.

I don't have problem with the Focus = Wide, I hardly ever use Spot

AE Metering is somtimes set to Spot, when the background and foreground are very different (lighting).

Try different settings to different situations. You don't have to use a person to try different settings.

Micra

crwo1 said:

1. Change the focus mode on the menu to Spot instead of wide ?
2. Do you use the P (automatic) or do you switch the dial to
Portrait ?
I have been having problems with blurry pictures taken indoors (but
in bright rooms) and think that I might have had the settings wrong.
Please let me know. Thanks

micra said:

Yes, you're right about going back from a persons face to use the
zoom and flash. When you use the zoom af lot, you also get a blurry
background, which of course also can be done by using the right
aperture, an so on.

Always use a zoom/tele for normal portrait-photos. I you use the
wideangle to portrait photo, the persons nose will be big an so on.

If you think the flash is too "hard", try put a piece of cloth on
the flash. It soften the light. Well, I haven't done it with my
O555 - I will try it some day - but I did it often, when I in "the
old days" used mig SLR an external falsh.

Micra

brianj said:

I am also interested in your technique of using zoom. I usually
try to get back a bit from a persons face then zoom up, which
allows some of the harsh light of the flash to dissipate.

You are right about the quality lens of the O555, I frequently
assess images taken by various new cameras on this and other sites,
and rarely see such edge to edge sharpness and lack of distortions
such as CA even on more expensive cameras.

As is also often said, and is become a common term, 'If you are
going to have only one camera, then it has to be a O555'.

Brian

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I'd be curious to hear how you fare with the "softening" of the flash. There is not much room to put a diffuser of any reasonable size in front of the flash before you get it in front of the lens as well, and holding it could be a bit cumbersome.

I also assume the O555 will get the flash exposure correct even with the reduced output of the diffuser.

JF.

micra said:

If you think the flash is too "hard", try put a piece of cloth on
the flash. It soften the light. Well, I haven't done it with my
O555 - I will try it some day - but I did it often, when I in "the
old days" used mig SLR an external falsh.

Click to expand...

Yes - I thought you were curious. )

As I said ealier, haven't I tried it on the O555, but have done it often on my external flash on my SLR.

But I think I also can soften the light with a white piece of cloth or white thin serviette made of paper.

Try it on O555 - later I will ...

Micra

JohnFrim said:

I also assume the O555 will get the flash exposure correct even
with the reduced output of the diffuser.

JF.

micra said:

If you think the flash is too "hard", try put a piece of cloth on
the flash. It soften the light. Well, I haven't done it with my
O555 - I will try it some day - but I did it often, when I in "the
old days" used mig SLR an external falsh.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...