Canon S5 settings

[jeffr72]

Hi,

I am an amateur point/shooter and am having difficulty getting a clear picture in a particular situation. The scene is an indoor track meet with poor lighting, with lots of people/noise all around. My camera is a powershot S5 IS.

Are my ISO settings contributing the the problem ?

I have tried auto mode and sports mode with good/bad results on each. I have been reading the manual, and it seems the ISO settings may help, but I don't understand exactly what ISO means or does. All my shots to date have been with the auto shift - off and my ISO setting to automatic.

The other thing I noticed is that in sport mode, the option of auto ISO shift isn't available. The IS mode is set to continuous if that's of any relevance.

thanks in advance,

jeff

[Colin Southern]

Hi Jeff,

I don't know the S5 in particular, but raising an ISO setting allows has the effect of "increasing the sensor sensitivity", so with all other things being equal, you can shoot at a higher shutterspeed that may well help freeze action, or reduce camera shake.

Sensor sensitivity is increased by amplifying the sensor output and - unfortunately - noise gets amplified as well, so the trade off to higher ISO settings is higher noise levels (or "more graininess") (sometimes it's acceptable, some times it's not).

Often shooting in conditions you describe is very difficult - a lot of things conspire against you like having the need for a fast shutter speed, but not having enough light to be able to do that. Even with top-of-the-line pro gear it's still an issue a lot of the time.

Cheers