Canon Powershot A460

[m408]

I'm going nutz! Got a Canon PowerShot A460 to post pics and just can't get it right. Made a light box, using halogen bulbs for side lighting, can't understand the darn users manual, and have been asking all over the place for help. Anyone here using the same camera? If so, please give me, in as much detail as you can, your camera settings, set up, etc...

[Aaronw]

Any chance you could go back to the place you bought it and ask someone to show you how to set the white balance and photo size? If not how about a local camera shop? I'm sure someone familiar with digital cameras could figure it out fairly quickly with the manual and camera in front of them. I'm pretty sure adjusting the white balance will solve a good chunk of your photo issues. Unfortunately even though I have a Canon it is a completely different model with different controls.

I understand exactly how you feel, for years I kept getting more and bigger lights, I was up to 2 500w halogens and 2 250w halogens and still couldn't seem to get enough light. Then someone (Gregg) explained about the white balance, now I use 2 100w incandescent bulbs, I dropped 1300w of lighting and have plenty of light.

If you could manage it, if you found an adult school or college with a basic photography class I'm sure you would find it worthwhile. I learned a ton in the two 30 min seminars last summer and all they really were was Gregg and Jairus trading wisecracks while Gregg took photos of models (a diecast at that ). I'm sure a real class would teach you even more although it probably wouldn't be as entertaining.

[m408]

Any chance you could go back to the place you bought it and ask someone to show you how to set the white balance and photo size? If not how about a local camera shop? I'm sure someone familiar with digital cameras could figure it out fairly quickly with the manual and camera in front of them. I'm pretty sure adjusting the white balance will solve a good chunk of your photo issues. Unfortunately even though I have a Canon it is a completely different model with different controls.

I understand exactly how you feel, for years I kept getting more and bigger lights, I was up to 2 500w halogens and 2 250w halogens and still couldn't seem to get enough light. Then someone (Gregg) explained about the white balance, now I use 2 100w incandescent bulbs, I dropped 1300w of lighting and have plenty of light.

If you could manage it, if you found an adult school or college with a basic photography class I'm sure you would find it worthwhile. I learned a ton in the two 30 min seminars last summer and all they really were was Gregg and Jairus trading wisecracks while Gregg took photos of models (a diecast at that ). I'm sure a real class would teach you even more although it probably wouldn't be as entertaining.

Thanks Aaron. Great ideas. Bought the camera on line. But, gonna take my camera, manual, and what I want to do, to a local camera shop Monday.

[CAL]

I'm going nutz! Got a Canon PowerShot A460 to post pics and just can't get it right. Made a light box, using halogen bulbs for side lighting, can't understand the darn users manual, and have been asking all over the place for help. Anyone here using the same camera? If so, please give me, in as much detail as you can, your camera settings, set up, etc...

I do have a degree in film. If you post some troublesome shots I might be able to id your problem

[m408]

I do have a degree in film. If you post some troublesome shots I might be able to id your problem

O.K. Cal, Here are some shots using the same settings for each.

How come it goes from gray background to white to pink? I have been told that it has something to do with "white balance" but I can't figure it out.

[CAL]

Yeah, it looks like a WB issue.

Cannon says you cannot produce natrual color with Auto WB. Cannon has always been a little more WB sensitive than other cameras.

You may need to set WB for the light you are using IE tungstun or Fluorecent, and see if you get the results you desire.

The best thing would probable get a balance card use custom setting on WB and WB on a WB card. In otherwords, the camera needs to be told here this is pure white so use this as a white baseline, but you have to manually set it up.

Then, you just need to WB everytime you shoot or set up a custom preset fo WB wherever you are shooting, if you are using the same set up often.

The reason why the background is changing is your shot is changing. AWB is using the aggregate composition of the shot to adjust WB. It doesn't know your background is white so it using the background the object and quesstimate light source color temp and coming up with an average WB setting depending on what is all in the frame.

on a side note. Red is the most difficult color for a digital camera to process correctly. It just has to do with the light sensor technology in digi cams.

Another thing I notice is your light choice. Halogen light is a complicated light source to color balance to. First it's not a typical color temp like light day light or tungsten. Also Halogen color temp changes slightly with wattage and distance. Xenon would be a better choice, Tungsten would be a good choice, even the cool blues and greens of Fluorecent would be an easier light to work with than Halogen.

HTH

Edited March 16, 2008 by CAL

[Aaronw]

I just took these real quick as an example, so ignore the fact they are not that great, I didn't even move the lights so they are much farther away than normal which is why I think the adjusted photo has a slight pink tinge. Except for the last pic they are only edited for size, no other adjustments, the last pic had no color adjustments just brightness / contrast.

This first one was taken set on daylight

This next one was taken with the white balance set to tungstun (Incandescent or the regular egg-ish shaped light bulbs)

This last one I used the tungstun setting and then used Photoshop to adjust brightness / contrast just to brighten it up. Any photo editing software should let you do this.

On my camera white balance is found under functions, I open the function menu, then I select the bar that has AWB (automatic), a sun (daylight), a cloud (cloudy), a lightbulb (tungstun / incandescent), a tube (flourescent) and a tube with an H (not sure on this, halogen?). I'm pretty sure mine is different than other cannons though, mine has a thunmb toggle kind of like a video game which I haven't seen on other cameras.

The adult school near me had a class for beginning digital photography. I never took it but it sounded like it was just an experinced photographer who helped people figure out how to use the various functions on their camera. Something like that sounds perfect for you if there was someplace offering a class like that.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Aaronw

[m408]

Yeah, it looks like a WB issue.

Cannon says you cannot produce natrual color with Auto WB. Cannon has always been a little more WB sensitive than other cameras.

You may need to set WB for the light you are using IE tungstun or Fluorecent, and see if you get the results you desire.

The best thing would probable get a balance card use custom setting on WB and WB on a WB card. In otherwords, the camera needs to be told here this is pure white so use this as a white baseline, but you have to manually set it up.

Then, you just need to WB everytime you shoot or set up a custom preset fo WB wherever you are shooting, if you are using the same set up often.

The reason why the background is changing is your shot is changing. AWB is using the aggregate composition of the shot to adjust WB. It doesn't know your background is white so it using the background the object and quesstimate light source color temp and coming up with an average WB setting depending on what is all in the frame.

on a side note. Red is the most difficult color for a digital camera to process correctly. It just has to do with the light sensor technology in digi cams.

Another thing I notice is your light choice. Halogen light is a complicated light source to color balance to. First it's not a typical color temp like light day light or tungsten. Also Halogen color temp changes slightly with wattage and distance. Xenon would be a better choice, Tungsten would be a good choice, even the cool blues and greens of Fluorecent would be an easier light to work with than Halogen.

HTH

Thanks a bunch Cal. This will sound dumb but, what are the bulbs normally used around the house like "soft white"? What would you recommend that I could find at my local hardware store?

[CAL]

On my camera white balance is found under functions, I open the function menu, then I select the bar that has AWB (automatic), a sun (daylight), a cloud (cloudy), a lightbulb (tungstun / incandescent), a tube (flourescent) and a tube with an H (not sure on this, halogen?). I'm pretty sure mine is different than other cannons though, mine has a thunmb toggle kind of like a video game which I haven't seen on other cameras.

The "H" is for "daylight" fluorecent bulbs

[CAL]

Thanks a bunch Cal. This will sound dumb but, what are the bulbs normally used around the house like "soft white"? What would you recommend that I could find at my local hardware store?

You are welcome.

household bulbs are closest to tungsten, but are not regluated, controlled and frosting and such can all effect color temp.

But yes, get some regular bulbs and manual WB and see where your are.

[MikeMc]

Or go outside, set to aperature priority(f8 or so) turn on the flash and practice by looking at the shadows with and without flash.

Color temp will change the way things look to us. Incandescent bulbs will make things have a yellow/orange cast

Flourescent (f40cw) tubes have a bluish tint. And then there is the sun..the best light source

This picture was taken using these tips notice the shadows and all details are evenly lit!! simple camera, operator, and setup.....just lotsa practice!!

Edited March 17, 2008 by MikeMc

[m408]

Thanks all for the help. I read the manual and figured out, I think, the white balance. Changed out the holagen bulbs with the same ones that I use in my house lamps. Just posted some pics on "under glass" of my latest build taken with the new set up. I think that they came out O.K. (if you ignore my building skills).

Thanks again all for your help.