Recommendations for best camera settings?

[wolf1891]

Does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions on the optimum settings to have the camera set to for best photo results (either for general photos or specific types of photos, all recommendations would be appreciated)?

Back when I first got my original Windows Phone, a Dell Venue Pro (which had a well deserved rep for having a remarkably crappy camera), we had a thread on the DVP forum here where the optimal settings to keep the camera at in order to get the best pics we could out of our phones. I was hoping that we might be able to do something similar here for the 928. I've been pretty pleased with the pics that my phone has taken thus far but, then again, I'm coming from that DVP so it doesn't take much to impress me by comparison. And so, while for the most part I'm happy with what my 928 is doing while left in the default settings, I'll admit that I've seen some better stuff being posted by others (along with some worse stuff as well) so I know that this phone is capable of more than it's doing for me thus far. Thus, my request here for those of us who have had the chance to play around with the camera settings on our 928's to share any discoveries that we may have made thus far.

The impetus for this posting today is mainly my dissapointed results with my attepmts at getting some fireworks pics last night. I have gotten better pics from my old DVP than the 928 was giving me last night (both in default settings and, after I tried some experimenting around with the settings). I'm sure this phone can do better than what I got last night so, c'mon gang, let's hear the solutions! :smile:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Muessig]

Hey wolf, If you click my signature image, or go here, you can find a guide that focuses on general advice on how to take better pictures with your phone. It doesn't focus on specific settings but there are some good app recommendations in there.

 

[Serious Tone]

There's never a good 'general' setting for a camera because as the light changes so have to the settings. If you want the best general settings, then those would have to be setting everything to auto.

To make your pictures the best looking the can be, the white balance will always have to be changed to match the light you are shooting in, for accurate color and temperatures. Other than that, generally, you can leave the the scene on auto, unless you are specifically shooting what the others are named after.

I personally keep my ISO on auto, as this is a phone and I don't want to be fiddling around with every setting. I keep that for me dslr. But you want the lowest possible ISO where you can still achieve a sharp picture, so to avoid noise. Just remember if your shooting in bright light and have it set at 100 then go to shoot in the evening your pictures are all going to be blurry until you crank that ISO up.

As for Exposure Compensation, that again depends on the lighting and subject. If you feel the picture is coming out too dark, start upping the exposure vica versa. But again, if there is not much light, (bright enough light to our eyes is pretty dark to a camera, hence a lot of seemingly bright lit room pictures come out dark or blurry) and you crank the exposure up a few half or full stops, this essentially is making the shutter stay open longer which will again produce blurry pictures. Its a game between ISO, Exposure and Aperture.

So, if this is too much to worry about, I would again suggest keeping most things on auto with the exception of the white balance.

 

[nufan947]

There's never a good 'general' setting for a camera because as the light changes so have to the settings. If you want the best general settings, then those would have to be setting everything to auto.

To make your pictures the best looking the can be, the white balance will always have to be changed to match the light you are shooting in, for accurate color and temperatures. Other than that, generally, you can leave the the scene on auto, unless you are specifically shooting what the others are named after.

I personally keep my ISO on auto, as this is a phone and I don't want to be fiddling around with every setting. I keep that for me dslr. But you want the lowest possible ISO where you can still achieve a sharp picture, so to avoid noise. Just remember if your shooting in bright light and have it set at 100 then go to shoot in the evening your pictures are all going to be blurry until you crank that ISO up.

As for Exposure Compensation, that again depends on the lighting and subject. If you feel the picture is coming out too dark, start upping the exposure vica versa. But again, if there is not much light, (bright enough light to our eyes is pretty dark to a camera, hence a lot of seemingly bright lit room pictures come out dark or blurry) and you crank the exposure up a few half or full stops, this essentially is making the shutter stay open longer which will again produce blurry pictures. Its a game between ISO, Exposure and Aperture.

So, if this is too much to worry about, I would again suggest keeping most things on auto with the exception of the white balance.

I know nothing about photography but this seems helpful. Thanks!

 

[gapost]

Is there anyone who has found out how to make the flash work when you have the flash setting to on? I saw in another thread that others were having trouble with this and I have messed with it a lot and can't get it to work. You often need a flash to work so that faces aren't dark when there is a light or sun behind the person. It is the Flash On setting works like the Auto Flash setting and only works when the camera thinks it needs the flash.

 

[Serious Tone]

No problem!

Don't know of a fix for that but instead of trying to fill in the face with flash that is usually ugly, just set the scene to back light. Its for exactly that situation.