Some EOS 350D questions

Jonny69 · 20-10-2007, 18:52

Just got back off holiday and my photos have turned out a bit of a mixed bag and in general I am disappointed with them. Some are fantastic, but some are frankly crap

I've been blighted with dust on the sensor and mirror which is gutting to get home to find on most of my pictures. I managed to get rid of most of it but not completely, so question number one is what's the best way to clean the mirror and sensor? Any tips on keeping dust out? I only have the kit lens at the moment so it actually hasn't been off much other than to have a look inside.

I'm having problems under mixed light conditions. It's way over exposing the light parts of the picture and leaving the shadier parts very dark, whereas if I use the snappy digi camera to take the same picture the lighting is a lot more consistent across the picture. So basically I'm losing all my detail I wanted to capture. I have tried using a number of ISO settings which has helped the pictures from looking too dark overall (which I noticed the camera has a habit of doing, I'll use ISO 200 where I would normally use 100 with film etc) but the contrasting is still way too high. What can I do about it?

It works absolutely fantastically under low light and I've taken some fab pictures at night but the day ones are over exposing the highlights something chronic.

leowyatt · 21-10-2007, 10:04

what mode were you using the camera on? what lens were you using?

Jonny69 · 21-10-2007, 10:18

Kit lens (18-55mm) and a mixture between P which is semi automatic (you can alter the aperture and shutter on the fly) and manual depending what I was shooting. Just can't seem to get it to do what I want.

Joe 90 · 22-10-2007, 14:25

i used to have that trouble....sometimes still do.

easiest way to deal with it is to shoot RAW then at least you can't go wrong - you can even make multiple outcomes of the same image depending on how you process it

(you just need a big memory card and a copy of Photoshop!)

Mat · 22-10-2007, 14:29

Has that camera got the featur eto take 3 shots of the same thing, two of which are either +1/3 or -1/3 exposure of the original? You could try that and see if you can pin it down.

leowyatt · 22-10-2007, 14:30

Can you stick up some examples of the photos and we can try and figure it out there?

petemc · 22-10-2007, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat

Has that camera got the featur eto take 3 shots of the same thing, two of which are either +1/3 or -1/3 exposure of the original? You could try that and see if you can pin it down.

It does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchen Meister

Can you stick up some examples of the photos and we can try and figure it out there?

Was just about to post the same thing. Hard to really diagnose any problems without samples.

Jonny69 · 22-10-2007, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat

Has that camera got the featur eto take 3 shots of the same thing, two of which are either +1/3 or -1/3 exposure of the original? You could try that and see if you can pin it down.

Yes but it actually shoots 3 pictures so not great for snapping. Someone on OcUK mentioned the Jpeg image processing which apparently is alterable. I'm wondering if that's what the problem is. Good start on the compensation though, cheers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchen Meister

Can you stick up some examples of the photos and we can try and figure it out there?

Yes I'm going to put a few up when I can

petemc · 22-10-2007, 17:52

You should have no issues with JPG's tbh. You should be able to get good quality photos from it. I don't think thats the problem.

divine · 22-10-2007, 18:09

What metering mode is it/was it in?

If it was in spot/centre weighted that might have caused some exposure's to go awry depending where it was pointed when you half pressed the shutter.

Also, did you check to see if any exposure compensation had been accidently turned on?

I know i've had some badly exposed pictures because I forgot to reset the exposure compensation.

20-10-2007, 18:52	#1
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Some EOS 350D questions Just got back off holiday and my photos have turned out a bit of a mixed bag and in general I am disappointed with them. Some are fantastic, but some are frankly crap I've been blighted with dust on the sensor and mirror which is gutting to get home to find on most of my pictures. I managed to get rid of most of it but not completely, so question number one is what's the best way to clean the mirror and sensor? Any tips on keeping dust out? I only have the kit lens at the moment so it actually hasn't been off much other than to have a look inside. I'm having problems under mixed light conditions. It's way over exposing the light parts of the picture and leaving the shadier parts very dark, whereas if I use the snappy digi camera to take the same picture the lighting is a lot more consistent across the picture. So basically I'm losing all my detail I wanted to capture. I have tried using a number of ISO settings which has helped the pictures from looking too dark overall (which I noticed the camera has a habit of doing, I'll use ISO 200 where I would normally use 100 with film etc) but the contrasting is still way too high. What can I do about it? It works absolutely fantastically under low light and I've taken some fab pictures at night but the day ones are over exposing the highlights something chronic. __________________

21-10-2007, 10:04	#2
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	what mode were you using the camera on? what lens were you using? __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

21-10-2007, 10:18	#3
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Kit lens (18-55mm) and a mixture between P which is semi automatic (you can alter the aperture and shutter on the fly) and manual depending what I was shooting. Just can't seem to get it to do what I want. __________________

22-10-2007, 14:25	#4
Joe 90 Absinthe Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Chester Posts: 2,345	i used to have that trouble....sometimes still do. easiest way to deal with it is to shoot RAW then at least you can't go wrong - you can even make multiple outcomes of the same image depending on how you process it (you just need a big memory card and a copy of Photoshop!) __________________ 360 Blog \| Join GiffGaff \| Twitter

22-10-2007, 14:29	#5
Mat Columbian Coffee Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brandon / Cambridge Posts: 75	Has that camera got the featur eto take 3 shots of the same thing, two of which are either +1/3 or -1/3 exposure of the original? You could try that and see if you can pin it down. __________________

22-10-2007, 14:30	#6
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	Can you stick up some examples of the photos and we can try and figure it out there? __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

22-10-2007, 17:52	#9
petemc Moonshine Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Nr Liverpewl Posts: 4,371	You should have no issues with JPG's tbh. You should be able to get good quality photos from it. I don't think thats the problem. __________________ Thats no hamster, its a space station!

22-10-2007, 18:09	#10
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	What metering mode is it/was it in? If it was in spot/centre weighted that might have caused some exposure's to go awry depending where it was pointed when you half pressed the shutter. Also, did you check to see if any exposure compensation had been accidently turned on? I know i've had some badly exposed pictures because I forgot to reset the exposure compensation. __________________