Olympus E410 EVOLT E-410 Instruction Manual (English) - Page 24

2 Improving your shooting skills k Shooting guides Basic function guides Improving your shooting skills k Shooting guides Take pictures frequently to familiarize yourself with the camera. You can start off by taking pictures of your surrounding subjects like children, flowers or pets. And from the poor quality pictures you have taken, try to figure out what went wrong. The problems can often be resolved just by being more observant during shooting. Focus: Operating the shutter button 2 Out of focus seems to be the common cause when pictures taken do not turn out well. In many cases, instead of the intended focus on the subject, the back or front of the subject or other objects are focused. The shutter button can be half-pressed and full pressed. Once you are able to operate the half-press and full press effectively, you can even focus accurately on moving subjects. g "Shooting" (P. 10), "If correct focus cannot be obtained (Focus lock)" (P. 35) However, even if the subject is in focus, the picture can become blurred if the camera moves while the shutter button is being pressed. Make sure to hold the camera properly so that it does not shake. The camera is particularly subject to shaking when using live view to take pictures while viewing the subject on the monitor. In addition, it may be necessary to use a tripod to prevent camera shake even when you feel there is sufficient lighting. g "Holding the camera" (P. 10) Besides out of focus and camera shake problems, the motion of the subject will also cause the picture to blur. Ability to shoot at a shutter speed that matches the motion of the subject is essential. You can confirm the shutter speed and aperture on the displays of the viewfinder and monitor when taking pictures by pressing the shutter button halfway. Check out these displays during your shooting practices. g "How to use the mode dial" (P. 17), "Preview function" (P. 34), "Live view" (P. 22) Halfway down: All the way down: Brightness: Exposure compensation The camera automatically determines the aperture value and shutter speed according to the brightness level. This is known as auto exposure. However, auto exposure alone may not result in pictures of your expectations. At times like this, you can adjust the exposure through increasing or decreasing the exposure value set by the camera's auto exposure during shooting. Increase the exposure when you want the dazzling sensation of the summer beach or the whiteness of the snow to stand out. And decrease the exposure when the area to be shot is smaller and brighter compared to its surrounding area. If you are unsure how much exposure compensation is required, it is better to take the picture with various settings. 24 EN g "Exposure compensation k Varying the image brightness" (P. 53)