Canon Rebel XSI

[emsplawn]

Hello

    I was wondering what is a good setting for taking pictures of a livestock show? My images are coming out really blurry.

Thank you in advance

[ebiggs1]

"How do I set the Ss"

If you select Tv mode you have to select a SS.  I thought you said that is the mode you used?  Did you set a SS?

If you select Av mode you set an aperture, usually the lowest number on your lens, the XSi will then automatically set the fastest SS it can for proper exposure.

[emsplawn]

I have my ISO at (I think) the highest it’ll go

[ebiggs1]

"I have my ISO at (I think) the highest it’ll go"

If memory serves me, I believe the XSi has a max ISO of 1600.  Try that.  It may have too much grain but than again you won't know until you try it. You still need to match SS to FL.  That is key to sharp photos.

[ebiggs1]

Rebel XSi manual<---click on this 

[emsplawn]

Ok. I just played with it lol I don’t know exactly what I did

[emsplawn]

That’s what I don’t know how to do

[ebiggs1]

These settings are all done in the menus.  I suggest you download the manual from Canon to see exactly how the menus work.

Here is how I would set it up.  I would use Av mode and set it to the lowest number on your lens. I think that is f4 or perhaps f5.6. Now you don't need to set the SS, the XSi will, but you do need to set the ISO to 1600.  Give this a try next time.

However this is for poor lighting circumstances. If you have a better lighted place these settings will need to be changed.

If you use it outdoors on nice days or even cloudy ones simply use the P mode.  And set ISO to 200 or 400 instead of 1600.

[ebiggs1]

BTW, P mode sets both aperture and SS for you automatically.  But it is exposure based and does not take other factors into account.  Action or movement for instance.

ISO 200 is a good general setting. It assumes decent lighting.

[FloridaDrafter · Accepted solution]

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@emsplawn wrote:
That’s what I don’t know how to do

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Sorry for the long winded post, but I cut my digital teeth, so to speek, with this camera and I almost feel obligated to share my experience 🙂

I know you are in the process of getting the manual, at least I hope so, but I'll tell you how to do this, just in case.

As mentioned, I own this camera and shot with it for a year or so, but it's been a while and it's in my camera collection now.

First, right behind the shutter is a dial/wheel. When in any of the "creative" modes (Tv,Av,M, and sometimes P), that wheel will adjust the settings for whatever mode you are in, for example, if you are in Tv mode, it will raise or lower your shutter speed, when in Av it will adjust your aperture, and so on. Behind that wheel is a button labeled "ISO". Push that and you will get a screen with your ISO options, Auto - 100 through 1600. Just in case you don't understand ISO, it adjusts the sensitivity of your sensor to light. You will have to toggle (press) the DISP. (Display) button to see this and it's in the upper left just beside the MENU button. Once the ISO screen displays, use the aforementioned wheel to scroll through your options, then press the "SET" button when on the ISO setting you want. ISO can be set in "P", but not in AUTO (the green square. You can also see this info in the viewfinder, it will be displayed in green just under your image. This will allow you to change settings "on the fly" without having to look at the back of the camera while using the wheel.

As Ernie mentioned, your shutter speed is way too low for that particular lens and venue. It appears to be the original kit lens, which although pretty good at the time, has fallen way behind in both image quality and image stabalization (IS), the latter being the most important in your situation. The newer model has an "STM" focus system (and better IS), and I don't see that [STM] on the lens.

FOR THIS CAMERA AND LENS:

As for which mode, I would use Tv and experiment with ISO. Maybe Tv 200 and ISO 800. I do use Av on some of my other cameras, which allows you to adjust your Depth of Field (DOF), for macro and any other shot I take when using a tripod and don't particularly care how fast my shutter speed is. Av, adjusted properly, will give you better DOF but will also decrease the amount of light that hits your sensor, i.e., greater DOF - less light, and in your case low shutter speeds. Some photographers use Av for action, but they have high end cameras that will handle high ISO, but even they usually have to remove noise in post processing for shots with high shutter speeds. When I was using this camera with a 70-300mm lens, I usually stayed on ISO 400 and 800, but I was shooting birds and usually in a dark forest environment. ISO noise was acceptable, for me anyway, but as mentioned, noise would increase with shutter speeds, say Tv 1/800th / ISO 800, and 1600 was not acceptable for me, ever.

Now, something you should consider is shooting Raw+Jpeg (RAW+L in your menu - very 1st setting under "Quality") and downloading Canon's free Digital Photo Pro 4 (DPP 4). With this program you can use lens correction, noise reduction, along with other settings to improve your images. You may even find that just shooting Raw, which I ended up doing, will give you the best images and control. From looking at your photos, besides them having motion blur, the "White Balance" setting in DPP (or your camera for that mater) will help. Yes, it's just something else to learn, but it's pretty simple to use and has a manual, plus a pile of youtube tutotials. If you plan to continue using this camera/lens combo in this type of environment, you need some post processing even if you get your shutter speed up. Use the camera to get the best shots you can, then edit the Raw files in DPP 4.

[emsplawn]

Thank you so so much