susancbrown
Newbie
What mode is best for macro images - Program, Aperature, Manual or Shutter? I'vebeen getting blurry images.
-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
Help Best mode for macro shots
- Thread starter susancbrown
- Start date
I guess this isn't a phone question, because all the phones I can think of have a fixed aperture - aperture priority and program are the same thing if the aperture is fixed, and shutter priority would mean "set the shutter speed and vary the iso to get the exposure".
Anyway, assuming it's a real camera and so you have both aperture and shutter controls, it depends on the type of blur. If the problem is that the depth of field is too narrow (a little bit of the image is sharp, the rest out of focus) then a smaller aperture is needed. If everything is out of focus due to shake (in which case you can sometimes, in extreme cases, see the pattern of the shaking) then a higher shutter speed is needed (or a tripod!).
Note that I didn't say which mode, but what you needed to change: for the same exposure value you can get a higher shutter speed by widening the aperture (at the cost of depth of field), or you you can use a narrower aperture if you reduce the shutter speed (increasing the risk of shake or subject movement). Or you can narrow the aperture without lowering the speed (or vice-versa) by raising the ISO (which will increase the noise in the image). Which is appropriate depends on the lighting, the subject, and the capabilities of your equipment.
If you really do mean using a phone camera, does it have a macro (close focus) mode? That would be the first I'd try. Then it's a matter of shutter speed vs ISO (i.e. shake vs noise: shake will blur the shot, but the dreadful noise reduction most phones use will too). Manually selecting the focus point (i.e. tapping the bit of the image you want to focus on) might be worth a try too.
Anyway, assuming it's a real camera and so you have both aperture and shutter controls, it depends on the type of blur. If the problem is that the depth of field is too narrow (a little bit of the image is sharp, the rest out of focus) then a smaller aperture is needed. If everything is out of focus due to shake (in which case you can sometimes, in extreme cases, see the pattern of the shaking) then a higher shutter speed is needed (or a tripod!).
Note that I didn't say which mode, but what you needed to change: for the same exposure value you can get a higher shutter speed by widening the aperture (at the cost of depth of field), or you you can use a narrower aperture if you reduce the shutter speed (increasing the risk of shake or subject movement). Or you can narrow the aperture without lowering the speed (or vice-versa) by raising the ISO (which will increase the noise in the image). Which is appropriate depends on the lighting, the subject, and the capabilities of your equipment.
If you really do mean using a phone camera, does it have a macro (close focus) mode? That would be the first I'd try. Then it's a matter of shutter speed vs ISO (i.e. shake vs noise: shake will blur the shot, but the dreadful noise reduction most phones use will too). Manually selecting the focus point (i.e. tapping the bit of the image you want to focus on) might be worth a try too.