Pentax KS2 Blurred Pictures

I Was a Canon Camera user to start with and not ashamed to say so. I switched from Canon when the KS2 released and just fell in love with it from the very start. I haven't been able to use my Camera for a long time so it has always been in it's box free from dust and dirt. I recently felt a need to use it again so got it out and took a few snaps with it and sadly they were blurred and not very good. In all honesty i wasn't always a great photographer but have done some very nice photographs in the past, probably not up to the standards of some of you members but i thought them nice. I had the camera on auto as i have forgotten most of what i knew which saddens me in a way. I am not young anymore and realise the blurred pictures could be down to camera shake but it's set to auto i thought everything would be sorted with it. I can't even remember which mode i used most but keep thinking program mode as that's what i was used too with the Canon camera's i had. Could you members see fit to giving me some tips either in program mode or auto till i get used to it again. I didn't realise how much i missed the KS2 until recently and would love to get some decent pictures with her again. Also i am not sure but the KS2 is supposed to have like a digital watch battery to keep the time etc which i think is flat but i can't remember where it is to change it.
Thanks In Advance
Tim

Blurred photos could be camera shake but unlikely if in auto mode. More likely out of focus. Did you have manual focus set?

If you wish to post one of the affected photos it might help us diagnose the actual problem.

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John K

This is one i took the other day, some are worse than this.

1/3 sec exposure? Camera shake?

Like i say the Camera is set to auto, the switch is set to AF as well, could lighting be a factor ?. Saying that it wasn't dark and the photo was taken indoors. The only thing i can think of is Camera shake but thought that would be set with it being full auto.

That looks like camera shake to me.
I have the K-S2 it's a great little camera but even in auto there are parameters that can be changed/set. I would guess you do not have auto iso selected so the camera has opened the aperture as wide as it can and the only place left for it to go to get the correct exposure is to slow the shutter speed right down, allowing for camera shake. Press the iso button and ensure auto iso is selected this will give the camera the ability to adjust to a higher iso and keep a faster shutter speed thus reducing the risk of camera shake.
If this is not the problem let us know and we'll get it sorted.
Also the camera shake reduction system can be turned off in Auto, press the info button and check that camera shake is on.
Best
Nigel

Thanks, I did do a best settings for KS2 which i believe was in Pentax User and tried that but it still happened, i will take another look at the settings but am sure auto settings for iso were on. I couldn't tell you 100% without taking another look.

If you enlarge the photo there is a distinct double image suggesting camera shake .



Hand holding the camera for a 1/3 second exposure with a 75mm lens would be challenging to put mildly, even with shake reduction enabled!

Do you still get the problem out of doors in daylight?

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John K

Also, for comparison, you could try taking the same pictures in similar light conditions but using a tripod (SR should be switched off when on the tripod.)

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Regards,
Kea828

First off i don't know what the exposure was set at, someone said 1/3 but not sure, i do take most of my pictures indoors as i can't go out due to health reasons. The majority of my pictures are still life or not moving and also i don't know why but i think lighting has something to do with it. I have a Tripod and will try it next time. It's mainly Vaping Mods and Tanks i photograph but some of them have small parts and i need to try at least to get decent pictures of them. I know the KS2 is a very capable Camera hence me buying it so it would be nice to show off some of it's capabilities. Thanks for the help so far.

1/3 sec is in the EXIF data of the sample that you posted.

I don't know about others, but I can't get sharp handheld photo's at those kind of shutter speeds.

If you've still got the images on an SD card, you can see the exposure details on the camera screen when you're viewing the images. Might have to press the 'info' button - not sure, as I'm not familiar with your camera.

So a higher shutter speed might be of benefit ?. I don't understand why Auto Mode has chosen such poor settings when in the past most pictures taken in Auto mode have been fine, i better check the mode dial as something doesn't seem right here.

The camera is doing its best to give you a correct exposure for the lighting conditions.

It chose a shutter speed of 1/3 second
Aperture of 5.6 (max aperture on your lens is f4)
ISO of 3200

The camera is doing its best to give you a balanced exposure. To get a higher shutter speed it would need to use f4 and say a ISO of 12,800. That would give you a shutter speed of about 1/30 second. You would get an image with less camera shake but a very noisy one due to high ISO.

The exposure triangle is a fixed constant for the available light. You cannot beat the physics. You should use flash in these situations, or a tripod.

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Peter



My Flickr page

In situations like this you have to use a tripod and preferably 2 second time which will automatically cancel the shake reduction, which is what you want when working on a tripod.

If you're often taking photos in these conditions, it could be worth setting up a small studio with lights or a couple of flashes. You'd need at least a main light and a fill light to help avoid heavy shadows.

Another way take these would be near a window with daylight behind or to the side of you.

Even in auto it helps to know the settings the camera is proposing to use. Even better is Program mode which gives you controlled auto exposure .

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John K