TheChad

Hi All!

I am new to the forum and new to High End Camera's. I come from Point & Shoot cameras, which have served us well for many years. But I have 2 kids that play hockey and wanted to capture pictures of them shooting and my goalie stopping pucks. I don't know much about cameras and Upon asking the expert at the store I was directed to the Sony A6000.


The shutter speed is amazing and it saves the rapid pictures to the memory card instantly and the camera is ready to take more rapid pictures in a second or two. Perfect!


I took a bunch of pictures a the last game and brought the camera home to sift threw the pictures and found a few I wanted to print. They are saved in 6000x4000 350 DPI JPEG.


I took the picture, did some basic cropping in Photoshop (I only have very basic knowledge of Photoshop) and printed the picture. I have a Samsung C18660FW Color Laser printer that has a 9600 x 600 dpi print quality. I have had Inkjets for YEARS and went with a laser because even though their DPI was lower, the prints looked better than Inkjets with 2x the DPI...


Anyway, I have had this same problem with Inkjets also..


The picture looks HD crystal clear on the computer screen, unless you zoom WAY in. Then it get's grainy. When I print, it's ALL grainy, like it's zoomed in. But I'm only printing 4x6.


I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I'm sure I am missing something. I'm sure there is some photography secret that I don't know.. How do I make these pictures print good?


Thanks in advance for the help!


-TheChad

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

UHH has a great section that specializes in answers for printing - I suggest you post your question there. At the bottom of this page, there is a link marked "All Sections". Click on that and scroll down the list to "Printers and Color Printing Forum". Subscribe to that section (there is no charge). Post your question. Folks there will be happy to help you out. Welcome to UHH!

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

I suggest that you BRIEFLY ask same questions in Printers and Color Printing Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-120-1.html

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

Can you post a picture here and click on "(store original)"?

Billy Bob

I bought 10 Canon MG 3620 printers over the last 3 months for $30. each. Well the replacement is $30. After the ink runs out I 'll sell printer $20. or so. Printer dose a great job. This is great paper too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/321533161059?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Ever one thinks they need a high price printer for great prints. I've sold 8x10 prints for $25. with this set up. That's all my BS for to day. anGODbless

TheChad

Picture DSC00243.jpg - it's 6000 x 4000 350DPI

I've been reading online and perhaps my problem is ISO? My camera is set to Auto. I don't know much of ANYTHING about ISO or any of these setting, but what I read was that higher ISO get's more grain..

Thanks,

-TheChad

(Download)

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

High ISO will result in obvious pixelation (similar to grain in film). Your aperture and shutter duration seem appropriate for subject.
Exif info of this photo:
Camera Model: Sony ILCE-6000
Lens: E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
Image Date: 2017-01-23
Focal Length: 171.0mm
Aperture: ƒ/6.3
Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320-sec)
ISO equiv: 2500
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No

TheChad

So my problem is the ISO? It was set to Auto, Not sure why it selected such a high ISO. This is indoor with bright White ICE and typically very bright lighting.

So I guess I should manually set the ISO? If the ISO is too low, the image will be dark/underexposed?

Thanks for the help!

-TheChad

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

I believe that your ISO, shutter duration, and aperture were proper for this photograph, but could be tweaked just a bit.
Lowering your ISO will require either a longer shutter duration (resulting in possible motion-blurred subject) or a more narrow DoF (possibly partial out-of-focus subject).
You can hand-hold down to 1/100-sec at f/6.3, which will allow a lower ISO. This may allow an ISO of approximately 1000.
Is your camera set to highest JPG resolution (fine)?

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

dupe

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

One thing I will also share is what settings to enable your Sony A6000 to take better sports photos.
The author is Patrick Racey-Murphy a member of the Sony Artisan's Program, this is a link to his You Tube tutorial, so you can watch it with camera in hand and make the adjustments he suggests, and use the MR feature to save the settings once you have installed them in your Sony A6000.
If you shoot sports photos you must set your ISO high enough that you can get a shutter speed of no less than 1/500, in some cases if you intend to capture a puck as it being struck and coming off the stick you need to 1/1000 shutter speed to stop action and get a clear image that is not blurred. The Sony A6000 has a native ISO of 24,500.
The majority of sports photos are shot in the AV mode < Canon lingo for Aperture Preferred, A mode <Nikon Sony bodies. This mode allows you to adjust you ISO and lens opening to stop the action.
You may also wish to adjust your focus points also. The Sony A6000 will allow you to lock on a specific player. Your Sony A6000 allows you to shoot at frame rate that until it was released was only possible on camera bodies that cost $6,000 or over.
Your handicap might be having a lens with F 2.8 that will allow you to shoot at a faster shutter speed and still use ISO settings that have less noise or grain.
If you what you see on the screen and what you printer is able print or reproduce you may wish to take a look at some software that will calibrate your monitor, and create printer profiles specific to your printer or printers. Profiling your printer, and developing a printer profile will insure what you are viewing on your monitor is being communicated or used by your printer to make the best use of your monitor, and printer so they are in concert with each other
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iMgpSrHGy0
http://www.garyfong.com/learn/shooting-sports-or-action-photography-high-speed-mode another tutorial by Gary Fong that might could easier to comprehend

TheChad

Thank you soo much for your help.

It sounds like I bought the right camera, It's just a matter of getting the settings right.. I took a picture with ISO 100 and it was crystal clear, no snow. So I think that's going to be a big thing trying to get that right... I followed the first video you suggested and set up the camera as advised. Only a couple of setting were different than I had them.

So should I leave the ISO in Auto? Or do I need to be setting that manually? I am worried that Auto will continue using high ISO and giving me snowy pictures..

Lots and lots and lots to learn.

Thanks,

-TheChad

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

No if you intend to shoot sports, I do not use the auto ISO setting, I prefer to select the ISO and increase it until I can get a shutter speed i.e. no less than 1/500, to stop the action, you goal in sports photography is to take a shot with a player of players in focus, and the back ground blurred. Where you are allowed to shoot will have a great effect on how sharp the main subject is or distance from lens to subject.

TheChad

Okay, So I'm at the Rink right now.. Setting the ISO manually, after ISO 2500 the picture doesn't get any brighter, so should I use ISO 2500? Or does it not work like that?

snfapm1983

Try ISO 200, then 400 depending on light. I wouldn't go much higher.