Coolpix S3700 Taking Photo of Eyes

I purchased a Coolpix S3700 camera to take some eye photos.

The salesman in the store gave a demonstration with the camera taking eye photos while in the store, the photos came out very clear and detailed..

As the store is quite some way from were I live, I was hoping somebody on this forum may be able to help with the settings I should be using.

When I have tried, the photos are not clear and a little cloudy.

nivek

Can you post an example and also tell us what settings you used? Flying blind is a bit difficult, especially when it comes to photography.

Merco_61

Thanks for the reply, sorry for the wait, I have been away.

Settings are as follows -

Flash off
Self timer off
Auto mode on
Macro on
Image mode 5152 x 3864
White balance auto
Continuous single
Iso sensitivity 400
AF area mode Target finding AF
Autofocus Single AF

nivek

It looks like the Target finding AF has identified the ear as the target as it has the highest contrast. Try changing the AF area mode to manual instead and place focus where you need it with the multiselector.

Merco_61

Thank you for your patience dealing with this issue.

I have attached the settings I used and another photo.

I still need to see a little more detail in the eye.

The photo was taken outside in daylight.

Settings used -

Flash off
Self timer off
Auto mode on
Macro on
Image mode 3648 x 2736
White balance Daylight
Continuous single
Iso sensitivity 400
AF area mode Manual
Autofocus Single AF

Do you have any suggestions?

nivek

Now, the question is if you are steady enough to use single-shot AF or if continuous AF would be better? With single-shot, the camera locks focus as soon as it has achieved it instead of continuing to fine-adjust until you press the shutter fully. With macro shots, the depth of field is narrow enough to miss focus slightly if the photographer or the subject moves the slightest.

I agree with Merco - the second image looks like there may have been some subject or photographer movement after focus...You didn't indicate the shutter speed and aperture settings for the image, but it might also be the length of the exposure that is causing the movement.  I would try to use the continuous AF to see if that helps.  I might also try raising my ISO a stop or two...

Merco_61,

I will try AF continuous and post back.

TBonz,

On the Coolpix, where are the shutter speed and aperture settings?

nivek

set it to macro mode?

 

Merco_61,

I will try AF continuous and post back.

 

TBonz,

On the Coolpix, where are the shutter speed and aperture settings?

 

nivek

 

 

Nivek,

What photo editing software do you use?  That software should have the ability to read the EXIF information that the camera includes with each image including the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture.  While I agree with Merco's recommendation to try AF-C, I am also thinking that the camera may have selected a slow enough shutter speed that movement could become visible.  Without a flash and indoors, you might need to bump up the ISO to get a faster shutter speed.  In other words, if Merco's suggestion does not solve the problem, it is likely a slow shutter speed causing the blur in the image.

Hope that helps!

Merco_61,

I have tried these settings and there is an improvement.

Settings used -

Flash off
Self timer off
Auto mode on
Macro on

ISO 1600
Image mode 5152 x 3864
White balance Daylight
Continuous Continuous
AF area mode Manual
Autofocus Single AF

Minimizing the reflections is a matter of finding a placement of the eye and the camera where you get less reflections and maybe flagging or scrimming the light sources that produce the reflections.

You can probably extract some more detail with some careful post processing. For technical macros like this, I would use the full version of Photoshop, not Elements. A PS license is quite cheap, now that you rent the software from Adobe instead of buying it outright.

You could probably learn a lot about how to do things and what is possible in post if you put up a link to a full-size photo on Dropbox or Google Drive and invite people to post-process it and explain how in the Mini-challenges section. You can model your post on the Editing exercise threads, but point out that it is *not* artistic interpretations you are after.