Best setting for still photos?

Pull_Up · Nov 24, 2013

Can anyone more versed in photography than me tell me which of the photo size settings is giving the best results? I was thinking initially that these were quality settings (how many megapixels per image) like you'd find in a point-and-shoot but I'm not so sure that's the case...

As an aside I've been messing about with Google's photo editing tools: there are some interesting effects you can get. This is no great photo but it's got quite a dramatic look!

MikeB · Nov 24, 2013

Always use the largest picture size the camera will generate, otherwise you are just throwing away data. The only reason for the smaller sizes is to conserve space on the SD card, but a 32G card will hold more still images than you can take in a week. Once you get the pictures on your PC, you might downsize them for publishing on the web (like facebook), but that's a decision best made in front of a large monitor.

Topeeka · Nov 24, 2013

I really like the photo you posted with this... IF possible, it always adds a bit of impact to shoot when the sun is low to get the nice side-lighting and warm tones that are in your shot. The clouds were a big help, too..! They always add a lot ofinterest. And your near / far view gives a lot of dimension to this picture...nice work...!

I agree about shooting in the (L)argest setting....you can always reduce the size/quality, but you can never INcrease those factors. I also would suggest that you set the camera mode to take 3...or even 5...shots in a burst..that gives you the option of selecting the absolute best one of those exposures...just in case there is a bit of jiggle, etc. during the moment of exposure. It costs you nothing since it's digital, but can be good insurance. I also prefer to underexpose by a 1/3 stop most times as this seems to give a richer and more pleasing color. You can do this in an editing program, of course, and it's a very personal matter, but you might want to give it a try. Remember that you can do this mid-flight too....this simply blows my mind...!!!

Pull_Up · Nov 24, 2013

Thanks to both. Having looked again it is definitely "large" = full sensor. I was confused by the different aspect ratios of the large, medium and small results (4:3, 3:2, 16:9) and assumed it was using the full 14MP for each.

jimre · Nov 24, 2013

Yes, the setting labeled "Photo Size" should really be called Aspect Ratio, IMHO. Still images are always the same width, this setting just varies the height to get 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9. I would always shoot in Large, and then later you can crop as desired.