The Bare Basics!

... Before you begin, please read the Manual to this Camera.. I know it's boring and long but please read it.. no one can help you if you don't know where things are or what they are.. after that, visit The Fuji Guys channel on YouTube for this specific model HERE (there are 3 total) .. they explain things VERY well and if you go to their Twitter page http://www.twitter.com/fujiguys and follow them, they will answer any questions you may have. They might answer questions on YouTube but I'm not certain.. you can try it..

.. I know you are eager to take nice photos but you have to do your research and you have to take some time to get familiar with the Camera .. use the Auto mode (the little red camera icon) until you are comfortable with the Camera... if you don't like the results you get with the Auto mode, play with the Manual (M) settings.. this Camera really is a joy to use once you get use to it! ...

.. I know I have made this page backwards and I apologize but I am just winging it here.. I made the mistake of thinking people would automatically do what I done to begin with... sorry!

Depth of Field

.. Depth of field is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph... it took me a little while to accomplish what I wanted with this Camera.. no, it does not have the same range and capabilities as a DSLR Camera but it does have enough for me.. 

.. the above photo was accomplished with me holding the angel with one hand, Auto, Black & White & Super Macro setting, holding the angel close to the lens, pressing the shutter button HALF way down, letting it focus on her face then pressing the rest of the way down.

.. I found out quickly, that if you want the background with more blur, the subject you are focusing on, has to be further away from the stuff behind it.. 

.. IMHO my best examples of depth of field shots were done from sitting in my vehicle.. the above shot was set at Auto, Macro setting, then I Zoomed in on the berry on the branch.. my vehicle was sitting in a parking lot and that tree was close to a building about 10 feet away..

.. the above photo was taken at a Kroger as I was leaving the parking lot.. same settings, Auto, Macro and Zooming in on the leaf... the tree was only about 5 feet away...

.. I like the above photo because I wanted the beautiful leaves in the back and not something up front.. I was in my vehicle once again, Auto, Macro and Zooming in on the tree.. the tree in the background was about 20 or 30 feet away...

.. if you are wondering why I set the Camera on Macro.. here's my logic, if I'm able to get in close by Zooming in, I want it to be as clear as possible.. now whether that logic is right or correct, I don't know.. lol

.. I hope this helps someone in some way.. I know this entire page is not organized and at best, a little confusing but I'm just trying to share the little I know, so new users can have fun like I am :) (yes, I have changed the ending to this entry, sorry)

Subject Note: if you need to get a closer look at any of the photos above, just click on them ☺

Avoiding Blurry Photos

.. I am seeing more and more new owners complaining about blurry photos... this Camera will do most of the work for you in most cases if you let it (this does NOT include Manual).. when taking a photo, you HAVE to press the shutter button down HALFway and when you do that, you will see it trying to focus.. once it does focus, press the button the rest of the way down and click..

.. I know this seems like you will miss out on some great photos but IMHO you don't.. you get use to it and after awhile, it becomes second nature and you do it automatically..

Please Note: SP mode on this Camera has a Portrait setting that adds a slight blur automatically so you may want to avoid it for clear photos

Custom Bokeh

.. I played around today to see if this Camera was able to make the custom shape bokeh and as you can see above, it most certainly can! ... I watched a short video HERE a long time ago and really wanted to try this out eventually with this Camera.. my cover is not as nice as the guy's in the video (lol) but it works! .. I used white poster board and colored it black with a magic marker.. the diameter of the lens is 7 inches but I cut the strip a little bit longer so I could tape it together.. the width of the strip is about 4 inches... the hardest part for me was the circle in front.. make sure you tape those little side pieces on the front so you can use the same cover and make different shapes to slide on the front.. I found out that the smaller the shape, the better it comes in.. my first attempt didn't work out so well because the heart was too large and it really didn't seem like it was at the time but it was.. I used the party beads I used before on my desk and a 60 watt bulb in my lamp as a light source.. Macro setting and I zoomed in until I saw the shapes appear... I had to hold onto the cover while I took photos.. I found it pretty interesting that if you turned the cover left or right and slightly moved it out and in, the bokeh would change.. well.. that's all I can think of right now, I hope this page is helpful... now go have some fun and good luck!! ...

Create Easy Bokeh

.. I personally am in love with the Bokeh effect in photographs and will try and get it any time I can.. there are several ways to accomplish it with this Camera.. some things I expected, which was twinkle lights (of course) but some things were unexpected like Plastic Beads.. please remember, I almost NEVER got what I wanted the first try and I take anywhere between 60 to 100 shots sometimes more.. this first photo was Christmas Twinkle Lights just in a random bunch on my kitchen table about 5 feet away.. Macro setting and Zoom in until you see Bokeh then snap! ..

..these next two were from rain drops on my windshield, while I was sitting in the car in a parking lot, waiting for someone to come out of the store.. it was getting daylight and the parking lot lights were still on.. Macro setting and playing with Zoom until I got what I wanted..

.. now these Plastic Beads here..

..is what I used to get the following but I had more than 2 strands.. again, Macro and playing with Zoom... I only have a small table lamp with a 60 watt bulb about 5 feet away to my right..

.. this next one is sorta fake Bokeh.. completely dark room with only the lights on my stove with a clear Martini glass but the Bokeh you see that seems to be floating in the air is actually the lights bouncing off my stove splash guard..

.. this next one is one of my favorites because it's so colorful.. these Plastic Beads were only a dollar and all came in the same pack.. they are Party Beads.. I wanted the colorful beads but got a bonus with the Bokeh in the background..

...here's those same beads but moved around randomly.. Macro setting, playing with Zoom... these are on my desk too, I know it's kinda dark but I still like it..

.. this last one I used Super Macro setting and "Instant Zoom" because you cannot Zoom in while Super Macro is on but you CAN use Instant Zoom ... I focused in on the charm (of course)

... if you need to know how to find and use Instant Zoom, I took of a screenshot of the Manual and have it for you next.. click on the photo to get a bigger view and please feel free to save it for later use (of course) ..

.. I hope you find this page helpful.. as I learn and discover things, I will try and share it here and explain it the best way I can.. if something isn't clear or you have a question, please feel free and comment here or Contact me through my Flickr account HERE.. I would be more than happy to try and help.. ☺

Please Note: Some photos have been edited a little with Photo Editing Software, if you do not have your own, I provided a list of FREE ones online and some for download to your right, just under my other stuff listing.