This is the screen display when in the Auto record mode with the shutter release half- pressed. The green AF target marks in the center indicate a good autofocus lock, they turn red when the auto focus fails. The shutter speed and aperture are displayed as well as the battery level icon.

You can enable a realtime histogram display in record mode.

Record menu - page 1 of 3:

Resolution - 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1024x768 or 640x480
Quality Level - Three (Best), Two (Better) or One (Good) "stars"
White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent or Manual
Focusing Area - Wide (default) or Spot
AE Metering - Matrix, Center-weighted or Spot
ISO Speed - Auto or fixed at 100, 200, 400

Record menu - page 2 of 3:

Auto Bracket - Exposure or white balance bracketing
Color - Full (normal color), B&W or Sepia
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Instant Review - 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 secs or Off
Continuous shooting - Enable continuous drive mode
3D Mode - Parallel or Cross mode

Record menu - page 3 of 3:

Memory - Memorize settings between power on and off
Sharpness - Settings for minus, normal, plus
Saturation - Settings for minus, normal, plus
Contrast - Settings for minus, normal, plus

The PICT mode on the Mode Dial gives you access to the pre-programmed scene modes. Top to bottom: Landscape, Closeup, Portrait, Self-Portrait, Soft Focus, Beach/Snow and Sunset.

The 3D capture mode is rather unique. You select either the parallel or cross method and then capture your first image. Similar to a panorama assist mode, the LCD shows a "ghost" image outline of the edge of the first image which you use to line up the camera when you move it right for the second frame.

You take this side-by-side 3D image and print it out (4-5 inches wide) and view it with the supplied 3D stereographic viewing aid.

Press the Focus mode button 4 times to enter the Manual Focus mode. A sliding scale is shown on the LCD but no distance measurement id displayed. The center portion of the display is enlarged (and shown in monochrome) so you can visually "see" the focus change.

You can record up to a maximum of 30 seconds of 320 x 240 motion video at 15 fps. Movie clips are stored as standard Windows AVI format video files. There is no microphone so the movies are silent.

The Optio 330GS has a very respectable macro focus range (0.33 to 1.64 ft.), the actual focus range is dependant on the setting of the zoom which is fully useable while in macro mode.

The 3x optical zoom can be further enhanced by a 2.5x digital zoom. This requires you to use the color LCD as the viewfinder which is now quite grainy looking and not all that useable outdoors. As with all digital zooms, it electronically crops the central portion of the image and enlarges it to create the picture. The Optio 330GS's "enlarged" image is slightly degraded but better quality than most digitally-zoomed images we've seen from other cameras. However, it's still preferable to just get closer to your subject (if possible) and use the optical zoom.

The Setup menu (same in record and play) lets you Format the CF card, enable or disable the beep sounds when buttons are pushed, set the date style, change the date and or time, set the world time zone or change the menu language.

Page two of the Setup menu lets you set the video format (NTSC or PAL), set the Sleep timeout value (90s, 1m, 2m), LCD brightness or Reset to factory defaults.