Olympus Stylus Digital 500 Review



Record Modes & Screens
Typical record mode screen. The "P" indicates Program AE exposure mode. In
the center are the auto focus target marks, the zoom indicator (sliding
bar) is displayed momentarily whenever the focal length is changed. Across
the bottom is image quality, SHQ = Super High Quality, image size is
2560x1920 (5 megapixels) and there's enough space on our xD card for 142
pictures. Other icons indicate Macro focus mode, forced off flash, and the
buffer level indicator (black box at the bottom right.)
When you half-press the shutter release it starts the autofocus process and
if it locks you'll get the "focus OK" green icon (top left). The autofocus
marks will also move to the selected area of focus. If focus fail you will
get a red "can't focus" icon (not shown.)
To change the exposure mode you press the 4-way selector "Up" while in record mode. Then use the "Up" and "Down" buttons to select the desired mode from the virtual mode dial displayed on the LCD screen. Once you stop on a specific scene mode, a brief description of its intended use will be displayed (see above). This will help beginners find the perfect shooting mode for certain situations.
You can choose from 20 different modes: Program Auto, Landscape,
Landscape+Portrait, Portrait, Indoor, Sport, Beach&Snow, Behind Glass,
Self-Portrait+Self-Timer, Self-Portrait, Sunset, Night scene, Night
Portrait, Cuisine, Documents, Candle light, Under Water Wide (Optional
underwater housing required), Under Water Macro(Optional underwater housing
required), Shoot&Select 1, and Shoot&select 2.
Press the OK/MENU button to bring up the Record mode Menu. You can use the
shortcut menus to quickly change exposure compensation, image resolution,
or adjust white balance. To access all menu options press the 4-way
selector to the "Right" for the Mode Menu - see the next frame.
Shortcut Menu Options
Resolution - SHQ or HQ (2560x1920), SQ1 (2048x1536), SQ2 (640x480 default or select 1600x1200, 1280x960, 1024x768) White Balance - Choose Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten (Incandescent), or Fluorescent 1, 2, and 3 Mode Menu Options CAMERA
Drive - Single frame or Continuous ISO - Select Auto, 64, 100, 200, or 400 equivalents Digital Zoom - Enable or disable digital zoom option AF Mode - i ESP or Spot focus modes Sound Memo - Enable or disable sound attachment to still pictures Panorama - Enable Panorama mode (only if using Olympus xD card) 2 IN 1 - Enable the 2IN1 exposure mode (takes two separate pictures and then merges them into one side-by-side image) Live Histogram - On/Off CARD
SETUP
Menu Language - Japanese, English, French, German PW ON Setup - Select power up screen animation and sound level Color - Allows you to change the menu system's color scheme (Normal, Blue, Green, Pink) Camera Sounds - Adjust the sound levels (Off, Low, High) Shutter Sound - Select shutter sound theme Rec View - View image immediately after capture on LCD File Name - Select between Reset and Auto Pixel Mapping - Map out bad pixels Monitor Brightness - Adjust LCD backlight Set Clock - Set time and or date Video Out - Video out signal - NTSC or PAL format
Press the 4-way selector to the Right to enable Macro focus mode and take
closeup shots at a range of 8 in. - infinity from the lens, or enable Super
Macro mode and get as close as 2.8-inches.
The 2-IN-1 exposure mode lets you capture two different images and then
merges them together inside of the camera to produce one completed image.
The Panorama mode has an onscreen guide to help you make the best possible panorama
pictures by getting the necessary overlap between successive images. Up to 10 frames
can be captured and then stitched together with the Camedia Master software. You must
use an Olympus brand xD-Picture Card to use the Panorama mode.
Here's the screen when using HQ (320x240) Movie mode. You can also use SQ
(160x120) mode for smaller file sizes, which is great for sending clips via
email, etc. The length of a movie is limited only by the available memory.
Because sound is recorded, the zoom can not be used during recording but
can be preset before. However you can enable to Digital Zoom and use it
during recording, but it degrades image quality.
Pressing the Menu button in Movie mode give you access to theses options. From the shortcut menu you can use exposure compensation, change the resolution, and adjust white balance. The mode menu give you access to metering, ISO and the digital zoom. |
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