Pentax Optio S7 Review

Here you can see Program AE mode. This is a fully automatic exposure mode that also allows you to select from many menu or function options like ISO, White Balance, etc.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus locks, the active AF point bracket will shrink and turn green. Shutter speed and aperture values are also displayed.

Pressing the OK button toggles the amount of overlay information displayed on the LCD. Here you can see extended exposure information with the live histogram.

Press the 4-way controller down "MODE" to change the exposure mode. Choices are: Auto, Program AE, Night Scene, Movie, Voice, Landscape, Flower, Portrait/Kids, Surf & Snow, Blur reduction, Sport, Pet, Text, Food, and Frame Composite.

Record Menu options:

Recorded Pixels - 7M, 5M, 4M, 3M, 2M, 1024, 640
Quality Level - Best (***), Better (**) or Good (*)
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent or Manual
AF Setting - Choose focusing area, focus limiter, and turn the AF-assist lamp On or Off
AE Metering - Multi segment, Center-weighted or Spot
Sensitivity - Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
EV Compensation - ±2.0 in 1/3EV steps
Movie - Adjust movie mode settings (shown below)
Digital Zoom - On/Off
Instant Review - 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 secs. and Off
Memory - Saves shooting function settings when camera is turned off
Green Button - Define function of the GREEN button (Green Mode or Fn Setting)
Sharpness - Hard, Normal or Soft
Saturation - Hard, Normal or Soft
Contrast - Hard, Normal or Soft

The Memory option allows you to set the parameters you want remembered from power off to power on.

Movie mode lets you record MPEG-4 motion video in 640x480 or 320x240 resolution at 3 quality levels, audio is also recorded. The length of movies is limited only by available memory. Because it does capture sound, the optical zoom may not be used while recording. However, you can preset the focal length before you begin. Also, when you enter movie mode, the camera presets the zoom to mid telephoto. This model features a digital anti-shake system to reduce the occurrence of camera shake in your movies.

Movie options found under the Rec. Menu.

Record Pixels - 640x480 or 320x240
Quality Level - Best (***), Better (**) or Good (*)
Movie anti-shake - On or Off

The Optio S7 lets you get up close and personal with its Macro focus mode. You can focus on subjects as close as 5.9 inches (0.15m) away.

To focus manually -- Press "Right" on the 4-way controller and select "MF". Then press the OK button and adjust the focus distance by using the Up and Down positions of the 4-way controller. While you are actively changing the focus, the center portion of the LCD display is magnified and a distance scale is shown on the left.

Setup options:

Format - Format the SD card
Sound - Adjust camera sounds
Date Adjust - Set Date/Time
World Time - Set World Time
Language - Set user Language
Folder Name - Chose Standard or Date
USB Connection - PictBridge, PC
Video Out - NTSC or PAL
Brightness Level - Adjust LCD back light
Power Saving - Off, 5sec, 15sec, 30sec, 1min, 2min
Quick Zoom - On/Off
Quick Delete - On/Off
Auto Power Off - Off, 3min. or 5min.
Guide Display - Enable the brief popup labels when switching modes
Reset - Reset the camera to Default