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Epson PhotoPC 3000Z Epson's first three-megapixel design boasts great image quality and loads of "enthusiast" features Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PhotoPC 3000Z Test Shots --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PhotoPC 3000Z Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Operation & User Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Image Storage & Interface>> Page 9:Camera Modes & Menus Review First Posted: 10/01/2000

Camera Modes and Menus

Program: This mode is accessed through the Setup menu, and provides four preset shooting options to choose from:

• Normal: Sets up the camera for most standard shooting situations, good for average daylight shots.
• Sports: Uses a high shutter speed and matrix metering for capturing fast moving subjects.
• Portrait: Puts the camera in spot metering mode and uses a fixed aperture of f/2.0 to place emphasis on the subject and blur the background a little.
• Landscape: Combines matrix metering and a fixed aperture of f/8.0 (which changes to f/2.0 if subject is in dim light) to capture wide landscape scenes.

The on-screen menu in Program mode offers the following options, reading clockwise from top right:

• Digital Telephoto: Digitally enlarges the image to 2x (image quality will suffer with digital zoom, showing more noise and less resolution).
• Exposure Compensation: Adjusts the exposure compensation from -2 to +2 in 0.5 EV increments.
• Frame: Cycles between Normal Frame, Macro and Panorama modes.
• White Balance: Sets the camera white balance to Auto, Fix or Custom.
• ISO: Changes the camera's sensitivity to 100, 200 or 400 ISO settings.
• Program: Selects Normal, Sports, Portrait or Landscape presets.

Manual: Also controlled through the Setup menu, Manual exposure mode lets you control all of the camera's exposure settings, including sensitivity, white balance, shutter speed, aperture, metering and manual focus. Within Manual mode, you can choose from three levels of exposure control:

• Auto Exposure: Puts the camera in charge of shutter speed and aperture, while you control white balance, ISO, metering and autofocus.
• Aperture Priority: Allows you to set the desired aperture (from f/2.0 to f/8.0) while the camera controls the shutter speed.
• Manual Exposure: Gives you control over both aperture and shutter speed (from eight to 1/750 seconds).

While in the Manual capture mode, the on-screen menu changes to offer the following settings, again reading clockwise from top right:

• Exposure Mode: Cycles through the Auto Exposure, Aperture Priority and Manual Exposure modes.
• Exposure Compensation/Shutter Speed
  • Exposure Compensation: (Automatic Exposure and Aperture Priority only) Sets the exposure compensation from -2 to +2 in 1/3 EV increments.
  • Shutter Speed: (Manual Exposure only) Sets the camera's shutter speed anywhere from eight to 1/750 seconds.
• Framing: Options of Normal, Macro, or Panorama. Macro changes lens focusing to permit very short shooting distances. Panorama switches LCD viewfinder and CCD to capture a short/wide image in wide-angle mode.
• Aperture: (Aperture Priority and Manual Exposure modes) Selects the lens aperture setting anywhere from f/2.0 to f/8.0.
• Menu Change: Switches the Manual-mode menus to display the second screen, the contents of which are listed below, again in clockwise top-right to bottom-left order:
• Digital Telephoto: Digitally enlarges the image by 2x (as always, quality suffers with digital zoom, showing more noise and less resolution).
• Autofocus: Cycles through three different focusing distances (two in macro mode), including the default autofocus option. Distance options in normal shooting mode are three feet, ten feet, and infinity. In Macro mode, options are called "M1" and "M2", corresponding to distances of eight or twenty inches.
• Metering: Sets the camera's metering system to Matrix (evaluates many parts of the image) or Spot (bases exposure only on the portion of the image that is directly in the center of the frame).
• White Balance: Sets the camera's white balance to Auto, Fix or Custom.
• ISO: Changes the camera's light sensitivity to 100, 200 or 400 ISO settings.
• Back: Returns to the primary Manual-mode menu screen, described above.

Full Automatic: (No screen shot for this one, there's not much there.) This mode is also accessed through the Setup menu, and puts the camera in charge of just about all of the exposure settings. The user only has control over the self-timer, flash mode, image quality, digital zoom, macro and panorama modes.

Mode Dial Choices
Several camera operating modes are selected via the "Mode Dial" on the top, right-hand side of the camera. The available modes are listed below.

Multi Mode: This mode is entered by turning the mode dial to the red, multi-shot symbol. Because this mode is controlled by the mode dial, the available exposure settings are determined by the capture mode set in the Setup menu. The exposure options are accessible by turning the mode dial to the LCD position. In this mode, the on-screen LCD menu gives the following quick shooting modes:

• Video Clip: Lets you capture up to 25 second video clips at 15 frames per second, with audio.
• Continuous Shooting: Sets the camera to capture up to 37 standard quality (two per second), seven fine quality (one per second) or three super fine quality (one per second) images continuously with one press of the shutter button.
• Interval: Basically a time-lapse photography option, this mode allows you to set the camera to capture images at intervals ranging from from 10 seconds to 24 hours.

LCD Mode: Marked on the mode dial with a red camera outline containing a large, red rectangle (representing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera), this mode activates the LCD monitor for use in image composition.

Viewfinder Mode: Similarly noted on the mode dial with a red camera outline containing a small, red square (representing the viewfinder window on the back of the camera), this mode deactivates the LCD monitor for shooting with the optical viewfinder only.

Playback Mode: Accessed by turning the mode dial to the green playback symbol, this mode allows you to review captured images, protect them or delete them. The on-screen LCD menu offers the following choices:

• Magnify: Allows you to zoom in and out of a captured image, to check the details.
• Previous/Next: Scrolls through the captured images, either forward or in reverse.
• Select Image: Selects the currently displayed image for deletion or protection.
• Delete: Erases the currently displayed image from the CompactFlash card (with an option to cancel).
• Multi: Displays up to nine thumbnail images on a page.
• Menu Change: Switches to the second menu screen for Playback mode, described below
• Info: Pulls up an image information screen that reports the exposure settings used.
• Previous/Next: Scrolls through the captured images, either forward or in reverse.
• Video Clip: Plays back all the captured images in a slide show format.
• Sound: Allows you to play back a recorded sound or delete it.
• Slide Show: Plays back all the captured images in a slide show format. (Continuously cycling through all images.) Sub-menu screens (not shown here) lets you set the delay between successive pictures, rotate individual images, exclude selected images from the show.
• Back: Returns to the first Playback mode menu screen, described above.

PC Mode: Noted on the mode dial with a double ended arrow, this mode allows the camera to connect to a computer and download images. This mode also provides access to the Print Mark settings menu, which allows you to set up images for printing on a DPOF compatible printer.

Setup Mode: This mode controls all of the basic camera settings, and is marked on the mode dial as "Setup" in white letters. Immediately upon entering this mode, the Setup menu is displayed on the LCD monitor with these options:

• Time/Date Set: Takes you to a screen where you can set the camera's internal clock to the current date and time.
• Capture Mode: Cycles through Program, Manual or Full Auto capture modes.
• Color Mode: Alternates between Color and Monochrome shooting modes.
• Shot Setup: Takes you to a sub-menu (not shown) that lets you set the following options:
  • Confirmation Screen: When this option is enabled, the camera will show you a brief view of each image just after you capture it. While each image is being displayed, you can choose to either delete it or record a sound clip of up to 10 seconds to accompany it.
  • Flash trailing/leading: Determines whether the flash fires at the end of the shutter-open time, or at the beginning of it. If at the end, moving objects will have a "motion blur" trailing them. If a the beginning, the "motion blur" will appear in front of the object, resulting in a somewhat unnatural appearance to the photo.
  • Fixed Settings: Enables the "fixed settings" mode of the camera. When enabled, this allows you to save the exposure and white balance parameters from an image, to apply them to others. This is helpful whenever you need to take a number of photos with the same exposure settings. (For example, when shooting images that will be stitched together into a panorama on the computer.)
  • SHQ JPEG/TIFF: Selects whether the 3000Z's "SHQ" mode saves images as high-quality JPEG files or as uncompressed TIFFs.
  • New White Balance: Sets a new white balance reference, which will apply when using the "custom" white balance option.
  • Back: Returns to the main Setup Mode menu screen.
• Memory Setup: Formats the CompactFlash card. Can also select the current folder on the card to use for image playback. (NOTE though, that this isn't necessarily the folder to which images will be recorded: The camera selects its recording folder automatically.)
• Language: Sets the menu language to English, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian or Spanish. You can also set the TV timing to PAL or NTSC.
• Camera Setup: Calls up a submenu of camera settings:
  • Power Save: Resets the power save option to shut down the camera after 10 or 30 seconds, or one, three or five minutes.
  • Brightness: Adjusts the LCD monitor's brightness level.
  • Volume: Increases or decreases the camera's volume level.
  • Beep: Sets the camera's beep sound to occur Always, Never or with the Shutter only.