Olympus C-4040 ZoomOlympus introduces a top-of-the-line 4-megapixel model with noise reduction technology, optimum image enlargement, and newly designed interface<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 07/23/2001 |
Exposure
The C-4040 Zoom offers a good deal of exposure control, including Program, Aperture
Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes. Additional exposure options
include four ISO settings (Auto, 100, 200 and 400); exposure compensation, auto
bracketing, internal and external flash adjustment, and three metering modes:
Spot, Multi Spot, and ESP multi-pattern.
In Program mode, the camera selects both the aperture and shutter speed, while
you control the remaining exposure options such as ISO, Exposure Compensation,
White Balance, and metering modes. Aperture Priority lets you set the aperture
from f/1.8 to f/10.0 and the camera chooses the best corresponding shutter speed.
In Shutter Priority, you can select shutter speeds from 1/800 to four seconds,
and the camera selects the best corresponding aperture setting.
In Manual mode, you control both aperture and shutter speed with the addition
of much longer shutter speed times (as long as 16 seconds). A helpful feature
of the Manual mode is that, as you scroll through the various exposure combinations,
the camera indicates whether or not the current setting will give you a correct
exposure. It does this by showing the f/stop and shutter speed in green, and
the exposure differential (the difference between your settings and what the
camera meters as correct) in white when everything is OK. If it disagrees with
your choice, the exposure differential shows the amount of under- or overexposure
in red. The exposure differential is given in exposure values (EV), within a
range of +3 to -3 EV.
The more sensitive ISO settings (those with the higher numbers) are often useful
for working in limited light conditions, but they can result in noisier images.
In extremely low light, you can mix faster shutter speeds or larger lens openings
with the higher ISOs to let in more light, or you can create slow shutter effects
(like a motion blur) by using a lower ISO setting. (Note: When ISO is set to
Auto in Program exposure mode, it automatically resets to 100 when you switch
to Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual exposure modes.)
Three metering systems are available on the C-4040 Zoom: Spot, Multi, and ESP
multi-patterned metering. Spot and ESP are accessed by pressing the Spot / Macro
/ Print button on the camera's back panel. Under the default ESP multi-patterned
setting, the camera takes readings from a variety of areas in the viewfinder
for proper overall exposure. Spot metering reads the exposure from the very
center of the image, so you can pinpoint the specific area of the photograph
you want properly exposed and lock in on that exposure by depressing the shutter
button halfway and holding it down until you recompose the scene.
The Multi Meter function is activated through the Shooting menu in Aperture
or Shutter Priority modes only. Once the menu option is activated, the Spot
/ Macro button must be set to Spot mode, and the AEL Lock / Protect button depressed
to take individual meter readings from the center of the LCD monitor (inside
the exposure brackets). You can take up to eight readings, each of which will
be marked on an exposure differential bar across the bottom of the LCD panel,
and then averaged into the overall reading. You can cancel the Multi-Spot reading
by holding the AE Lock button down for one second (the word "Memo"
appears in the LCD display). This strikes us as being a potentially very useful
exposure option for advanced photographers.
A Record View function, which is enabled through the Shooting menu (Setup sub-menu),
displays the most recently captured image on the LCD screen while the image
is being recorded to the memory card. This feature gives you the option of deleting
an image instantly by pressing the Flash / Delete button while the review image
is still on-screen. It's a great way to check your images without wasting time
switching back and forth between Playback and Shooting modes. The camera's Quick
View function also allows you to check previously captured images in Shooting
mode, by pressing the Monitor button twice, very quickly. You can review the
most recent image or scroll back through other stored files until you return
to the Shooting mode (by pressing the Monitor button a second time).
In situations where exposure compensation is necessary, simply press either
the right or left Arrow buttons (in all exposure modes except Manual) to increase
or decrease the exposure values (EV) in one-third-step increments, up to +/-
2 EV. Values are displayed in the upper right corner of the LCD. (The LCD viewfinder
must be enabled to adjust this setting, but once it is set, you can turn the
LCD off to conserve power, and the setting will remain in effect.) We applaud
the accessibility of this important exposure adjustment in Olympus' user interface
design. Some manufacturers bury this control in a menu interface, making it
much less convenient. If exposure compensation is currently activated, a small
+/- icon also appears in the top status display panel, to let you know there's
an adjustment in force.
The C-4040's Auto Bracketing (BKT) function is selected through the Shooting
Mode Menu (Drive submenu), setting the camera to automatically bracket each
exposure by as much as +/- 2 EV in either three- or five-step increments (0.3,
0.6, or 1.0 EV units each). The bracketing function centers its efforts around
whatever exposure you've chosen as the starting point, including any exposure
compensation adjustments you've made.
White Balance is also set in the Mode Menu, with Auto, One Touch (Manual), or
one of four Preset options: Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, or Fluorescent, to
accommodate a variety of lighting situations. In One Touch mode, white balance
is calculated by placing a white card in front of the lens and pressing the
OK button. You can also fine-tune the white balance setting with the "WB+/-"
setting under the Picture submenu. An adjustment bar appears on the LCD screen,
with options to increase or decrease the red or blue tones. (We really like
this idea of fine-tuning the white balance. Most digicams tend to have slight
biases in their white balance systems under various lighting conditions. Once
you get used to how a particular camera shoots, it would be very helpful to
have this sort of "tweaking" adjustment available to modify the color
shift.)
The C-4040 Zoom has a 12-second Self-Timer (which can be used with the infrared
remote) for self-portraits or those occasions when you don't want to risk camera
shake by pressing the shutter button to make the exposure. You can also use
the IR remote control to trigger the shutter without the Self-Timer, which gives
you a three-second delay after pressing the remote's Shutter button, before
the shutter is fired. The remote control works as far as 16.4 feet directly
in front of the camera, or as far as 9.8 feet when at a 15-degree angle from
the sensor window.
The Function menu option enables you to capture images in Black & White
or Sepia modes, or to use the White and Black Board settings for capturing text
on white or black backgrounds respectively. (These modes appear to adjust image
contrast and default exposure levels to maximize contrast and force the background
toward the appropriate tonal value.) The C-4040 Zoom also features sharpness
and contrast adjustments.
Flash
The C-4040 Zoom
has a fairly standard built-in flash unit, with four basic operating modes:
Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced Flash, and Flash Off modes. Flash power extends
to approximately 18 feet (5.6 meters) in wide-angle mode and to about 12.5 feet
(3.8 meters) at the telephoto setting, numbers which agree well with our own
test results. Any of the flash modes can be combined with the Slow Synchro mode
(set through the Shooting menu) to increase exposure. The Slow Synchro setting
uses a slow shutter speed with flash to let more ambient light into the background,
producing more natural lighting behind a flash-illuminated subject. When photographing
moving subjects, Slow Synchro will record some motion blur because of the longer
exposure time, with the initial or final image frozen by the flash exposure.
We say "initial or final," because Slow 1 fires the flash at the beginning
of the exposure (producing a blur in front of the subject), and Slow 2 fires
the flash at the end of the exposure (producing a blur behind the subject).
A five-pin flash sync socket allows you to connect an external flash to the
camera for more powerful flash needs. Olympus offers the FL-40 external flash
as an accessory, which can be controlled through the camera. Both the internal
and external flash units can be used together or separately. We have only one
small, ergonomic gripe about the external flash (that we also had with earlier
models). That is, the sync socket is protected by a tiny plastic cover that
is very easy to lose. There's nothing attaching it permanently to the camera
and it is very small and difficult to grasp.
Another nice feature of the C-4040 Zoom's internal flash system is its Flash
Brightness adjustment, which allows you to change the flash brightness from
+2 to -2 EV in one-third-step increments. When using the built-in flash with
an external unit, you can use this feature to adjust the balance of light between
the two.
Special Exposure Modes
Movie Mode
The C-4040 Movie mode is accessed via the Mode dial on top of the camera (marked
with a small movie camera symbol). Movies can be recorded in either HQ (320
x 240-pixel) or SQ (160 x 120-pixel) resolution modes. Both record at approximately
15 frames per second. Sound recording can be turned On or Off in the Movie menu,
as well as the infrared remote control. Thanks to the C-4040 Zoom's huge buffer
memory, the maximum recording time is limited only by memory card capacity,
apparently up to a 32MB limit. (The user's manual lists the maximum seconds
of continuous recording time -- per movie -- as a function of card size, but
just lists "Over 32MB" as the highest category, implying that larger
cards convey no additional recording time. This makes sense, given that 32MB
is the size of the RAM buffer memory the C-4040 Zoom carries onboard.) Here's
a copy of the recording time table from the manual:
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
(15 frames/sec) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(15 frames/sec) |
|
|
|
|
|
The available seconds of recording time appear in the status display panel (and
on the LCD monitor if activated), based on the quality mode selected and space
remaining on the card. You can use the zoom control while recording movies,
but the motion of the zoom is somewhat slower than in still recording, and the
zoom is apparently only a digital zoom. (Not an issue though, given the large
difference between the CCD's still image and movie recording resolutions. This
means that digital zoom in Movie mode has the same effect as optical zoom in
normal still photography, in that no image degradation should be visible as
a result of using the zoom.) Manual focus, Exposure Compensation, Focus Lock,
Self-Timer, ISO setting, White Balance, and Function (B&W and Sepia) are
also available while in Movie mode.
First seen in
the Camedia C-3030 (February 2000), the C-4040 Zoom again offers in-camera "editing"
of movies in Playback mode. This capability is accessed via the Playback menu,
Movie Play submenu, and Edit option. In this mode (see screen shot above), you
can scroll forward and backward in the movie, and set cut points at the beginning
and end of the sequence. Movie content between the two cut points will be preserved,
the rest discarded. In a nice touch though, Olympus allows you to choose whether
to modify the original movie file, or just save a new copy of it, reflecting
the effect of the edit you've made -- a feature that makes the Movie mode much
more useful.
The only quibble we have with Olympus' implementation of the Movie mode on the
C-4040 Zoom (and it's a significant one that we also had on previous models)
is that you don't get to hear the movies you've recorded when playing them back
on the camera. Adding sound recording is a big feature improvement over the
C-2040 Zoom, but it would be nice to at least hear what you've recorded during
playback. (The camera can output both video and sound to a TV or VCR via the
included A/V cable, making that an effective playback mode if you have a TV
handy. Still, it would be preferable to review the movie's soundtrack without
resorting to external equipment.)
Audio Record Mode
The C-4040 Zoom's Audio Record mode records up to four seconds of sound to accompany
an image. Activated through the Shooting Mode Menu (Camera sub-menu), the audio
recording takes place immediately after you make an exposure. A status bar appears
on the LCD monitor with the word "Busy" displayed. Green dots light
up along the status bar to indicate how much time you have left until the recording
is finished. You can also add audio clips after the image is recorded by selecting
the Audio option in the Playback menu (Play sub-menu).
Panorama Mode
The C-4040 Zoom offers a Panorama exposure mode when using an Olympus brand
panorama-enabled SmartMedia memory card. In this mode, the exposure and white
balance for a series of shots are determined by the first exposure. The Panorama
function is accessed in the Shooting menu through the Camera submenu, in Program
AE mode only. When activated, it provides light blue guide lines at the edges
of the pictures to help you align successive shots, leaving enough overlap between
them for the stitching software to do its job. Up to 10 shots can be taken in
a panoramic series. Note that this function is only enabled by SmartMedia cards
with built-in panorama-related firmware found on Olympus brand memory cards.
Images are saved individually and then assembled on a computer after they've
been downloaded.
Sequence Mode
Taking advantage of its large 32MB memory buffer, the C-4040 Zoom offers a Sequence
mode that mimics the motor drive on a film camera, continually recording images
for as long as the shutter button is held down, or until the memory runs out
(this varies with the image quality and subject, as well as available SmartMedia
space). Available with all compression settings except uncompressed TIFF, the
slowest available shutter speed in Sequence mode is 1/30 second, to prevent
blurring from camera movement. One notable limitation of the Sequence mode is
that the camera's internal flash cannot be used. However, if you have an external
flash capable of recycling at 2 frames per second, and you shoot in Aperture
Priority mode, the external flash may work just fine. You can also set the camera
to base all exposure and focus settings on the first shot taken, or to adjust
the exposure and focus with each image (which decreases capture speed).
Olympus' offical specs for the C-4040's speed compare well with the results
of our own testing, as we found that it could capture images at a rate of about
2 frames per second. The large buffer memory provides a three-frame burst length
at maximum resolution before the camera must pause for the next shot, but the
burst length increases rapidly as the size or image quality is reduced. - In
"HQ" mode, we found we could typically capture a 10 frame burst of
full-resolution images before we ran out of buffer space, and in small/normal
compression mode, we could run for over a hundred frames. Very impressive!
Reader Comments! --> Visit our discussion forum for the Olympus C-4040 Zoom!
Follow Imaging Resource: