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Olympus C-50 Zoom

Olympus packs a 5.0-megapixel CCD into an ultra-compact body, with a host of advanced features too.

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Page 9:Camera Modes & Menus

Review First Posted: 11/26/2002

Camera Modes and Menus

Movie Mode: Accessed by turning the Mode dial to the movie camera symbol, Movie mode lets you capture movies (without sound) for as long as the memory card has available space. Shutter speed is set automatically from 1/8,000 to 1/30 second, depending on light levels.

My Mode: Configures the camera based on a set of user-defined camera settings, specific to shooting conditions. Exposure variables such as aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc. can all be saved. You can even save the lens zoom position. My Mode settings are made through the Setup menu.

P/A/S/M Mode: Accesses a range of manual and semi-manual exposure modes, including Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes. Program mode controls both aperture and shutter speed, letting you adjust other variables such as white balance, exposure compensation, etc. Aperture and Shutter Priority modes give the user control over one exposure variable and the camera control over the other. Manual mode offers full user control over both aperture and shutter speed. Apertures range from f/2.8 to f/8, depending on the zoom setting. Shutter speeds range from 1/1,000 to 1/2 second in Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes, to as long as eight seconds in Manual mode.

Auto Mode: This mode puts the camera in charge of everything, except zoom, flash mode, image size, and drive mode. This is a true "point & shoot" mode, requiring almost no input from the user apart from a press of the Shutter button.

Portrait Mode: Optimizes the camera for capturing portraits. A larger aperture is used, decreasing depth of field so that the subject is sharply focused in front of a slightly soft background.

Landscape / Portrait Mode: This mode is best for capturing wide views of scenery or shots of people in front of landscapes. The camera uses a smaller aperture setting, which increases the depth of field to capture both the foreground and background in sharp focus.

Landscape / Scene Mode: Like Landscape / Portrait mode, this mode is for capturing wide views of scenery, with both the foreground and background in focus. However, this mode also enhances any blue or green values in the image, for more vibrant trees, water, and skies.

Night Scene Mode: This mode is best for capturing night portraits or night scenery, such as cityscapes. A slower shutter speed (maximum time of four seconds) lets more ambient light into the image, and the white balance is fixed, preserving color in neon signs or sunsets.

Sports Mode: The camera's exposure system is biased toward faster shutter speeds to freeze action with moving subjects.

Self-Portrait Mode: The final mode on the Mode dial, this mode is for handheld self-portraits (where you hold the camera out in front of yourself and take a picture). Focus remains fixed on you.

Playback Mode: This mode lets you view previously captured images using the Arrow Pad to scroll through frames stored in memory. The Zoom Lever switches the image display to Index mode when moved in the wide angle direction, and when moved in the telephoto direction, enlarges a single image. While zoomed in on an image, the Arrow buttons can move the enlarged view around the full image area, allowing you to inspect all parts of it.

Still Picture Shooting Menu: (Note that available menu options will change depending on capture mode.)

  • Camera
    • Self-Timer / Remote: Puts the camera in Self-Timer or Remote control modes.
    • Drive: Sets the camera's Drive mode to Single-Frame, Sequential Shooting, AF Sequence, or Bracket (autoexposure bracketing). The Bracket option includes +/-0.3, +/-0.7, or +/-1.0 step sizes, and x3 or x5 series lengths.
    • ISO: Adjusts the ISO sensitivity to Auto, 80, 160, or 320.
    • P/A/S/M: Sets the exposure mode to Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual.
    • Flash +/-: Adjusts the intensity of the internal flash, from -2 to +2 EV in one-third-step increments.
    • Digital Zoom: Turns the digital zoom function on or off.
    • Panorama: Activates Panorama mode, only when an Olympus-brand xD-Picture Card is in use.
    • 2-in-1: Activates 2-in-1 mode, which captures two images and records them side-by-side as one image.



  • Picture
    • Image Size and Quality: Sets the resolution and quality for still images. Choices are TIFF (2,560 x 1,920 pixels), SHQ (2,560 x 1,920 pixels), HQ (2,560 x 1,920 pixels, but higher JPEG compression), SQ1 (2,048 x 1,536), or SQ2 (1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768; or 640 x 480 pixels). In Movie mode, size options are HQ (320 x 240 pixels) and SQ (160 x 120 pixels).
    • White Balance: Sets white balance to Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, or Fluorescent.
    • Sharpness: Sets image sharpness in arbitrary units from -5 to +5.
    • Contrast: Adjusts the amount of contrast in the image in arbitrary units from -5 to +5.

  • Card
    • Card Setup: Formats the xD-Picture Card.


  • Setup
    • All Reset: Resets all options to their default settings.
    • Info: Turns the LCD information overlay on or off.
    • Volume: Controls the camera's beep sounds.
    • Record View: Turns on the Quick Review function which displays the captured image on the LCD screen immediately after capture.
    • My Mode Setup: Customizes settings for My mode, and allows you to reset settings to their defaults.
    • Sleep: Designates the amount of time before the camera puts itself to sleep. Choices are 30 seconds, or 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes.
    • File Name: Resets file numbers with each new memory card or continues in sequential order.
    • Pixel Mapping: Checks the CCD and image processing circuit for errors, mapping out bad pixels. (Not a frequent need, but good to do once a year or so, or any time you see "stuck" pixels in your photos.)
    • LCD Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the LCD monitor.
    • Date/Time: Sets the camera's date and time.
    • Short Cut: Edits the Short Cut menu options to include any of the options from the Camera and Picture menus.
    • Video Output: Specifies the camera's video-out signal as NTSC or PAL.

Playback Menu

  • Slide Show Play (shortcut screen): Activates an automated slide show of previously captured images stored on the card.
  • DPOF (shortcut screen): Accesses the camera's DPOF settings, which lets you mark an image for printing and specify the number of prints.
  • INFO (shortcut screen): Changes the level of information displayed over a captured image. Two information modes are available, one that reports limited camera settings, and a second that reports detailed exposure information. The information display appears over the image for a few seconds, then disappears.

 

  • Play
    • Rotate: Rotates the displayed image 90 degrees clockwise.

  • Edit
    • Black and White: Converts the displayed image to black and white.
    • Sepia: Converts the displayed image to sepia tones
    • Resizing: Resizes the current image to either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels.


  • Card
    • Card Setup: Formats the xD-Picture Card, or erases all images on the card.

  • Setup
    • All Reset: Resets all options to their defaults.
    • Beep Sound: Turns the camera's beep sound on or off.
    • Brightness: Adjusts the LCD monitor brightness.
    • Date/Time: Sets the camera's internal date and time setting.
    • Index Display Adjustment: Sets the number of images to be viewed on screen in Index Display mode: 4, 9, or 16.
    • Video Output: Specifies the camera's video-out signal as NTSC or PAL.

 

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