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Olympus Camedia C-770 Zoom 4.0 megapixels, a sharp 10x zoom lens, a unique flash head, and loads more features! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C-770 Photo Gallery! C-770 Sample Images --------------------------------- 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 C-770 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: 07/06/2004

Camera Modes and Menus

Playback Mode: Accessed by sliding the rear-panel mode switch to the position marked by a green arrow. 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 Capture Mode: Accessed by sliding the rear-panel mode switch to the position marked by a camera icon. This mode lets you capture still images. Once this main mode is selected, various still-capture submodes are available via the top-mounted mode dial.

Movie Mode: Accessed by sliding the rear-panel mode switch to the movie camera symbol, Movie mode lets you capture movies (with sound) for as long as the memory card has available space. Shutter speed is set automatically, depending on light levels and the camera's ISO setting, but Olympus gives no specification for the shutter speed range. (The C-750 had a movie-mode shutter speed range of 1/30 - 1/8,000, but the C-770's manual makes no mention of shutter speed in movie mode.)

My Mode: Quickly configures the camera based on a (large) set of previously saved user-defined settings. 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, and the camera can accommodate four different sets.

A/S/M Mode: Accesses a range of manual and semi-manual exposure modes, including Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes. 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 second, in both Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, and to 16 seconds in Manual mode.

Program Mode: Puts the camera in control of both aperture and shutter speed settings, while you control all other exposure variables, such as white balance, exposure compensation, etc.

Auto Mode: This mode puts the camera in charge of all exposure variables, apart from 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, so that the subject will appear sharply focused in front of a slightly soft background.

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

Landscape & Portrait Mode: This mode is for capturing wide views of scenery with a person in the foreground. A smaller lens aperture is used to keep both the foreground and background in focus.

Landscape Mode: This mode is for capturing wide views of scenery, with both the foreground and background in focus. Similar to the Landscape+Portrait mode described above, but this mode also enhances any blue or green colors 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 (as long as 4 seconds) lets you shoot under darker conditions.

Self-Portrait Mode: Designated by an icon showing two figures side by side, this mode lets you snap a picture of yourself, by holding the camera at arms-length, facing you. The focal length is set to wide angle, and the camera's autofocus system will look for a close-in subject to lock onto.

Still Picture Shooting Menu: In capture mode, pressing the OK/Menu button initially brings up the "shortcut" menu shown at right. In its default configuration, this lets you quickly access the settings for drive mode, resolution and ISO by pressing the up-, left-, or down-arrow keys respectively, or enter the main menu system by pressing the right-arrow key. You can configure the shortcut menu through an option on the setup menu though, assigning a variety of functions to the up-, down-, or left-arrow keys. Following are the options available on each of the four tabs of the record-mode menu system. (Note that available menu options will change depending on capture mode.)

• Camera
  • Metering: Selects between Digital ESP, Spot, and Multi-metering modes.
  • Macro: Selects Normal, Macro, or Super Macro modes.
  • Drive: Sets the camera's Drive mode to Single-Frame, Sequential Shooting, High-Speed 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, 64, 100, 200, or 400.
  • A/S/M: Sets the exposure mode to Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual.

• Flash +/-: Adjusts the intensity of the internal flash, from -2 to +2 EV in one-third-step increments.
• Slow: Specifies whether the Slow Sync flash fires with the first or last curtain, or with a Red-Eye Reduction pre-flash.
• Noise Reduction: Turns the camera's Noise Reduction function on or off. Noise reduction only affects longer exposure times.
• Digital Zoom: Turns the digital zoom function on or off.
• Full time AF: Enables the camera's continuous AF mode, which adjusts focus continuously, rather than only when the Shutter button is half-pressed.

• AF Mode: Sets the camera's AF mode to iESP or Spot.
• Panorama: Activates Panorama mode, but only when an Olympus-brand SmartMedia or 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.
• Function: Offers four special shooting modes: Black and White, Sepia, Whiteboard, and Blackboard.
• AF Area: When enabled, lets you change the location of the AF area using the Four-Way Arrow pad.

• Info: Controls the amount of information displayed on the LCD monitor while shooting.
• Histogram: Turns on an live histogram display, showing any over- or underexposure while composing and setting up shots.
• Sound: Records a short sound clip to accompany a still image.
• Super zoom: Sets the maximum zoom ratio to 14x, but does so by locking the resolution to 1600 x 1200, returning it to the previous setting after Super zoom is turned off.

• Picture
  • Image Size and Quality: Sets the resolution and quality for still images. Choices are TIFF, SHQ, HQ, SQ1, or SQ2. A range of resolutions are available, with different selections at each quality settings. Image resolutions are 3,200 x 2,400 ("Enlarge" size, interpolated up from the sensor's 2,288 x 1,712 pixel resolution); 2,288 x 1,712; 2,288 x 1,520 (3:2); 2,048 x 1,536; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768; and 640 x 480 pixels. (secondary screen) In Movie mode, size options are MPEG4 (640 x 480 pixels), SHQ (640 x 480 pixels), HQ (320 x 240 pixels) and SQ (160 x 120 pixels), but they oddly can only be accessed from the top-level shortcut menu, not this second page of the record-mode menu system.
  • White Balance: Sets white balance to Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, Daylight Fluorescent, Warm White Fluorescent, Cool White Fluorescent, or Custom. (secondary screen)
  • WB +/-: Adjusts the overall color balance, adding red or blue.
  • Sharpness: Sets image sharpness in arbitrary units from -5 to +5.
  • Contrast: Adjusts the image contrast in arbitrary units from -5 to +5.
  • Saturation: Adjusts the image's color intensity, also in arbitrary units from -5 to +5.

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

• Setup
  • All Reset: Resets all options to their defaults.
  • Language: Sets the menu language to English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, or Japanese. (secondary screen)
  • PW On/Off Setup: Designates what picture is displayed at startup and shutdown. (secondary screen)
  • Record View: Turns on the Quick Review function which displays the captured image on the LCD screen immediately after capture.
  • Sleep: Designates the amount of time before the camera puts itself to sleep. Choices are 30 seconds, or 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes.
    
    
    
  • My Mode Setup: Customizes settings for My mode, and allows you to reset settings to their defaults. (secondary screen)
  • File Name: Resets file numbers with each new memory card or formatting operation, or continues in sequential order.
  • Pixel Mapping: Checks the CCD for bad pixels, "maps" them out (using data from adjacent pixels), so they won't appear in images.
  • LCD Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the LCD monitor.
  • Date/Time: Sets the camera's date and time. (secondary screen)
    
    
    
  • m/ft: Sets the manual focus distance scale to display in either meters or feet.
  • Video Output: Sets the camera's video-out signal to NTSC or PAL timing
  • Short Cut: Edits the Short Cut menu options to include a range of options from the Camera and Picture menus. (secondary screen)
  • Custom Button: Assigns a function to the AE Lock button. Choices are AE Lock, AF Lock, Drive, ISO, A/S/M, Slow, Noise Reduction, Digital Zoom, Full time AF, AF Mode, Super Macro, Function, Info, Histogram, Image Size/Quality, and White Balance. (secondary screen)
  • Beep: Sets the beep sound and volume for camera operations.

Playback Menu
As with its record mode menu system, pressing the OK/Menu button in playback mode initially brings up a "Short Cut" menu screen, which offers three shortcuts to frequently-used options, as well as an option to enter the main playback mode menu system. Unlike the record mode short cut menu though, the options on the playback mode short cut screen are fixed, and not subject to reprogramming via the setup menu.

• Slide Show Play/Movie Play (shortcut screen): Depending on whether the currently-displayed image is a still picture or a movie, this button activates either an automated slide show of images stored on the memory card, or playback of the current movie file.
• 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 after you scroll to an image, then disappears.
• Switch Frame (shortcut screen): Selects display of either all images, or only those which have been protected against overwriting. (A convenient way to see just your favorites that you've protected, or of seeing which files are protected, so you can optionally unprotect some of them.)
  

• Play
  • Print: Allows selection of pictures for printing.
  • Histogram: Shows images as thumbnails with a histogram and exposure information.
  • Sound: Records a short sound clip to accompany a captured image.

• Edit
  • Resizing: Resizes the current image to either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels. The resized version is saved as a separate image, leaving the original undisturbed. Handy for making smaller versions of photos for emailing.
  • Enlarge: Lets you crop and enlarge a portion of the image, and save it as a new image. Conveniently, you can crop the image in either "portrait" or "landscape" (vertical or horizontal) orientation.
  
  
• Card
  • Card Setup: Formats the xD-Picture Card, or erases all images on the card.
    
    
• Setup
  (Setup mode options in playback are largely a repetition of the setup options in record mode, so I won't bother with separate screen shots here.)
  • All Reset: Resets all options to their defaults.
  • Language: Sets the menu language to English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, or Japanese.
  • PW On/Off Setup: Designates what picture is displayed at startup and shutdown, and whether or not the camera's startup sounds play.
  • Screen Setup: Registers a captured image for use as the startup screen.
  • Brightness: Adjusts the LCD monitor brightness.
  • Date/Time: Sets the camera's internal date and time setting.
  • Video Output: Specifies the camera's video-out signal as NTSC or PAL.
  • Index Display Adjustment: Sets the number of images to be viewed on screen in Index Display mode: 4, 9, or 16.
  • Beep Sound: Adjusts the camera's beep sound, letting you choose between two specific sounds.
  • Volume: Sets the speaker volume for playback of movies with sound and audio clips.