Sony Mavica CD1000Sony packs a 156 megabyte CD-R into a 2 megapixel Mavica. (Wow!)<<Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests :(Previous) | (Next): Camera Modes & Menus>> Page 8:Operation & User InterfaceReview First Posted: 7/17/2000 |
Operation and User Interface
Like a few of Sony's digicams, the abundance of controls and buttons on the MVC-CD1000 may appear a little overwhelming at first, but its user interface is very uncomplicated once you get the hang of it. For the most part, the user interface relies heavily on the LCD display or the optical viewfinder color display as you sort through menu items. The absence of a small, black and white status display panel means you must use one or the other when altering settings. However, both the capture and playback menus are relatively simple to navigate. Overall, the layout of the external controls makes sense, with all the optical adjustments on the side of the lens and the exposure adjustments grouped together on the side of the camera body and on the rear panel. Once you get used to the layout, changing modes and settings is a snap.
Control Enumeration
Shutter Button: Located on the top right of the camera, this button sets the focus and exposure when pressed halfway and fires the shutter when fully pressed. When using the self-timer, the shutter button triggers the 10 second countdown.
Focus Ring: Located on the end of the lens, this ring adjusts the focus when shooting in manual focus mode.
Zoom Lever: Located on the front of the hand grip, this lever controls the 10x optical zoom and the 2x digital zoom (when enabled).
Play/Still/Movie Switch: Located on the top right side of the camera (behind the shutter button), this switch selects between Playback, Still and Movie capture modes.
Dioptric Adjustment Dial: Located on the underside of the optical viewfinder eyepiece, this dial adjusts the viewfinder to accommodate eyeglass wearers.
Pop-up Flash Button: Located on the left side of the camera, just beneath the pop-up flash, this button releases the flash into its operating position.
Program AE Button: Located on the control side of the camera, this button sets the following exposure modes:
- Automatic Exposure (no icon): Puts the camera in control of both aperture and shutter speed.
Aperture Priority: Lets you control the aperture while the camera selects the shutter speed.
Shutter Priority: Lets you control the shutter speed while the camera selects the aperture.
Twilight: Adjusts the aperture and shutter speed for dark settings like night skylines and fireworks.
Twilight Plus: Performs similar functions to Twilight mode, but also increases the camera's light sensitivity.
Landscape: Sets focus for far away subjects.
Panfocus: Allows for quick focusing of far away or close-up subjects.
Program AE +/- Buttons: Located to the lower right of the Program AE button, these buttons adjust exposure settings such as the aperture and shutter speed, depending on the exposure mode selected.
White Balance Button: Located to the right of the Program AE button, this button selects the white balance mode (Automatic, Indoors, Outdoors or One-Push).
One-Push Button: Located directly to the right of the White Balance button, this button sets the white value when in One-Push white balance mode.
Focus Switch: Located on the side of the lens barrel, this switch shifts between Auto and Manual focus modes.
Steady Shot Switch: Located just beside the Focus Switch, this switch turns the Steady Shot function on and off.
CD-R Access Lever: Located on the control side of the camera, on the edge of the CD-R drive, this sliding lever opens the hinged rear panel for access to the CD-R drive.
Flash Button: Located at the top left of the rear panel, this button controls the flash mode:
- Auto: Puts the camera in control of the flash mode.
- Red-Eye Reduction: Fires a small pre-flash before firing the full flash to reduce the Red-Eye Effect.
- Forced: The flash always fires, regardless of light levels.
- Suppressed: The flash never fires, regardless of lighting conditions.
Macro Button: Located to the right of the Flash button, this button places the camera in Macro mode.
Spot Meter Button: Located to the right of the Macro button, this button turns the spot metering function on and off.
LCD On/Off Button: Located just beneath the Spot Meter button, this button turns both the LCD monitor and optical viewfinder display on and off.
Volume Buttons: Located beneath the Flash and Macro buttons, these buttons control the camera's volume level.
Rocker Toggle Button: Located at the top right corner of the LCD monitor, this button has four arrows that navigate through menu screens in both playback and capture modes. Pressing the center of the button confirms menu selections.
Display Button: Located to the left of the LCD monitor, this button turns the information display on the LCD monitor on or off.
Power Switch: Located on the back panel of the camera (to the right of the LCD monitor on the handgrip portion), this sliding switch turns the camera on and off. The small green pushbutton in the center of the power switch is a safety interlock that insures the switch will only actuate when your finger is on it.
Open Batt Switch: Located on the bottom of the camera (on the battery compartment cover), this switch unlocks and opens the battery compartment.
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