Olympus EVOLT E-300By: Shawn Barnett and Dave Etchells8.0 megapixels, ZUIKO DIGITAL lens mount, digital SLR design, and loads of features! <<Operation & User Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Image Storage & Interface>> Page 10:Camera Modes & MenusReview First Posted: 11/08/2004, Updated: 03/12/2005 |
Camera Modes and Menus
Manual Exposure Mode (M): Noted on the camera's Mode dial with an "M,"
Manual mode provides complete user control over the exposure, with an extended
shutter speed range that includes a Bulb setting for variable length exposures
up to 8 minutes (!)
Shutter Priority Mode (S): Indicated by an "S" on the Mode
dial, this mode lets the user control the shutter speed from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds,
while the camera selects the best aperture setting.
Aperture Priority Mode (A): An "A" notes this mode on the
Mode dial. Here, the user controls the lens aperture setting while the camera
selects the best corresponding shutter speed. Aperture ranges will vary with
the lens in use.
Program Mode (P): A blue "P" marks this mode on the Mode
dial. In Program mode, the camera controls both aperture and shutter speed settings,
while the user can adjust all other exposure variables.
Portrait Mode: Indicated by an icon of a woman's head, this 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.
Landscape Mode: A mountain icon denotes this mode on the Mode dial.
This mode is for capturing wide views of scenery, with both the foreground and
background in focus, and enhances any blue or green colors in the image, for
more vibrant trees, water, and skies.
Macro Mode: The
traditional macro flower symbol indicates this mode on the Mode dial, which
is intended for shooting closeups of small subjects. Of course on an SLR, the
closest shooting distance is determined by the abilities of the currently mounted
lens. This mode also sets flash power for Macro distances.
Sports Mode: An icon of a person running marks this mode, which
biases the camera's exposure system toward faster shutter speeds to freeze action
and moving subjects.
Night Scene Mode: This mode is best for capturing night portraits or
night scenery, such as cityscapes. A slower shutter speed lets you shoot under
darker conditions. A moon and star icon marks this mode on the Mode dial.
Scene Mode: Indicated
by the word "SCENE" on the Mode dial, this mode accesses all 14 of
the preset Scene modes. The following Scene menu automatically displays when
the mode is accessed.
Portrait Mode: This 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.
Landscape: This mode is for capturing wide views of scenery, with both the foreground and background in focus, and enhances any blue or green colors in the image, for more vibrant trees, water, and skies.
Landscape + Portrait: Similar to the above mode, this mode is for capturing portraits in front of scenery. Both the foreground and background are in sharp focus, though the camera does not emphasize blues and greens in this mode.
Night Scene Mode: This mode is best for capturing night portraits or night scenery, such as cityscapes. A slower shutter speed lets you shoot under darker conditions.
Night + Portrait: As with Night Scene mode, this mode uses a slower shutter speed to allow more ambient light into the image. However, the flash is now available in Slow-Sync mode with Red-Eye Reduction so that the subject is accurately exposed.
Macro Mode: This mode is intended for shooting closeups, the minimum shooting distance determined by the lens in use.
Sunset: This mode also uses a slow shutter speed for capturing vivid sunsets and sun rises. Reds and yellows are emphasized in the final image.
Candle: This mode uses a slow shutter speed and emphasizes a warm color balance for bright images in candlelight.
Fireworks: This mode uses a slow shutter speed to accurately capture the color and full pattern of firework displays.
Documents: Best for shooting black and white documents, this mode increases contrast for better viewing.
Museum: This mode is for shooting indoors, where flash photography is prohibited. The camera's beep sound is also disengaged. A slow shutter speed is used, so a tripod is recommended.
High-Key: This mode is best for capturing bright subjects. Overall image brightness is enhanced.
Beach and Snow: This mode is best for bright subjects such as beach and snow scenes. The camera attempts to preserve detail in the bright highlights.
Sports Mode: This mode biases the camera's exposure system toward faster shutter speeds to freeze action and moving subjects.
Playback Mode: Accessed by pressing the Playback button on the rear panel, this mode lets you view previously captured images using the Arrow Pad to scroll through frames stored in memory. The Command dial 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 move the enlarged view around the full image area, allowing you to inspect all parts of it.
Still Picture Shooting Menu: In any camera mode, pressing the Menu button brings up following four-tab menu screen. Note that not all Camera menu options will be available in all modes.
- Camera 1
Exposure
Compensation: Increases or decreases the exposure from -5 to +5 exposure
equivalents (EV) in either 0.3, 0.5, or 1.0 step increments. (The step
size is set in the Setup portion of the menu.)
- Quality: Controls the resolution and quality settings. Options are SHQ (3,264 x 2,448 pixels), TIFF (3,264 x 2,448 pixels), RAW (3,264 x 2,448 pixels), RAW + SQ, RAW + HQ, RAW + SHQ, HQ (3,264 x 2,448 pixels) and SQ. (The resolution and compression values for SQ and the compression settings for HQ are set under the Camera 2 portion of the menu.)
- Flash Mode: Sets the built-in flash to Auto, Auto Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Fill-in Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Sync Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Sync 1, or Slow-Sync 2. There's also a range of manual flash exposure levels, in which the flash will fire at 1/64, 1/16, 1/4, or full power. This mode is handy when working with studio strobe systems with slave triggers, because in it, the flash emits only a single burst, so it will trigger conventional slave circuits properly. (Note that some flash modes will not be available, depending on the exposure mode selected.)
- AF: Controls the autofocus system's operating mode. Options are Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual Focus, or Single AF with Manual Focus.
- White Balance: Sets the white balance to Auto, Tungsten (3,000K), Incandescent (3,600K), White Fluorescent (4,000K), Neutral White Fluorescent (4,500K), Daylight Fluorescent (6,600K), Daylight (5,300K), Cloudy (6,000K), Shade (7,500K), one of four saved "Custom" settings (to which you can assign your own Kelvin temperatures, ranging from 2000 K to 10,000K), or One-Push (Custom) modes.
- ISO: Adjusts the ISO sensitivity to Auto, 100, 200, or 400. If ISO Boost is enabled, 800 and 1,600 equivalent settings are also available.
- Metering: Selects between Digital ESP, Spot, and Center-Weighted metering modes.
- AF Area Selection: Sets the AF area to one of three AF points, or to Auto, in which the camera selects the point at which the subject is closest to the camera.
- Camera 2
Card
Setup: Erases all images on the CompactFlash card or formats the card.
- Drive: Sets the camera's Drive mode to Single-Frame, Sequential Shooting, Bracket (autoexposure bracketing), Self-Timer, or Remote Control modes. The Bracket option includes +/-0.3, +/-0.7, or +/-1.0 step sizes.
- Flash +/-: Adjusts the intensity of the internal flash, from -2 to +2 EV in one-third-step increments.
- One-Touch WB: Sets the Custom white balance setting. Press the OK button, and an image is captured from which the camera will set the custom white balance.
- Monotone: Accesses the Black and White and Sepia monotone shooting
modes, or returns to normal color.
Gradation: Controls the overall brightness of the image. Choices
are Normal, Low, or High Key.- Saturation: Adjusts the image's color intensity, in five arbitrary units from Lo to Hi.
- Contrast: Adjusts the image contrast in five arbitrary units from Lo to Hi.
- Sharpness: Sets image sharpness in five arbitrary units from Lo to Hi.
- WB Bracket: Activates the white balance bracketing mode, with two, four, or six-step variable increments.
- HQ: Sets the HQ JPEG compression level to 1/8 or 1/4.
- SQ: Sets the SQ resolution to 3,200 x 2,400; 2,560 x 1,920; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768; or 640 x 480 pixels. JPEG compression levels can be set for each size option to 1/2.7, 1/4, or 1/8.
- Noise Reduction: Turns Noise Reduction on or off.
- Playback:
Slide
Show Play: Activates an automated slide show of images stored on
the memory card, in single image format, or four, nine, or 16 image index
display. (Very unusual, the first time I've seen an animate thumbnail
playback option.)- Rotate: If enabled, automatically rotates images captured vertically on the camera's display. (Doesn't affect the data in the image files though, they'll still appear as landscape-format images when downloaded and viewed on a computer.)
- Edit: Accesses the image editing menu, where you can apply Black and White or Sepia monochrome effects to a captured image, or resize it to smaller pixel dimensions.
- DPOF: Marks individual or all images for printing on a DPOF device. You can also designate whether or not the date and time are overlaid on the image.
- Setup 1:
EV
Step: Sets the EV step size to 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV step size.
- ISO Boost: Turns ISO Boost on or off. If on, the ISO options in the Camera 1 ISO submenu will include 800 and 1,600 equivalents.
- Manual Flash: Enables the "Manual" flash exposure option.
- White Balance +/-: Shifts the color balance toward red or blue for each white balance option.
- Custom WB: Designates the Kelvin temperature setting for each of the four Custom white balance settings. Options range from 2,000K to 10,000K.
AF
Illuminator: Turns the AF illuminator feature on or off. (Note that the E-300 uses the flash head as its AF illuminator, so you'll only get AF-assist illumination when the flash head is popped up; however, the flash does not necessarily need to be enabled.)
- AE Lock Metering: Sets the type of metering for the AE Lock function to Auto, ESP, Center-Weighted, or Spot.
- Custom OK: Sets the custom function for the OK button. Options are Off, Shortcut (accesses Drive, One-Touch WB, Monotone, Gradation, Saturation, Contrast, Sharpness, or WB Bracket settings), Depth of field preview, or AF/MF (toggles between auto and manual focus modes) settings.
- Setup 2:
Date/Time:
Sets the camera's date and time.
- Reset: Resets all options to their defaults.
- File Name: Resets file numbers with each new memory card or formatting operation, or continues in sequential order.
- Record View: Turns the post-capture image review off, or sets the duration to five or two seconds.
- Beep: Turns the camera's beep sounds on or off.
LCD
Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the LCD monitor.
- Sleep: Designates the amount of time before the camera puts itself to sleep. Choices are 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes, or Off.
- PC Mode: Sets the USB mode to Auto, Storage, Control, or Print. Auto means that you'll need to select PC or Print in the USB connection menu when the camera is connected to a computer or printer. Storage mode allows the transfer of data from the camera to the computer. The Control setting allows you to remotely control the camera from the computer, using the included Olympus software, while Print is for direct printing to a PictBridge-compatible printer.
- Language: Sets the menu language to English, French, German, or Spanish.
- Video Output: Sets the camera's video-out signal to NTSC or PAL timing.
Pixel
Mapping: Checks the CCD for bad pixels, "maps" them out (using
data from adjacent pixels), so they won't appear in images.
- Cleaning Mode: Raises up the mirror so that the CCD can be cleaned. (This allows direct access to the CCD's cover glass, in like fashion to other digital SLRs. - The E-300's SSWF automatic sensor cleaning occurs every time the camera is powered up, and should keep the sensor free of dust under most circumstances. This mode is for those (hopefully few) times when there's grundge on the protective glass that requires physical intervention to remove.)
- Reset Lens: Resets the lens focus setting to Infinity.
- Erase Setting: Sets the default response for the Erase confirmation screen to Yes or No. (A glitch in our prototype camera, this menu option was missing its label.)
- Color Space: Selects either sRGB or Adobe RGB as the camera's working color space.
- Focus Ring: Determines whether the focus ring on the lens lengthens focus by turning Clockwise or Counterclockwise.
- Firmware: Reports the camera's firmware version.
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