Canon PowerShot S100 Digital ELPHCanon packs 2 megapixels and a 2x optical zoom into the "smallest digicam on the planet!"<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 6/20/2000 |
Exposure
We found the exposure control on the S100 pretty straightforward, although the LCD menu was a little time consuming to navigate through at times. The camera features Automatic and Manual exposure modes, Manual simply meaning that you have control over the flash mode, image quality, exposure compensation and white balance. The camera controls shutter speed and aperture in all exposure modes. Putting the camera in Automatic exposure mode means that the camera controls everything, with the exception of the self-timer and macro modes. Additional exposure modes include Black & White, Stitch Assist (or panorama) and Continuous shooting, all of which will be described below. The S100's sensitivity setting is equivalent to ISO 100 and is not adjustable. We usually like to see a selection of ISO settings, but given the tiny size of this camera, we're quite happy with the range of features offered.
Camera operation is a breeze, you just point and shoot most of the time. Halfway pressing the shutter button sets focus and exposure, and the small LEDs next to the optical viewfinder let you know when the camera is ready to take the picture. In low-light situations or if the camera needs to use a slow shutter speed, the hand shake symbol appears in the LCD monitor - meaning you should either get out a tripod or turn on the flash. Many of the camera functions are controlled by individual control buttons on the back panel, but a few features require the LCD menu system. We always like to see the least amount of reliance on the LCD monitor as possible, but the small size of the camera's back panel means we have to give somewhere. Regardless, we found the LCD menu system very navigable, and it only took a glance at the manual to make sure we were on the right track.
The S100 uses a center weighted metering system, which means that the camera averages exposure values from a small area in the center of the image to determine the proper exposure. Although there is no adjustable AE/AF Lock function on the camera, you can change the auto exposure area yourself by simply moving the camera. Basically, you place the area you want to base the exposure on in the center of the field of view, half way press the shutter button to set the exposure and focus, then reposition the subject into the desired composition while continuing to hold down the shutter button. Once you've framed the picture, just fully press the shutter button to capture your photo.
FlashThe built-in flash on the S100 features five operating modes, all controlled by the Flash button on the back panel. The button cycles through Auto (lightning bolt icon with an "A"), Redeye Reduction (eyeball icon), Forced On (lightning bolt), Forced Off (lightning bolt with a slash) and Slow-Synchro (person icon with a star). Auto, Forced On and Forced Off are pretty self-explanatory. Redeye Reduction means that the camera fires a small pre-flash before the full flash, to reduce the occurrence of the Redeye Effect. The Slow-Synchro mode times the flash with a slow shutter and is perfect for night subjects because it allows more ambient light into the image. All of the flash modes are available in Manual and Black & White shooting modes, with a small assortment available in Automatic and Stitch Assist modes. The flash takes about 10 seconds to charge. The top LED next to the optical viewfinder glows red when the flash is ready. Flash power ranges from 11 inches to 10 feet (27 cm to 3 m) in normal wide angle mode, and from 11 inches to seven feet (27 cm to 2 m) in telephoto mode. Although the flash looks like a "single pop" design to the naked eye, it does in fact use two very closely-spaced flashes, so you'll need a special slave trigger to use with it. (You can find one at www.srelectronics.com.)
Self-Timer
A 10 second self-timer mode is accessible through the Continuous/Self-Timer button on the back panel and is available in all photography modes. Once in this mode, a half press of the shutter button sets focus and exposure, and a full press triggers the self-timer. The timer will count down from 10 seconds by flashing a small LED on the front of the camera, which will accelerate at two seconds. The mode is canceled by simply pressing the Self-Timer button again or turning the camera off.
Continuous Shooting
Once activated by pressing the Continuous/Self-Timer button on the back panel, the S100's Continuous Shooting mode will shoot approximately two frames per second as long as the shutter button is held down or until the buffer memory is filled (shooting times may vary depending on the subject and shooting setup).
Macro and Infinity Focus Modes
Macro mode is accessible through the Macro/Infinity Focus button on the back panel. Once in Macro mode, the focus ranges from four to 22 inches (10 to 57 cm). The same button also accesses the Infinity Focus mode, which fixes the camera's focus at infinity for far away subjects and panoramic shots. While the Macro function is available in all exposure modes, the Infinity Focus option is available in all modes except Automatic.
Exposure Compensation (EV Adjustment)
Through the Record menu, the S100's exposure compensation can be adjusted from -2 to +2 in half step EV increments. The setting is canceled through the same method. Note that the exposure compensation setting will remain the same even after the camera is powered off, so it must be changed through the Record menu. The exposure compensation adjustment is available in all record modes except for Automatic.
White Balance
Also through the Record menu, the camera's white balance can be adjusted in all modes except for Automatic and Black & White exposure modes. Options are Automatic, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten and Fluorescent, to match a variety of light sources. As with the exposure compensation adjustment, the white balance setting remains the same after the camera is powered off.
Black and White Mode
This mode is accessed through the Record menu and simply records images in black and white monotones. All the exposure adjustments and modes are available in this mode, except for white balance. As usual with digicams we've seen though, the black and white mode simply removes the color information from the image, but saves no memory space, since the photos are still stored as full RGB files. (We haven't studied this, but it does seem likely that black and white mode images could show better tonal range and less noise, since the camera is able to concentrate solely on the luminance (brightness) information in its image processing.)
Stitch Assist Mode
The S100 features a panoramic shooting mode, called Stitch Assist, which is accessible through the Record menu. Once the mode is selected, a guideline tool appears in the LCD monitor to help you line up shots (a small arrow tells you which way to swivel the camera). There are actually two Stitch Assist modes to choose from: left to right and right to left, indicated by a small arrow on the mode icon. All exposure adjustments (flash, image quality, exposure compensation, white balance and macro/infinity mode) are set with the first image. Note that digital telephoto and certain flash settings (Auto and Redeye Reduction) are not available with this mode, nor is the video output capacity. You can shoot up to 26 images in a sequence and don't worry about minor discrepancies in the overlapping portions, as these can be quickly fixed with the stitching software.
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