Minolta DiMAGE S414DiMAGE technology and optics in a compact, stylish four megapixel design.<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 07/31/2003 |
Exposure
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The S414 offers very flexible exposure control, with a range of exposure options and special shooting modes available to choose from. The Mode dial sets the camera's main operating mode, and includes both Auto and Manual record mode settings, referring to the amount of exposure control available. In Auto mode, for example, the camera remains in control of shutter speed and aperture settings, as well as the White Balance, Color, Sharpness, Light Sensitivity (ISO), etc. The Manual record mode setting provides the full range of exposure features, plus allows you to select from Program, Aperture Priority, and Manual exposure control options. In Program AE, the camera controls both shutter speed and aperture settings, while you maintain control over Exposure Compensation, White Balance, Metering Mode, Contrast, etc. Aperture Priority mode means that you control the lens aperture setting, while the camera chooses the best corresponding shutter speed. Finally, Manual exposure mode puts the user in charge of the exposure completely. Shutter speeds on the S414 range from 1/1,000 to four seconds, with a Bulb setting allowing exposures as long as 15 seconds.
Two exposure metering options are available through the settings menu in Manual record mode, Spot and Multi-Segment. Spot metering mode takes the exposure reading from a very small area in the center of the frame, and is useful with subjects that are much brighter or darker than the background. Alternatively, Multi-Segment metering divides the image into 270 areas which are measured separately for both brightness and color. The resulting information is then combined with the distance reading from the camera's autofocus system to determine the best overall exposure. An Exposure Compensation button on top of the camera allows you to adjust the automatically-determined exposure from -2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third step increments. In situations where you're not sure what the best exposure is, the Auto Exposure Bracketing mode takes three images at different exposure settings in rapid succession. Activated by pressing the Drive Mode button until the Bracketing icon appears on the LCD monitor, this mode snaps one image at the normal exposure, one image overexposed slightly, and one underexposed slightly. Through the settings menu, you can set the exposure step between frames to 0.3, 0.5, or 1.0 EV units.
White Balance can be set to Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, or Custom to adjust the color response of the camera to match the ambient lighting. The Custom option bases the color balance on a white card held in front of the camera, and accommodates the widest range of lighting conditions at some cost of convenience. The S414 also provides an extensive array of image adjustment controls, including Sharpness, Contrast, and Color (which offers Vivid Color, Natural Color, Sepia, Solarization, and Black and White options). Additionally, the S414 also offers a Filter setting, with Warm and Cool options for adjusting the overall color. An adjustable light-sensitivity setting offers an Auto mode as well as 64,100, 200, and 400 ISO equivalents.
Flash
The S414 is equipped with a built-in
flash unit, which operates in any of five available modes: Auto, Fill, Flash
Cancel, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction, and Fill with Red-Eye Reduction. The Flash
button on top of the camera controls the flash mode, and the corresponding icon
appears in the LCD monitor. Auto mode lets the camera choose when to fire the
flash, based on existing light levels, while Fill mode fires the flash with
every exposure (regardless of lighting conditions). Flash Cancel simply disables
the flash. The two Red-Eye Reduction modes fire two small pre-flashes before
the full flash, making the pupils of your subjects' eyes contract, reducing
the red reflection from their eyes (known as the Red-Eye Effect). Minolta estimates
the S414's flash as effective from 1.6 to 11.5 feet (0.5 to 3.5 meters).
Self-Timer / Remote Control Mode
The Drive Mode button on top of the camera accesses the Self-Timer / Remote
Control mode, as well as the Continuous Shooting and Auto Exposure Bracketing
modes, when pressed sequentially. When set to the Self-Timer mode, the S414
provides a 10-second delay between the time the Shutter button is fully pressed
and when the shutter actually opens. A small LED lamp on the front of the camera
lights to indicate that the timer has started, and then blinks a couple of seconds
before the shutter fires. This mode also works with the optional infrared remote
control accessory, which allows you to control the camera from as far away as
16 feet (5 meters).
Continuous Shooting
Also accessed through the Drive Mode button, Continuous Shooting mode captures
a rapid succession of images for as long as the Shutter button is held down
(or as long as the memory card has available space). While shot-to-shot cycle
times will vary with the image resolution and quality settings chosen, the maximum
speed is approximately 1.57 frames per second. (Oddly, the continuous-mode shooting
is faster at maximum resolution than it is with smaller image sizes.) The S414
has a generous buffer memory as it can capture up to 7 large/fine images in
continuous mode before having to wait for the memory card to catch up. (At its
lowest size/quality setting, the 414 can capture over 100 frames without pausing.)
Recording Movies and Sound
Through the Movie record mode (set via the Mode dial), the S414 records moving
images with sound. Movies are recorded at a 320 x 240 frame size, although the
actual "live" area is 284 x 211 pixels. Recording times will vary
depending on the amount of memory card space available. Movie mode also works
with the accessory remote control. Macro mode and Exposure Compensation are
the only functions available in Movie mode. White balance and sensitivity default
to automatic, and both flash and digital zoom are disabled. As with most cameras
that record sound with their movies, you can zoom the lens before you start
recording, but once a movie is in progress, no further zoom adjustment is permitted.
(The lens motor noise would swamp the audio track.)
Through the record settings menu, the S414 also allows you to record short clips of sound to accompany each image as you capture it. Voice Memo mode records either five or 15 seconds of audio per image, although you can stop recording before the time limit is up, simply by pressing the shutter button again..
Preset Scene Modes
The Subject Program button on top of the camera (adjacent to the status display
panel) selects between a range of preset "Scene" shooting modes, including
Macro, Portrait, Landscape, Night, Text, and Text with Macro. These modes optimize
the camera for a range of common shooting conditions. As we discussed in the
Optics section, Macro mode alters the focus range of the lens for closer, smaller
subjects. In Macro mode, focus ranges from 6.2 to 23 inches (0.16 to 0.6 meters).
Portrait mode employs a larger lens aperture setting, which reduces the depth
of field, throwing the background out of focus to increase the prominence of
the main subject. Alternatively, Landscape mode uses a smaller aperture setting,
which keeps both the foreground and background in clear focus. The Night setting
shifts the autoexposure system to prefer longer shutter speeds, producing brighter
pictures. Night mode also combines the flash with longer shutter times, for
more natural night portraits with the exposure of the subject and the background
better balanced. In Text mode, the S414 increases the contrast and adjusts the
exposure to accurately capture black text on top of a white background. Text
with Macro mode works along similar lines, though it changes the focus range
for the macro shooting distances.
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