Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Lesson 4: how my camera works

Adjusting ISO: When I am not looking at a photo, I can hit the zoom in button twice and it brings up the options for taking PSAM photos. The fourth option down usually shows a number 100-1600 or HI 1, the number it displays is its current ISO sensitivity setting. By selecting that option I can adjust the ISO 100-200-400-800-1600-HI1.

Adjusting White Balance: Same menu as ISO, and it is directly above the ISO option, the third one down. I can select it to work on Auto, and several auto settings for different settings like outside, outside at night, indoors florescent lighting, indoors, indoors dark(like a concert hall) or I can preset the white balance manually with a white sheet of paper. There is another menu that one can access even when not using PSAM modes: Menu > Camera Icon > White Balance. All the same settings are there but without the preview images and this is where you can set the preset WB. Choose it, select Measure, say yes to overwriting previous preset, and take a picture of a white piece of paper, and its set!

Exposure Compensation: Zoom x 2 menu again, it is the second to last option, looks like a half full battery symbol with +/- on it. There is a preview Image that you can see how much you are effecting it while you subtract or add exposure levels.

File Size Compression: Menu > Shooting Menu > Image Size > Select Large Medium or Small to fit your tastes. Can also adjust Image Quality from Raw to JPEG FINE all the way to Raw/JPEG Basic.

Exposure Meter Mode: Menu > Custom Setting Menu > Metering > Matrix/Center-weighted/spot.

Macro Focusing: My camera doesn't have macro, it depends upon the lense i have.

Flash mode: I just push and hold the flash adjustment button and rotate a selecting wheel(much like the wheels for getting to the next portion of film on old fashioned cameras)

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