Cyber-shot Camera Guide

   Scene Selections

 [Tip: use the right photo key to switch between Scene selections]

 Unlike k750i, where under each situation you had to do manual settings, The Cyber shot phone comes with pre set settings for various situations.

 

 

However, You can always customize these for much better outcomes.

 

Lets look at the different preset scene selections:

 

Auto:

This is the default setting. In this setting you normally have to make use of your custom settings like red eye reduction, macro or infinity or auto focus mode, flash, no flash, etc. If you want to use only your settings then keep this mode when clicking.

Twilight Landscape:

This is for long distance shots in low light conditions. In this setting the camera becomes very sluggish, this is because the lens is over exposed for more brightness.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to infinity mode.
• Flash is set to off.
• Image stabilizer is on, because of the sluggishness.

In infinity mode there will never be any focusing, since its long distance and mainly for scenic pictures.

Twilight Portrait:

This is for close up shots in low light conditions.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to auto mode.
• Flash is set to auto.

Basically you can use this for clicking pictures of people in parties or any where the light conditions are low.

Landscape:

This is used to capture large views form a long distance.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to infinity mode.
• Flash is set to off.
• Image stabilizer is on, because of the slugishness.

Basically use this to click scenic shots like (eg. landscapes)

Potrait:

This actually adds soft focus and enhanced skin tones to mid-range shots of people. By mid range shots i mean shots covering form the shoulders and above with distant behinds.

This would be the most ideal situation since the behind background would have a soft focus and the main focus would be on the person.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to auto mode.
• Flash is set to auto.

Beach/Snow:

Every tried clicking a photo on the beach. The light is very strong and pictures come out horrible.

Next time when you are on the beach try this setting. It helps prevent underexposure in shots where the light is very strong

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to auto mode.
• Flash is set to off.
• Image stabilizer is on.

Typical example is at the beach on a sunny day or a ski trip.

Document:

Best for close up pictures of any text.

Here the high contrast settings add sharpness to the pictures.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to macro mode.
• Flash is set to auto.

Sports:

I don’t know whats the difference in this mode technically. I find it same as the auto mode only with flash set to off. I have not tried capturing any image with this mode.

When this setting is selected:-

• The Focus is set to auto mode.
• Flash is set to off.

Focus:

The Cybershot phone has three focus modes.

Auto: The camera decides which mode.

Macro: Always enable this option when you want to take close ups. The closer you get to the object the more blurry the background is and vice versa.

Infinity: No focus, just a straight clear shot.

 

Flash:

Auto: The camera automatically makes use of flash under low lighting conditions

Off: No flash

Red Eye Reduction: (self explanatory)

 

Some Other Tips..!

1.     When capturing close up objects always set the focus to macro. Similarly for landscapes always use infinity mode.

2.     If you cannot get the green square in the center (it means its not focused properly). Solution is to increase distance slightly.

3.     try to keep as still as possible when clicking in low light conditions.

4.     Flash is not always good. Sometimes even when there is moderate+ lighting a picture can be better off when flash is turned off.

5.     Try to use the default scene selection as it works in 90% of the situations. In some you can always tweak like turning off flash or turning on macro mode manually even after selecting a specific preset scene.

6.     Play around more and let us know what else you discover.

 

General: If the subject has strong light behind it, use Spot Photometry to allow the camera to adjust for what you want to see.
Try and use the white balance settings as much as possible, you will be suprised at how wrong the Auto can be, cloudy and sunlight give warmer colours indoors too.
The lens is fixed focus, most things should be fine from about 50cm to infinity.Night mode just reduces noise most of the time, but will also allow the shutter to expose for longer, so judge how important it is

Low Light: Always make sure you hold it still for at least a second after you press the shutter button, ignore the noise it makes. The shutter can be open for up to 1/4 ofa second, but in low light there is some delay in response. Keep the phone still till you see the image taken.
I was thrown at first as I am used to being able to hear the shutter open and close on proper cameras, the S700i just plays a full shutter open/close noise when you press the button, even though is it still exposing.
If you are using the LED to help, set the white balance to daylight or cloudy to get better colour reproduction.

Focusing: Being a true Autofocus camera you have the two stage shutter button. First line up your shot, gently press the shutter until the camera aquires and locks focus, this primes the camera ready to shoot. A small green dot appears on the top left of the screen and there is a short double beep to let you know it is ready. Now to take the picture continue to press the button fully, the picture will be taken.
As with the S700i, keep the camera still for a second after to make sure you dont get any movement in the shot.
The whitebalance settings are the same, but you loose spot photometry.
The closer something is the less there will be in focus around it, so take that into account.

Low Light: If you are shooting in low light and using the LEDS, they are at half brightness until you actually take the picture, so the image gets a bit better. The whitebalance seems to adjust automatically.

Macro Mode: Shooting in macro mode, the closest you can focus is around 10cm, you can try closer and it looks in focus on screen but it won’t be.
The closer something is, due to depth of field, the less there will be in focus infront and behind the subject, so take that into account.

 

Definitions:

Aperture: The size of the hole letting light into the camera. It is measured as an F number. This is a ratio of the radius of the hole to the focal length, so the smaller the number that larger the aperture and more light is let in. The K750i is F2.8 and the S700i is F4.

Exposure: The act of collecting light on the sensor to create the image. It is a mixture of shutter speed, sensitivity and lens aperture.

Focal Length: The distance between the lens and the sensor, this affects the perspective of the picture. Most camera phones are made to 35mm equivalent; this is the standard angle that takes a picture that is roughly how you see through your eyes. Less than 35mm will get a wider image, and more than that goes into telephoto, zooming in.
The S700i is 4.35mm and the K750i is 4.8mm, both look to be 35mm equivalent.
This Equivalent is compared to a 35mm film camera using a 35mm length lens.

Resolution: This is usually referred to in Mega pixels, and generally the higher the better. A picture of 1280×960 is usually referred to as 1.3Mp and 1600×1200 as 2Mp. VGA is 640×408, roughly 0.3Mp.
Resolution is actually a measure of resolving power, the ability of the device to distinguish between objects, it involves the lens, sensor and processing. The Sharp 902 for example, is rated at 2Mp but the images lack actual detail, through poor software processing and what looks to be a poor lens, so the S700i and Nokia 6630 take better pictures.

Shutter Speed: The shutter is a mechanical or electrical system of timing the exposure. It is measured in seconds, the S700i has a range of 1/4 to 1/1693 of a second. The faster it is the less likely the picture will be blurred, but it lets in less light so night shots are always longer.

Some Tips for clicking quality pictures:t set into place properly. under White Balance.

♥ Under room conditions, i.e. indoors, if there is sufficient light, clicking the picture with Fluorescent Settings, brings about some clarity to the picture. You can find this under white balance. Even under sufficient room light (artificial light) there is noise because of lack of sunlight.

♥ Do not use Night Mode and Flash Together. Night mode makes the frame rate very slow in the view finder. The auto focusing also becomes slow. When using flash the picture taken just becomes extra white and you cannot see anything clearly.

♥ When taking pictures in pitch black, try to take close-ups with macro mode on and flash on. All the night pictures examples given above are taken in pitch black situations.

♥ When in artificial lighting conditions, like in a room, you can take pictures with Night mode on. It makes the picture look brighter and also reduces noise. You can try the fluorescent setting with this and see if it improves the picture quality. It should be noted that while in Night Mode, the camera should be absolutely steady for optimum performance.

♥  When clicking close-ups, keep a distance of at least 8cm to 10 cm. if you are too close the auto focus doesn

♥ When using flash under pitch dark conditions (low), the picture might turn out to be yellowish sometimes. To correct this you can choose Incandescent .

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