Casio QV-2400UX, QV-2900UX User's Guide

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

This section describes the basic procedure for recording an image.

Recording a Simple Snapshot

The camera’s Program AE Mode (P Mode) is for simple snapshots. In this mode, the camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture for you in accordance with subject brightness.

Before turning on the camera, remove its lens cap.

Slide the POWER ON/ OFF switch to the right to turn on the camera.

Slide the REC/PLAY selector to “REC”.

REC :REC mode for

recording images

PLAY :PLAY mode for

playing back images

POWER

POWER ON/OFF

ON/OFF

REC/PLAY

REC

PLAY

E-48

Compose the image on the monitor screen so the point on which you want to focus is inside the Focus frame.

Focus frame

Press the shutter release button about half way and hold it there to perform auto focus.

Shutter release button

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

• You can find out the status of the Auto Focus operation by checking the color of the focus frame and the status of the operation lamp.

If you see this

Green focus frame and green operation lamp

Red focus frame and red operation lamp

• Take care that you do not block the lens or the sensors with your fingers as you hold the camera.

After confirming that the image is in focus, press the shutter release button all the way down to record the image.

SHIFT

INFO

Operation lamp

It means this

The image is in focus.

The image is not in focus.

RESIZE

• Recorded images are temporarily stored in a buffer,

from which they are stored to the memory card installed in the camera. You can continue to store images as long as there is space available in the buffer.

• The number of images you can store in the camera depends on the storage medium and the image quality setting (page E-60) you are using.

• To avoid hand movement, press the shutter release button gently.

• Use of a tripod is recommended for slow shutter speeds and telephoto shots to avoid blurring of the image due to camera movement.

■ Camera Shake Indicator

The (camera shake indicator) appears on the monitor screen when the zoom slider is set to T (telephoto) or when a slow shutter speed is being used.

• If the camera shake indicator appears, use a tripod and the wired remote controller to avoid camera movement.

E-49

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

About the REC Mode Monitor Screen

• The image shown on the monitor screen in the REC mode is a simplified image for composing purposes. The actual image is recorded in accordance with the image quality setting currently selected on your camera. The image recorded on the memory card has much better resolution and detail than the REC mode monitor screen image.

• Certain levels of subject brightness can cause the response of the REC mode monitor screen to slow down, which causes some static noise in the monitor screen image.

About Auto Focus

Auto Focus tends not to work well with the following types of subjects. If you experience problems with obtaining good results with Auto Focus, try using manual focus (page E-58).

• Solid color walls or objects with little contrast

• Strongly backlit objects

• Polished metal or other brightly reflective objects

• Venetian blinds or other horizontally repeating patterns

• Multiple images that are varying distances from the camera

• Subjects in poorly lit areas

• Auto Focus also may not work properly when the camera is

unsteady or shaking.

■ Fixed Focusing Distances

• The following are the fixed focusing distances when Auto Focus is unable to focus properly.

Well-lit Location:1.5 meters minimum With Flash :Approximately 2 meters

• Depending on actual conditions, a green operation indicator and focus frame do not necessarily guarantee that the image is in focus.

Recording Precautions

• Never open the battery compartment cover, disconnect the AC adaptor from the camera, or unplug the adaptor from the wall socket while the operation lamp is flashing green. Doing so will not only make storage of the current image impossible, it can also corrupt other image data already stored on the camera’s memory card.

• Never remove batteries, unplug the AC adapter, or remove the memory card while the camera is saving images.

• Fluorescent lighting actually flickers at a frequency that cannot be detected by the human eye. When using the camera indoors under such lighting, you may experience some brightness or color problems with recorded images.

E-50

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Image Recording when the Battery is Low

To protect against unexpected loss of image data, images are recorded one-by-one whenever the battery level is indicated as or lower. The message “Press to cancel save.” appears on the monitor screen during the save operation under this condition. As long as you do not press , the save operation continues and takes a few seconds to complete. Be sure to replace all four batteries as soon as possible after this message starts to appear. Pressing while the “Press to cancel save.” is on the monitor screen cancels the image save operation.

• If you have a microdrive loaded in the camera, the above message appears whenever the battery level is indicated as or lower.

• The message “Press to cancel save.” also appears momentarily during save operations in the Panorama Mode and Movie Mode. In this case, this message does not indicate that battery power is low.

Using Zoom

Your camera is equipped with both optical zoom and digital zoom capabilities.

Using Optical Zoom

Optical zoom enlarges the image by changing the focal distance of the lens. The optical zoom range depends on your camera model.

• QV-2400UX: 1X to 3X

• QV-2900UX: 1X to 8X

Enter the REC mode.

Move the zoom slider towards T (telephoto) to zoom in on the subject, or W (wideangle) to zoom out.

W (WIDE): Wide-angle T (TELE): Telephoto

W (WIDE) T (TELE)

E-51

Zoom slider

REC

PLAY

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

NOTES

• Changing the optical zoom factor also affects the lens aperture value.

• The lens aperture value indicated on the camera is the aperture when optical zoom is 1X. Using a higher optical zoom setting results in a higher aperture value (smaller aperture).

• Use of a tripod is recommended for telephoto shots to avoid blurring of the image due to camera movement.

Using Digital Zoom

With digital zoom, you can enlarge the image on the monitor screen by zoom factors of 2X or 4X before storing it.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “FUNCTION” “Digital Zoom”, and then press the shutter release button.

E-52

Select the setting you want, and then press the shutter release button to apply it.

To do this Turn off digital zoom Toggle between 2X and 4X digital zoom

whenever the zoom slider is slid to the maximum T (telephoto) setting.

Always use 2X digital zoom Always use 4X digital zoom

• A frame appears on the monitor screen whenever 4X digital zoom is in use. Only the area of the image within the frame is recorded, with the resulting image measuring 800 x 600 pixels.

• 4X digital zoom is not available in the Movie Mode and Panorama Mode.

• 2X and 4X digital zoom are disabled while the composition outline is displayed in the Best Shot Mode.

Select this

Auto

Off

X2 X4

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Using the Flash

The following describes various flash settings you can make to suit the type of image you are trying to record.

Enter the REC mode.

Press to cycle through the available flash modes until the indicator for the one you want is on the monitor screen.

Flash mode

SHIFT

INFO RESIZE

E-53

• Each press of cycles through the available flash modes described below.

To do this

Have the flash fire automatically when required (Auto Flash)

Turn off the flash (Flash Off) Always fire the flash (Flash On) Fire a pre-flash followed by image

recording with flash, reducing the chance of red-eye in the image (Redeye Reduction)

Select this setting

No display

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Flash Status Indicators

You can check the current flash unit status by checking the monitor screen indicator and operation lamp while the shutter release button is pressed about half way down.

SHIFT

INFO RESIZE

Operation lamp

■ Operation lamp

If the operation lamp is doing this

Flashing amber Flashing red

■ Monitor screen

When you have Auto Flash or Red-Eye Reduction selected as the flash mode, the indicator appears on the display when you press the shutter release button about half way down to indicate that available light is insufficient and the flash will be fired.

It means this Flash unit is charging Flash unit cannot be

charged for some reason

Adjusting the Flash Intensity

Use the following procedure to adjust the intensity of the flash when it fires.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “FUNCTION” “Flash Intensity”, and then press the shutter release button.

Select the setting you want, and then press the shutter release button to apply it.

To do this Fire the flash with strong intensity Fire the flash with normal intensity Fire the flash with weak intensity

Select this setting

E-54

Strong

Normal

Weak

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Precautions when Using Flash

• Make sure that you do not touch or block the flash or the exposure sensor with your fingers. Doing so can soil these components and interfere with correct flash operation.

QV-2400UX

Flash

Exposure sensor

• The effective range for the built-in flash depends on your

camera model.

* QV-2400UX: Approximately 0.5m to 2m (at full aperture) * QV-2900UX: Approximately 0.5 to 2.5m (at full aperture)

Note that you may not be able to obtaine the desired flash result outside the ranges noted above.

• Depending on operating conditions (type of batteries being used, temperature, etc. ), it may take up to 10 seconds for the flash unit to charge.

• The flash is disabled during movie recording, which is indicated by the (Flash Off) icon on the monitor screen.

QV-2900UX

Flash

Exposure sensor

• The flash unit does not charge when battery power is too

low to charge the flash. The (Flash Off) indicator appears to warn you that the flash will not fire correctly, which may affect exposure of the image. Replace batteries as soon as possible when this happens.

• Red-eye reduction may not work well when the camera is not pointed directly at the subject or when the subject is far from the camera.

• In the Red-eye Reduction Mode , the flash is fired auto- matically in accordance with exposure. Because of this, the flash does not fire if the subject is well-lit.

• White balance is fixed while the flash is being used, so sunlight, fluorescent lighting, or other sources of illumination in the immediate area may affect the coloring of the recorded image.

E-55

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Selecting the Focus Mode

You can use the following procedure to select from among four different focus modes: Auto Focus, Macro, Infinity, and Manual Focus.

Enter the REC mode.

Press / /MF RESIZE to cycle through the available focus mode settings.

Focus Mode

Each press of / /MF RESIZE cycles through the focus modes in the following sequence.

Auto Focus (no indicator) Macro ( ) Infinity ( ) Manual Focus ( )

SHIFT

INFO

RESIZE

/ /

MF RESIZE

Using the Auto Focus Mode

As its name suggests, the Auto Focus Mode adjusts focus automatically whenever you press the shutter release button about half way down. The following shows the relationship between optical zoom factor and the focusing distance for Auto Focus.

Optical Zoom Factor

QV-2400UX

QV-2900UX

Press / /MF RESIZE to cycle through the fo-

1X 3X 1X 8X

Focusing Distance

cus mode settings until there is no focus mode indicator on the display. This indicates the Auto Focus Mode.

Compose the image to the object you want within the focus frame, and then press and hold the shutter release button about half way down.

E-56

10cm to ∞ 50cm to ∞ 40cm to ∞

1m to ∞

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Using the Macro Mode

The Macro Mode automatically sets the focus for close-up shooting. Focus adjustment starts automatically whenever

Focus frame

you press the shutter release button about half way down. The following shows the relationship between optical zoom factor and the focusing distance for the Macro Mode.

• You can find out the status of the Auto Focus operation by checking the color of the focus frame and the status of the operation lamp.

If you see this

Green focus frame and green operation lamp

Red focus frame and red operation lamp

Press the shutter release button the rest of the

It means this

The image is in focus.

Auto Focus is not possible for some reason.

way down to record the image.

E-57

Optical Zoom Factor QV-2400UX QV-2900UX

Press / /MF RESIZE to cycle through the fo-

1 to 1.6X

Focusing Distance

1cm to 50cm 1cm to 50cm

cus mode settings until the indicator appears on the display. This indicates the Macro Mode.

Compose the image and record it.

• See “Using the Auto Focus Mode” on page E-56 for information about how the camera focuses an image automatically.

• You can check the current status by looking at the operation lamp and focus frame. See “Using the Auto Focus Mode” on page E-56 for more information.

IMPORTANT!

• The focusing range is the distance from the lens surface to the subject.

• Optical zoom is disabled in the Macro Mode.

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Using the Infinity Mode

The Infinity Mode sets the focus near infinity. It is a good choice for scenery and other far-off subjects. Focus adjustment starts automatically whenever you press the shutter release button about half way down.

Press / /MF RESIZE to cycle through the focus mode settings until the indicator appears on the display. This indicates the Infinity Mode.

Compose the image and record it.

• See “Using the Auto Focus Mode” on page E-56 for information about how the camera focuses an image automatically.

• You can check the current status by looking at the operation lamp and focus frame. See “Using the Auto Focus Mode” on page E-56 for more information.

Using the Manual Focus Mode

With Manual Focus, you make the required focus settings by hand. The following shows the relationship between optical zoom factor and the focusing distance for the Manual Focus Mode.

Optical Zoom Factor

QV-2400UX

QV-2900UX

Press / /MF RESIZE to cycle through the fo-

1X 3X 1X 8X

Focusing Distance

cus mode settings until the indicator appears flashing on the display. This indicates the Manual Focus Mode.

While the indicator is flashing, use [+] and [–] to focus the image.

• If you do not perform any focus operation for about three seconds, the indicator stops flashing.

• You can press / /MF RESIZE while the indica- tor is on the monitor screen to change to another focus mode, if you want.

E-58

1cm to ∞

50cm to ∞

1cm to ∞

1m to ∞

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

Press the shutter release button to stop the indicator flashing and fix the image focus at its current level.

• After stops flashing, you can use [+] and [–] to adjust exposure compensation (EV).

• If stops flashing before you have a chance to fo- cus, press / /MF RESIZE to make it flash again.

Press the shutter release button to record the image.

• The focus frame does not appear when you press the shutter release button half way down while in the Manual Focus Mode.

Using Focus Lock

Normally, Auto Focus automatically focuses on the object that is inside the focus frame. Focus lock is a technique you can use in the Auto Focus, Macro( ), and Infinity ( ) modes that lets you lock the focus on a subject and then move the camera so the focus frame is pointed at another subject when you record. This keeps the original subject in focus, even though a different object is within the focus frame.

Align the focus frame with the subject you want to lock on and press the shutter release button half way down.

• The focus frame turns green when the image is in focus.

Focus frame

E-59

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

While keeping the shutter release button depressed half way, move the camera and compose the image as you want.

Press the shutter release button the rest of the way down to record the image.

Specifying Image Size and Quality

You can specify the image size and image quality to suit the type of image you are recording.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “FUNCTION” “Size/Quality”, and then press the shutter release button.

Select the size and quality setting you want, and then press the shutter release button.

NOTE

• Locking the focus also locks the exposure setting.

■ Size/Quality Setting and Image Capacity

(JPEG images only)

Image

(pixels)

size

1600

1200

800

600

Quality

FINE

NORMAL

ECONOMY

FINE

NORMAL

ECONOMY

File size

850KB 600KB 350KB 200KB 150KB 120KB

E-60

8MB

memory card

8 11 19 33 43 53

Number of images

64MB

memory card

99 167 282 365 443

340MB

Microdrive

401 562

943 1587 2054 2494

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

IMPORTANT!

• The values in the table below are all approximate, and are affected by the types of images you record and other factors.

• Saving two versions of an image in JPEG and TIFF formats creates a file that is very large, and greatly reduces storage capacity (page E-92).

• To determine the number of images that can be stored on a memory card of a different capacity, multiply the capacities in the table below, by the appropriate value.

• Note that the maximum number of images that can be stored in a single folder is 250. Because of this, even if you are using a card that allows storage of more than 250 images, the camera’s monitor screen will show its capacity for up to 250 images only.

• The number of images that can be recorded may differ from the values shown above when you use Card Browser (page E-140).

Using the Self-timer

You can set the self-timer to either one of two starting times.

Enter the REC mode.

Press the button to select the self-timer time you want.

Self timer

Time

Self-timer Time Settings:

Each press of cycles through the available selftimer settings described below.

SHIFT

INFO RESIZE

E-61

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

To do this Turn the self-timer off Record 10 seconds after the

shutter release button is pressed Record two seconds after the

shutter release button is pressed

Press the shutter release button to start the

Select this setting

No display

10SEC

2SEC

self-timer countdown.

• The seconds are counted down on the monitor screen.

• To stop a countdown part way through, press the shutter release button.

NOTE

• You can rotate the lens mechanism so the lens points in the same direction as the camera’s monitor screen. This makes it possible for you to watch the self-timer countdown on the monitor screen.

Exposure Compensation

Whenever program AE, shutter speed priority AE, or aperture priority AE is selected as the exposure mode, you can adjust the exposure compensation value (EV value) within the range shown below in order to compensate for current lighting conditions. This setting can be used to obtain better results when shooting with backlighting, indirect indoor lighting, a dark background, etc.

EV Value Range: –2EV to +2EV Steps: 1/3EV

Select program AE, shutter speed priority AE, or aperture priority AE as the exposure mode. See page E-78.

Use [+] and [–] to change the exposure compensation value (EV shift).

• The current EV value is shown on the monitor screen.

E-62

BASIC IMAGE RECORDING

EV value

After the EV value is the way you want, press the shutter release button to record the image.

[+]:Increases the EV value. A higher EV value is best

for light colored subjects and backlit subjects.

[–] : Decreases the EV value. A lower EV value is best

for dark color subjects and for shooting outdoors on a clear day.

IMPORTANT!

• When shooting under very dark or very bright conditions, you may not be able to obtain satisfactory results even after performing exposure compensation.

• An EV value setting you make remains in effect until you change it. To reset the EV value to zero, use [+] and [–] to return the display value to zero, which is indicated when is not on the monitor screen. Note that turning off the camera also resets the EV value to zero.

• In the Panorama Mode, the exposure compensation setting you make for the first image of the panorama is fixed for all the other images.

E-63

OTHER RECORDING FUNCTIONS

This section describes more advanced recording operations that are also provided by this camera.

Shooting Portraits

The Portrait Mode blurs the background slightly, which makes the foreground subject stand out better.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “PORTRAIT” (Portrait Mode), and then press the shutter release button.

Press the shutter release button to record the image.

NOTE

• You can blur the background even more by using the zoom slider adjust to maximum telephoto.

E-64

OTHER RECORDING FUNCTIONS

Shooting Landscapes

The Landscape Mode brings everything from distant scenery to close foreground objects into focus.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “LANDSCAPE” (Landscape Mode), and then press the shutter release button.

Press the shutter release button to record the image.

NOTES

• You can add more depth from the foreground to background, and also create a greater feeling of horizontal expanse by using the zoom slider to adjust to maximum wide-angle.

• Using the Landscape Mode indoors, in a shaded location, or in any other areas where lighting is dim can result in distant objects being out of focus.

E-65

OTHER RECORDING FUNCTIONS

Shooting Night Scenes

The Night Scene Mode uses longer exposure to produce beautiful night scene images.

Enter the REC mode.

Press MENU.

Select “NIGHT SCENE” (Night Scene Mode), and then press the shutter release button.

Press the shutter release button to record the image.

NOTE

• You can use the Night Scene Mode in combination with flash for slow sync shooting of people against a twilight or night scene background.

IMPORTANT!

• The shutter speed is quite slow in the Night Scene Mode, so be sure to use a tripod to hold the camera steady.

• Auto Focus is difficult in the dark. If you experience problems, use manual focusing (page E-58). There may be some blurring of the image in cases where the subject is moving quickly.

• Slow shutter speed also causes slow monitor screen refresh. Because of this, the image recorded may be slightly different from the image that was on the monitor screen when you pressed the shutter release button.

• The contrast of Night Scene Mode images is not affected by changes made in contrast settings (page E-

92).

E-66

+ 43 hidden pages