HP C500 User Manual

Chapter 3 -Taking Photos

This chapter describes the process of taking photos with your HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera, including how
to take Still, Burst, and Timelapse photos, and detailed descriptions of adjusting the camera settings. If you want a
quick overview, see the Basics guide that you received with your camera.

There are three settings you can use to take photos: Still, Burst, and Timelapse.

Still Use this setting for taking a single color or black and white photo.
Burst Use this setting for taking up to 4 photos in rapid succession.
Timelapse Use this setting for taking several photos, with a set amount of time (1 minute to 24

hours) between photos.

Tip:

The Burst setting is ideal for taking action photos. Use the Timelapse setting for observing a subject over a
longer period of time.

Overview

Taking a Photo

The HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera has a 2-step Shutter button. When you press the Shutter button 1/2 way
down, the camera adjusts the focus and exposure of the photo. After these settings are adjusted, a green light
appears to the left of the viewfinder, indicating that you can press the Shutter button all the way down to take the
photo. You may want to practice to get used to the timing, before taking important photos.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 30

Overview

Camera mode dial On/off button

Shutter button

To take a photo:

1. Remove the lens cover.

2. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.
The camera is automatically ready to take a Still photo.

3. Frame your subject in the viewfinder.

4. Press and hold the Shutter button 1/2 way down to allow the
camera to adjust the focus and exposur e.

5. When you see the green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the
photo. Wait for the beeps, indicating your photo has been taken, then release the Shutter button.

Tip:

When you are taking a photo, be especially careful to keep your fingers away from the lens, flash, and
sensors on the front of the camera. The following illustrations give you examples of how to hold the camera.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 31

Checking the Camera Status

Use the status LCD and the color LCD to check the status of the camera. Basic camera information such as battery
level, number of photos remaining, photo quality, flash status, and memory card status display on the status LCD.
The color LCD shows information such as the number of photos stored on the memory card, the current
compression level, resolution setting, and battery status.

Using the Status LCD

Use the status LCD on the top of the camera to check the status of the memory card, the battery level, and the
number of photos ava ilabl e on th e m em ory card. The status L C D a ls o dis pla ys th e fla sh and photo quality settin gs,
and any camera error messages.

Overview

Memory
card status

Battery level

Flash

Photos
remaining

Photo quality

To view the camera status on the status LCD:

Press the on/off button to turn the camera on.

•

Individual icons are discussed throughout this guide or you can see a list of all the icons in Appendix B “Icons”
on page 129.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 32

Overview

Using the Color LCD

Use the color LCD on the back of the camera to check current camera settings and status, including the number of
photos stored on the memory card , and the compression and resolution settings.

To view the camera status on the color LCD:

1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to
Rec.

2. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn the color
LCD on.

3. Press the Status button (right soft key).

Color LCD

The color LCD displays the current camera settings
and status. To change the camera settings, use the
camera menus. See the following sections of this

Color LCD
on/off button

Soft keys

chapter for details. One or more icons may also
appear on the Status screen, depending on the
camera status.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 33

Memory card inserted Battery status

Images taken The number of photos stored on the

memory card.

Compression The current compression level.
Resolution The current resolution setting.
White Bal The current white balance setting.
Digita The camera firmware version number.

Color LCD Status

4. When you have finished viewing the camera status, press the Exit button (right soft key).

Overview

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 34

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

Status LCD

Shutter button

On/off buttonCamera mode dial

Number of
photos available

Taking Still Photos

Use the Still setting to take one photo each time you press the Shutter button.
To take a Still photo:

1. Remove the lens cover.

2. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.
The status LCD displays the approximate number of photos

available on the memory card. The camera is not ready until
this number appears.

3. Adjust your camera settings as needed. See “Adjusting the
Camera Settings” on page 42 for details.

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

4. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn the color LCD on, then press the left soft key until the
Still icon appears on the lower overlay bar.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 35

Tip:

5. Frame your subject in the viewfinder, then press and hold the Shutter button 1/2 way down to allow the camera
to adjust the focus and exposure. If you see an orange light to the left of the viewfinder, you may need to
change the flash setting to adjust for the lighting conditions.

To conserve battery power, turn the color LCD off after you choose the photo type.

Still icon

6. When you see the green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way dow n to take the

Status LCD

Shutter button

On/off buttonCamera mode dial

Number of
photos available

photo. Wait for the beeps, indicating the photo has been taken, before releasing the Shutter button.

7. If Instant Review is on, your photo appears briefly on the color LCD. If you are happy with the photo, press the
Save button (right soft key) to save it on the memory card. If not, press the Delete button (center soft key) to
discard the photo and try again. If you do not press either button, the camera automatically saves the photo.

Taking Burst Photos

Use the Burst setting to take photos in rapid succession while holding the Shutter button down. You can take up to
four photos at a rate of one to three frames per second. The Burst setting is recommended for taking action photos.
The default Bur st rate is two fra mes per se cond. If you want to chan ge the Burst r ate, see below . Note that you cannot
use the flash for Burst photos; the flash button is inactive.

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

Note:

Burst photos take longer to process than Still photos because the camera takes up to three frames per
second rather than a single photo.

To take Burst photos:

1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.
The status LCD displays the approximate number of photos

available on the memory card. The camera is not ready until
this number appears.

2. Adjust your camera settings as needed. See “Adjusting the
Camera Settings” on page 42 for details.

3. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn the color LCD on.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 36

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

4. Press the left soft key until the Burst icon appears on the lower overlay bar.

Tip:

To conserve battery power, turn the color LCD off after you choose the photo type.

Burst icon

If there is not enough space on the memory card for the number of photos specified, the red
light to the left of t he viewf inder flashes and th e upp er overl ay bar d isplays “Not en ough me mory. ” To solve this
problem, insert a new memory card, or try a lower photo quality setting .

5. Frame your subject in the viewfinder, then press and hold the Shutter button 1/2 way down to allow the camera
to adjust the focus and exposure. If you see an orange light to the left of the viewfinder, there may not be
enough light on your subject. You can still take the photo.

6. W hen you see a green light to the left of the viewfind er, press the Shutter button a ll the wa y down an d hold it fo r
the amount of time you want to take photos, or until the camera beeps.

Tip:

If you are taking an action sequence, you can move the camera to follow your subject as you hold the
Shutter button down.

7. If Instant Review is on, your first photo appears briefly on the color LCD. If you are happy with the photo, press
the Save button (right soft key) to save the series of ph o tos on the memor y car d. If no t, p ress the Delete button
(center soft k ey) to discard the phot os and try ag ain. Pressi ng Delete discards the enti re series of photos, not j ust
the first photo. If you do not press either button, the camera automatically saves the photo.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 37

To change the Burst rate:

1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.

2. Press the Menu button.
The color LCD displays the Me dia Se ttings menu.

3. Use the 4-way arrow button to scroll to Burst.

4. Press the Edit button (left soft key), and then scroll down to Burst Rate.

5. Use the 4-way arrow button to choose the desired setting, from 1 to 3
frames per second.

6. Press the Exit button (right soft key) twice to save your settings and exit the menus.

Taking Timelapse Photos

Use the Timelapse setting to take a series of photos at preset time intervals. You can specify the number of photos
you want the camera to take, as well as the amount of time between photos. It is recommended that you attach the
camera to a tripod, or place it on a firm surface at an appropriate dis tance and height from the subject, to keep the
camera steady.

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

It is recommended that you use an AC power adapter for long Timelapse photo sequences. See “Using an AC Power
Adapter (recommended)” on page 29 for more information.

Tip:

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 3 8

By default the camera takes 10 photos with 1 minute intervals between photos. If you want to change the
Timelapse settings, see below.

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

Status LCD

Shutter button

On/off buttonCamera mode dial

Number of
photos available

To take Time lapse photos:

1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.
The status LCD displays the approximate number of photos

available on the memory card. The camera is not ready until
this number appears.

2. Adjust your camera settings as needed. See “Adjusting the
Camera Settings” on page 42 for details.

3. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn the colo r LCD on.

4. Press the left soft key until the Timelapse icon appears on the lower overlay bar.

Tip:

To conserve batter y pow er, tu r n the col or LCD off after you c hoose the photo type.

Timelapse

icon

If there is not enough space on the memory card for the number of photos specified, the
red light to the left of the view finder flashes a nd the upper overla y bar disp lays “No t enough mem ory.” To solve
this problem, insert a new memory card, try a lower photo quality setting or decrease the number of photos
specified in the Timelapse settings.

5. Frame your subject in the viewfinder, then press and hold the Shutter button 1/2 way down to allow the camera
to adjust the focus and exposure. If you see an orange light to the left of the viewfinder, there may not be
enough light on your subject. You can still take the photo.

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 39

Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

6. When you see a green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the
first photo. Wait for the beeps, indicating the photo has been taken, before releasing the Shutter button.

The camera automatically takes the number of photos at the time interval specified in the Timelapse settings.

Tip:

7. If Instant Review is on and you are using an AC power adapter, your firs t photo appears on th e color LCD; an
indicator on the upper overlay bar shows the number of photos that have been taken and a timer counts down
the time until the next photo is taken.

If Instant Revi ew is on and you are using batteries, your first photo appears briefly on the color LCD. The color
LCD turns itself off after 30 seconds.

Once the series of photos has been taken and the first photo appears on the color LCD, press the Save button
(right soft key) to save the series of photos on the memory card, or press the Delete button (center soft key) to
discard the photos and try again. Pressing Delete discards the entire series of photos, not just the first one. If
you do not press either button, the camera automatically saves the photos.

To change the Timelapse settings:

1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec.

2. Press the Menu button.
The color LCD displays the Me dia Se ttings menu.

3. Use the 4-way arrow button to scroll down to Timelapse.

If you want to stop taking photos before the camera reaches the number of photos specified in the
Timelapse settings, press the Stop button (right soft key).

4. Press the Edit button (left soft key).

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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos

5. Use the 4-way arrow button to select a setting to change.

Setting Description Default
Interval This is the amount of time you want the camera to wait before

taking the next photo. Select from 1 minute to 24 hours.

# Images This is the number of photos you want the camera to take.

Select from 2 to 1000 photos.

6. Use the 4-way arrow button to select the desired setting.

7. Press the Exit button (right soft key) twice to save your settings and exit the menus.

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