Vivitar Vivicam 2800 User Manual

ViviCam 2800

Digital Still Camera User Manual

And Technical Support Guide

Rev. March 12, 1999

ViviCam 2800 User Manual Contents

Subject:

Table of Contents FCC Statement

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Features and Highlights of the V2800

1.3 What’s Included with the V2800

1.4 Optional Items and Accessories

1.5 V2800 Camera Specifications

1.6 Camera Features

1.7 PC (Host) System Requirements

Chapter 2 - Getting Started: Power, and Info Icons

2.1 Powering the Camera

2.1.1 Installing Batteries

2.1.2 Using the AC Adapter

2.1.3 Power Management

2.2 Compact Flash Card

2.2.1 Inserting a Compact Flash Card

2.2.2 Removing a Compact Flash Card

2.3 Turning on the Camera

2.4 Turning off the Camera

2.5 The Information LCD Icons

2.5.1 Information Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

2.5.2 Image Number

2.5.3 Flash

2.5.4 Macro

2.5.5 Image Quality

2.5.6 Battery Status

2.5.7 Resolution

2.5.8 Self Timer

2.6 Capturing an Image

Chapter 3 - CAM Mode: Advanced Functions

3.1 Opening the CAM menus

3.1.1 Self Timer

3.1.2 Picture Type (Still, Audio, Burst)

3.1.3 Resolution

3.1.4 Image Quality (Compression)

3.1.5 Image Orientation

3.1.6 Shutter Speed

3.1.7 Light Metering

3.1.8 Color Balance

3.1.9 Date Stamp

3.1.9.1 Stamp Position

3.1.9.2 Stamp Format

3.1.9.3 Date and Time Setup

3.1.10 Folder Control

3.1.11 Reset

3.2.Exposure Value Adjustment

Chapter 4 - PLAY Mode

4.1 Play Mode - Overview

4.2 Reviewing Your Images - Basics

4.3 Play Mode: Advance Functions

4.3.1 Erase

4.3.2 Display Style

4.3.3 Attach Voice

4.3.4 Mark

4.3.5 Slide Show

4.3.6 Slide Show Interval/Period

4.3.7 Folder Control

4.3.8 LCD Brightness

4.3.9 Firmware Updates

4.3.10 About

Chapter 5 - Video Output

5.1 Connecting the V2800 to a Video Device

Chapter 6 - Twain Driver

6.1 Summary of Camera-to-PC Connectivity: Options

6.2 Serial/Twain Connectivity

6.2.1 Physical Connection (Serial)

6.2.2 Twain Driver - Defined

6.2.3 Installing the Twain Driver and Application

6.2.3.1 Step 1: Examine your COM ports

6.2.3.2 Step 2: Installing the Twain Driver

6.2.3.3 Step 3: Installing the Application Software

6.2.4 Image Transfer by Serial/Twain

6.2.5 The V2800 Twain Driver User Interface (DUI)

6.2.5.1 Folders

6.2.5.2 Preview Images in the Camera (Thumbnails)

6.2.5.3 Image Info

6.2.5.4 Slide Show

6.2.5.5 Remote Camera Control

6.2.5.6 Camera Configuration

6.2.5.7 Image Source – Camera or Disk

6.2.5.8 Display All Thumbnails

6.2.5.9 Select All Thumbnails

6.2.5.10 Deselect All Thumbnails

6.2.5.11 Save Images as Files

6.2.5.12 Save Images as a Folder of Files

6.2.5.13 Deleting Images from the Camera

6.2.5.14 Deleting a Folder of Images from the Camera

6.2.5.15 Acquiring Images from the Camera

6.2.5.16 Closing the V2800 Twain DUI

Chapter 7 - USB Driver

7.1 USB Connectivity

7.1.1 Determine your Version of Windows

7.1.2 Determine if USB is Enabled on your PC

7.1.3 Connect the USB Cable

7.1.4 Installing the USB Driver – Step by Step

Chapter 8 - General Notes

8.1 Precautionary Warnings

8.2 Warranty Policy

8.3 Technical Support

8.4 Usage Environment

8.5 Troubleshooting

8.5.1 The Reset Button

8.5.2 General Troubleshooting – References

FCC Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in commercial installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, detectable by turning the equipment in question off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures. 1) Re-orient, or relocate, the receiving antenna. 2) Increase the distance between the equipment and the receiver. 3) Connect the equipment to an outlet on a different circuit than that which the receiver is connected to. 4) Consult your dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1 Introduction

Congratulations on purchasing the ViviCam 2800 (V2800) Digital Still Camera. This camera brings to you the ease-of-use of a traditional camera, combined with high-tech functionality. It includes a full-color image LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for image previewing which allows you to immediately see the images you have just taken. It also includes a built-in multi-mode flash with an auto-flash sensor, which automatically detects whether the flash should be engaged or not. The V2800 uses Compact Flash memory for storing your images. You may use additional Compact Flash memory cards for storing additional images as if they were “digital film”

Once you have finished taking your images, you may view them on a TV/monitor, or you may uploaded them to your personal computer. From there, you can use the included image editing software to enhance your images before you print, email them, or post them to a web page.

1.2 Features and Highlights of the V2800

The V2800 is designed to be easy to use; yet it has many powerful features and functions. Some of the V2800 features include:

1. Portability and ease of use - just like a film camera.

2. 1.8” Color Image LCD display - for image preview and playback.

3. Information LCD – allowing you to adjust basic camera functions quickly and

easily without the need to turn on the image LCD.

4. Four Mode Flash - Auto, On, Off, and Redeye modes.

5. High-Quality Glass Lens - with AutoFocus and macro functions.

6. Digital Zoom – providing a 2:1 zoom function.

7. Compact Flash memory - the standard for digital film.

8. USB Communication – advanced high-speed connectivity to your PC.

9. Twain Driver – for serial data communications to your PC.

10. Video Output – for image playback or live preview on a TV/monitor or NTSC

video display system.

11. Standard JPG image file format – images are stored in the universally accepted

JPG image format.

12. Image Editing software – allowing you to transfer and edit images on your PC.

13. Audio Record Function – allowing you to record voice (audio) while you

capture an image, or attach voice to an image on the CF card anytime after it has been captured.

14. Burst Capture Mode – allowing you to capture nine images in a sequence.

15. Two image capture resolutions — allowing you to capture images in either

high-resolution (Large -1024 x 768), or VGA resolution (Small - 640 x 480). (This is useful in circumstance where a lower resolution image is more appropriate to your needs, such as a web shot)

16. Variable Image Quality – allowing you to adjust image compression to meet

your needs and storage capacity. Select from Good, Better, and Best.

17. Exposure Control – Select auto exposure, or specify an exposure-time from 2

seconds to 1/8000 second, in fifteen steps.

18. Metering Control – tell the camera whether you wish to have the image metered

(for purposes of exposure) based upon the entire image, or based only upon the center of your scene.

19. Color Balance Selection – when imaging outdoors, you can tell the camera to

adjust for daylight conditions for better color correction and white balance. Or, switch to Auto and let the camera determine the settings.

20. Date Back Function – Place the date, time, or time & date on your images.

Position the date stamp in any corner of the image.

21. Slide Show Function – Use your camera to playback your images as a slide

show. Show your images on the LCD image display or on a TV. Use the “mark” feature to select which images you want to include in your slide show.

22. Self-Timer and Tripod Socket – Get in the picture by mounting your camera on

a tripod and using the self-timer feature.

23. Image Protection - Protect your favorite images from inadvertent erasure or

deletion by marking them as “protected”.

1.3 What’s included with the V2800*

1. V2800 Camera body with 4 MB Compact Flash Card

2. RS232 Cable – for serial data transfer to your PC

3. Video Cable – for connecting to an NTSC video device

4. USB Cable – for connecting to a PC

5. Carrying strap with reset key

6. Carrying case with belt loop attachment

7. Quick Start Guide

8. User Manual

9. Software CD-ROM with Twain drivers (for PC), USB drivers (for PC), and

imaging application**

10. AC power adapter

11. Four AA Batteries

12. Warranty Card

13. Technical Support Flyer

14. Promotional coupons – for accessories (batteries, CF cards & readers, etc.)

* Please note that the basic inclusions do vary somewhat depending upon special manufacturing circumstances, and promotional programs in which your dealer or supplier may have specified unique or special package contents.

** Depending upon the manufacturing circumstances of your particular ViviCam 2800 camera the Twain and USB drivers will be either on diskettes, or on a CD-ROM together with an image editing software.

1.4 Optional Items and Accessories

Vivitar Corporation has been developing and marketing Digital Still Cameras since

1996. In that time we have learned a great deal from our customers about their needs and concerns with consumer digital imaging. The two most common concerns or issues are: 1) PC connectivity, and 2) Battery life.

The following accessories are strongly suggested to address those issues, and further enhance your ownership experience. We suggest the use of the following optional accessories –

1. Rechargeable batteries and chargers. Digital cameras are notorious for battery

consumption. It is highly recommended that digital camera owners use rechargeable NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) AA batteries. Ideally, you would have two sets of batteries and one charger. One set of batteries can be on-charge, while the second set would be in the camera. As the batteries deplete you would rotate the battery sets between charger and camera.

2. Compact Flash cards for additional image storage. These are available in various

sizes from 2 MB to 96MB. Use CF cards which bear the CFA (Compact Flash Association) logo.

3. A Compact Flash card reader that allows you to download your images directly

from a CF card to your PC via parallel port, or USB port. This method is much faster and easier than using a serial-data cable connection, or even a USB connection. This allows you to by-pass the serial data (or USB) download process altogether. The CF reader is much faster than the serial connection and it circumvents serial communications conflicts.

4. A PCMCIA CF adapter that allows mobile computers (laptops and notebooks) to

read CF memory cards directly into a PCMCIA slot on your notebook computer. This allows notebook computer users to by-pass the serial data download process altogether. The CF PCMCIA adapter is also much faster and circumvents serial communications conflicts.

These items are available through your dealer, computer stores, on-line sources, or from the telephone ordering and fulfillment centers including those listed on the promotional coupons.

1.5 V2800 Camera Specifications

Description/Class -

Image Sensor -

• Color Depth

• Sensor Type

• Sensor Size

Resolution and Compression -

• Resolution Modes

• Quality (Compression) Modes

Displays -

• LCD Display Size

• Live Display Frame Rate

• Image Playback Options

• Information Display

• Display Brightness Control

• Display Info Localization

XGA Class DSC with color Image LCD, digital zoom, auto-focus, macro, optical viewfinder, flash, information display, burst mode, date back, and audio recording capability.

30 Bit sensor (10 bit per color), 24 bit image output Sony CCD 204 AK, 1/3” 810K Pixels (square)

1024 x 768 (XGA), and 640 x 480 (VGA) Good, Better, Best

1.8” Color Image LCD 15 - 20 Frames per second Single image mode, nine pictures mode, slide show with adjustable interval Black & White Information LCD Yes English

Capture Modes -

• Modes

• Still Processing Time

Memory -

• Image Storage Memory

• Number of Images on 4 MB

Card in XGA resolution

Formats -

• Image Compression

• Image Format

• File Format

• Image File Sizes, Nominal (in

XGA resolution)

• Audio Format

Operating System & Control -

• Camera O/S

• Programmability

• USB Chipset

Exposure System -

• Exposure Modes

• Weighting System

• Manual Adjust/Override

Burst, Still, Audio Typically, less than 6 seconds

Compact Flash 11 Good, 24 Better, or 46 Best (typical – actual count will vary)

JPEG JPG DCF 90 KB Good, 170 KB Better, or 372 KB Best (typical – actual size will vary) WAV files, up to 10 seconds in duration

Vx Works Re-Programmable via CF card NEC 100 MIPS DSP

Automatic or manual Center weighting or matrix, selectable User can select manual or auto exposure and weighting system

• White Balance

• Shutter Speed Range

Flash -

• Modes

• Effective Flash Range

Optical -

• Focus System

• Lens -

• Focal Length

• Apertures

• Focus Range, normal

• Macro

• 35 mm equivalence

• Zoom

Additional Features -

• Optical Viewfinder

• Tripod Socket

• Self Timer

• Strap

• Date & Time Stamp

• Image Lock/Protection

Automatic, or Daylight modes 1/8000 to 2 seconds

Four modes = On (Fill), Auto, Off, Red-Eye 1 to 10 feet (IGBT system)

Auto Focus using TTL system Glass

6.57 mm F2.8, F5.6, F/11 3 feet to infinity Minimum focus 6” to 8” 45 – 46 mm 2:1 Digital Zoom

Built-in ¼” – 20 10 seconds Hand strap included User selectable formats and position for YMD, HM. Y2K compliant Images can be marked for protection

Connectivity (I/O) -

• Serial Communications

• USB

• Twain Driver

• Video Output

Power -

• AC Power Adapter -

• Input

• Output

• Plug Dimensions

• Batteries -

• Number And Type

• Images Per Set

• Power Management

Dimensions & Weight -

• Camera

• Weight

RS-232 serial data to PC COM port USB “storage-class” implementation 32-bit Twain driver for Windows 95/98 NTSC video out –live preview and image playback

(One-piece direct plug-in Transformer. "Power cube" wall module w/integral power lead & molded plug) 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 250 mA 6 VDC, 1.5 Amp max.

3.5 x 1.3 X 9.75 mm/ center positive

4 AA - Alkaline (included). NiMH, NiCD, or Lithium OK Variable, depending upon battery type and LCD usage Auto power-off in 60 seconds

5.7” (L) x 2” (W) x 3” (H) (144 x 51.5 x 75 mm)

10.8 oz./307 g (without batteries),

14.3 oz./ 405 g (with batteries)

Note: Features and specifications are subject to change and this specification matrix should be used only as a guideline. The V2800 is a programmable device and its features can be varied, by design.

1.6 V2800 Features

Door

Button

Green LED

Reset

Sensor

Front View

Flash

Back Views

Compartment

Self-Timer LED

Optical ViewFinder

Flash

Lens

Mode Switch

Button

Image LCD (Color)

Reset Button

Information LCD (Monochrome)

Microphone

DISP. (Display)

Battery Door

Enter

- +

Top View

¼” - 20

Door

CF Card

USB Port

Zoom Out (T = Telephoto)

Bottom View

Zoom In, (W = Wide)

Shutter Button

CF Card Ejector

Compartment View

NTSC Video

Tripod Socket,

Battery

(RS-232) Serial Data

6 VDC Power

1.7 System Requirements:

Digital cameras are PC-centric devices. As such, system requirements become a significant usage issue. The V2800 is a very feature-rich camera that allows you to connect to your PC in several ways. As such, the PC system requirements vary depending upon what you wish to do and how you wish to connect your camera to your PC. The system requirements are driven by your method of connecting to your PC.

General System Requirements for all users:

• 486/66 MHz, or higher processor, with 16 MB RAM.

• Windows 95, Windows 98

• CD-ROM drive to load drivers and application software

• Floppy disk driver to load Twain and USB drivers (if not included on CD-ROM)

• 2 MB hard drive space for Twain and USB drivers

• Display monitor and video adapter supporting at least 256 colors at VGA (640 x

480) resolution.

Note: If your display is set at 256 colors, your digital camera images will appear dull, colorless, and “posterized.” For best visual appearance set your display to 800 x 600 resolution. 16 bit (High Color) or 24 bit (True Color) is recommended.

Additional Requirements to connect to your PC using a serial connection:

• An available 9-pin serial port, correctly configured and operational. A 25 pin

serial port can be accessed using a 25 pin to 9 pin (25F to 9M) adapter. Do not use a null modem adapter.

Additional Requirements to connect to your PC using a USB connection:

• A USB port, properly configured and operational.

• Windows 95 version OSR2 with USB Supplement (OSR2.1), or

• Windows 98.

Additional Requirements to connect to your PC using a CF reader:

• Parallel port CF readers will require a parallel port (which they usually can share

with a printer, or other parallel port peripheral). Consult with your CF reader manufacturer for additional details. Parallel port CF readers are available to work with Windows 95/98, NT 4.0, and even Windows 3.x

• USB CF readers will have requirements as specified by their manufacturers.

Note: If you have a properly configured USB port on a Windows 95/98 machine, there is little advantage using a USB CF reader over simply using the camera itself. The V2800 is a “storage-class” USB device which means that when you connect the V2800 to your PC via USB, the camera appears as a hard drive, just as does the CF reader.

Application Software: The application software included with the V2800 can be installed as a matter of choice. If you already have favorite imaging application software installed on your PC, you may not need to install the bundled software application.

If you plan to use the serial connection for connecting to you PC, your imaging software must be Twain compliant and it must support a 32-bit Twain driver source.

If you plan to connect by USB or CF reader then you application software need only be able to read common JPG files.

Additional Requirements for the PhotoExpress Application are:

• Pentium Processor, or higher

• 105 MB of hard disk space

• Minimum 800 x 600 display settings

MAC: There are no drivers or serial connection cables to directly connect the V2800 to MAC or iMAC computers, nor are there MAC USB drivers. However, it may be possible to use the V2800 with an iMAC or a PowerMac using an optional USB version Compact Flash card reader, such as the ImageMate™, USB version, by SanDisk.

Images captured with your V2800 and stored on a CF card may, however, be read using a USB CF reader. The CF reader dictates the MAC system requirements. In general you will need OS 8.1 or higher with USB system extensions. iMAC users can use their USB port, while PowerMac users will need a PCI to USB adapter.

Chapter 2 – Getting Started: Power, and Info Icons

2.1 Powering the Camera

Starting up your V2800 is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Apply power – either batteries or an AC adapter

2. Insert a Compact Flash (CF) card (the “film” for a digital camera.)

3. Turn on the camera

2.1.1 Installing Batteries

To install batteries:

1. Place your thumb upon the battery door

2. Slide the battery door in the direction of

the arrow

3. Place the batteries with the polarity

exactly as shown. Note that there are polarity indicators on the inside of the battery door

4. Close the battery door and slide it back into it’s locked position.

2.1.2 Using the AC Adapter

To use the AC adapter, plug the adapter into a household AC outlet, open the side compartment door of camera, and connect the adapter terminal to lower jack, labeled “DC 6V”

2.1.3 Power Management

Note: The ViviCam 2800 has a power management feature designed to extend battery life. If the camera is running on batteries, the camera will shut-off automatically if it is left idle for one minute. To “wake-up” the camera, press the shutter button.

Note: If the camera is running on AC power, the auto-off power management feature is ignored and the camera will run indefinitely, with one exception. The one exception is: if your camera is connected to your PC using the AC adapter and you have downloaded all your images from camera to the PC, then the camera will assume you are finished and the camera will auto-power off. Otherwise, the camera will run indefinitely when the AC adapter is in use.

Note: The auto-power off time (factory set to one-minute) is adjustable. See section 6.2.5.6

CF Card

2.2 Compact Flash Card

Now that the batteries are installed (or AC power applied), there must be a CF card in the camera, just as a film camera needs a roll of film.

2.2.1 Inserting a Compact Flash Card

1. Open the side compartment door.

2. Insert the side of a CF card with the 50 small holes into the CF slot, pointed into the camera.

3. Push the CF card into the slot until it is seated firmly.

2.2.2 Removing a Compact Flash Card

1. Open the side compartment door.

2. Slide the memory card ejector in the direction of the arrow. Note how the ejector moves in a direction opposite to the direction in which the card itself will eject. Feel free to slide the ejector button swiftly.

3. Remove Card

Ejector

2.3 Turning on the Camera

for PLAY mode

for CAM mode

Now that power is applied and the CF card is in place, it’s time to turn on the camera. At this point you have two choices. What do you want to do? Do you want to take images, or review images you have already captured.

• To capture images (take pictures) slide the mode switch to the CAM position

• To review existing images slide the mode switch to the PLAY position

Slide to the left

Slide to the right

Power up to CAM. If you switched to CAM, you will see the green LED come on and the camera (like the small computer that it is) will boot up. You will hear the auto-focus motor run through a short exercise, the information LCD panel will display certain information (explained in the next section), and the camera is ready to capture images.

Note: Part of the power management philosophy is to have the camera power-up with the image LCD OFF, in order to save battery power. To turn on the LCD display press the DISP button and you will see live motion video.

Power up to PLAY. If you switched to PLAY, you will see the green LED come on, the information LCD panel will display certain information (explained in the next section), and the image LCD will display an image. Press the “-” or “+” buttons to see the next, or previous image in memory.

Note: What about all that information in the image LCD window? If you prefer to turnoff all the detail in the image LCD, press the DISP and your image LCD will omit all the information details.

2.4 Turning off the Camera

When it’s time to turn off the camera, slide the mode switch back to the center position. The camera will power down. Just like your PC, the V2800 takes a short time to power down, typically three to five seconds.

2.5 The Information LCD Icons

2.5.1 Information Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

The small monochrome information LCD provides basic information about the status and settings of your camera. This information LCD window comes on whenever the camera is powered.

Image Counter

Redeye Flash Mode

Flash Mode

Image Quality

Resolution

Battery Status

Macro

Note: If the information display goes blank while the camera is in either PLAY or CAM modes, the camera has automatically gone into a power saving “sleep” mode. To wake up the camera, press the shutter button.

Self Timer

2.5.2 Image Number

The three large digits in the upper right-hand corner of the LCD indicate the image number.

• In CAM mode, this indicates how many more images you can take, based upon your available CF card memory, resolution, and quality settings. If no CF card is present, or if it is not fully seated, the Image

display will briefly flash NoCard, and the monochrome display Image Number will show three dashes, “---”.

Note: The number of images remaining is an estimate. It is a calculation based upon available memory and the anticipated, or average, file size of an image taken in the resolution and quality settings that are currently active. File sizes do vary however, depending upon the scene that you have imaged. Complex images (where the image is very “busy”) take more space than average whereas images of scenes which are of less contrast may be smaller than average.

• In PLAY mode, it indicates the number of the images currently on the CF card.

If no CF card is present, or if it is not fully seated, the Image display will display NoCard, and the monochrome display Image Number will show

three zeros, “000”

Note: If the CF memory card is full, the image LCD will display “CARD FULL”.

2.5.3 FLASH

The V2800 has four flash modes: On/Fill, OFF, Auto, and redeye reduction. The flash is designed to operate in a range from 20 inches (50 cm) to a maximum of 10 feet (3 m.) Scene content (whether your subject is reflective or diffuse, and general lighting conditions) will effect the range of performance.

Auto. In the auto flash mode the camera will make a determination whether or

not the flash is required. There is a small light sensor on the front of the camera located between the optical viewfinder and the self-timing indicator that senses the lighting conditions of your scene. The camera will determine whether or not the flash is required and it will also regulate the intensity of the flash.

Redeye. Redeye reduction is accomplished by firing the flash twice. The first

flash is a precursor flash of reduced intensity which initiates a retinal reduction in your subjects. (This causes your subjects eyes/retinas to constrict slightly.) The flash will then trigger a second time in the proper intensity to capture the image.

On. In this mode the flash will trigger every time regardless of lighting

conditions. This is sometimes known as “fill” flash as many photographers use this technique to fill in shadows and areas of high contrast. .

Off. In the off mode, the flash is disabled and will not fire regardless of lighting

conditions.

Hint: The V2800 performs quite well in low light conditions. Try capturing without flash and determine for yourself how well the low-light performance works for you. Do be careful, however, as lighting diminishes the exposure time increases and you may find your subjects become blurred. Since the V2800 is digital and there is no film cost, experiment - try with and without flash.

Note: If the flash is set to Auto, On, or Redeye you will hear a high pitched whine when the camera is turned to CAM mode. This noise is the sound of the flash capacitor charging.

Hint: If you know you will not be using the flash (outdoors on a sunny day, for example) turn the flash to OFF. This will result in faster camera startups, faster image-to-image performance, and better battery life. By setting the flash to OFF the camera will not charge the flash capacitor, saving both time and batteries.

Changing Flash Modes:

Flash mode button

1. Start up the camera in CAM mode.

2. Press the flash button to toggle through each mode. The display icons indicate your current flash mode.

2.5.4 Macro

The macro function disables the auto focus feature and drives the focus motor to the minimum focus position. The minimum focus distance will be 6” to 8” (20cm.)

Initiating the Macro function

Macro mode button

Start up the camera in CAM mode. Press the macro button to toggle macro on or off. The flower icon indicates macro mode

Hint: After taking a macro shot don’t forget to switch back to normal (auto focus) mode or else subsequent images may be out of focus.

2.5.5 Image Quality

You may adjust the quality of the images you capture by selecting image quality as Good, Better, or, Best. Unlike traditional film photography, digital images are stored on a memory card as a file. All digital cameras use a technique known as compression to save digital images in files of reasonable size. If compression were not used, you would only be able to store perhaps two images on a 4 MB CF memory card. Unfortunately, compressing an image causes degradation in the quality of the image. The more you compress an image, the smaller the file. Small files, however, allow you to store more images on a given memory card. The choice is yours. Best images, or maximum number of images? It is a trade off you can make. The V2800 offers three levels of compression (quality).

Note: Do not confuse quality with resolution. Resolution determines the size of the images on your screen – 1024 by 768 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels. Quality determines the visual integrity of your images. Images that are too heavily compressed will appear blocky.

The quality setting will be indicated on the information LCD.

• Best: Using XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, and the Best quality setting you can

expect to store approximately 11 images on a 4 MB CF memory card.

• Better: Using XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, and the Better quality setting you

can expect to store approximately 24 images on a 4 MB CF memory card.

• Good: Using XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, and the Best quality setting you can

expect to store approximately 46 images on a 4 MB CF memory card.

To change quality setting, refer to Chapter 3, section 3.1.4.

Note: You can change image quality from one image to the next. Experiment with the compression settings to see if you can tell the difference between the three.

Hint: The most appropriate compression (quality) setting for you depends upon the final purpose for your images. If you plan to print your images, use the “Best” quality. If you plan to email images, or post them to a website the most appropriate setting will be “Good.”

+ 42 hidden pages

Vivitar Vivicam 2800 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual