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The following is a list of settings that, if I were in
charge, I'd make the defaults for the H-Series cameras. I'd set them up to get the fastest performance and the
best pictures. For many people, these settings will improve their shot-to-shot speed and the quality of their output.
But, for some, "AUTO" is the limit of their ability or desire to master these wonderful cameras.
Don't be intimidated. Some of the stuff that seems really
hard (like Manual Mode) isn't. It's just a tiny step beyond what you're doing now, and there's so much to gain
from using your H-Series camera to its potential.
Your choice. Please keep in mind that the recommendations
that follow reflect my personal experiences and prejudices and may not apply to all shooting situations or all
H1, H2 and H5 users.
For Overall performance
In the Setup Menu : Autoreview
Autoreview
automatically displays each picture in the LCD or viewfinder immediately upon taking it. I am not a big fan of
Autoreview.
However, "JSonic" (on DPReview) correctly
pointed out that one of the coolest, DSLR-like features of these Sony cameras is the way they switch to Shooting
Mode from Play Mode when you half-click the shutter button. It's the first Sony digicams (as best either one of
us can remember) that offer this feature. But, like most features, there are pros and cons:
Pros: You can review pictures automatically immediately
upon taking them without pressing any additional buttons. This is good if you're in a challenging photo environment
and are unsure if your shot is coming out correctly and have the opportunity to reshoot until you get it right.
Cons: I find myself trying to autofocus the previous shot.
I keep thinking that the image in the viewfinder is the live
view, not the previous image until I
note that it doesn't move. I know, not smart.
The first thing you do when you start to shoot is to compose
the shot, not half-click the shutter. With Autoreview turned on, you have to do something to clear the
review image - either half-click the shutter button or left-click the camera's 4-way button - before you can compose
your shot.
I am not a big fan of having to hit an extra button before
I take a shot. I prefer the opposite: stay in Shooting mode all the time, and click the left side of the H1's 4-way
button if I need to review the shot.
One more reason to leave it off. The H2 and the H5 come
with a dedicated "Play" button, so getting back into that mode is a piece of cake. Want to review the
last picture? You don't have to switch modes, just tap the Play button and there it is! Want to get back to shooting
mode? Just lightly touch the shutter button half-way.
My recommendation is to turn Autoreview OFF
For maximum autofocus performance and accuracy:
In the Setup Menu: AF Mode
Set AF Mode to MONITOR, which lets you focus while composing,
but locks when you half-press the shutter. Do NOT set AF mode to CONTINUOUS!
When you have AF mode set to Continuous, the camera keeps
focusing, even after you half-press the shutter button. Not good when you're trying to lock on to something. This
mode was designed to track athletes in action in burst mode. Unfortunately, at approximately 1 frame per second,
all the H-Series cameras are too slow to benefit from this. So, avoid Continuous mode. It will make acquiring focus
more difficult and it will eat up your battery.
My strong recommendation is to set AF Mode to Monitor or
Single, but not Continuous.
In the Setup Menu: Expanded Focus
Set Expanded Focus to ON. It gets you a closer view when
manual-focusing.
In the Setup Menu: AF Illuminator
Set AF Illuminator to OFF unless you're shooting no farther
than 12' away in a very dark room. Otherwise, it seems to slow down autofocus as the Autofocus keeps looking in
low light for a beam it really can't see.
.
On the Camera: Focus
Area Button
Use the best option for your shot. Press the Focus Button
until you get the option you want:
Flexible Spot - (the tiny rectangle) fastest performance, most accurate selection. Plus, it can be moved.
Center -
(the mid-sized rectangle) If you're having trouble getting focus with Flexible Spot.
Manual
- (No rectangle, hand icon in the lower left section of display with an "F" over it.) If you're having
trouble getting focus or you are shooting a fast-moving subject (race cars, birds in flight).
Eliminating Camera Shake
In the Setup Menu: Steady Shot
Set Steady Shot to SHOOTING (does no good to stabilize
until you're taking your shot. Any other mode wastes battery and camera resources).
On the Camera: IS Button
The Image Stabilization should always be ON. There is no
display to tell you it is on. But if it is turned off, there's a "shake" symbol in the lower center section
of your display with the word "OFF" over it.
Exposure Modes (Mode button on top of camera)
Auto
- Do not use unless you can't avoid it. Same for Scenes.
Aperture Priority Use this mode to control the depth-of-field - the depth of the scene that will be in focus.
Higher f-stop, deeper focus. Lower f-stop shallower focus.
Shutter Priority Use this mode to stop action (1/125th and above) or to counteract camera shake.
(Note - image stabilization can prevent camera shake down
to about 1/40th if you hold the camera pretty steady)
Manual Mode Use this for everything once you're comfortable with it.
Scene Modes
Each Scene Mode is a grouping of different settings that the engineers decided might be appropriate for different
circumstances. This is their taste, not yours.
Experiment with them, if you wish, but remember that you have little, if any, control in any of the Scene Modes.
Metering (measuring the light in a scene)
In the Main Menu (while in recording mode)
Spot (most
accurate for most shooting conditions)
Center (if
you're having trouble finding a small spot to meter)
I do not ever recommend Matrix Metering, that uses the
entire scene to try to determine the proper exposure. This will backfire on you in complex scenes with serious
differences in contrast. By averaging the whole screen it virtually guarantees that it will get everything evenly
wrong.
For example, if you're shooting a scene with a bright sky and relatively dark landscape below, the camera will
try to average them, meaning that both the sky and the land will be wrong, with the sky too dark and the land too
light.
Setting Exposure
Use the jog dial (on front of the camera, below shutter
button)
EV
- Change EV settings + or - , when in Program, Aperture or Shutter priority modes to calibrate the H-Series meters
darker or lighter.
Aperture/Shutter Speed - Change each individually in Manual mode. Use EV as your light meter. Check
histogram.
Determining Exposure
On the camera display: Histogram
Press the Display button (lower left of 4-way button on
the H1, upper right on the camera back on the H2 and H5) ) repeatedly until the histogram appears. Keep graph spread
out from left to right, not bunched up on left (too dark) or right (too light).
On the Camera Display: Use the EV Meter (Manual mode only) Adjust aperture and/or shutter speed settings
until EV = 0 or -.3 or +.3, to suit your taste.
ISO
On the Main Menu in recording mode: ISO
Do not set to AUTO!. The camera may (and probably will) select ISOs that give you results that will not make
you happy. As mentioned in other sections of this White Paper, ISO 400 is a last-ditch setting in the H1, quite
usable in the H2 and H5. ISO 800 is usable in a pinch if there's no other way to get the shot and the result will
be a well-exposed picture. ISO 1000 (H2 and H5)... well, if you absolutely have to capture something!
The camera often doesn't necessarily agree, and can select
higher ISOs as a matter of course, producing coarser, grainier images. Always control ISO yourself!
Picture Esthetics
On the Main Menu in recording mode: Contrast
Leave Contrast at "0" unless you wish to tone down contrast or highlights, then set it to -1.
On the Main Menu in recording mode: Sharpness Leave at "0" or set to -1 and plan to sharpen manually
in post-processing.
On the Main Menu: Saturation. The H1 has
a saturation level menu. Always leave Color Saturation at "0", the default.
The H2 and H5 have a Color menu option instead
of a saturation option. It controls multiple parameters including both the saturation of color and the vividness
of color.
Selecting "Vivid' will produce highly saturated, bright
colors, but not realistic ones.
Selecting "Normal" will produce the usual well-saturated
but bright Sony colors, similar to the H1.
Selecting "Natural" delivers understated colors.
To some, this mode appears very bland and drab. To others, it looks very "real".
Experiment with these options to determine which looks
better to your eye and best suits your purposes.
On the Main Menu: P. Quality Always set your Picture Quality to Fine, not Standard!!
The Most Important Setting
One of the coolest features of the H-Series ultra-zoom cameras is that you tend to take tons of pictures because
the camera is so well-designed and the range of the lens so impressive. They free you to concentrate on the picture,
not on the hardware you use to take the picture.
So, don't forget the most important setting:
On all menus, dials and buttons: FUN Keep
this set to ON always!
Note: All of these settings are discussed in much fuller
detail throughout this White Paper.
Return to White Paper Introduction and Contents
Appendix 2: Quick List And Review: The H7 and
H9
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