Casio Ex S500 Users Guide

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51
BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
This section describes the basic procedure for recording an
image.
Recording an Image
Aiming the Camera
Use both hands to hold the camera still when shooting an
image. Holding the camera with one hand increases the
chance of movement, which can blur your images.
Horizontal Hold the camera
still in both
hands, with your
arms firmly
against your
sides.
Vertical When holding
the camera
vertically, make
sure that the
flash is above
the lens. Hold
the camera still
with both hands.
 IMPORTANT! 
Make sure your fingers and the strap do not block
the flash, microphone, AF assist light/self-timer lamp
or lens.
 NOTE 
Moving the camera as you press the shutter button
or while the Auto Focus operation is being performed
(when you press the shutter button half way) can
cause blurring of the image. Press the shutter button
carefully, taking care to avoid camera movement.
This is especially important when available lighting is
low, which slows down the shutter speed.
Flash
Microphone Lens
AF assist light/
self-timer lamp 
						

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Recording an Image
Your camera automatically adjusts shutter speed in
accordance with the brightness of the subject. Images you
record are stored in the camera’s built-in memory, or to a
memory card if you have one loaded in the camera.
When an optionally available SD memory card or
MultiMediaCard (MMC) is loaded in the camera, images
are stored on the card (page 163).
After purchasing a memory card, be sure to load it into
the camera and format it before trying to use it (page
166).
1.Press the power button or [] (REC) to turn
on the camera.
This causes the image and the auto recording icon
() to appear on the monitor screen, and then
enters the currently selected recording mode. If the
auto recording icon (
) is not displayed, use the
procedure on page 85 to select the “Auto” scene.
This should cause the auto recording icon to appear.
If the camera is in the PLAY mode when it turns on,
the message “There are no files.” will appear if you
do not have any images stored in memory yet. In
addition, the 
 icon will be visible at the top of the
display. If this happens, press [] (REC) to enter
the currently selected recording mode.
2.Compose the image
on the monitor screen
so the main subject is
within the focus
frame.
The focusing range of
the camera depends on
focus mode you are
using (page 71).
[]Power button
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05/05/1212/24241212:
5858
Focus frame
Auto recording icon 
						

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3.Press the shutter button half
way to focus the image.
When you press the shutter
button half way, the camera’s
Auto Focus feature automatically
focuses the image, and displays
the shutter speed value, the
aperture value, and the ISO
sensitivity.
You can tell whether
the image is focused
by observing the
focus frame and the
operation lamp.
Shutter button
Operation lamp
It means this:
The image is in focus.
The image is not in focus.
When you see this:
Green focus frame
Green operation lamp
Red focus frame
Flashing green operation lamp
Operation Lamp and Focus Frame Operation
The monitor screen uses various indicators and
icons to keep you informed of the camera’s status.
ISO sensitivity Aperture value
*1
Shutter speed value*2
Image quality
(Snapshots)
Image size
(Snapshots)
Date and time
Flash
mode Focus modeSelf-timer
Recording types
Metering mode indicator
EV shift White balance
Memory capacity
(Snapshots) 
						

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*1 The size of the opening (aperture) that allows light
passing through the lens to reach the CCD. A larger
aperture value indicates a smaller opening for light to
pass through. The camera adjusts this setting
automatically.
*2 The amount of time the shutter remains open, allowing
light passing through the lens to reach the CCD. A
larger shutter speed value indicates that the shutter
remains open longer, which means more light reaches
the CCD. The camera adjusts this setting automatically.
4.After making sure that the
image is focused properly,
press the shutter button the
rest of the way down to
record.
The number of images you can
record depends on the image
size and the image quality setting
you are using
(pages 69, 70, 230).
 IMPORTANT! 
When the “REC” tab’s “Quick Shutter” setting is
turned on (page 73), the camera immediately records
the image without waiting for Auto Focus to be
performed when you press the shutter release all the
way down without pausing. This helps to ensure that
you are able to capture exactly the moment you
want.

About AF Assist Light
The AF assist light/self-timer
lamp operates automatically
to assist the Auto Focus
operation whenever you are
shooting where lighting is dim.
Shutter button
AF assist light/
self-timer lamp 
						

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You can turn the AF assist light on or off. It is
recommended that you turn off the AF assist light when
recording images of nearby people, etc.
1.In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2.Use [
] and [] to select the “REC” tab.
3.Use [] and [] to select “AF Assist Light”,
and then press [].
4.Use [] and [] to select the setting you
want, and then press [SET].
Select this setting:
On
Off
To do this:
Turn on the AF assist light
Turn off the AF assist light
 IMPORTANT! 
Do not look directly at the AF assist light/self-timer
lamp or point it directly at the subject’s eyes.

 Recording Precautions
Never open the battery cover or place the camera onto
the USB cradle while the operation lamp is flashing
green. Doing so not only causes the current image to be
lost, it can also corrupt images already stored in file
memory and even lead to malfunction of the camera.
Never remove the memory card while an image is being
recorded to the memory card.
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.
When “Auto” is selected for the ISO sensitivity setting
(page 114), the camera automatically adjusts its
sensitivity in accordance with the brightness of the
subject. This can cause some digital noise (graininess) to
appear in images of relatively dark subjects. 
						

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 About Auto Focus
Proper focus may be difficult or even impossible when
shooting the following types of subjects.
—Solid color walls or subjects with little contrast
—Strongly backlit subjects
—Very shiny objects
—Venetian blinds or other horizontally repeating patterns
—Multiple subjects that are varying distances from the
camera
—Subjects in poorly lit areas
—Moving subjects
—Subjects outside the shooting range of the camera
Note that a green operation lamp and focus frame do not
necessarily guarantee that the resulting image will be in
focus.
If Auto Focus does not produce the results you want for
some reason, try using focus lock (page 78) or manual
focus (page 77). When recording a dimly lit subject while “Auto” is selected
for the ISO sensitivity setting (page 114), the camera
increases sensitivity and uses a faster shutter speed.
Because of this, you need to guard against camera
movement if you have flash turned off 
 (page 61).
Bright light shining on the lens can cause images to
appear “washed out”. This tends to happen when
recording images outdoors in bright sunlight. To protect
against this, use your free hand to shade the lens from
the light. 
						

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 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 saved in file memory 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 digital noise (graininess) in the
monitor screen image.
Very bright light inside of an image can cause a vertical
band to appear in the monitor screen image. This is a
CCD phenomenon known as “vertical smear”, and does
not indicate malfunction of the camera. Note that vertical
smear is not recorded with the image in the case of a
snapshot, but it is recorded in the case of a movie (page
94).Using Zoom
Your camera is equipped with two types of zoom: optical
zoom and digital zoom. Normally, the camera automatically
switches over to digital zoom after you reach the maximum
limit for optical zoom. You can, however, configure the
camera to disable digital zoom, if you want.
Optical Zoom
The optical zoom range is 1X to 3X.
1.In the REC mode, press
the zoom button to
change the zoom factor.Zoom button
Press this side of the zoom button:
 (Wide Angle)
 (Telephoto)
To do this:
Zoom out
Zoom in 
						

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Zoom out Zoom in
2.Compose the image, and then press the
shutter button.
 NOTE 
The optical zoom factor also affects the lens
aperture.
Use of a tripod is recommended to protect against
hand movement when using the telephoto setting
(zoom in).
Whenever you perform an optical zoom operation
while recording with the Auto Focus mode, Macro
mode, or manual focus, a value will appear on the
monitor screen to tell you the focusing range (pages
72, 75, 77).
Optical zoom is disabled during movie recording.
Digital zoom only is available. Make sure you select
the optical zoom setting you want to use before you
press [
] (MOVIE) to start movie recording (page
94). 
						

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Digital Zoom
Digital zoom digitally enlarges the part of the image at the
center of the image screen. The range of digital zoom is 3X
to 12X (in combination with optical zoom).
 IMPORTANT! 
When you perform a digital zoom operation, the
camera manipulates the image data to enlarge the
center of the image. Unlike optical zoom, an image
enlarged with digital zoom appears coarser than the
original.

 To record an image using digital zoom
1.In the REC mode,
hold down the
telephoto (
) side of
the zoom button.
This causes the zoom
indicator to appear on
the display.
2.When the zoom pointer reaches the optical/
digital zoom switch over point, it will stop.
The above shows what the zoom indicator looks like
when digital zoom is turned on (page 60). The digital
zoom range is not displayed when digital zoom is
turned off.
1X 3X12X
Optical Zoom rangeDigital
Zoom range
Zoom pointerOptical/digital zoom switch over point
Digital zoom indicator
Zoom indicator 
						

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3.Release the zoom button momentarily, and
then hold down its telephoto (
) side again
to move the zoom pointer into the digital
zoom range.
The zoom pointer will also stop when you move the
pointer back to the switch over point to re-enter the
digital zoom range. Release the zoom button and
then hold down its wide angle (
) side again to
move into the digital zoom range.
4.Compose the image, and then press the
shutter button.
Select this setting:
On
Off
To do this:
Turn on digital zoom
Turn off digital zoom

 To turn digital zoom on and off
1.In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2.Use [
] and [] to select the “REC” tab.
3.Use [] and [] to select “Digital Zoom”, and
then press [].
4.Use [] and [] to select the setting you
want, and then press [SET].
Only the optical zoom range is displayed in the zoom
indicator when digital zoom is turned off.