Getting to Know My Camera (0.1)

Odd though it may seem, the Canon Ixus 300, a compact and the simpler of my 2 cameras, that I need to know more about now.

Bought to capture opportunities to take pictures 'on the hoof', I need to understand better what it can and cannot do for features which I may need for TAoP.

So, here are the results of reading the user's manual:

Image Quality
Highest quality is 10m pixels (3648 x 2736) producing a JPEG file of approx. 2.5 MB. Canon claims this will print satisfactorily up to A2 (Hmm, make that A3).

See Func.Set/ Image Quality and Recording Pixels

Frame aspect ratio

For all bar one setting, the aspect ratio is 4 x 3. The exception is a 'widescreen' view at approx 11 x 6 (highest quality produces an image of c. 7.5m pixels)

See also Func.Set/ Image Quality and Recording Pixels

Exposure Mode

(P) Programme, (A) Aperture priority and (Tv) Shutter priority modes (plus various scene related pre-sets, e.g. portrait, beach, etc). Aperture ranges from f 2.0 to f 8.0 on wide angle, reducing to f 5.3 to f 8.0 on maximum telephoto. Shutter control runs from 1/1250 to 15 secs.

Select Shooting Mode at middle top of camera (set to Camera Symbol). Then access through Func.Set/ Shooting Mode/ A or TV

White Balance

Settings:

• Auto - auto adjustment
• Daylight - Fine weather, outdoor
• Cloudy - Cloudy, shady, twilight
• Tungsten - Tungsten, bulb-type fluorescent
• Fluorescent - Warm and cool white fluorescent
• Fluorescent H - Daylight fluorescent
• Custom - manual (by reference to a test white card)

See Func.Set/ AWB

Filters

(Sort of!). Options are:

• Vivid - increases contrast and saturation for 'vivid' impression
• Neutral - reduces contrast and saturation to 'neutral'
• Sepia - sepia toning
• B&W - monochrome
• Positive Film - combines Vivid Reds, Greens, Blues to produce intense colours to emulate film
• Lighter Skin Tone - as stated
• Darker Skin Tone - as stated
• Vivid Red - intensifies red (imitates red filter)
• Vivid Green - intensifies red (imitates green filter)
• Vivid Blue - intensifies blue (imitates polarising filter)
• Custom - adjust contrast, sharpness and saturation

See Func.Set/ My Colors

Continuous Shooting

Maximum rate is 8.4 images per second. However, file size is fixed automatically to 1824 x 1368 pixels, whilst focus, exposure and white balance are set with the first shot. Focus and expsoure will adjust if Servo AF is engaged.

No information on the maximum length of continuous shooting (Guess: the speed slows increasingly with duration)

Select Shooting Mode at middle top of camera (set to Camera Symbol). Then access through Func.Set/ Shooting Mode/ High Speed Burst Select Menu/ Servo AF/ Toggle On

Metering method

3 metering methods:

• 'Evaluative' - auto adjusts exposure to match conditions within a 'standard range' (eye symbol inside square brackets)
• 'Centre Weighted Average' - averages the light across the entire frame but applies higher weight to the centre (square brackets)
• 'Spot' - only meters within the square in the middle of the viewfinder (dot in square brackets)

See Func.Set/ Light Metering

Bracketing Exposure

Adjustment under/over metered exposure by 2 stops at increments of 1/3.

5on Func.Set, then move dial clockwise (+) or counter-clockwise (-)

Auto Exposure Lock

Enables locking of exposure.

5on Func.Set whilst pressing shutter button halfway. AEL appears in viewfinder, compose and shoot. Unlock by releasing shutter button and pressing 5on Func.Set again.

Slow Synchro Flash

Lengths exposure time so as to brighten background when using flash. Use tripod.

4on Func.Set to activate Flash, then select Slow Synchro