Canon Digital IXUS 55 User Manual

							39
Shooting
You can set a 10 sec. ( ) or 2 sec. ( ) delay, or a custom delay 
time and the number of shots (  Custom Timer), for shooting after 
the shutter button is pressed.
To Cancel the Self-Timer
Press the   button to display  .
You can change the self-timer sound (p. 31).
zEnsure that the camera’s date/time is set 
beforehand (p. 30).
zThe date stamp cannot be deleted from the image 
data once it has been set.
 Using the Self-Timer
Shooting Mode 
1Press the   button to display  ,   or  .
2Shoot.
zWhen the shutter button is pressed fully, the self-timer will 
activate and the self-timer lamp will blink. When using red-
eye reduction, the self-timer lamp will blink and then stay lit 
for the last 2 seconds.
Changing the Self-Timer Countdown Time ( / )
1 (Rec.) Menu [Self-timer]  or  .
See Menus and Settings (p. 27).
zThe following occurs with 
each option.
- : 2 sec. before the 
shutter releases, the self-
timer sound and lamp will 
speed up. 
- :The self-timer sound will play when the shutter but-
ton is pressed and the shutter will release 2 sec. later.
 
						

							40
Changing the Delay Time and Number of Shots ().
You can change the delay time (0–10, 15, 20, 30 sec.) and 
number of shots (1–10). These settings, however, cannot be 
set for the Stitch Assist mode, movie mode or My Colors 
modes.
1 (Rec.) Menu [Self-timer] .
See Menus and Settings (p. 27).
2Change [Delay]/[Shots].
zThe self-timer sound will 
behave as follows.
- The self-timer sound will 
start 2 sec. before the 
specified delay for shoot-
ing is over.
- If multiple shots have 
been specified for the [Shots] option, the sound will 
play for the first shot only.
If the [Shots] option is set to 2 or more shots, the 
following occurs.
- The exposure and white balance are locked at the 
settings selected for the first shot.
- If the flash is used, the interval between shots 
lengthens because the flash must charge.
- The interval between shots lengthens when the built-
in memory of the camera fills.
- Shooting will automatically cease if the memory card 
becomes full.
 
						

							41
Shooting
The following four movie modes are available.
• The recording time will vary according to the capacity of the memory card 
you use (p. 116).
 Movie Shooting
Shooting Mode 
Standard
You can select the resolution and frame rate and record until the 
memory card is full (when a super high-speed memory card is used, 
such as the recommended SDC-512MSH). The digital zoom can be 
used while shooting in this mode. (p. 36)
• Resolution:   (640 x 480),   (320 x 240)
• Frame Rate:   (30 frames/sec.),  (15 frames/sec.)
• Maximum Size: 1 GB/movie
 Fast Frame Rate
Use this mode to record fast moving subjects, such as in sports 
photography.
• Resolution:   (320 x 240)
• Frame Rate:   (60 frames/sec.)
• Maximum Clip Length: 1 minute
Compact
Since the resolution is low, this mode is convenient for sending 
movies as e-mail attachments or when the memory card capacity is 
low.
• Resolution:   (160 x 120)
• Frame Rate:   (15 frames/sec.)
• Maximum Clip Length: 3 minutes
My Colors
You can change image colors and then shoot (p. 57). As with the 
Standard mode, you can also select the resolution and frame rate and 
record until the memory card is full (when a super high-speed memory 
card is used, such as the recommended SDC-512MSH).
• Resolution:   (640 x 480),   (320 x 240)
• Frame Rate:   (30 frames/sec.),  (15 frames/sec.)
• Maximum Size: 1 GB/movie
 
						

							42
1FUNC. Menu * (Standard).
See Menus and Settings (p. 26).* Default setting.
zUse the   or   button to select 
a movie mode and press the 
FUNC./SET button.
zIn   or   mode, you can 
change the resolution and frame 
rate (p. 34).
2Shoot.
zPressing the shutter button halfway automatically sets the 
exposure, focus and white balance settings.
zPressing the shutter button fully starts recording video and 
sound simultaneously.
zDuring shooting the recording time (in seconds) and [zRec] 
appear on the LCD monitor.
zPressing the shutter button fully again stops recording.
Recording will stop automatically under the following cir-
cumstances.
- When the maximum recording time elapses
- When the built-in memory or memory card become full
zYou are recommended to use a memory card that has 
been formatted in your camera to shoot movies (p. 23). 
The card supplied with the camera may be used without 
further formatting.
zBe careful of the following while recording.
- Try not to touch the microphone.
- Do not press any buttons other than the shutter button. 
The sound that buttons make will be recorded in the 
movie.
- The camera will automatically adjust the exposure and 
white balance to suit the shooting conditions during 
recording. Please note, however, that the sounds made 
by the camera automatically adjusting the exposure may 
also be recorded.
zThe focus and optical zoom settings remain fixed for 
subsequent frames at the values selected for the first 
frame.
 
						

							43
Shooting
zBefore recording, you can set the AE lock (p. 47) and 
exposure shift.
1. Press the   button.
The exposure will lock (AE lock) and the exposure shift 
bar will appear in the LCD monitor.
2. Use the   or   button to adjust the exposure.
Press the   button again to release the setting. Also, 
the setting will be canceled if you press the MENU button 
or change the white balance, photo effect or shooting 
mode settings.
zQuickTime 3.0 or later is required to play back movies 
(Data type: AVI/Compression method: Motion JPEG) on a 
computer. QuickTime (for Windows) is included on the 
Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk. On the Macintosh 
platform, this program is standard with Mac OS X or later.
Stitch Assist can be used to shoot overlapping images that can later be 
merged (stitched) to create one panoramic image on a computer.
Shooting Panoramic Images 
(Stitch Assist) 
Shooting Mode 
1 (Rec.) Menu [Stitch 
Assist] .
See Menus and Settings (p. 27).
The overlap-
ping seams of sev-
eral adjacent 
images can be 
joined into a single 
panoramic image.
 
						

							44
Use PhotoStitch, a supplied software program, to merge the 
images on a computer.
2Select a shooting direction.
zYou can select from the following 
two shooting directions.
-  Left to right horizontally
-  Right to left horizontally
3Shoot the first image in 
the sequence.
zThe exposure and white balance 
are set and locked with the first 
image.
4Compose the second image so that it over-
laps a portion of the first and shoot.
zYou can retake a shot by pressing the   or   button and return-
ing to the previously recorded image screen.
zMinor discrepancies in the overlapping portions can be cor-
rected when the images are stitched together.
5Repeat the procedure for additional images.
zA sequence may contain up to 26 images.
zPress the MENU button after the last shot.
zYou cannot display the images on a TV when shooting in 
Stitch Assist mode.
zThe settings for the first image are applied to the second 
image onward. 
 
						

							45
Shooting
You can select between the following two focusing modes 
according to the AiAF setting.
zThe focus is locked to the center AF frame when the digital 
zoom is used.
z
The AF frame appears as follows (when the LCD monitor is on) 
when the shutter button is pressed halfway.
- Green: Shooting preparations complete
- Yellow: Focusing difficulty (AiAF set to [Off])
Switching between Focusing Modes
Shooting Mode  
(No frame)  On The camera detects the subject and highlights the AF 
frames, from 9 available points, that it will use to 
determine the focus.
†OffThe camera focuses using the center AF frame. This is 
convenient for focusing on a specific part of a subject 
with greater certainty.
1(Rec.) Menu [AiAF] [On]/[Off].
See 
Menus and Settings  (p. 27) .
 
						

							46
It may be difficult to focus on the following types of subjects.
zSubjects with extremely low contrast to the surroundings
z Scenes with a mixture of near and far subjects.
z
Subjects with extremely bright objects at the center of the compositionz Subjects that are moving quickly
zSubjects through glass: Try to shoot as close to the glass as 
possible to reduce the chances of light reflecting back off the glass.
Shooting with the Focus Lock
The focus lock can be used in any shooting mode.
Shooting with the AF Lock
The AF lock can be used in the  ,  ,   or   mode.
Shooting Hard-to-Focus Subjects (Focus Lock,  AF Lock) 
Shooting Mode  
1Aim the camera so that an object at the 
same focal distance as 
the main subject is 
centered in the viewfinder or in the AF 
frame displayed on the LCD monitor.
2Press the shutter button halfway.
3Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as 
desired and press the shutter button fully.
1Turn on the LCD monitor.
2Aim the camera so that an object at the 
same focal distance as  the main subject is 
centered in the AF frame.
3Press the shutter button halfway and press 
the / button.
zThe   icon will display  and the lower indicator will light yellow.
 
						

							47
Shooting
To Release the AF Lock 
Press the  /  button.
zWhen shooting with the focus lock or AF lock using the LCD 
monitor, setting [AiAF] to [Off] (p. 28) makes shooting easier 
since the camera focuses using the center AF frame only.
z The AF lock is convenient because you can let go of the 
shutter button to compose the image. Moreover, the AF 
lock is still effective after the  picture is taken, allowing you 
to capture a second image with the same focus.
You can set the exposure and focus separately. This is effective 
when the contrast is too strong between the subject and 
background or when a subject is backlit.
To Release the AE Lock 
Press the   button.
4Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as 
desired and shoot.
Locking the Exposure Setting (AE Lock)
Shooting Mode  
You must set the flash to [ ]. The AE lock cannot be set if 
the flash fires.
1Turn on the LCD monitor.
2Focus on the part of the subject on which 
you wish to lock the exposure setting.
3Press the shutter button halfway and press 
the  button.
z
The   icon will display.
4Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as 
desired and press the shutter button fully.
 
						

							48
zAE lock can also be set and released in   mode (p. 43).
zYou can use the FE lock when using the flash.
You can lock the flash exposure so that the exposure settings are 
correctly set regardless of the composition of your subject. 
To Release the FE Lock 
Press the   button.
Locking the Flash Exposure Setting
(FE Lock) 
Shooting Mode 
1Turn on the LCD monitor.
2Press the   button and set it to   (flash 
on).
3Focus on the part of the subject on which 
you wish to lock the flash exposure setting.
4Press the shutter button halfway and press 
the  button.
zThe flash will pre-fire and   will display.
5Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as 
desired and press the shutter button fully.