Casio Exilim Ex Z50 Users Guide

							BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
51
• This causes an image or a message to appear on
the monitor screen, and then enters the currently
selected recording mode.
• 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.Change the “REC
Mode” setting to “
Snapshot”.
• The  (Snapshot
mode) icon is displayed
on the monitor screen
while the Snapshot
mode is selected.
• You can also use the
key customization
feature to assign the
mode change operation
to the cursor keys, so
the “REC Mode” setting
is changed whenever
you press the [
] or []
key (page 104).
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IN
Focus frame
Snapshot mode icon
3.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 68).
• You can compose images using either the monitor
screen or the optical viewfinder (page 54).
• When using the optical viewfinder to compose
images, you can use the [DISP] button to turn off the
monitor screen and conserve battery power.
4.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 and aperture
values.
• You can tell whether the
image is focused by
observing the focus frame
and the green operation
lamp.
Green operation lamp
Shutter button
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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.
Memory capacity
Image size
Image quality
Memory typeShutter speed valueAperture value
ISO sensitivity
5.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 65, 66, 204).
 IMPORTANT! 
• Auto Pan Focus is enabled when the “REC” tab’s
“Auto PF” setting is turned on (page 69). With Auto
Pan Focus the shutter releases without waiting for
Auto Focus to be performed and the image is
recorded as soon as you press the shutter button all
the way down. This helps to ensure that you are able
to capture exactly the moment you want.
Date and time
Flash modeFocus modeWhite balance
Self-timer
Shutter button
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 Recording Precautions
• Never open the battery cover or place the camera onto
the USB cradle while the green operation lamp is
flashing. 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 100), 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.
• When recording a dimly lit subject while “Auto” is selected
for the ISO sensitivity setting (page 100), the camera
increases sensitivity and uses a slower shutter speed.
Because of this, you need to guard against camera
movement if you have flash turned off 
 (page 59).
• 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.
 About Auto Focus
• Auto Focus tends not to work well if the camera is moved
during recording, or when recording the types of subjects
listed below.
— Solid color walls or subjects with little contrast
— Strongly backlit subjects
— Polished metal or other brightly reflective subjects
— Venetian blinds or other horizontally repeating patterns
— Multiple subjects that are varying distances from the
camera
— Subjects in poorly lit areas
— Moving subjects
• 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 75) or manual
focus (page 74).
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 About the REC Mode Monitor Screen
• The image shown on the monitor screen in a 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
91).Using the Optical Viewfinder
You can conserve battery power by turning off the
camera’s monitor screen (page 26) and using the optical
viewfinder to compose images. The optical viewfinder also
comes in handy when shooting in areas where the monitor
screen is difficult to view because available lighting is dim,
etc.
 IMPORTANT! 
• The visible area framed by the viewfinder shows the
image that would be recorded at a distance of about
one meter (3.3´). When recording a subject that is
closer to you than one meter, the recorded image will
be lower than what you can see inside the viewfinder
area.
Area visible in
the viewfinder Area recorded at
distances less than
one meter (3.3´)Optical viewfinder
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• Since the monitor screen shows exactly what will be
recorded, always use it for composing images in the
Macro and Manual Focus modes.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 a 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).
• You can change the digital zoom setting during
movie recording, but not the optical zoom setting.
Make sure you select the optical zoom setting you
want to use before you press the shutter button to
start movie recording.
• Whenever you perform an optical zoom operation
while recording with the Macro mode or manual
focus, a value will appear on the monitor screen to
tell you the focusing range (pages 71, 74).
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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! 
• Digital zoom is disabled whenever the monitor
screen is turned off (page 26).
• 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.
1X 3X12X
Optical Zoom rangeDigital
Zoom range
Zoom pointerOptical/digital zoom switch over point
 To record an image using digital zoom
1.In a 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 58). The digital
zoom range is not displayed when digital zoom is
turned off.
Digital zoom indicator
Zoom level 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 a 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
level indicator when digital zoom is turned off.
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[ ] (  )
Flash mode indicator
Using the Flash
Perform the following steps to select the flash mode you
want to use.
• The approximate effective range of the flash is shown
below.
Wide Angle : Approximately 0.4 to 2.6 meters (1.3´ to
8.5´)(ISO Sensitivity: Auto)
Telephoto : Approximately 0.4 to 2.0 meters (1.3´ to
6.6´)(ISO Sensitivity: Auto)
1.In a REC mode, press [MENU].
2.Press [] ( ) to select the flash mode.
• Each press of [] ( ) cycles through the flash
mode settings described below on the monitor
screen.3.Record the image.
 IMPORTANT! 
• The flash unit of this camera fires a number of times
when you record an image. The initial flashes are
pre-flashes, which the camera uses to obtain
information that it uses for exposure settings. The
final flash is for recording. Make sure that you keep
the camera still until the shutter releases.
To do this:
Have the flash fire automatically when
required (Auto Flash)
Turn off the flash (Flash Off)
Always fire the flash (Flash On)
Fire a pre-flash followed by image
recording with flash, reducing the
chance of red-eye in the image (Red-
eye reduction)
In this case, the flash fires automatically
when required
Select this setting:
None
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 About Red-eye Reduction
Using the flash to record at night or in a dimly lit room can
cause red spots inside the eyes of people who are in the
image. This happens because the light from the flash
reflects off of the retina of the eye. When red-eye reduction
is selected as the flash mode, the camera performs two
pre-flash operations, one designed to cause the irises in
the eyes of any people in the image to close, and one for
the Auto Focus operation. This is followed by another flash
operation for actual recording of the image.
 IMPORTANT! 
Note the following important points when using red-
eye reduction.
• Red-eye reduction does not work unless the people
in the image are looking directly at the camera during
the pre-flash. Before pressing the shutter button, call
out to the subjects so they all look at the camera
while the pre-flash operation is performed.
• Red-eye reduction may not work very well if the
subjects are located far away from the camera.
Flash Unit Status
You can find out the current flash unit status by pressing
the shutter button half way and checking the monitor
screen and red operation lamp.
Red operation lamp*
The  indicator is also
shown on the monitor
screen when the flash unit
is ready to fire.
*Red operation lamp
It means this:
Flash unit is charging
Flash unit is ready to fire
When the red operationlamp is this:
Flashing
Lit
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