Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction, and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE PHOTO
This subject is photographed in a room that
has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which
is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill
light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
For this series of photos, the P712's RAW image format was
used to ensure the highest image quality and avoid the inevitable
loss of data associated with compression.
Images were then "developed" using the bundled
software, and saved as TIFF, an uncompressed format, using
the capture parameters recorded by the camera.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f 2.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/30 sec.
Resolution:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
No compression
ISO:
64
File Size:
RAW: 11.7 MB
TIFF: 20.3 MB
Focal Length:
36 mm (eq. 35 mm)
The white balance, as evaluated
by the camera's automatic white balance, yields an image with
accurate colours. Likewise, the flash produces an even light
that shows no trace of light falloff in the corners of the frame.
However, at the widest angle of the zoom, the image lacks sharpness,
most notably in the corners of the frame.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on the centre of the image above to gauge the sharpness
of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same
distance as in the preceding photo.
The power of the P712's optical zoom is well illustrated
by this image. At 12X, equivalent to a 432 mm lens on a 35
mm camera, the camera captures a very narrow field of view
with this subject, revealing details that cannot be perceived
at this distance by the unaided eye. The printing screen used
to create the grey shading on the envelope is clearly visible,
as are the fibres of the old paper.
As with the wide angle photo, the colours the camera captures
are accurate, and consistent.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f3.7
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/200 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
No compression
ISO:
64
File
Size:
RAW: 11.7 MB
TIFF: 20.3 MB
Focal Length:
432 mm (eq. 35
mm)
The uncompressed TIFF image obtained
from the RAW image captured by the camera yields a very detailed
and sharp image, as can be seen in the extract shown below.
Set to the Macro mode, the P712 is able to focus on
a subject that is between 10 and 90 cm (3.9 to 35.4 inches)
when the zoom is at the wide angle end, and from 90 cm
to 2.0 m (35.4 inches to 6.6 ft) at the telephoto end.
At the closest distance at the wide angle end, the camera
captures a field of view of 8.5 cm (3.4 inches), while
at the telephoto end, the field of view is 9 cm (3.6
inches), making both settings approximately equivalent.
With the P712, a greater depth of
field in macro images can be obtained if the Aperture priority
mode and a small aperture (high f-number) is used to maximize
depth of field. Otherwise, when set to Program mode the camera
tends to give preference to a large aperture so as to allow
for as fast a shutter speed as possible, trading speed for depth
of field.
BUILDING PHOTO
This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular
the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed
entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.
Set to the Program mode, and to the default settings, the
P712 produces very good results: colours look natural and
are well saturated. Moreover, the Multi-zone metering is effective,
and yields good exposures.
Still, inspecting the image at 100% on a monitor, a slight
chromatic aberration can be detected.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/800 sec.
Resolution:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
No compression
ISO:
64
File Size:
RAW: 11.7 MB
TIFF: 20.3 MB
Focal Length:
36 mm (eq. 35
mm)
While there is no noticeable barrel
distortion, the centre of the image is visibly sharper than
the corners.
ZOOM PHOTO
Zooming in on the entrance of the building,
the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the
metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are
directly lit.
Zoomed in, the camera is able to capture a small portion
of the building. No pincushion distortion is noticeable, nor
is there any trace of a chromatic aberration. Similarly, the
image is sharp from corner to corner, and this at the widest
aperture of the lens.
As the camera is mounted on a tripod to capture this photo,
the stabilization system is turned off to avoid any interference.
Photo
Information
Format:
RAW
Aperture:
f3.7
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/250 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
No compression
ISO:
64
File Size:
RAW: 11.7 MB
TIFF: 20.3 MB
Focal Length:
432 mm (eq. 35 mm)
The level of detail the camera captures
with the zoom at the telephoto end is clearly visible in the
section of the image shown below.
NIGHT PHOTO
Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night
is included here.
Aperture: f8; shutter
speed: 16 sec., 64 ISO.
The Night Scene mode
of the P712 only allows a maximum exposure time of 2 seconds,
which may be sufficient to capture a night scene in a well-lit
street, but is insufficient to capture a subject as dim and
distant as this one.
However, with the Manual or Shutter Priority
modes, the P712 is capable of exposures as long as 16 seconds.
And of these two modes, the use of the Manual mode is best
suited, since in addition to offering control over the sensitivity
and white balance, it also allows controlling the aperture.
Setting the sensitivity to the
lowest possible, 64 ISO, avoids much of the noise that can
be generated by a long exposure, and an aperture of f8 in
combination with an exposure time of 16 seconds and a white
balance set to incandescent to obtain colours as natural as
possible, allows the camera to capture a excellent level of
detail.
Worth noting, the noise reduction system of the P712 is quite
effective and once processed by it, the images show very little
residual noise, and if the widest angle of the zoom is avoided,
very good sharpness.
Test Photos
