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.
With flash shots, including shots such as this one that makes
use of the flash as fill-in light, the V530 is best left on
Auto ISO, its default setting when the camera is turned on.
Auto ISO allows the camera to boost sensitivity, increasing
the effectiveness of the built-in flash, resulting in a brighter
image than can be had if the sensitivity is set to a low ISO
to prevent noise.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f 2.8
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/60 sec.
Resolution:
2576 x 1932
Flash:
On
Quality:
5MP
ISO:
125
File Size:
839 KB
Focal Length:
36 mm (eq. 35
mm)
At 125 ISO, the setting the camera
elected for this subject, noise is not noticeable, and the
image is reasonably bright and life-like.
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.
When the zoom is at its maximum magnification, the aperture
available to the camera closes down to f4.8, and even with
the boost in sensitivity to help the flash, the image is noticeably
darker, but still acceptable.
Seen at full scale on a monitor, the effect of the strong
compression used to store images becomes visible. The edges
of objects in the image are a bit fuzzy, and the small colour
variations that form textures have been softened.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.8
Exp:
Auto
Shutter Spd:
1/128 sec.
Res:
2576 x 1932
Flash:
On
Quality:
5MP
ISO:
125
File
Size:
1,007 KB
Focal Lgth:
108 mm (eq. 35
mm)
Aperture: f3.2, shutter
speed: 1/40 sec., 80 ISO.
CLOSE-UP
PHOTO
Set to the Macro mode, the V530 can focus on a subject that
is between 5 and 70 cm (1.95 to 27.3 inches) from the front
of the lens when the zoom is set to the wide angle end, and
from 40 to 70 cm (15.6 to 27.3 inches) at the telephoto
end.
At the wide angle end, which allows the greatest magnification,
the field of view is approximately 5.3 cm (2.07 inches). The
depth of field, however, is very shallow, and it is best to
have a lot of light on the subject to push the camera into
using a smaller aperture, thereby increasing the 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.
Numerous photos of the building captured using the zoom's
wide angle turned out reliably well-exposed, the metering
capturing detail throughout the image, be it in shadow areas
or those that are directly lit.
Likewise, colours were accurate, although quite saturated.
The effect of the strong compression — in this case
at 12.6:1 for this busy subject — has an impact on the
overall sharpness, as can be seen below.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/630 sec.
Resolution:
2576 x 1932
Flash:
Off
Quality:
5MP
ISO:
80
File Size:
1.13 MB
Focal Length:
36 mm (eq. 35
mm)
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.
At the maximum telephoto end of the zoom, most of the images
captured of this subject showed a slight overexposure of the
foreground pavers, while the entrance area was generally well-exposed,
allowing the camera to capture the small sign on the front
door. Nevertheless, seen at 100%, the effect of the compression
on the overall sharpness of the image is noticeable.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.8
Exp:
Auto
Shutter Spd:
1/100 sec.
Res:
2576 x 1932
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
1023 KB
Focal Lgth:
108 mm (eq. 35 mm)
NIGHT PHOTO
Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night
is included here.
Aperture: f3.6; shutter
speed: 8 sec., 80 ISO.
The Long Time Exposure
setting available in the menu offers a range of long exposure
speeds: 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 seconds,
making it possible to find the best exposure time for a particular
subject. In addition, the Auto mode provides control over
the white balance — making it possible to set it to
Tungsten which is best for scenes with artificial lights —
and over the sensitivity. Using 80 ISO to minimize noise,
and a maximum exposure time of 8 seconds, the V530 yields
an interesting image.
Set to 80 ISO, and after noise
reduction, a process that is automatically applied to all
long exposures, the image is effectively noise-free.
Sharpness on the other hand is average, and with a compression
ratio of 20.9:1 for this image, may very well be a contributing
factor to the the softness of the image.
Test Photos
