To capture images with a maximum
size of 2816 x 2112 pixels, the SP-700 uses a 1/2.5
inch CCD with 6.18 million pixels of which 6 million are effective.
CCD sensitivity starts at 64 ISO but can be pushed to 100,
200 or 400 ISO.
An Auto ISO mode is also
offered — the only option available in some shooting
modes — which lets the camera increase sensitivity as
required by ambient light conditions.
The SP-700 is equipped with an internal prism-type 3X
optical zoom with a focal length range of 6.3 to 18.9
mm, the 35
mm equivalent of a 38 to 114 mm.
The zoom is composed of 11 elements in 9 groups and includes
3 aspherical
elements to correct optical distortions, and has a maximum
aperture
of f3.3
at the wide angle end and f4 at the telephoto end.
The SP-700's shutter speed range covers from 1/2000 down to
a maximum of 4 seconds, and noise reduction is automatically
applied to all long exposures.
5 image sizes are available
to capture photos:
SH Super High 6M: 2816 x 2112 pixels
H1 High 4M: 2288 x 1712 pixels
H2 High 2M: 1600 x 1200 pixels
B Basic 1M: 1024 x 768 pixels
Email VGA: 640 x 480 pixels
Whatever the image size, images are saved in the JPEG format
with a compression level preset to the selected image size.
Pressing the OK/MENU button of the SP-700 displays
a 9-options screen called the Top Menu that provides
an access to the most commonly needed settings. The Arrow
Pad is to be used to select the desired option:
Compare and Shoot: On or Off. Displays the last
4 images captured on the left side of the monitor while
the image coming from the lens is shown on the right, making
it possible to compare the last shots to the current composition.
Multi-Shot captures 9 images at a faster rate than
Sequential Shooting, and saves them into a single 2816 x
2112 pixels image.
Reset: returns all camera settings to their defaults.
Image Quality: allows setting the image size and
quality (see above).
Cancel: serves to back out of the Top Menu.
Mode Menu: is the access to the remaining options
available with the SP-700 (see further).
White Balance: Auto, Sun, Cloud, Tungsten, Fluorescent.
Exposure Compensation: to adjust the exposure over
a range of ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
ISO to set the CCD sensitivity: Auto, 64, 100,
200 or 400 ISO.
With the SP-700 set to the Movie Mode, the Multi-shot
option is replaced by the Image Stabilizer, which
is a digital stabilization system — different from optical
image stabilization systems — that attempts to compensate
for camera shake at the CCD level.
Selecting the Mode Menu option from the still image
mode's Top Menu, a more conventional menu is displayed. The
Mode Menu is composed of three sections, each identified by
a tab on the left side of the screen: Camera, Card
and Set. While the first section is mode-specific,
the other two, Card and Set, are common to all modes and an
overview of their content is provided in the Interface
and Software section of this review.
With the SP-700 set to Program Auto, the Camera section of
the Mode Menu offers the following choices:
Spot:
meters only a small area at the precise centre of the
frame.
Drive controls the rate at which the SP-700 captures
images:
Single: captures a single image each time the
shutter release is pressed.
Sequential Shooting: allows the camera to capture
up to 3 images at the highest image quality (SH 6M)
at approximately 0.7 frames per second. Focus, exposure
and white balance are established at the first frame.
Multi-Shot: allows the camera to capture up
to 9 images at a faster rate than Sequential Shooting,
and saves them into a single 2816 x 2112-pixel image.
Digital Zoom: On or Off. Controls the 4X digital
zoom, which acts as a cropping tool and then interpolates
the image to the currently selected image size, lowering
the image sharpness.
AF Mode selects the auto focus mode:
Auto: allows the camera to find the focus point
from a wide are near the centre of the frame.
Spot: focuses on what is at the centre of the
frame.
Panorama: this function is only available if an
Olympus brand xD memory card is used. The option makes it
possible to capture a series of images that are overlapping
so that they can be assembled into a panoramic image later
using the software bundled with the SP-700.
Label Shot: serves to capture a high-contrast black
and white image (text for example) that can be superimposed
on another image later, using a function found in the Playback
menu. Up to 100 images can be superimposed on top of one
another.
Sound Recording: On or Off. Allows capturing a
4-second voice annotation immediately after an image is
captured.
In the Movie Mode, only three options are offered
in the Mode Menu: Digital Zoom (On or Off), Continuous
AF (On or Off) and an option to capture sound or not with
the movie.
The access to the Mode Menu of the Playback mode
also starts with a screen offering 9 options:
Compose Image: serves to add a frame, or a label,
or insert the image into a calendar or a layout.
Adjust Image: this option accesses the various
adjustments that can be made to an already-captured image
(brightness, saturation, colour balance, warm/cool) and
then save the modified image as a new image.
Edit Image: makes it possible to resize, crop,
automatically fix red-eye, or convert the image into black
and white or sepia.
Album: allows selecting images and moving them
into albums. A maximum of 100 images can be organized into
a maximum of 12 albums.
Cancel: backs out of this menu.
Mode Menu: displays the remaining options available
to the Playback mode. (See further.)
Slide Show: Serves to see the images in memory,
and select any of 12 transition effects.
Calendar: presents images in a calendar layout,
showing the days on which the photos were captured, making
it possible to see the images captured on a specific day.
Erase: provides a number of options to erase unwanted
images. The image under review can be erased, or those that
have been pre-selected using the index view, or all images
on the card or in internal memory.
The options contained in the Playback mode's Mode
Menu are also separated into three sections, each identified
by a tab: Play, Card, and Set. The first
section, Play, contains the following options:
Protect: to prevent any image from being erased
accidentally.
Rotate: to change the orientation of an image in
90° increments.
Print: To select images that will be printed (using
DPOF) either when the camera is connected directly to a
PictBridge compatible printer, or by a service. The number
of copies to make of each image can be selected, and select
whether or not the date and time at which the image was
captured will be superimposed on the printed image. Images
can be selected one at a time, or all at once.
Sound Recording: makes it possible to add a 4-second
voice annotation to an existing image.
If images have been sorted into albums, then an additional
menu is displayed when the Album option is selected
from the Playback mode's Top Menu::
Sel. Album: serves to select one of twelve possible
albums from which photos will drawn for playback.
Select Title Image: allows selecting an image which
will be used as the cover photo for the album.
Undo Entry: to remove one or more photos from the
album.
Close Album: to return to the Album Mode's Top
Menu.
Cancel: to exit the Album Mode.
Album Menu contains further options:
Print (only shown with still images): to select
images for printing (see Print option above).
Volume: to set the playback sound volume.
LCD Brightness: to adjust the brightness of
the monitor.
Video Out: to choose the output signal produced
by the SP-700, NTSC or PAL.
Slide show: offers the same options as those of
the Playback menu.
Rotation: allows changing the orientation of an
image in 90° increments.
Index Play (only shown when a movie is being played
back): presents the movie's frames as an index screen (9
images per screen) so that playback can be started at a
specific moment of the recording.
Protect: to protect images against an accidental
erasure.
The Olympus SP-700 is equipped
with an 11 MB internal memory and, in North America,
is retailed without a memory card. It is nevertheless compatible
with xD cards, and a slot for cards is located underneath
the camera, behind the door that also serves to cover the
battery. The card is ejected by pressing on its edge, while
the battery is maintained in place by an orange coloured spring-loaded
catch.
The chart below indicates the approximate capacity of the
internal memory, and that of an optional 512MB xD card:
Still
Images
11MB Internal Memory
512 MB xD card
SH:
6M
6
329
H1:
4M
9
499
H2:
2M
15
789
B:
1M
36
1879
Email:
VGA
57
2904
Movie
11MB Internal Memory
512 MB xD card
Without
Sound
With
Sound
Without
Sound
With
Sound
640
Fine
5
sec.
5
sec.
4
min 43 sec.
4
min 42 sec.
320
Standard
15
sec.
14
sec.
12
min 54 sec.
12
min 42 sec.
160
Extended
1
min 6 sec.
1
min 2 sec.
56
min 42 sec.
53
min 12 sec.
The two external connections of the SP-700 are located on
the right side of the camera, above and below the speaker.
The lower connection has a
dual function, dictated by the cable connected to it: USB
port (compatible 2.0 High Speed) or A/V Out (Audio/Video).
In addition to being offered in the Album Mode's menu, the
setting for video out, NTSC or PAL, is also available in the
Setup menu. (See the Interface and Software
section of the review for more detail about the Setup menu.)
As mentioned earlier, the SP-700
is powered by a rechargeable Li-Ion (LI-40B) battery, which
is housed in a compartment underneath the camera.
And the second external connection
of the SP-700 is connect the AC Adapter/Charger (S-D-1AC),
which is supplied with the camera. The AC Adapter serves to
recharge the battery, taking approximately two hours to charge
a fully depleted battery, and can also be used to power the
camera.
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