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 the Stylus 720 SW set to 64 ISO, the small built-in
flash provides even lighting of the subject when the zoom
is at the widest angle, but the image is a touch dark. Exposure
compensation has no effect with flash photos, therefore the
only alternative is to set the sensitivity to Auto, and allow
the camera to increase it to produce a brighter image.
Photo Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f3.5
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/30 sec.
Res.:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
SHQ
ISO:
Auto (100)
File Size:
2.9 MB
Focal Length:
38 mm (35 mm Eq.)
Increasing sensitivity to 100 ISO,
the camera yields a sufficiently bright image, and one with
very natural-looking colours. Still, a bit of noise can be seen
in the darker areas and the image is slightly grainy.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the preceding photo.
Still set to Auto ISO, the camera remains at 100 ISO although
the aperture is smaller — f5 — when the zoom is
at the telephoto end. Moreover, the camera uses a relatively
fast 1/100 second, resulting in a slightly dark image.
We can also note that the image sharpness is a bit soft,
possibly as a result of the compression.
The Stylus 720 SW is equipped with two macro modes: a standard
Macro mode, which allows the use of the zoom, and a Super
Macro mode, which locks the zoom at the wide-angle setting.
The standard Macro mode provides a focus distance of 10 cm
(4 inches) when the zoom is at the wide angle end, and 25
cm (10 inches) at the telephoto end. The narrowest field of
view the standard macro mode can capture is when the zoom
is at the wide angle position, capturing 8 cm (3.2 inches)
as measured horizontally.
The Super Macro mode, on the other
hand, allows the camera to focus on a subject that is 5 cm (2
inch) from the front element of the lens, capturing a field
of view that measures 4.5 cm (1.8 inch). In this mode however,
the depth of field — the zone in the image that is in
focus — is quite narrow.
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.
This wide angle shot of the building and the telephoto shot
shown further down were captured on a sunny but hazy day.
While the metering evaluates the centre of the frame accurately,
resulting in a good exposure of the building, it does so at
the expense of the sky, which looks somewhat overexposed and
has lost most of its colour.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/250 sec.
Resolution:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
SHQ
ISO:
64
File Size:
3.1 MB
Focal Length:
38 mm (35 mm Eq.)
If there is no noticeable barrel distortion
when the zoom is at the wide angle end, when seen at 100% on
a monitor, the image reveals a small chromatic aberration where
there are strong contrasts. The aberration is visible as a faint
purple line that follows the lower contours of the beams.
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.
Zooming in on the building’s front doors, a more homogenous
exposure is arrived at by placing an average zone of the subject
at the centre of the frame, locking the exposure and re-framing
the shot. For this shot, the best exposure of a series, the
wall on the right side of the frame is used as the metering
point.
Photo Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5
Exposure:
Program
Shutter Speed:
1/160 sec.
Resolution:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
SHQ
ISO:
64
File Size:
3.1 MB
Focal Length:
114 mm (35 mm
Eq.)
As can be seen below, the camera
captures a very acceptable level of detail in the shadow areas
behind the doors, and even the text on the right side glass
door is legible, while the paving stones in the foreground
are not overexposed.
NIGHT PHOTO
Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night is included here.
Aperture: f4.3; shutter
speed: 4 sec., 100 ISO, Night Scene mode.
The Stylus 720 SW is completely
automatic when it comes to exposure, and the only way to capture
a long exposure is to use the Night Scene mode. The mode is
capable of a maximum exposure time of 4 seconds while others
are limited to ¼ second.
While the Night Scene mode sets the sensitivity to Auto ISO,
it limits the gain to a maximum of 100 ISO to prevent noise.
Moreover, it allows the user to choose the white balance.
Since the main source of light for
this subject is incandescent, the white balance is so set and
the resulting image has very natural looking colours.
Even after a relatively short
4-second exposure, the camera captures details that are invisible
to the eye. Nevertheless, a slightly brighter exposure would
have been even more interesting.
Noise reduction is automatically applied to all long exposures,
and while the image retains a reasonable level of detail,
when it is looked at closely at 100% scale on a monitor an
overall softness can be seen.
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Test Photos
