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.
Although the L74 Wide is set to Auto ISO to photograph the
still life, the camera maintains the sensitivity at its minimum,
and captures the image at 80 ISO. The flash adds a sufficient
amount of light to record a bright image, but the influence
of the mixed ambient light (fluorescent and incandescent)
gives the image a slightly yellow cast.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter speed:
1/30 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
Super Fine
ISO:
80 (Auto)
File Size:
3.15 MB
Focal Lgth:
28 mm (35 mm Eq.)
At the widest angle, and especially
when the largest aperture is used, the L74 Wide's images tend
to have a slightly soft focus.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on the 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.
For the telephoto shot, which has a smaller maximum aperture,
the camera increases the sensitivity to 120 ISO. The increase
causes a slight gain in noise, discernable in areas such as
the lenses of the old Yashicaflex.
The overall sharpness is a touch higher than the wide angle
shot, but at the default setting of the camera, it is still
less than we have come to expect from a 7-megapixel camera.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter speed:
1/90 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
Super Fine
ISO:
120 (Auto)
File Size:
3.34 MB
Focal Lgth:
101 mm (35 mm Eq.)
Aperture: f2.8, shutter speed: 1/90 sec., 80 ISO.
MACRO PHOTO
The L74 Wide has a modest macro mode that covers from 5 to
80 cm (1.95 to 31.2 inches) at the wide end and 30 to 80 cm
(11.7 to 31.2 inches) at the telephoto end.
At the wide end, the camera captures a field of view that
measures approximately 6.9 cm (2.69 inches), the narrowest
view the camera can capture with macro focus.
Close-up shots with a wide angle
of 28 mm (equivalent) or less, such as the one shown here,
tend to cause some perspective distortion, in this case emphasizing
the length of the dog's nose. Worth noting, however, there
is very little barrel distortion.
BUILDING PHOTO
This image is our "outdoor" test. The architecture
of the building, in particular its angled girders, immediately
show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also
often reveal the quality of the exposure.
The L74 Wide captures a well-exposed wide angle shot of
the building. But here again, when the image is inspected
at 100 %, the overall sharpness is a bit soft.
Although captured at 80 ISO, some colour noise can be detected
in the blue-green areas of the building.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.6
Exposure:
Program
Shutter speed:
1/350 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Super Fine
ISO:
80
File
Size:
3.27 MB
Focal Lgth:
28 mm (35 mm Eq.)
Some purple fringing — a chromatic
aberration — can be observed below the beams that make
up the building's canopy.
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.
The telephoto shot, on the other hand, shows no trace of
distortion or of any chromatic aberration. Moreover, the metering
yields an image that is very well balanced between light and
dark areas in the frame, as detail can be seen in both.
A bit of colour noise can be detected, and with the camera
set to its default for sharpness, the image has a slightly
soft focus.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.8
Exposure:
Program
Shutter speed:
1/180 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Super Fine
ISO:
80
File Size:
3.31 MB
Focal Lgth:
101 mm (35 mm Eq.)
NIGHT PHOTO
Since this camera is capable of long exposures,
a photo taken at night is included here.
Aperture: f2.8; shutter
speed: 16 sec, 80 ISO, Night mode.
The Night
scene mode of the L74 Wide allows exposures
as long as 16 seconds and the selection of either aperture.
Regrettably, it offers no control over the white balance,
nor does it offer any control over the sensitivity, which
the camera limits to 80 ISO.
Still, even at 80 ISO, the maximum exposure time of 16 seconds
is sufficient to capture an interesting shot of a rather dark
subject such as the one shown here.
Noise processing
is applied to the image immediately post-capture, doubling
the time required to capture the image, and the resulting
image shows very little noise. Moreover, the photo retains
a very good level of detail, as can be seen in the section
taken from the full size image that is shown below.
Test Photos
