Well my Optio S got its first official and unofficial workout. Friday I was asked to shoot a re-enlistment at work. Four quick shots. I had my CoolPix 995 with me, but decided to try out the Optio - not vital shots so I could afford to experiment.
The color rendition of the Optio S was truer than either of the CoolPixes I have owned. I took some test shots of myself afterwards to compare. No doubt that at least with the flash the colors were closer to correct with the Optio S. The sharpness setting was set to normal on the Optio S. It seemed too harsh for me, especially with the wall covering behind the people in the re-enlistment. I tried to do some test shots, discovered that the sharpness, contrast, and saturation settings of the camera are not recorded in the Exif data :-( Unless I am overlooking something - I will have to study this a bit more. By toning down the sharpness I have gotten it to an acceptable level - yes, this is what I was doing Friday night... sad isn't it? Just goes to show that one always needs to try out new gear and learn its characteristics. Saturday afternoon/evening I decided to attend a Hash House Harriers run. I did not take the camera on the trail for fear of it getting doused or such. Hash trails try to make a name for themselves with plenty of shiggy (inhospitable terrain). I did bring it out for the On In. I had already taken 31 shots earlier on the battery. Only two used flash, but the majority were available light with exposure times of up to one second, most though about a half second and all with the LCD on. I ended up taking 108 shots at the Hash before the battery was about to die. Every shot used the flash. I tried to minimize use of the LCD, but of course people were asking to review the images. I would have to say that this was quite impressive on one battery. I believe the manual states about 160 with 50% use of flash and the LCD monitor on. People were also very impressed with the size and finish of the camera. There were two other digitals there- Sony, Minolta. The Sony ended up having two sets of batteries changed. I am not sure about the Minolta. Neither took as many shots as I did. I hope the back-ordered battery comes in soon. The DC connector is not conventional so I cannot use my battery packs for it like I do for the CoolPix. After a while I got tired of the auto focus hunt in trying to get quick shots. No problem though. I just set the camera to manual focus mode and the LCD off. It was easy to hit the four button controller to set the focusing distance via the scale on the LCD. The LCD would shut off and I just pointed, zoomed accordingly, and shot. Just reviewed the images. I am quite happy with the results. With its size it was easy to protect in the rain. Just place it in your palm, or put it in your pocket. Also, it was easy to carry it in your hand with the fingers protecting the extended lens. I was able to shoot away quickly, much faster than even those with p&s 35mm cameras. Even if the camera shut down I was able to power it up and get the shot. The other digital shooters were very impressed with this short start up. All in all, a very good experience with the Optio S. And I have a few people who are now interested in possibly getting one. Hoping to shoot the 645n and LX tomorrow, er today, César Panama City, Florida
