Optio SV 5 megapixels LCD screen / shutter

The above camera is my first step into digital photography, after having no camera for quite a few years. I bought it to take photos of kayaking events and find that :

When using the camera outdoors the LCD screen is barely visible and I have to use the viewfinder to frame shots, all the colour washes out and it almost becomes a mirror of what I am wearing. I have adjusted the brightness on the set up menu which has little effect.

After pressing the button to take the photo the camera seems to take maybe 1/2 a second to take the picture


Are they all like this ?, am I missing a setting ? have I bought a faulty one ?

Many thanks

Frank

Frank,

The LCD screens are all tricky to view in bright daylight, even on the pro SLRs. Personally, I cup my hand over the viewfind to look at it, but you can also purchase "bellows" and other screen shades that make it easier to see in daylight.

Most of the delay in taking a photo is in focussing. Compact digitals use contrast detection by streaming the information off the CCD sensor. Consequently it takes a little time to focus. (Digital SLR cameras have separate focussing mechanisms, the same as for film SLRs.) You can cut this time down in two ways: (a) pre-focus by pointing at something the same distance, and holding the shutter half down. When the "action" happens, press all the way to take the shot, and there'll be almost no delay; (b) switch to manual focus and aperture priority (if available) - you should be able to pick a small aperture (ie large f-number) and then pick a manual focus point that gets everything in focus (say a couple of metres). That way there'll be no significant delay because the camera won't need to be focus.

So, to sum up, all the compact digitals are like that.

Matt