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Chapter 3 -Taking Photos
This chapter describes the process of taking photos with your HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera, including how
to take Still, Burst, and Timelapse photos, and detailed descriptions of adjusting the camera settings. If you want a
quick overview, see the Basics guide that you received with your camera.
There are three settings you can use to take photos: Still, Burst, and Timelapse.
Still Use this setting for taking a single color or black and white photo.
Burst Use this
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Overview To take a photo: Shutter button 1. Remove the lens cover. 2. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. The camera is automatically ready to take a Still photo. 3. Frame your subject in the viewfinder. 4. Press and hold the Shutter button 1/2 way down to allow the Camera mode dial On/off button camera to adjust the focus and exposure. 5. When you see the green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the photo. Wait for the b
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Overview Checking the Camera Status Use the status LCD and the color LCD to check the status of the camera. Basic camera information such as battery level, number of photos remaining, photo quality, flash status, and memory card status display on the status LCD. The color LCD shows information such as the number of photos stored on the memory card, the current compression level, resolution setting, and battery status. Using the Status LCD Use the status LCD on the top of the camera to check t
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Overview Using the Color LCD Use the color LCD on the back of the camera to check current camera settings and status, including the number of photos stored on the memory card, and the compression and resolution settings. To view the camera status on the color LCD: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn the color LCD on. Color LCD 3. Press the Status button (right soft key). The color LCD displays the current camera settings an
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Overview Memory card inserted Battery status Images taken The number of photos stored on the memory card. Compression The current compression level. Resolution The current resolution setting. White Bal The current white balance setting. Digita The camera firmware version number. Color LCD Status 4. When you have finished viewing the camera status, press the Exit button (right soft key). HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 34
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos Taking Still Photos Use the Still setting to take one photo each time you press the Shutter button. To take a Still photo: Number of photos available Shutter button 1. Remove the lens cover. 2. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. The status LCD displays the approximate number of photos available on the memory card. The camera is not ready until this number appears. 3. Adjust your camera set
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos 6. When you see the green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the photo. Wait for the beeps, indicating the photo has been taken, before releasing the Shutter button. 7. If Instant Review is on, your photo appears briefly on the color LCD. If you are happy with the photo, press the Save button (right soft key) to save it on the memory card. If not, press the Delete button (center soft key) to discard t
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos 4. Press the left soft key until the Burst icon appears on the lower overlay bar. Tip: To conserve battery power, turn the color LCD off after you choose the photo type. Burst icon If there is not enough space on the memory card for the number of photos specified, the red light to the left of the viewfinder flashes and the upper overlay bar displays “Not enough memory.” To solve this problem, insert a new memory card, or try a lower photo quality setti
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos To change the Burst rate: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Menu button. The color LCD displays the Media Settings menu. 3. Use the 4-way arrow button to scroll to Burst. 4. Press the Edit button (left soft key), and then scroll down to Burst Rate. 5. Use the 4-way arrow button to choose the desired setting, from 1 to 3 frames per second. 6. Press the Exit button (right soft key) twice to save your settings and exit
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos Number of To take Timelapse photos: Shutter button photos available 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. The status LCD displays the approximate number of photos available on the memory card. The camera is not ready until this number appears. 2. Adjust your camera settings as needed. See “Adjusting the Camera Settings” on page 42 for details. Status LCD Camera mode dial On/off button 3. Press the color LCD on/off button to turn
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos 6. When you see a green light to the left of the viewfinder, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the first photo. Wait for the beeps, indicating the photo has been taken, before releasing the Shutter button. The camera automatically takes the number of photos at the time interval specified in the Timelapse settings. Tip: If you want to stop taking photos before the camera reaches the number of photos specified in the Timelapse settings,
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Taking Still, Burst and Timelapse Photos 5. Use the 4-way arrow button to select a setting to change. Setting Description Default Interval This is the amount of time you want the camera to wait before 1 min taking the next photo. Select from 1 minute to 24 hours. # Images This is the number of photos you want the camera to take. 10 Select from 2 to 1000 photos. 6. Use the 4-way arrow button to select the desired setting. 7. Press the Exit button (right soft key) twice to save your settings and e
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Adjusting the Camera Settings Adjusting the Camera Settings Taking Black and White Photos You can take either color or black and white photos using the Still, Burst, or Timelapse settings. The default is color. This setting remains until you change it, even if you turn the camera off. To change to color or black and white photos: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Menu button. 3. Select the photo type. 4. Press the Edit button (left soft key), then scroll d
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Adjusting the Camera Settings Changing the Flash Setting To change the flash setting: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Flash button repeatedly until the flash setting you want displays on the status LCD. The flash setting is effective for Still Flash button and Timelapse photos, and remains until you change it, even if you turn the camera off. Note: You cannot use the flash for Burst photos; the flash button is inactive. The flash settings are indicated
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Adjusting the Camera Settings You can also change the flash settings using the camera menus. To select a flash setting using the camera menus: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Menu button. 3. Use the 4-way arrow button to scroll to the Preferences menu, then scroll down to Capture. 4. Press the Edit button (left soft key). 5. Scroll to Flash. 6. Use the 4-way arrow button to select a flash setting. See the table above for information about each of the fla
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Adjusting the Camera Settings Adjusting the Photo Quality The photo quality setting determines the photo’s resolution and compression. Because of this, it also affects how many photos can be stored on the memory card. The photo quality setting remains the same for each photo of the same type (Still, Burst, and Timelapse) until you change it, even if you turn the camera off and on again. When selecting the photo quality, keep in mind: How you plan to use the photo (on screen, printed, enlarge
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Adjusting the Camera Settings To adjust the photo quality: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Photo Quality button repeatedly until the desired photo quality setting displays on the status LCD. Photo quality icon Photo quality button HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 46
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Adjusting the Camera Settings Each of the photo quality settings corresponds to a combination of resolution and compression settings. The diamond icons on the status LCD indicate photo quality as follows: Photo quality Description Resolution Compression E-mail Is the most memory-efficient. Use this Low High setting for photos that you plan to send (640x480 pixels) via e-mail, place on the Internet, use for screen savers or wallpaper, or print up to 3x5 inch prints. Basic Produces quality phot
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Adjusting the Camera Settings You can also adjust the photo quality by adjusting the individual resolution and compression settings for each of the three types of photos: Still, Burst and Timelapse. To adjust the photo quality using the menus: 1. Turn the camera on and turn the camera mode dial to Rec. 2. Press the Menu button. 3. Select the photo type. 4. Press the Edit button (left soft key). 5. Use the 4-way arrow button to select a resolution or compression setting to change. Setting Descr
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Adjusting the Camera Settings 6. Use the 4-way arrow button to select the desired setting. As you decide which settings to use, remember that there is a trade-off between resolution and compression. Higher resolution photos provide better quality, but if you use high resolution and high compression, some of the photo’s detail will be lost. Some combinations of settings correspond to the camera’s standard settings indicated by the photo quality diamonds on the status LCD. If you choose to use
