HX-20v Image Preview & Write Time

[Old_Taoist]

Greetings.

Just purchased the HX-20v to replace an older Lumix, wanting "pocket" camera with extra good quality Video and pic's.

I'm finding the menu frustrating so far as there appear to be not one but at least 3 Menus, depending where the Function Dial (FD) is set and which other buttons you press! E.g. If you set FD to 'P' (Program mode) you can then press Menu (button) and select from various image effects like Watercolour or Illustration (one of my favourites!), but why can't you select this from the normal Menu mode when the FD is set to iAuto, for example? This does not make sense!

Another niggle on my second day is the Display and Write functions. When I take a shot it displays the darned thing on the viewfinder, locking up the camera's use and I have to wait several seconds for the thing to write the image to the card (it displays a timing bar with "Processing Image" written beside it). This is REALLY annoying! Especially as one of the features I bought the camera for was its "supposed" (according to Sony and reviews) fast focus and snapping speeds. I looked over the menu several times, downloaded the Firmware update, looked on the web-site, but have found no reference as to how you can turn off the Image Preview function and make the camera usable for quick successive shots (not Sequence setting but manual shots using the Shutter Releast button).

Help!

Can anyone help here please?

If I can't sort out this problem and get the thing to take normal pictures, one within a second or so of another - without using the Sequential modes - then I'll take it back and get a refund as "Not fit for purpose"! Shame, as lens and the little 1/2.3 chip are good performers let down by what seems to me so far as poor software and firmware support. Considering the high price this should not be the case. :smileywrr:

[blaireau_photo]

Hello Old-Taoist

Regarding the menu functions first of all. When the camera is set to any type of 'Auto' mode, this would reduce the number of available options which is probably why you cannot see the various image effects. The automatic mode that you are referring to has been designed as a 'point and shoot' situation. The following table shows which menu items are available in each mode:

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4424086131/EN/contents/04/03/01/01.html

With the image processing times that you have described, have you tried to reduce the resolution of the images that you are taking to see if this reduces the time between shots (this step should lead to smaller file sizes which in turn should be written to the memory card in a shorter time). The image quality on your camera can be adjusted by pressing the 'MENU' button and then choosing 'Still Image Size'. There is more information about this on the following page:

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4424086131/EN/contents/04/02/09/09.html

If you have been referring to the paper based manual so far or the PDF version, you may find the above manual easier to navigate.

Thanks,

Simon

[Old_Taoist]

A: I know the dials and settings are variable. There are too many Menus, that's my point.

B: What's the point in lowering the image resolution? If the camera is not fast enough to process one image "in the background; while you compose or take next shot" why bother making the thing 18Mp and all that jazz? It's got internal memory? Why can't it buffer and quicker? And "yes" my memory card is type 10; fast and plenty good enough on a large dslr!

C: The in-camera manual is very, very basic. The pdf version is OK but not too helpful and the i-version... well, "useless" is being kind!

Does sony think that a camera with manual controls and options like this is only going to be used by Chimps?

Please, get to know your products and the subject matter better.

[blaireau_photo]

Hello again

A: I think that having the variable modes can be an advantage because while some users like having a plethora of different options at their fingertips, others like having a smaller, more organised structure which is why the camera gives a choice of operating modes. Having said all of this, they may still not be to everyone's liking and I can assure you that people who work in the development teams at Sony go through these forums - your comments would have been noted.

B: The same goes as 'A' here regarding the feedback about image processing times. I was merely making a suggestion that has shown an improvement for users on other cameras. I think your DSLR point is a good one as usually the faster image processing is a trade off which people need to consider when choosing between a compact camera and a more expensive DSLR model.

C: Although the i-Manual isn't for everyone, I am not too sure about your definition of the word 'useless' here as it is laid out to give a precise section for every main camera feature and when viewed in a web browser, you can usually 'CTRL + F' to find a particular feature.

Regarding the other messages that you have posted on this subject, I apologise if I interpreted the subject matter as being about video and not images. Firmware updates are never something that can really be predicted as in the majority of circumstances, they are only released in order to fix major faults but again, this is not 100% predictable. Any electronics manufacturer will usually concentrate on developing their next model instead but it is always worth keeping an eye on the official support page for the HX20V just in case:

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/DSC-HX20V

If you do have specific concerns about the image quality and you want to raise this further with Sony, their Customer Services team can be contacted using the details in the following link:

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/contacts/dime

Thanks,

Simon

[cmosse]

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Message was edited by: cmosse